Cyclist beats round the world record

Mike Hall, 31, a semi-professional extreme endurance cyclist, has finished his epic journey in London - smashing the previous record by nearly two weeks.

His 24,900-mile journey has seen him ride 18,000 miles through 20 countries and four continents to raise about £1,000 for the Newborn Vietnam charity.

Mr Hall, who averaged around 200 miles a day, beat the nine other competitors in the World Cycle Race race by several days as he crossed the finish line at Greenwich Royal Observatory on Monday, more than three months after setting off from the same place.

About 50 well-wishers cheered him on as he crossed the finish line.

Mr Hall, who turned 31 during the ride, said he felt “stunned” as his friends and family popped champagne corks and sang Happy Birthday on his arrival.

The cyclists were allowed to choose their own route for the race, but had to travel a minimum of 18,000 miles in the same direction with their GPS tracked throughout.

Mr Hall says the worst thing that happened to him during the race was when he rode into a hole in Albania and had to undertake emergency repairs before riding through the night into Greece.

He said there was also numerous close calls with traffic along the way.

Mr Hall, who says he planned his journey meticulously so he could ride the shortest distance, claims he believes it is possible to complete the challenge in fewer than 80 days, excluding the time it would take to fly between continents.