Cyclist circles the globe in 174 days

by Kraig Becker on

Last weekend, British cyclist James Bowthorpe rolled into London’s Hyde Park, finishing an epic ride around the globe, and setting a new world’s record in the process. Bowthorpe became the fastest person to circumnavigate the planet by bike, finishing the 18,000 mile ride in 174 days, beating the old record by 20 days.

Bowthorpe’s journey took him across France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Poland, the Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Turkey, Iran, India, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the United States, before returning him home. In order to finish in this record time, he averaged more than 100 miles per day, and near the end of his journey, he was riding as much as 150 miles in a single go.

The 32-year old cyclist, who rode to raise funds for Parkinson’s research, faced plenty of challenges along the way. The weather was a constant adversary with high winds and rains tormenting him at times, while heat and humidity took their toll at others. Road conditions were tricky in some of the more remote areas as well, and while he was riding through India, Bowthrope took ill and spent three days in bed trying to recover.

The new record bests the one set by Mark Beaumont last year when he circled the globe in 194 days. Beumont is currently on another long distance cycling expedition, riding from Anchorage, Alaska to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in South America.

Although the ride may be over for Bowthorpe, his goal to raise money to find a cure for Parkinson’s Disease continues. He had hoped to raise £1.8 million on his journey, and he is still focused on reaching that goal. To find out more about James and his long distance ride, and how you can contribute to his cause, go to GlobeCycle.org.

Get out and go: Events around the world this week (September 24-29)

by Brenda Yun on

Happy Hump Day, Gadling’ers! The weekend is approaching, so it’s time to look at the festivals and events happening around the world this week. If you’re close and have time, then you have no excuse to get out and go!

  • Kentucky – World Chicken Festival: Did you know the World Chicken Festival is held in London, Kentucky? Neither did I. Apparently, it is a family event with fairground rides, stalls, live entertainment and fried chicken. The festival runs from September 24-27.
  • London – ‘Love’s Labour’s Lost’ opens Friday, September 25 at Shakespeare’s Globe in London and will continue through October 10. It is a play about the King of Navarre and his courtiers who have forsworn every kind of pleasure.
  • Maine – AppleFest 2009 will take place at the Monmouth Museum in Maine this Saturday, September 26. There will be a series of family activities to celebrate the apple harvest.
  • Singapore – The Singapore Grand Prix will take place on Sunday, September 27. The race is part of the Formula 1 World Championship season.
  • Brighton – Last, but certainly not least, the UK Air Guitar Championships will take place Tuesday, September 29! According to its website, sweet moves and an outrageous costume are a must!

If you make it to one of these events, let us know how it was.

‘Til next week, have a great weekend — the last of September!

Spain to become leader in high-speed trains

by Sean McLachlan on

Spain is tipped to become the world’s leader in high-speed trains next year, surpassing Japan and France for the most kilometers of track.

With the rising costs and hassles of airfare, train travel has become more competitive. The high-speed train between Spain’s two most important and visited cities, Madrid and Barcelona, takes just two-and-a-half hours. That’s quicker than flying once you factor in taxi rides and waiting at the airport. Another advantage of trains is that you go from city center to city center.

This past summer the Madrid-Barcelona route proved its dominance by serving more customers than the airlines, and with more lines planned, including a much anticipated Madrid-to-Paris service, it looks like high-speed rail is the transportation of the future for Spaniards and visitors. In total more than 40,000 people use Spain’s high-speed trains every day, enjoying a 99% on-time rate.

Having gone on many train journeys in Spain I have to say that Renfe, the state railroad company, gets high marks. The trains are much more comfortable than airplanes and many offer bars, dining cars, and other conveniences. Madrid is set in the dead center of the country and the lines branching out to all major cities are convenient for visitors. Prices are slightly higher than airline tickets, but the cost comes out to be about the same once airport transportation is taken into account. I personally prefer to travel by train because I get to see the country as I pass by, and you don’t want to miss Spain’s beautiful countryside.

Oktoberfest off to a bad start for Aussies

by Katie Hammel on

Just two days into Germany‘s Oktoberfest celebration, one Australian man is dead and another in jail. The man who died was running alongside a train close to his campsite outside of Munich after the festival, when he fell underneath the train’s wheels.

Another Aussie was arrested just a few hours into the festival, after he threw a beer stein into a crowd and injured two teenagers. Oktoberfest organizers say that beer consumptions is up so far this year. 5% more beer was consumed on the first day of the festival this year than in past years, a situation that may have contributed to the nearly 800 alcohol related injuries and illnesses that have already been treated by Red Cross workers. That’s nearly double last year’s figure at this time.

With nearly two weeks left of the Oktoberfest event (which runs 16 days in all) let’s hope revelers – both Australian and otherwise – can manage to stay safe and enjoy Europe’s largest beer festival responsibly.

Paris catacombs vandalized, closed for repair

by Katie Hammel on

Paris’ catacombs, underground passages full of neatly stacked human bones, have been temporarily closed to the public after being vandalized.

A spokeswoman for the Paris prosecutor’s office would not go into detail on the extent of the vandalism, which took place over the weekend, but said that the site would be closed because in its current state it was hazardous to visitors. According to the AP, a photo in a Paris newspaper showed “bones and skulls scattered along the walking paths”. There was no word on when the catacombs would reopen, but as they are a major tourist attraction visited by over 250,000 people each year, it seems that the city would do its best to clean the mess and repair any damage as soon as possible.

The catacombs open to the public are just one part of an 186-mile network underneath the city. The bones of over 6 million Parisians are contained here, having been moved to the site in the 18th and 19th centuries after the city’s cemeteries became overcrowded and contributed to the spread of disease.