Following on from Lloyd Martin’s incredible achievements at last month’s TCS London Marathon, Special Olympics Surrey Cycling Club athletes Tom Kelsall and Hannah Kemp have set new Guinness World Records titles by completing the Ford RideLondon-Essex100.
Tom and Hannah, alongside fellow Special Olympics Surrey Cycling Club athlete Ben Jacob, completed a 100-mile cycle, which started in central London and toured the Essex countryside before finishing on the historic Tower Bridge over the River Thames.
Riding the London-Essex100 for the third time, Tom, who has Developmental Language Disorder and learning difficulties, was presented with a retrospective Guinness World Records title for Youngest person to cycle 100 miles (Intellectual Impairment 1) (male) from the 2022 event when he was aged 18-years-old and 40 days.
Hannah, who has moderate learning difficulties and is high functioning autistic, completed the London-Essex100 last year on a tandem bike with her Dad Jon. However, participating as a solo rider this year, she was presented with a new Guinness World Records title as Youngest person to cycle 100 miles (II1) (female), aged 26 years-old and 340 days. She completed the event in 9:38:27 with Tom finishing in 6:49:24 and Ben, who was born with Asperger's Syndrome, completing the 100 miles in 7:56:06.
Mark Browne, Head Coach at Special Olympics Surrey Cycling Club, said: “All three athletes have undergone incredible transformations since becoming part of our cycling club and we’re incredibly proud of what they have achieved today, by cycling 100 miles.
“All three have demonstrated that people with intellectual disabilities can also achieve amazing things and, in setting new Guinness World Records titles, Tom and Hannah have made history and are an inspiration for athletes in the Special Olympics movement around the world.”
Special Olympics GB is the UK’s largest provider of all-ability sports training and competition for children and adults with an intellectual disability. Across its 98 accredited clubs, regular opportunities to participate are provided for more than 6,600 athletes, which are delivered by a devoted team of 3,800 volunteers.