The Belgian cyclist Matthieu Bonne set a new world record after cycling 3,619.72 km in just seven days. For perspective, cyclists ride for 3,600 km in three weeks, while Bonne rode the same distance in one.
The cyclist will be known to Flemish audiences as having appeared in the TV show Kamp Waes in 2019, a show that selects 14 participants to go through the same training tests that Belgian Special Forces go through.
Recently, Bonne set his sights on breaking a new world record for the distance covered while cycling. "Cycling 4000 km in a week seems impossible and that motivates me," the cyclist mentioned in his blog before setting out to break the world record.
During his challenge, he cycled for 20 hours a day at an average speed of 30 km per hour, for seven days straight, in the American state of Arizona.
The 29-year-old chose Arizona as his location due to its long roads, weather conditions and little traffic. He would get three and a half hours of sleep before beginning his journey of cycling 500 km each day. He broke the record of 3,590 km at 22:58 local time in Arizona while facing 40 km per hour winds.
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Matthieu Bonne works as a rescuer for LAGO Brugge Olympia and has a passion for extreme sports. He has challenged himself by participating in a number of sporting events such as climbing Mont Blanc, completing an iron man marathon and swimming the Belgian coast.
