Greg Kolodziejzyk sets new record for greatest distance covered by human power on water in 24 hours, to add to comparable land record, and plans to cross the Atlantic
Pedalling across the ocean? OK, it’s not cycling exactly, but there’s more than a notional connection between biking and the rest of the human-powered travel world.
Here’s a great example. I’ve already recorded that Greg Kolodziejzyk holds the record for the greatest distance cycled in 24 hours at 1046.1 km (around 650 miles). Greg has now set a comparable record on water at 173.76 km (about 108 miles), pedalling a roughly rectangular course around Glenmore Reservoir near Calgary, Alberta. Just for comparison, this sort of distance would be considered a good daily average by a cruising yacht in good wind conditions (ocean racers would hope to be a lot faster).
For this attempt Greg used a modified sea-kayak with open cockpit but is working on a prototype of a fully enclosed ocean-going boat called WiTHiN, in which he plans to cross the Atlantic in under 40 days - a distance of around 4800 km/ 3000 miles.
Greg’s aim in this undertaking is to promote human power and to encourage a generation of sedentary young people to get active again. He’ll be raising money to fund his school speaking programme, called ‘KidPower’. As he himself says, ‘Our modern sedentary lifestyles are putting our kids at risk at being the first generation that will have a life expectancy shorter than that of their parents. My mission is to get kids active again. Human power is the power from 'WiTHiN'’.
Laudable aims, and it must be sobering for everyone to contemplate the possibility that today’s kids will indeed have shorter life expectancies than their parents. It’s unfortunate that the debate about childhood obesity has focused so much on diet; exercise is at least equally important, and rediscovering lifestyles into which exercise fits naturally is essential for a healthy future.
Not everyone can cycle across the ocean, or pedal continuously for 24 hours, but simple things like cycling to school or work instead of driving should be seen as normal rather than exceptional. If Greg Kolodziejzyk can really help to bring this about it will be a greater achievement than pedalling across the Atlantic.
Read all about it at the Pedal the Ocean website.
