On 22 September I will be on a one-way flight to Perth.

Returning to Sydney by bicycle.

Just under 4,000km from Cottesloe Beach in Perth to Manly Beach in Sydney.

Helen Shelley set the current Guinness world record back in June 1998 – 13 days, 2 hours, 55 minutes and I’m going to have a go at beating it.

Am I ready? No. If I waited until I was ready, I’d never start – so let’s go!

My strategy is to ride 16 hours a day, following Mark Beaumont’s approach of 4 x 4-hour blocks starting at 4am.

I’ll be aiming to ride 340km every day.

The longest single ride I’ve done was in January this year at the Alpine Ultimate in Bright. It was 320km.

I’ve never cycled 340km at once, let alone day after day. It seems very nearly impossible! I’ve told my girls consistently that anything is possible – this is a chance to show them.

And so, with great nervousness, here we go! Follow the journey on Instagram!

Thanks to the team for helping me get to the start line.

Mark Fenner, Coach
Mark Hardy, Route & Weather
Aaron Dunford, Bike Fit
Nicolas Rivers, Logistics