Reinard sets Phuket cycling record
PHUKET: Luxembourg national and local environmental activist Marco Reinard completed his 24-hour solo bike ride around Phuket at 6 pm on Saturday, arriving at Yoonique Stone bar, Nai Harn, the same place he had set off from the day before at 4.30 pm.
Marco’s pedal-powered ride to promote environmental awareness covered a record 522 kilometers, clocking an average speed of 22kmh. His mountain bike, specially built for endurance riding, was provided by sponsors HotelTravel.com and had just been delivered the day before his endurance ride.
About 40 cycling enthusiasts joined Marco at various points during his marathon, but none were able to match his pace and fitness for the full 24 hours.
Marco stopped for a dish of pasta during his ride and took a few ten-minute massage breaks when his leg muscles threatened to seize up, meaning that he finished his ride slightly later than anticipated.
“Apart from the occasional cramping of my calf muscles, the most painful problem was my knees,” a sunburned Marco told the Gazette.
Aside from his pasta meal, Marco sustained himself with energy drinks, which helped replenish some of the 22,000 calories he burned during the ride.
To continue his campaign to create awareness of pollution and environmental issues facing Phuket and the world, Marco is planning a 5,000-mile journey from Burma to Taiwan on a custom-made Hobie catamaran in November this year.
Marco, who will be sailing with a Burmese sea gypsy who he befriended earlier this year, plans to complete the wind-powered trip in 100 days.
In July, Marco made his way around Phuket in a kayak, paddling almost 200 kilometers in less than 20 hours in grueling conditions.
