Ilkley man sets Edinburgh to London cycling world record after being hospitalised with Covid-19

Mark Bourgeois, 52, and fellow Ilkley Cycling Club member Doug Hart rode non-stop from Edinburgh to London last weekend in just 17 hours and 50 minutes - breaking a record that had stood since 1988.

Their achievement is all the more remarkable given that managing director and father-of-three Mark was one of the 'first wave' of Covid-19 cases back in April, and spent four days being treated in Airedale Hospital after attending a birthday meal at which 16 of the 18 guests caught the virus.

Despite receiving oxygen via a mask during his stay on the ward, Mark has suffered no permanent after-effects and felt fit enough to be able to attempt the challenge with Shipley maths teacher Doug.

The pair set off from Edinburgh at 4am with support crew from the Road Racing Association, and incredibly rode along the A1 for 100 miles of the 386.8-mile route, finishing near the Barbican in London and celebrating with a McDonald's.

They have also raised almost £16,000 for two charities that work with homeless young people.

"I consider myself very lucky - I think with people's reactions to Covid, it is a huge roll of the dice. I was part of the first wave, and I fell ill in late March after a friend's birthday meal. Sixteen of us were ill, but I was the only one hospitalised. People were calling us the 'corona party'! My wife, Elizabeth, was in bed for a week, but as I am fit and resilient, I tried to carry on as normal, and even went out on my bike," said Mark.

Mark's condition soon deteriorated, and although he did not have a cough, he suffered from intense pain all over his body that was later identified as being due to an oxygen deficit.

"I had a headache and temperature as well. It was very nasty, but the hospital staff were amazing. I had four days with an oxygen mask, but after that recovered very quickly and was back at work within a week."

After returning to the saddle, Mark was approached by clubmate Doug - who already holds three time trial records - as his friend believed his endurance and height made him an ideal tandem partner for the record attempt.

"I'm 6'2", the same height as Jake Unsworth, his usual tandem partner. I only really cycle with the club at weekends, but Doug had noticed that I was stronger towards the end of a ride. He is the powerhouse and he's 6'7", so quite a specimen."

Mark had only ridden a tandem on family rides with his wife or one of his three daughters before, and had never ridden more than 130 miles in one go.

To prepare, he cycled the 220 miles from his employer, retail property firm Hammerson's, London office back to Ilkley by himself, which provided the confidence boost he needed. A chest X-ray came back clear and doctors gave him the go-ahead. Once lockdown restrictions were eased, Mark and Doug spent around a month training together on the tandem from late June.

RRA officials drove them and the tandem to Edinburgh in a van, and they spent the night in a hotel eating as much rice as possible before their 4am start.

"We were in the back of the van and I was terrified as it took such a long time to get up there. We'd both baked our body weight in rice cakes and planned the route and schedule, which was pinned to Doug's back for me to read on the way. We also had a tracker so friends could follow us - I was amazed by how many people did. I think it was because the Olympics aren't on, so they needed a niche sport!"

They reached speeds of up to 40mph on the straight stretch of the A1 between Doncaster and Peterborough, with their safety van travelling behind them for protection, and consumed 12,000 calories each and 13 bottles of liquid.

"The main challenge is the pain - it really hurts. You actually end up in almost a meditative state, where you relax, breathe and concentrate on your legs. We had to eat food that was easily digestible, so no buns or sandwiches - just rice cakes with jam and peanut butter."

After a couple of wrong turns and a few necessary comfort breaks, they arrived in London that night having beaten the 32-year-old record by 50 minutes.

"It was a bit of an anti-climax really, as we just wanted a shower! We were sore and stiff, and were going to go out to eat but the only place open was McDonald's, so we ate gargantuan amounts of chicken goujons and Big Macs."

Just five days later, Mark has already been back on his bike for a ride in his local area.

"It felt good, and I'm relieved to have had no after-effects from the Covid. We aimed to raise £10,000 for Land Aid, a youth homeless hostels charity, and Shelter from the Storm, a 42-bed hostel near my office in London which is run by amazing volunteers. It seems appropriate at the moment to support them and the response has been fantastic, people really seemed to respond to the enormity of the challenge."

To donate to Mark and Doug's Justgiving appeal, click here.