Largest GPS drawing by bike sets new individual Guinness World Record

David Schweikert has finally been awarded the Guinness World Record for the largest GPS drawing by bicycle. The 982.53-mile ride took him seven days to complete and the final drawing of a cross spans three US states.

GPS drawings, or Strava art, are growing in popularity with two other notable record attempts being made in the past 12 months. Firstly a group of four riders embarked on a 636.73-mile ride across France to create a velociraptor to take the group record, before having this smashed by a father and daughter duo who rode 1343.59 miles to create the worlds biggest Strava art, in the shape of a heart.

The record that Schweikert set differs a little from the two mentioned above, as his effort was purely solo, so although it falls some 360 miles short of the out-and-out record he sets a new ‘individual’ record.

© David Schweikert

David Schweikert has now been officially named as the Guinness World Record holder

Although the ride was completed in May this year, for an official Guinness World Record to be considered all documentation and data needs to be verified. There are also strict rules and regulations relating to mileage that deviates from the course. Although you are permitted to leave the route of the art piece, for food or rest, this cannot be counted in the final total.

• Read more: Beginners' guide to bikepacking

In an attempt to remove the need for this Schweikert used a super light bikepacking set-up, meaning that he could make camp along the course which proved especially beneficial in the remoter stretches when there was no hospitality nearby.

© Strava/David Schweikert

35% of the total ride was made up of unpaved roads

His route took him through Wisconsin, Nebraska and South Dakota with the final result only deviating from a perfect cross shape slightly. Talking to Cycling Weekly, Schweikert said, "it took hours and hours of planning’ to find the right roads for the attempt."

The seven day ride was also made up of 35% unpaved roads in order to stick to the strict profile of the cross.

As part of the record attempt Schweikert added a charitable element, raising money for World Bicycle Relief, a charity that aims to provide bicycles to developing countries as a method of transportation.

Strava

Strava is an online app that allows users to track their activities and share them with others. It connects over 100 million athletes across a global online community.