Ian Butler didn't quite manage to break the record

Records aren't broken without a support team

Record-breaker Ian Butler has failed a second time to bring home the record for riding the South Downs Way. En route a super fit Ian suffered no fewer than eight punctures and hit a badger going downhill at 35 miles an hour (both survived). Here's Ian's report:

I finished in 23hrs 13mins, having started at midnight on Saturday and finishing 48 minutes outside the sub 23hr record I wanted to set on Sunday.

My support team was excellent though. I simply would not have been able to do the ride without them. They calculated from the GPS log that I would have smashed Mike Cotty's record (which stands at 22hrs 30mins) if it were not for eight punctures. These punctures took me over two hours in total to fix. The ground was very unforgiving, but punctures aside the E5 was fantastic.

Whether the badger I hit at over 35 mph on the hill down to the A27 agrees is a matter of conjecture. The bike's suspension probably saved my life! I met a lot of badgers last night. Was it because I was all in black and Whyte?

Sorry. No popping of champagne corks at Whyte Racing UK this time. It's an interesting story to tell however; even if I didn't beat the record I set out to break. Weirdly enough I've never agreed with the speed record idea as I think it degrades the whole undertaking. I see it as a mountain bike adventure (and a tough one) that should be completed in a day.

Though I feel you have to be the fastest to set the ground rules. Next time?