Scottish cyclist attempting to break record for longest distance cycled in one week

Scottish cyclist Josh Quigley is attempting to break the world record for the greatest distance cycled in a week.

The record, which has been broken three times in the past five years, currently stands at 2,177 miles, achieved in Spain by Australian pro cyclist Jack Thompson in October 2020. Thompson rode 311 miles every day to set the new furthest distance, while Quigley will aim for 320 miles per day.

His daily route will be four laps of an 80-mile Scottish circuit between Aberdeen and the Cairngorms, taking in Peterculter, Banchory, Aboyne, Ballater and Balmoral Castle.

More remarkably, the 28-year-old's attempt comes just three months after he was hospitalised after being injured while winter training in Dubai, suffering a broken arm, shoulder, collarbone, pelvis, spine, pubic bone and four ribs.

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In 2019, he was also hit by a car travelling at 70mph during his round-the-world cycling challenge, recovering and then setting the North Coast 500 record just nine months later.

Quigley was diagnosed with arthritis earlier this year, and his latest record attempt will also try to raise £10,000 for Arthritis Action.

“When I set the record for the North Coast 500 just nine months after being hit by a car at 70mph, I thought I had my comeback story done and dusted. I never imagined that just 12 months after that life-threatening accident in America, I would find myself hospitalised again after a 40mph crash whilst winter training in Dubai," Quigley said.

"To bounce back from a major accident and set a record once is a great story. But to do it twice in the space of 18 months and get my first Guinness World Record? That will be pretty special, and that is exactly what I plan on doing."

Quigley will ride unpaced, with a Guinness World Records adjudicator present to officially confirm the record. He will begin his effort on April 26th and finish on May 3rd.