If you thought your trainer ride last weekend was tough, consider this: cyclist Jasmijn Muller just rode 1,135.9 miles (1,828km) to claim the co-ed, single-session distance record on Zwift, the popular virtual training system.
Muller’s record ride adds around 200km to the previous record set by fellow endurance specialist Chris Hopkinson who had held the record for just over a month.
Muller, a self-described “cycling-mad Dutchie”, spent 62 hours, 4 minutes and 30 seconds on her bike, circling Zwift Island and the program’s just-released 2.6-mile Watopia course, to nab the distinction. Muller invited others to join her (and give her a draft!), and plenty answered the call in paceline fashion—even Hopkinson.
The record attempt began at 3pm on February 18, and ended February 21. In that span of time, Muller took only a few short (25-minute) sleep breaks and, of course, bathroom breaks.
Two of her goals were “to see how close women can come to men in ultra-endurance challenges” and “to raise funds and awareness for Cancer Research UK.” In short, the ride- done at home on a Specialized S-Works Shiv triathlon bike and a Wahoo KICKR trainer -was a success.
When she got off the bike, she Tweeted, “Nothing more to prove, and best to quit before anything breaks.”
Sleep was Muller’s highest priority in the wake of the challenge, but after catching up on her z’s, she says she was pleased with her result.
Muller, who started cycling in 2011, can also lay claim to being the British national 12-hour time-trial champion. She says her next goal is earning the time record for Land’s End to John o’ Groats (LEJOG), a somewhat ambiguous route along the length of Great Britain, in September. Her time on Zwift Island was in preparation for the attempt.
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