Gordon Miller, from Barnet, Herts, has set a new official Guinness World Record for the “the largest GPS drawing by bicycle (individual)”. His 620.5 miles (998.7km) cycle around England spelt ‘end modern slavery’.
His record-breaking 13-day ride traversed England on pre-planned GPS routes. Starting on 16 September, he cycled ‘end’ between Manchester and Doncaster. ‘Modern’ took him from Ludlow to Peterborough via Leicestershire. ‘Slavery’ began in Bristol and ended on 2 October outside the Houses of Parliament, London.
Miller says: “I’m free to cycle but millions of people aren’t. They’re trapped in modern day slavery. It’s an under-reported crime that affects thousands in the UK and millions worldwide. I’m delighted My Guinness World Record attempt has shone a light on it by generating more than 1 million social media impressions.”
The 16 routes Miller cycled to form the letters had to be pre-approved by the Guinness World Record’s verification team. During the ride he had to GPS track the daily routes, take photos as evidence, and complete a log book. He received official confirmation he had broken the record four weeks later.
“The ride was epic,” says Miller. “I experienced temperature highs of 25C and lows of 7C, 40mph heads winds and a couple of days of constant rain. But that’s nothing compared to what many exploited people in the UK experience, being forced to work outside in fields, on construction sites and at car washes.”
His longest ride in any one day was 108 miles, including transfers between two letters, and he averaged just under 70 miles daily. The highest point was 524 metres above sea level at Holme Moss, Kirklees. in preparation for the Guinness World Record attempt, Miller cycled 4,000 miles during training in 2020.
“The idea both to spell and cycle the words “end modern slavery” came to me on one of my many training rides,” says Miller. “That was the easy part! Actually mapping them took quite a few hours, and cycling them on the Guinness World Record attempt took just over five hours a day on average.”
Miller was supported by bike manufacturer Orbea, for whom he is a brand ambassador, and sponsored by companies including Ardea International, FoodCell, Fresca Group, KitBrix, Libryo, Lowery, Marshalls Plc, Smarter Technologies, SOAS and Sustain Worldwide.
“I’m delighted to be associated with these purpose-driven companies,” says Miller. “Their support has enabled the ride to go ahead by underwriting the administrative, logistical and marketing costs to raise awareness to end modern slavery.”
His 2020 Guinness World Record challenge built on his cycling exploits of last year when he rode more than 500 miles in 10 days to raise funds for two charities, Hope for Justice and Unseen, who support survivors of modern slavery.
“There’s no doubt last year’s ride gave me the belief I could go further this time and set a new Guinness World Record,” he says. “The bottom line is my challenge has helped to raise awareness of modern slavery and that’s something of which I’m very proud.”