Ken Webb
Encyclopedia
Ken Webb is an English cyclist who at 42 claimed the world record for distance cycled in a year. He calculated he passed the 75,065 miles set by another Briton, Tommy Godwin
on 7 August 1972 and that he finished the year with 80,647. He rode on to claim the record for 100,000 miles in 448 days. Both records appeared in the Guinness Book of Records but were later removed.
began a competition for the greatest distance cycled in a single year. The first holder was Marcel Planes of France
, with 34666 miles (55,789.4 km). The distance was untouched for more than 20 years. Then followed a succession of claims in the 1930s, including two by an Australian professional, Ossie Nicholson, one by a one-armed vegetarian named Walter Greaves and another by Charles de Gaulle
's chauffeur, René Menzies
. In 1939 the distance leapt from 65,127 miles by an Englishman, Bernard Bennett, to 75,065 established by Tommy Godwin
.
, intended to attempt the record when he retired after a working life that included 12 years with the Fleet Air Arm
. Unemployment as a project engineer at 42 advanced his plans. He set off from Fleet Street
, London, then the heart of the British newspaper industry, at noon on 1 September 1971.
Webb had little support from sponsors. By 10 November he had run out of money and took a job at Gatwick Airport, near his home. He spoke of working there, riding 220 miles a day after work and sleeping two or three hours a night. He averaged better than 223 miles a day, sent witnessed postcards to Cyclings office to log his progress and used a different odometer each month to support the distance shown on the cards.
Webb rode one day with Keith Bingham, a reporter from Cycling. Bingham quoted Webb as saying: "People ask how it is that I account for a greater mileage between places than the road signs indicate. I tell them that I don't always ride straight from one place to the other, that sometimes I make detours - as you've seen this morning, Keith, when we went a few miles out of our way looking for the right road to Maldon. And what they don't seem to realise either is that when I arrive anywhere I might not seek anyone to sign a card until I've refreshed myself in a café, which is sometimes 30 minutes after stopping."
He finished the year record £134 in debt after cashing his life insurance policies, using his redundancy payments and using his pension fund. He completed his 100,000-mile ride outside Buckingham Palace
after 448 days. He knew throughout his ride that he had doubters. He was followed at times by cyclists checking his riding and Cycling received calls asking what he had claimed. His distances appeared in the Guinness Book of Records but vanished from later editions.
Tommy Godwin (cyclist born 1920)
Thomas "Tommy" Charles Godwin was a British track cyclist during the 1940s and 1950s. He held national records and raced abroad. He later became a coach, manager and administrator.-Origins:...
on 7 August 1972 and that he finished the year with 80,647. He rode on to claim the record for 100,000 miles in 448 days. Both records appeared in the Guinness Book of Records but were later removed.
World endurance record for distance cycled in a single year
In 1911 the weekly magazine, CyclingCycling Weekly
Cycling Weekly is a British cycling magazine. It is published by IPC Media and is devoted to the sport and past-time of cycling. It is affectionately referred to by British club cyclists as "The Comic".-History:...
began a competition for the greatest distance cycled in a single year. The first holder was Marcel Planes of France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, with 34666 miles (55,789.4 km). The distance was untouched for more than 20 years. Then followed a succession of claims in the 1930s, including two by an Australian professional, Ossie Nicholson, one by a one-armed vegetarian named Walter Greaves and another by Charles de Gaulle
Charles de Gaulle
Charles André Joseph Marie de Gaulle was a French general and statesman who led the Free French Forces during World War II. He later founded the French Fifth Republic in 1958 and served as its first President from 1959 to 1969....
's chauffeur, René Menzies
René Menzies
René Menzies was a French long-distance cyclist who at 48 held a record for the greatest distance ridden on a bicycle in a year. He rode 61,561 miles in 1937. He was decorated with the Croix de Guerre in the first world war and was chauffeur to the French leader, Charles de Gaulle in the second...
. In 1939 the distance leapt from 65,127 miles by an Englishman, Bernard Bennett, to 75,065 established by Tommy Godwin
Tommy Godwin (cyclist born 1912)
Tommy Godwin, was an English cyclist who holds the world cycling records for miles covered in a year and the fastest completion of ....
.
| Year | Record holder | Country | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1911 | Marcel Planes | 34666 miles (55,789.4 km) | |
| 1932 | Arthur Humbles Arthur Humbles Albert Arthur Humbles was an English cyclist who set the world endurance cycling record by covering 36,007 miles during the calender year of 1932... |
36007 miles (57,947.5 km) | |
| 1933 | Ossie Nicholson | 43966 miles (70,756.2 km) | |
| 1936 | Walter Greaves | 45383 miles (73,036.7 km) | |
| 1937 | Bernard Bennett | 45801 miles (73,709.4 km) | |
| 1937 | René Menzies René Menzies René Menzies was a French long-distance cyclist who at 48 held a record for the greatest distance ridden on a bicycle in a year. He rode 61,561 miles in 1937. He was decorated with the Croix de Guerre in the first world war and was chauffeur to the French leader, Charles de Gaulle in the second... |
61561 miles (99,072.6 km) | |
| 1937 | Ossie Nicholson | 62657 miles (100,836.4 km) | |
| 1939 | Bernard Bennett | 65127 miles (104,811.5 km) | |
| 1939 | Tommy Godwin Tommy Godwin (cyclist born 1912) Tommy Godwin, was an English cyclist who holds the world cycling records for miles covered in a year and the fastest completion of .... |
75065 miles (120,805.1 km) |
The ride
Ken Webb, from Gossops Green, SussexSussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
, intended to attempt the record when he retired after a working life that included 12 years with the Fleet Air Arm
Fleet Air Arm
The Fleet Air Arm is the branch of the British Royal Navy responsible for the operation of naval aircraft. The Fleet Air Arm currently operates the AgustaWestland Merlin, Westland Sea King and Westland Lynx helicopters...
. Unemployment as a project engineer at 42 advanced his plans. He set off from Fleet Street
Fleet Street
Fleet Street is a street in central London, United Kingdom, named after the River Fleet, a stream that now flows underground. It was the home of the British press until the 1980s...
, London, then the heart of the British newspaper industry, at noon on 1 September 1971.
Webb had little support from sponsors. By 10 November he had run out of money and took a job at Gatwick Airport, near his home. He spoke of working there, riding 220 miles a day after work and sleeping two or three hours a night. He averaged better than 223 miles a day, sent witnessed postcards to Cyclings office to log his progress and used a different odometer each month to support the distance shown on the cards.
Webb rode one day with Keith Bingham, a reporter from Cycling. Bingham quoted Webb as saying: "People ask how it is that I account for a greater mileage between places than the road signs indicate. I tell them that I don't always ride straight from one place to the other, that sometimes I make detours - as you've seen this morning, Keith, when we went a few miles out of our way looking for the right road to Maldon. And what they don't seem to realise either is that when I arrive anywhere I might not seek anyone to sign a card until I've refreshed myself in a café, which is sometimes 30 minutes after stopping."
He finished the year record £134 in debt after cashing his life insurance policies, using his redundancy payments and using his pension fund. He completed his 100,000-mile ride outside Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace, in London, is the principal residence and office of the British monarch. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is a setting for state occasions and royal hospitality...
after 448 days. He knew throughout his ride that he had doubters. He was followed at times by cyclists checking his riding and Cycling received calls asking what he had claimed. His distances appeared in the Guinness Book of Records but vanished from later editions.