Tom’s Big Day Out

Team Novo Nordisk ambassador Tom Kelsall set out from Dorking in the Surrey Hills at 6:13 am with a simple enough goal: ride farther and faster than any person with an intellectual impairment and diabetes ever had before. What followed was a nearly 12-hour, 251-kilometre adventure through the English countryside that left everyone who witnessed it- family, teammates, and supporters alike- shaking their heads in disbelief.

The Records

By the time Tom stopped his bike computer: = 11 hours 57 minutes elapsed, 8 hours 49 minutes of moving time – he had put in a performance that blew the original targets out of the water:

●  251.21 km covered, with 2,433m of elevation gain

●  An average speed of 28.5 kph – sustained across nearly nine hours of riding

●  Farthest distance cycled in a day on public roads by a person with an intellectual impairment

●  Fastest 100 miles by a person with an intellectual impairment and diabetes

With GPX data logged and over 14 hours of footage captured from multiple on-bike cameras, Tom and his team are confident both marks will be ratified as official Guinness World Records once submitted.

The Route

The day’s route took Tom south-east from Dorking, through the rolling lanes of Surrey and Kent, all the way to Canterbury – the historic city that has drawn pilgrims for well over a millennium. After a flying visit to England’s oldest cathedral (founded in 597 AD), the group stopped for a well-earned bacon sandwich, a slice of cake, and a Coca-Cola.

The return leg followed a slightly more southerly line and, after a stiff headwind on the way out, brought a welcome tailwind. Temperatures climbed to 30°C. There was a puncture. There was a raid on a roadside convenience store. There was – crucially – a lot of jelly babies.

And through all of it, Tom’s pace never faltered. Remarkably, the average speed over the final leg actually increased.

The Team

No record attempt happens alone. Behind Tom was a team of four, each bringing  something essential to the day:

• Andy Taylor – Super Domestique & elite international Masters cyclocross racer
• Chris Carney – Road Captain & multi-time Ironman
• Tod Rowles – Domestique and confidante extraordinaire, 49 years living with Type 1 Diabetes 
• Neil Kelsall – Chief Enablement Officer, camera crew, proxy pancreas & “just Dad”

Managing Diabetes at Race Pace

Covering 251 km while managing Type 1 Diabetes is no small feat. Tom started the day with his glucose at around 11 mmol/l – a solid base for a long effort. Throughout the ride, his CGM and closed loop insulin pump helped him maintain a Time in Range of around 70–75%, a result his team are proud of given the duration and intensity of the effort.

Neil adjusted Tom’s pump basal rate down significantly at the first feed stop near Maidstone, with regular glucose checks scheduled throughout the day. The fuelling strategy was meticulous: 822 grams of carbohydrate consumed across the full day, anchored by jelly babies – 85 of them – drawn continuously from a frame-top feed bag.

Tom’s Fuelling Log

The Finish

When Tom rolled into the leafy village of Leigh, Surrey, a small crowd was waiting: his mum, his grandparents, and fellow Special Olympics athlete and Guinness World Record holder Hannah Kemp, there to give him the hero’s welcome he’d earned.

251.21 km. 2,433m of climbing. 8 hours 49 minutes of moving time. Two world records pending ratification. And a smile that said he’d do it all again; but farther and faster!

We could not be more proud of him.

Congratulations, Tom. What a day.