Guinness World Record: Women circumnavigate world on tandem bicycle

Cat Dixon and Raz Marsden (right) cycled through 25 countries

Two women have broken the world record for the fastest time circumnavigating the globe on a tandem bicycle.

Cat Dixon, 54, and Raz Marsden, 55, accomplished the feat in 263 days, beating the previous record of 281 days.

They set out from Oxford last June, finishing in March shortly before the coronavirus lockdown.

Their achievement has been confirmed as part of the launch of Guinness World Records Day.

The pair covered 18,263 miles (29,391 km) in precisely 263 days, eight hours and seven minutes, on a route that took them through 25 countries.

During their trip, which included flights where crossings were impossible, they faced a heatwave across Europe, monsoons in Asia, and the Australian bush fires.

They described their record-breaking trip as the "adventure of a lifetime"

The journey then became a race against time as they boarded one of the last ferries to the UK on the day the travel ban started.

The previous record was set by UK cyclists Edward Collier and Louis Paul Snellgrove last May.

Ms Dixon, a lawyer from Yorkshire, and Ms Marsden, a Motor Neurone Disease nurse consultant at Oxford University Hospitals, have raised more than £40,000 for charity.

In a joint statement they said: "The experience was incredible and certainly not without its challenges - most notably racing to make it home as borders closed behind us due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"Setting the world record really was the adventure of a lifetime and we hope that it will inspire others to believe that anything is possible if you follow your dreams."

The pair faced heatwaves and bushfires on their long journey

The record-breaking route

• UK

• France

• Monaco

• Italy

• Slovenia

• Croatia

• Bosnia and Herzegovina

• Montenegro

• Albania

• North Macedonia

• Greece

• Turkey

• Georgia

• India

• Myanmar

• Thailand

• Malaysia

• Singapore

• Australia

• New Zealand

• USA

• Mexico

• Morocco

• Spain

• Gibraltar

• UK

Craig Glenday, Guinness World Records editor in chief, said: "I was thrilled to hear that they'd smashed not just the women's title but the overall round-the-world record."

He said their "high-spirited story of determination, ambition and friendship has been a tonic in these troubled times".