“After an uneven battle of more than 24 hours with heavy gusts of wind, Matthieu decided this morning around 7.50 am to give up his world record attempt. The team decided to have Matthieu do a short medical check-up in the hospital,” said Friday morning. His goal was to complete 1,038 kilometers in six days. In other words: four marathons of more than 42 kilometers per day.
The West Flemish rider was still on track to break the world record on Thursday. “He experienced mild hallucinations mainly at night, but is generally still very lucid and the team is doing a good job of consulting with him about planning and care.”
Heavy gusts of wind finally played tricks on Bonne on Thursday night and he had to give up on Friday. The doctors now want to keep him in the hospital overnight for observation. “Due to the cold wind, Matthieu has a lot of problems with his airways and lungs. Further investigations are currently underway. Matthieu’s health now comes first,” his team said on Friday afternoon. “Whether there will ever be a new attack on the world record, only the future will tell.”
“murderous”
“It’s probably the hardest challenge I’ve ever taken on,” Bonne said earlier about his new record attempt. “I know it’s almost impossible to break this record. But if there’s one thing I like to do, it’s making the impossible possible. I have already proven that in the past.”
To achieve his goal, he had to complete an average of 173 kilometers or 432.5 laps around an athletics track per day for six days. The current world record is held by the Greek ultrarunner Yiannis Kouros and dates from 2005. In order for the possible world record to be recognized, it had to organize an official competition. In addition to Bonne, three other athletes took part in the Molenkouter athletics track in Merelbeke near Ghent. Two of them continue their fight.
For the first day and a half, Bonne walked five-hour blocks with ten minutes of rest. On Monday evening he slept for two hours for the first time and then continued walking. “The combination of physical suffering and little sleep is killing,” said his manager Mathias Lievens. “After a while you start to hallucinate, that’s inevitable. You have to fight through that.”
His team especially feared the rain. Nutrition is also vital. “When he gets hungry, it’s too late. We set a schedule for when he should eat. With sports nutrition, but also pasta, pancakes and sandwiches with cheese spread.” But in the end the wind killed him.
Redder in Brugge
In the past, the adventurer has already climbed the Alpine peaks of Mont Blanc, the Matterhorn and the Eiger. He also completed the grueling multi-day Marathon des Sables race. While swimming, he managed to cross the channel between England and France and swim down the Belgian coastline. In 2022 he completed eight more triathlons in eight days on eight Canary Islands. Last year he cycled 3,619.72 kilometers in seven days, which was also a world record. Bonne also made an appearance in the VRT program Kamp Waes.
In daily life, Bonne is a lifesaver in the Lago Brugge Olympia swimming pool complex.
Matthieu Bonne breaks cycling world record in seven days – video March 27, 2023
