[HAMR] New challenger - Bruce Berkeley AKA Cycle_dr 1

[crowriver]

Bruce is an ex-Elite racer, as he keeps telling us. Bluffing is a big part of the job description. He's no more ratified by Guinness than he is Eddy Merckx

Indeed.

Is this the same David Berkeley from 2003? Are these "elite" races? I haven't the foggiest, but I don't see le Tour, la Vuelta, la Giro, the Tour of Britain, or owt like that.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/points?person_id=28236&d=4&year=2003

[tomh]

I think I'm firmly in the skeptical camp about both his current attempt and past "records" the fact that they don't seem to have been ratified a year later is not encouraging.

I suspect from the demeanor of his previous communication that he is probably relying on twitter posts/pictures for his documentary evidence.  He doesn't seem to be the type to keep an accurate and meticulous log.

EDIT: Just read this back and realised I should point out that I do think he's doing the miles... I'm skeptical that he'll get the Guinness validation.

[TimC]

Bruce is an ex-Elite racer, as he keeps telling us. Bluffing is a big part of the job description. He's no more ratified by Guinness than he is Eddy Merckx

Indeed.

Is this the same David Berkeley from 2003? Are these "elite" races? I haven't the foggiest, but I don't see le Tour, la Vuelta, la Giro, the Tour of Britain, or owt like that.

https://www.britishcycling.org.uk/points?person_id=28236&d=4&year=2003

'Elite' is a racing category, isn't it? I've no idea what it takes to achieve that, but I'm prepared to believe he qualified for it - I understand he raced as a professional for Sigma Sport, which I guess would have required an Elite cat. He may not have set the world alight as a racer, but he did do it!

[crowriver]

'Elite' is a racing category, isn't it? I've no idea what it takes to achieve that, but I'm prepared to believe he qualified for it - I understand he raced as a professional for Sigma Sport, which I guess would have required an Elite cat. He may not have set the world alight as a racer, but he did do it!

Fairy nuff!

[danridesbikes]

Anyone familiar with power data goes by this spreadsheet

http://cyclingtips.com/2009/07/just-how-good-are-these-guys/

[crowriver]

Anyone familiar with power data goes by this spreadsheet

http://cyclingtips.com/2009/07/just-how-good-are-these-guys/

Yeah, so maybe it's been mentioned upthread or somewhere else, but what is Mr. Berkeley's power output?

[TimC]

Anyone familiar with power data goes by this spreadsheet

http://cyclingtips.com/2009/07/just-how-good-are-these-guys/

Yeah, so maybe it's been mentioned upthread or somewhere else, but what is Mr. Berkeley's power output?

he's averaging 150-180w, and peaking at around 900w.

[Greenbank]

Then he is, quite rightly, riding well within himself.

I can, and have, managed those figures (and more!) over a 300km audax but...

I'm not even a Cat 4 rider
Power is relative to weight (for climbing)
Power is relative to CdA for TT-ing (mostly on the flat)
I can't maintain those figures for more than a few days

All of which makes comparisons about power numbers next to useless.

[TimC]

Yes, those figures are, AIUI, consistent with an efficient, slim but not small rider averaging around 19-20mph on lumpy territory. I'm sure he's quite capable of keeping it up in the long term. Just needs to sort out the record-keeping!

[IanDG]

How was Tommy Godwins record ratified?Who was the 'governing' body that monitored it?

If someone wants to ride 200+ miles a day and log it on Strava for 12 months, then I'm interested in following them and seeing what they churn out over the year. If they want to stick 2 fingers up to all the organisations that say you need to do this in our way then I'm even more interested.

I like the mavericks in sport. I preferred Obree to Boardman (but it is good to look back at RTTC/CTT records and see my name along with Boardman's on a National Champions list) and Ovett to Coe

Keep on trucking Bruce and don't let the bastards grind you down.

[Oakhambike]

So he can organise sponsorship with a flash bike and nice kit
But not a tracker
Or a support crew
Or even membership to UMCA...

The correspondence with UMCA is quite illuminating - an attitude of 'the rules don't apply to me, come on guys give me a break, poor me, I'm on my own, no-one to help etc' will fuel a certain amount of inner rage to keep him going but ultimately its a toxic brew and just means he self sabotages his own attempt.
I mean come on how hard is it get a tracker as required by UMCA or click on paypal to pay membership fee...

However , best of luck on his long and now meaningless bike ride ; hopefully he'll find himself somewhere en route.

[Mr Larrington]

The way he tells it you'd think he'd only found out about the UMCA and HAMR a week before the off when anyone with the slightest interest in Steve's and Kurt's progress would have known about it practically from the moment those two august gentlemen threw their helmets into the ring.

[Greenbank]

How was Tommy Godwins record ratified?Who was the 'governing' body that monitored it?

Cycling magazine. Not sure what the implication is but it'd be a lot easier to fake daily Strava uploads for 12 months than it would be to fake the evidence that Tommy had to provide for his rides.

By having a proper 'governing body' it provides some authenticity to the attempt. Strava, on its own, does not.

If someone wants to ride 200+ miles a day and log it on Strava for 12 months, then I'm interested in following them and seeing what they churn out over the year. If they want to stick 2 fingers up to all the organisations that say you need to do this in our way then I'm even more interested.

Similar to what I feel (about watching him and willing him on to do it), but for a small amount of effort (and money that he could easily collect via donations) he could ride his bike and get the record ratified by someone 'meaningful' along the way.

[Freya]

He can ride for as long as he likes. If it is just some bloke trying to see how far he can ride in a year then that  is entirely up to him. But when you are talking about setting a record or beating somebody else's then you have to get it verified in some way. I don't believe he would falsify his miles, but what process is there to ensure there are not errors in the recording? I just get the sense that he has a massive ego and is just doing this to massage it. Maybe I'm wrong, but that is how it comes across to me.

[danridesbikes]

My point was how high the level of an elite/cat 1 racer is - which he is/was as there's results to prove it

You don't bluff yourself to over 5w/kg

[jochta]

He's no more being 'officiated' by Guinness than I am IMHO. If he says it often enough he might actually start to believe it as some of the cycling press appear to be.

[hillbilly]

Young man, there's a place you can go.
I said, young man, when a record's in flow.
You can sign up, and I'm sure you will find
Many ways to have a good time.

It's fun to ride with the u-m-c-a.
It's fun to ride with the u-m-c-a.

They have everything for you men to enjoy,
You can keep your pram filled with toys...

It's fun to stick with the u-m-c-a.
It's fun to stick with the u-m-c-a.

[tonyh]

 

[TimC]

[mrcharly-YHT]

How was Tommy Godwins record ratified?Who was the 'governing' body that monitored it?

If someone wants to ride 200+ miles a day and log it on Strava for 12 months, then I'm interested in following them and seeing what they churn out over the year. If they want to stick 2 fingers up to all the organisations that say you need to do this in our way then I'm even more interested.

That approach doesn't mesh very well with claiming you have two world records when you know damn well that other people have (under documented conditions) beaten them.

I'm ok with recognising individual achievement, but Bruce has said and been quoted multiple time as holding 'two Guinness world records' (with distances less than achieved by other people).
I'm fine with someone claiming a Guinness record if they are the one to have made the claim and had it ratified. But that isn't the case with Bruce. He's neither got a claim ratified nor has he actually been a lone individual who has gone further than anyone else.

[clarion]

Now he seems to be wheelbuilding in his offthebike time.

[zigzag]

let's say Bruce carries on independently and breaks the record with 78,000 miles. let's say another rider decides to have a go in the future with either guiness or umca and manages 77,000 miles - would he be considered a record holder? in the official books - yes, but it's not a true highest mileage record as Bruce would have done more miles, even if without the "official" approval.

[Polar Bear]

How was Tommy Godwins record ratified?Who was the 'governing' body that monitored it?

If someone wants to ride 200+ miles a day and log it on Strava for 12 months, then I'm interested in following them and seeing what they churn out over the year. If they want to stick 2 fingers up to all the organisations that say you need to do this in our way then I'm even more interested.

I preferred Obree to Boardman and Ovett to Coe

Keep on trucking Bruce and don't let the bastards grind you down.

Absolutely spot on.   Especially about Coe!   

I would not be surprised if there are many many superhuman feats not officially recorded as records simply because people go and do things like climbing mountains and kayaking across oceans simply because they can.   Whoever made Guinness the defacto records recorders and ratifiers?   Guinness did, I presume.

let's say Bruce carries on independently and breaks the record with 78,000 miles. let's say another rider decides to have a go in the future with either guiness or umca and manages 77,000 miles - would he be considered a record holder? in the official books - yes, but it's not a true highest mileage record as Bruce would have done more miles, even if without the "official" approval.

Yup.

[Whip]

How can one win a race if they are not entered?

[red marley]

let's say Bruce ...

We can all play the "let's say" game.

Let's say that due to misfortune, Bruce loses his GPS and we have a week of rides where we rely on his self-reported daily distances.

Let's say another rider decides to enter the challenge on the same basis of uploads to Strava but decides on a bit of 'digital EPO' on a couple of days when the weather was foul, gets found out but continues with the unaltered GPS data.

Let's say that another rider enters the challenge using a faired recumbent.

Let's say another rider enters and uses motorised drafting.

Let's say there's a dispute over the veracity of a Strava upload with two groups of people taking different views...

etc. etc.

I think there are significant benefits to be gained in having some form of neutral party setting out the rules over such matters to avoid unnecessary doubt about the achievements of the riders. That's not to say we can't 'crowdsource' our record holders, but as a member of that crowd, I'd like to have some confidence in the fairness and consistency of the record attempts.