You might have heard James Cracknell (left), the Olympic and Atlantic (with a nude Ben Fogle) oarsman, talking about his planned England-to-Africa challenge in aid of Sport Relief. Starting in the next few days, he'll row the Channel, cycle through France and Spain, and swim the Straits of Gibraltar, clocking up nearly 1,500 miles.
Good for him - he'll raise loads of cash - but I'm worried Crackers has bitten of more than he can chew; he plans to complete the feat in just seven days. Sure, he's ridiculously fit and the row will be a breeze. And, buoyed by cross-dressing funny-man and Channel swimmer David Walliams, he'll manage the 12-mile swim. But the bike ride sounds almost impossible...
Cracknell has admitted it's a tall order but still plans to complete the 1,400-mile ride through Rouen, Le Mans, Bordeaux, San Sebastian, Madrid and Andalucia in just five days, cycling an astonishing 280 miles a day (breaking for just four hours out of 24). That's a big ask for the world's top endurance riders, never mind a man in the wrong sport. Even Mark Beaumont managed only (only!) 100 miles a day on his remarkably quick, 200-day circumnavigation of the globe.
But who am I to doubt a man of Cracknell's pedigree? Despite the long hours in the saddle and huge distances involved, his average speed will be a doable 14mph, so I wouldn't put it past an athlete who knows the pain barrier better than most. Let's see how he does. You can track his progress here and donate money here.
For the bike nerds among you, Cracknell will be riding a specially made model of this Giant, which might well feature in The Independent's 50 Best Bikes (out 8 March)
Swimming the straits is going to be a bit hairy to say the least. Dozens of Moroccans die doing that every year and they're on rafts.
Posted by: Dan | Wednesday, 27 February 2008 at 12:35 PM
Agree with the point above. The Straits may be very narrow (less than 10 miles from Tarifa, the nearest point to Morocco) but the currents are extremely strong: it's no easy feat.
And cycling that distance in one week? Possible, as you point out; but very tiring.
Some feat if he achieves his goal.
Posted by: David Jacobs | Wednesday, 27 February 2008 at 04:20 PM
To answer the question: "Is he crackers?". Of course, he's a rower - what did you expect?
He will be fine cycling. Top rowers do a lot of cycling and are generally fast on a bike - they are fantastic endurance athletes. Anyone who can do hour after hour on an erg (rowing machine) can cycle all day. Just think of Rebecca Romero who won silver in Athens in the women's quad and who switched to cycling and is likely to compete in Beijing.
The swimming is most likely to be his biggest problem. He has low body fat so his energy reserves won't be as high as most ocean swimmers, nor will he have as much natural buoyancy. David Walliams, of course, deliberately gained about a stone of body fat before his channel swim.
Posted by: PJ | Friday, 29 February 2008 at 09:11 AM