Father and daughter ride 2,162km to create largest Strava art ever

After spending 16 days drawing an enormous heart in France, Frédéric and Mathilde de Lanouvelle have taken the Guinness World Record and raised €26,000 for charity

11:05, Tuesday 10th October 2023

James Howell-Jones

Junior Writer

A 2,162km heart across France

Guinness World Records have confirmed that the giant heart drawn by Frédéric and Mathilde de Lanouvelle has broken the record for "the world's largest GPS drawing by bicycle (team)".

In August, the father and daughter set out on a tandem from Lyon and began an epic journey around their home country. Sixteen days later, having logged 117 hours and 25 minutes of moving time, the pair completed the 2,162km heart-shaped loop as they arrived back in Lyon.

In his Strava post documenting the ride, Frédéric wrote:

"A demanding but very fulfilling journey! I am really proud of my daughter!"

A coming-of-age adventure

Speaking to Guinness World Records, Frédéric said:

"When I saw the [previous record of a] 1,025-km dinosaur, […] I immediately suggested that my daughter try it with me."

Of course, a ride of this scale required some preparation. The pair had already completed a 600km tandem ride, but before tackling the 2,162km route, they trained together for three months.

They set off on Mathilde's 16th birthday – Frédéric wants to take each of his four daughters on an adventure when they turn 16:

"I took my eldest daughter to take part in the Marathon des Sables. A 250-km run in the Sahara in Morocco, completely self-sufficient. She loved it!

"For Mathilde, my second daughter, I was looking for another unique adventure."

Frédéric says the adventures he has with his daughters strengthen his relationship with each of them, and gives them some important life lessons:

"I'm obviously very close to them, but these experiences continue to strengthen our bond. The aim was to introduce them to the values of surpassing themselves, adventure and nature."

Sure enough, this trip had its fair share of adventure:

"On day six, we had a major technical problem," Frédéric explained. "We broke the chain, the derailleur gear and part of the bike's frame cracked. We thought it was all over.

"But the people around us mobilised in an extraordinary way and we managed to repair everything within a day. We even had the frame welded back together!"

The pair celebrate hitting 2,000km

All for a good cause

"I'd drawn this heart a long time ago and I wanted to do it by bike and for a good cause."

They chose the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque association, which as Frédéric wrote on Strava, "saves children with heart defects who live in countries where the operation is impossible due to lack of resources."

The pair raised over €26,000 (£22,546 / $27,335) for the charity, enough to save two children, says Frédéric.

The pair say it's "quite a strange feeling" to have a World Record in the bag, but even so, they're keen to see what other opportunities arise:

"If other great adventures come along that allow us to break new records, we'll seize them without hesitation!"

To give to the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque association, visit their website.

Strava

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