A SCOTS athlete has set a new cycling record after cycling 350 miles off road in just 33 hours.
Donnie Campbell beat the Fasten Known Time (FKT) on a long-distance cycle route by taking on the nearly 600km journey from Glasgow to Cape Wrath by bike on Sunday.
The 36-year-old, from the Isle of Skye, took exactly 33 hours and 31 minutes to smash the record time for a long distance cycle in Scotland.
He set off for the endurance test on Saturday just after 5am and rode non-stop on the challenging route that passes through mountains and tough terrain.
The avid Scots adventurer took just three short breaks to eat pizza and cake and drink tea, while being supported on the trip by his wife Rachel.
Speaking today Donnie said: “It was actually a very enjoyable route but I suffered a lot of pain from the vibration created by the rugged trail.
“I had a very sore left hand and arm during the ride and my bum really suffered. The terrain was pretty unforgiving at times.
“However, I’m pleased I’ve finally done it because it has been my goal for summer 2021 and I am really happy with the time.”
He added: “The weather was a usual Scottish mix, the conditions were pretty good for Scotland and started off dry and warm.
“It got really hot just as I had to cycle a long climb from Glen Lyon over to Kinloch Ran-noch. Then it began to drizzle and rain on the Sunday morning.
“The wind was quite tough at times, too. It was westerly mainly and that meant I had a side wind most of the way and sometimes a head wind.”
Donnie, who was riding a Cervelo gravel bike, continued: “Near the northerly mountain of Ben Hope there was a climb up to a height of about 450 metres.
“The Landrover track was so rutted that I was forced to get off my bike to push. I was really fatigued by this point after riding so far.
“Then I had to descend on a steep and rugged track and go along a boggy loch shore. I was walking more than cycling.
“The ride lost its sense of fun then and I just wanted to get to the end. It was a relief when I did.”
Donnie shared news about his record breaking feat on Facebook yesterday. writing: “(354 mile off-road bike route from Glasgow to Cape Wrath) Record / FKT 33 hours 31min (Supported) ?
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“Well that was a big day on the bike at the weekend!! My butt is slightly tender today!! Might have an extra rest day this week!
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“Massive thanks to @rachael_run for supporting and feeding me pizza and cups of tea!”
Social media users were amazed by the impressive feat with the post collecting over 200 likes and a dozen comments.
Ross Leslie said: “Dude you are truly mental! No wonder you and Spiderboy get on!”
Barry McLauchlan said: “Top bombing boss.”
While Roy Davidson added: “Incredible chapeau.”
Donnie is no stranger to extreme challenges.
Last year, he set a new record of 31 days for a non-stop round of all 282 Munros.
The previous (FKT) for a long distance cycle was the mostly off-road An Turas Mor route that took just over three days.
