Guinness World Records had the pleasure of hosting British Airways pilots James van der Hoorn and Thomas Reynolds earlier this week, following the pair's epic cycling adventure which saw them set a new record for Most countries visited by bicycle in 24 hours (team).
 
During their visit to our at our UK Headquarters , the pair spoke to Editor-in-Chief Craig Glenday during an exclusive Facebook Live broadcast about their successful attempt.
 
Beginning in Croatia at 12:18 pm local time, both men pedaled through the rolling landscapes of Slovenia, Hungary, Austria, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, and Poland, where they ended their journey; totalling an amazing seven nations in just a day. 
 
Having completed their journey just nine days earlier, James and Thomas swapped out their helmets and cycling uniform to address the cameras in their professional flying attire. 
 
Seeing as the two friends met nearly three years ago in flying school, this seemed appropriate. 
 
Seated with a live audience, both sat down to provide fascinating details of their record attempt. 
 
With nearly 300 miles of consistent movement and over 15,000 kcals burned, James and Thomas made it across seven borders at a varying speed of 12-18 mph.
 
The only times that the two pilots were permitted to stop, was after they had earned their five minutes of time after every hour completed on the journey. 
 
Remarkably, for most of the 24-hour span, each elected to save their minutes until they had enough time to consume a big mac from a nearby McDonald’s. 
 
“For cycling, I’d say as long as you keep eating, you’ll keep going. It’s a lot different than running,” mentioned Thomas in the interview. 
 
“Yes,” added James, “the entire time we had a basket on our bikes filled with snacks, power bars, M&Ms; anything to keep us going.”
 
James van der Hoorn isn’t a new name to the Guinness World Records database - he already holds the record for Most countries visited by an aircraft in 24 hours, having visited 11 in one day, a feat which gave him the inspiration for his two-wheeled record attempt. 
 
After discussing the idea with Thomas, it didn’t take much convincing to join in his record-breaking ambition.  
 
Thomas has been a fan of the annual book since his youth, and vividly remembers wanting to achieve a record title from an early age: “When I was about eight or nine years old, I had the silver Guinness World Records book, the 2000 millennium one. As a kid I remember I could list off every single record in that book. I was fascinated with records. So I always had this idea in my head, my childhood dreams really, to one day be a record holder.” 
 
Although Thomas and James did eventually accomplish that dream together, that doesn’t mean the two didn’t incur tribulations along the way.
 
Most countries visited by bicycle in 24 hours
 
James had previously tried to achieve the record once before, but missed out after not following the guidelines. 
 
According to both men, the most difficult part wasn’t staying awake, or the nonstop exercise; it was actually communicating with locals to sign the required independent witness forms that would verify that they were properly completing the attempt. 
 
To avoid confusion and wasted time trying to communicate, the saavy friends translated all documents to the native languages of the country they would be in, while also carrying an iPad explaining in several languages what they were attempting. 
 
“It’s hard to get someone to sign a document with their name and address at four in the morning,” laughed Thomas, “but this time we were able to have no problems, with quite a few witnesses encouraging us along the way.” 
The most impressive element to Thomas and James’s feat is perhaps the dual, charitable nature of the record. 
 
Not only did they cycle incessantly for 24 hours, they also managed to raised £5,000 for Flying Start, the global charity partnership between British Airways and Comic Relief which helps children living incredibly tough lives around the world. 
 
“It’s a great feeling to have done it, and a very humbling thought that we may have helped some kids living difficult lives along the way,” said van der Hoorn. 
 
By the end of the Q and A, the good friends made it clear they are not finished attempting titles together. While they have much to discuss, the duo are now aiming towards an arctic expedition record. 
 
For now, James and Thomas have proven to be sensational pilots that truly embody the ambitious and cooperative nature of record-breaking. We hope to see them back in the office for achieving another record title soon! 
 
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To hear the lively details and stories from James and Thomas’s full interview, click on the player below.