Marathon man rides halfway across Australia in just three days
Christoph Strasser covers nearly 2000km in less than 72 hours as heavy rain aids his world record bid.
Ultra-endurance rider Christoph Strasser is now halfway across Australia in his amazing world record attempt to cross the country in less than seven days.
Strasser, from Austria, set off from Perth on Tuesday en route to Sydney and went past the halfway mark – at 1975km – on Friday afternoon.
The 34-year-old has had some good fortune during his ride after heavy rain swept through Outback. Although the wet conditions were far from ideal, it did at least lower the temperatures which were a major concern before Strasser began the jaw-dropping challenge.
“The heavy rain was tough, but actually playing in Christoph's favour as it kept the temperatures lower than we expected,” his support team said in a statement. “Although the weather is extremely annoying, he averaged 31km/h for the previous 200km.”
Strasser is not only well ahead of where he hoped to be at this stage of the ride, but also in front of the pace set by Gerhard Gulewicz when he posted the record in 2007.
The Austrian has now gone through the Nullarbor National Park and was heading across South Australia at a decent average speed.
After crossing the Tothill Range north of Adelaide, he will then travel through Mildura and Wagga Wagga, before heading up through Goulbourn to complete his long-distance ride at Sydney’s Opera House.
Strasser is already a three-time winner of the Race Across America and claimed the 24-hour world road record in 2015 with a distance of 896.173km.
