A group of French cyclists, including Florent Arnaud, Maxime Brugère, Franck Delorme, Nicolas Meunier, and Jean Roule, have been awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest GPS drawing made by a bicycle team.
The team drew a 1,025km (636-mile) velociraptor, which took them 43 hours and 47 minutes to complete. The ride spanned six days and covered several counties, including Cher, Saone-et-Loire, Indre, Nievre, Creuse, and Puy-de-Dome, starting and finishing in Meillard in the Allier region of central France.
Although the ride occurred in November 2022 after a year of preparation, the Guinness World Record did not declare it until March of the following year. Prior to this, the team had drawn a T-Rex in 2020 and a diplodocus in 2021.
After realizing that the Egyptian arm of Philips had set a Guinness World Record for the longest GPS drawing by a bicycle team, a 761km (472-mile) heart drawn in Egypt in 2018, the team felt it was a challenge they could beat.
Revealed: Cyclists ride for six days to create '1,025km-long' dinosaur and claim Guinness World Record for largest GPS drawing by a bicycle team
— Sharon K. Gilbert (@sharonkgilbert) April 18, 2023
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The Cyclos Randonneurs Saint-Galmier cycling group, who drew the 1,025km (636-mile) velociraptor and were awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest GPS drawing by a bicycle team, chose the dinosaur partly because its name is a play on words with ‘velo’, which means ‘bicycle’ in French, and also because dinosaurs serve as a reminder that even the toughest species can become extinct.
The team, consisting of triathletes on road bikes, had several objectives for the ride, including spreading a message about being environmentally conscious.
They aimed to achieve a childhood dream of having their names in the Guinness Book of World Records, which they used to read, and to share a great adventure with friends doing what they love. They also aimed to promote transportation by bicycles.
According to the team, most of them are environmentally conscious daily bike commuters who seldom use cars for travel.
They claimed that using a bike instead of a car has numerous benefits, including physical and mental health benefits, affordability, and avoidance of traffic congestion and roadwork.
They also pointed out that among the many complex issues associated with global warming and environmental crises, biking has only advantages.
The team’s achievement was shared on the fitness app Strava and has received 3,917 likes and 217 comments thus far. The group praised Strava as an excellent social media platform for active people, which allowed them to promote their world record and inspire others.
The team emphasized that Strava was instrumental in enabling them to spread the message of sustainable mobility and the promotion of bicycles as a replacement for cars.
They expressed their delight in the enthusiastic response of thousands of people who liked and commented on their adventure.