Lecturer and pals hoping to pedal into record books with non-stop 30-hour indoor cycle
Mammoth team effort to raise money for Motor Neuron Disease Association (MNDA) and Rugby League Cares, inspired by former rugby league player
University of Bradford lecturer and clinical lead in the Faculty of Health Studies Jamie Moseley took part in an attempt to beat the world record for the longest static cycle ride.
He was part of a 19-strong team, which included Super League stars Keith Senior, Ewan Dowes, Chev Walker, Wayne Godwin, and Gareth Carvell, among others, who between them cycled thousands of miles over a 30-hour period.
Jamie, who is originally from Huddersfield and now lives in Rothwell, Leeds, managed just over 577 miles during his 30 hours - averaging over 19 miles per hour.
The record attempt came about after Jamie and his friends decided to raise money for charity Rugby League Cares and Motor Neurone Disease Association after friend Rob Burrows was recently diagnosed with the life altering condition.
Originally, they had planned to cycle 900 miles in five days from Headingley, Leeds to Toulouse, Spain in time for the Leeds Rhinos vs Catalan`s Super League fixture but the coronavirus outbreak meant they had to think of something else.
Father-of-two Jamie, 45, who spent six years as a physiotherapist in Super League, with stints at Bradford Bulls and Hull FC, is part of the Physiotherapy and Sport Rehabilitation team at the University of Bradford, which has been recognised nationally with a Collaborative Award for Teaching Excellence (CATE) from Advance HE, the most prestigious team award available for learning and teaching in Higher Education.
This highly sought after award recognises the team’s creation of a pioneering Physiotherapy Clinic, developed in collaboration with employers, students and staff. It is open to the public and takes regular referrals from GPs, charging just £20 for six sessions, a fraction of the cost compared to the private sector. Their work has transformed teaching and practice in physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation and is being used as a positive example by other institutions.
Jamie said: “The original plan was to cycle from Leeds to Catalan for the Leeds game as part of this but Covid put an end to that but rather than pack it in we took it indoors. The previous record was 28 hours continuous in a spin studio. We did 30.”
The team cycled from 6.30am on Saturday May 30 all the way through to 12.30pm on Sunday, recording the event on the indoor cycling app Zwift, Garmin and Strava, data from which has now been sent to the Guinness World Records for verification.
Jamie admitted the challenge was tougher than he expected: “I am a sporty person. I’ve done a few iron man challenges, I like to run and cycle, but this was one of the hardest challenges I’ve done.
“I went through several rough patches, where I had no energy. It was tough to keep going, especially from 2am to 4am but then other times I suddenly found lots of energy. I think I did some of my best numbers from 4am to 6am.”
At one point they had 20,000 people viewing them on YouTube.
To keep him going during the marathon stint, he prepared 25 500ml bottles of water mixed with carbohydrates and electrolytes. He also munched his way through bananas, flapjacks, bagels and even packets of jelly babies, chocolate and crisps.
He said: “The diet was designed to keep me going, not just physically but mentally, with lots of easy sugars, some salts and so on. I kept off caffeine during the day, so I could have some at night to keep awake.”
Jamie, who took part in a cycling challenge from Barcelona to Leeds more than a decade ago, said he was proud of the achievement and was now having a well-deserved rest… ahead of his next challenge.
“The day after, I could not stand up without feeling sick,” he said. “It was a bit easier the day after that. I don’t think I’ll be cycling as far again but I would like to do the North Coast 500.”