Lloyd Collier and Louis Snellgrove.
Camera IconLloyd Collier and Louis Snellgrove. Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Bayswater: Two emergency doctors chase for world record in the World Tandem Challenge

Kristie LimEastern Reporter

TWO emergency doctors are racing through 16 countries to set a Guinness World Record on a tandem bike, in a bid raise funds towards medical research.

Queensland-based doctors Louis Snellgrove (30) and Lloyd Collier (28), who work at Townsville Hospital, are aiming to set the world record for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe on a tandem bike.

They are self-funding their World Tandem Challenge from Adelaide to Adelaide and are raising awareness and money for the Brain Foundation and Spinal Research.

PerthNow Digital Edition.
Your local paper, whenever you want it.

Get in front of tomorrow's news for FREE

Journalism for the curious Australian across politics, business, culture and opinion.

READ NOW

The total distance travelled (including flights) must be at least the distance of the earth’s equator – 40,075km and travel a minimum distance of 28,970km by bicycle.

Having started riding from Adelaide Oval 27 days ago, the duo spoke with Community News from Cycles Bespoke in Bayswater this morning ahead of their flight to Beijing, China.

Image
Camera IconImage Credit: Supplied/Supplied

Dr Snellgrove said the 12-month ride would take them to countries including Siberia, India, Europe, Morocco, America and New Zealand.

“Two lads on a bike – we are both doctors and we have given up work for a year, fully unpaid, fully unsupported and everything we are travelling with for the entire year is on the back of our bike,” he said.

“We’d only ridden a tandem bike for two weeks before that.

“We are tracking the entire thing on a GPS tracker because we are going to submit that to the Guinness Book of World Records at the end of the trip.

“As long as we cover an average of 10km per day for 280 days, then we will get the Guinness world record and we are on-track so far to get it.

“We get along well quite well – we spend more time together than a married couple would.”

Dr Collier’s uncle passed away after fighting a spinal cord injury for 20 years earlier this year, which served as the duo’s motivation to raise money towards research and a cure.

“Both being doctors, we understand that behind treatments and diagnosis that are available, a lot goes into the research,” he said.For information, visit www.worldtandem.com and brainfoundation.org.au.