Cycling
See what it’s like riding tandem around the world
Meet the men hoping to be the fastest to cycle around the planet – on a tandem.
Meet George, left, and John, right
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George Agate, 23, and John Whybrow, 24, are British adventurers hoping to set a new Guinness World Record. Seven months ago they set off from Canterbury, England, on a tandem bicycle to pedal around the planet and so far they’ve covered over 16,000km. They've cycled alongside dolphins in Turkey, dodged drivers in India who swerve to take selfies with them and reached a whopping 85kph top speed in Austria.We caught up with them midway through their trip to find out more.
Listen to this podcast to find out how Mark Beaumont broke an around-the-world cycling record:
What gave you the idea to cycle the world on a tandem?
Canterbury: The start and finish line
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John: The tandem idea came about while procrastinating at Kent University and browsing the Guinness World Records site. We wanted to set a record but we knew that we wouldn’t be able to cycle as fast as solo cyclists.
I realised that day that nobody had ever officially cycled around the world on a tandem
Everything sort of snowballed out of control when we saw [English comedian] John Bishop’s series about cycling around Australia. We originally had an idea to cycle from Canterbury, Kent to Canterbury, New Zealand.
George: But then we thought: “Well if we get halfway around the world, we might as well do the full lap!”
What’s it like riding around the world on a tandem?
Time for a quick pose
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John: I’m what tandem cyclists call the “captain” and sit in the front seat. I’m in charge of direction, avoiding potholes and making sure that we don’t crash!
George: I’m the “stoker". I sit at the back and I bring the comedy, the singing and the bad map reading. Often we get to the end of the day and I’m like, “Man the views through that valley were amazing!” But John hasn’t noticed them as he is busy concentrating on the three metres in front of us.
John: Sadly, that’s all true. But on a big downhill, I’m glad to be at the front. When we tuck into position, George’s helmet is pushed up against my back and he blindly puts all his trust in me!
How physically challenging is to set a new tandem world record?
A tandem certainly has its challenges
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George: We spent 18 months planning the trip. Getting the visas, sorting the kit and building the custom bike with Orbit Tandems was like having a second job. We set ourselves an upper limit of 300 days to complete the challenge. This gives us enough time to see the places we were travelling through, while still setting a decent record.
We want other people to attempt this and we want them to beat our record.
John: Before we started we had never ridden more than 50 miles [80km] together. At the beginning we were barely riding 400 miles [~640km] a week. In the last few weeks, however, it has been 650-700 miles [~1045-1125km] per week. Right now we are pushing hard. Setting a good record is what makes us pack up the tent in the rain at 5am and what keeps us from taking a day off when the sun isn’t shining. Whatever time we set, it will be a new Guinness World Record as nobody has ever done this before.
In which country has the tandem drawn the greatest interest?
Chaos in India
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John: India, without a doubt. Often we would get a puncture in the middle of nowhere. But within 10 minutes there would be 15 men standing around staring at us, not saying a word. I’m not the best mechanic, but the pressure was really on in that situation!
We joke that we must be in over 1,000 Facebook profile pictures across India!
George: Yeah, India was mad. Often in the evenings we would be sitting in a restaurant writing down thoughts from the day and a waiter would pick up our diary and try to read it. People would huddle around our tables and look at us eating in our lycra. Other times drivers would try taking a selfie whilst overtaking and swerve dangerously into our lane.
What are the most incredible places you have visited so far?
Five-star accommodation
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George: I was a big fan of Turkey and the Black Sea Coast where dolphins swam alongside us just beyond the shoreline. At night the old guys playing rummy in the teahouses would invite us over. Even though we didn’t have a shared word of language they were so incredibly hospitable. We would sit there using terrible Google translations to answer their questions about our trip and England.
John: It’s pretty awesome in Australia, spotting emus and kangaroos running about. Thailand was probably my favourite though. We had just arrived from India [Guinness World Records allows cyclists to fly between sections of the route]. The clean highways of Bangkok where everyone obeys traffic laws was a great relief. It’s smooth riding all the way down the west coast of Thailand and we camped beside the beach most nights.
How do you stay friends after six months on the road?
Smelling the roses – or sunflowers
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John: Being hungry and tired is when things start to fall apart. We try and avoid this as much as possible and I’m the one that cooks at night. We are now so committed to cycling around the world in a good time that we are able to put any little differences aside. We knew each other pretty well before the trip, but sharing a tandem has definitely brought a new level of intimacy to our friendship.
George: That’s true. My girlfriend does get a bit jealous of all this time I’m spending with John!
A tandem always brings the best out in people
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View live progress at TheTandemMen.com. Keep in contact with them via Facebook and Twitter. The lads are raising money for UK charities Porchlight Canterbury, Great Ormond Street and Water Aid.
