Epic Feat: British Adventurer Sets Highest-Altitude Cycle Ride Record

Neil Laughton, a 60-year-old British adventurer and former Royal Marine, has set a new world record for the highest-altitude cycle ride. He reached the summit of Putha Huinchuli at 7,246 metres with his fold-up bike, beating the previous record set in 2009. Laughton's achievement also raised funds for Tenzing Norgay School.

Neil Laughton, a 60-year-old British adventurer and former Royal Marine Commando, has achieved a new world record for the highest-altitude cycle ride. Laughton pedaled a fold-up Brompton bike to the 7,246-metre summit of Putha Huinchuli in Nepal, surpassing the previous record of 7,211 metres set in 2009.

Setting out with Sherpa Nima Kanchla, Laughton cycled and carried his bike to the snow-laden peak, navigating challenging conditions to accomplish the feat. 'To get the Guinness World Record, I had to cycle 20 metres at the highest point,' Laughton told Cycling Weekly. 'The deep snow and rocky terrain made maintaining momentum particularly difficult near the summit.'

Laughton prepared rigorously for the expedition, spending hours on an inclined treadmill with an oxygen mask simulating high-altitude conditions. His latest record, following a 2018 achievement of the world's highest dinner party on Mount Everest, also aimed to raise funds for the Tenzing Norgay School in Karakot.

(With inputs from agencies.)