OREANDA-NEWS. September 25, 2015. Adventurer Mark Beaumont was joined by a team of SSE cycling enthusiasts at the weekend as he attempted to break another World Record. We’ve asked him to reflect on his day in a special guest blog.

From 2pm on Saturday, until 2pm on Sunday I was grateful to be joined by hundreds of members of the public at the Infiniti’s car showroom in Glasgow as I attempted to ride a static Wattbike into the record books, all in aid of the STV Children’s Appeal.  With so much support I was able to ride 470 miles and as a collective we covered over 2,500 miles – the distance from Glasgow to Cairo!

I was delighted that a team from SSE joined me in this latest World Record attempt and they managed to put some impressive numbers on the board.  

The team managed to maintain the average speed of 20mph needed to achieve the 2,500 miles overall target.

And as the SSE team seemed particularly interest in energy, I asked Alastair from Watt Bikes to tally up the power they generated during their two hour stint.  Considering this is bicycle generated power, I am sure you will be impressed with the 5kW they produced. Rosie MacRae hit an impressive 233 Watts and John Stewart clocked up a handy 25 miles in an hour!

Although very tough, it was a great 24 hours and everyone had a lot of fun.  A number of individuals and organisations helped me with the challenge, including St Mirren Football Club, the Braehead Clan ice hockey team and professional golfer, Alyson McKechin. There were player appearances throughout the day from both clubs and Alyson was on hand to give golfing advice to anyone looking to improve their game.

A team of health and fitness experts were on hand from Nuffield Health and Q-bikes to offer advice and guidance for anyone looking to improve their health and wellbeing or get into cycling.

During my 24 hours on the bike I had everyone from a 7 year old to a 70 year old and just about every age in between. It was fantastic to see so many individuals and organisations getting behind the challenge to help raise funds for Scotland’s children.

I have seen over years of working with the STV Children’s Appeal what an incredible difference this fundraising makes, and every penny goes to children living in poverty within Scotland – which ultimately is what makes all the pain worthwhile.

Donations can still be made at www.virginmoneygiving.com/mark24