CANYON ATHLETE ALEX MCCORMACK SETS NEW BENCHMARK IN CYCLING WITH INCREDIBLE 7-DAY WORLD RECORD

Seven days, one question: How far is far enough? Alex McCormack had 168 hours of snow, hail, rain and sleep-deprivation to answer the question...

Koblenz, 2nd April 2026: Against all odds, Canyon ultra-distance cyclist Alex McCormack today completed an incredible seven-day endurance project to discover just how far he could ride in a single week, setting a new world record in the process.

With an average of 18.5 hours per day in the saddle, on a repeated 150 km route along the Moselle river, the Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing pro cyclist covered an outrageous 3826.47 km (2377.66 miles) across seven days – a distance greater than the entire 2026 Tour de France (3,333 km). Before Alex's attempt the previous Seven Days Distance World Record stood at 3,813.81 kilometres (2,369.79 miles).

Data recorded via his Coros Dura bike computer shows that he broke the record by 12.66 km. The record will now be ratified by the World Ultra Cycling Association (WUCA) and an application to Guinness World Records will follow.

McCormack, a 28-year-old from North Yorkshire in England, is no stranger to extreme efforts. Winner of the 2025 Atlas and Hellenic Mountain Races and the 2024 Highland Trail 550, he also set a Double Everesting World Record in 2025, climbing 17,732 metres in just under 21 hours.

While these distances are eye-watering, they are part of his preparation for the iconic Triple Crown of US ultra-distance races later in the summer: the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail Race, and Arizona Trail Race.

McCormack lives the motto of the Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing team: Race everything. In this case, pushing both himself and his bike to their limits at speed, no matter the surface or terrain. Here he explains his motivation for the ride and how he found the experience:

“When I’m racing there are set dates but that often leaves blocks in the calendar where I can do other things, like these side quests. I’ve always wanted to try and find where my limits lie, what my body could cope with and how I'd fare in a supported environment. Ultimately this was a bit of a test. A test of me. A test of what the body can do. Which is always appealing, to find out where the limits lie. But above all, I just like riding bikes. There’s a lot of joy in that.

"There were difficult moments. The cold was worse than I was expecting. My kit was getting so wet that trying to stay aero and stay warm was a real challenge. At times I rode with a hot water bottle stuffed inside my jersey. I also stopped for lots of hot showers. There was a lot of time that could have been saved in better weather conditions. But once you've committed, you just crack on with it until you're done."

"The monotony wasn’t a problem – I was riding at a pace where I could talk on the phone. I had a lot of phone conversations with friends and family."

"Above all I really enjoyed the experience. I achieved what I wanted - I learned how a ride like this would affect me. The record was a nice bonus. It was a beautiful route for the ride, up and down the Moselle along the vineyards. I’m happy to see that route every time of the day, every day of the week."

"Now I need to take about a week off the bike. My neck was in a pretty bad way, I was struggling to hold my neck up by the end. My contact areas are pretty sore too. Once I’m recovered I’ll start working towards my next race, Unbound XL."

The ride took place in and around Koblenz, Germany – the home of Canyon. Alex followed a flat 150 km out-and-back route along the Moselle river, repeating the course up to four times per day. This equated to approximately 18–19 hours of riding daily, leaving less than 5 hours for recovery, nutrition and sleep – or at least that was the plan. His daily log paints a brutal picture with rides typically finishing the next day, only for Alex to restart riding mere hours later:

• Day 1: 457.78 km. Start time: 09:03. Finish time: 23:29. Moving time: 13h 21m (CET>CEST, clocks +1h).

• Day 2: 602 km. Start time: 05:07. Finish time: 04:31. Moving time: 19h 43m.

• Day 3: 457.90 km. Start time: 07:44. Finish time: 03:35. Moving time: 15h 55m.

• Day 4: 451.92 km. Start time: 06:22. Finish time: 02:05. Moving time: 15h 21m.

• Day 5: 524.89 km. Start time: 06:54. Finish time 05:11. Moving time: 18h 34m.

• Day 6: 604.9 km. Start time: 06:39. Finish time: 05:15. Moving time: 20h 54m.

• Day 7: 727.75 km. Start time: 06:18. Finish 10:03. Moving time: 25h 46m.

His daily distances certainly tell a story of incredible effort but they don't even begin to account for the extreme cold, the multiple layers of clothing, or the muscles in Alex's neck needing the support of a bungee cord to keep his head up during the final day.

During the ride Alex burned through an incredible 14,000 calories a day. To power him through his effort he needed to eat and drink as much as possible, mostly on the bike - at times his support crew reported that his record attempt felt more like an eating record than a cycling one. In just one day he would consume:

• x1 bowl of overnight oats

• x6 brioche buns with peanut butter/marshmallow spread

• x2 bags of strawberry laces

• x1 cheese twist

• x2 bowls of pesto pasta

• x1 cheese & ham toastie

• x1 bowl of pasta carbonara

• x4 chicken & rice burrito wraps

• x1 slice of carrot cake

• x4 carb gels

• x4 carb drinks

• x2 rice bars

• x1 recovery shake

• x4 black coffees

• x1 glass of orange juice

• x1 ginger shot

• x1 hot chocolate

• x1 can of coca-cola

• x1 snickers ice cream

A small, dedicated crew supported Alex throughout the week, providing mechanical assistance, nutrition and recovery support.

“After terrible weather at the start we were really up against it. Alex was getting so cold, especially at night time. All the layers he had to wear really affected his aerodynamic performance. The time taken to change out of wet clothes into dry ones was a real time killer," said Harry Dowdney, support team member. "I helped dress and undress him so many times. I don't want to see a pair of soaking wet aero shoes covers for a very long time."

"In the final few days we knew he had to do massive stints through the night with practically no stops and no sleep to break the record. The biggest task for the support crew was to wake Alex after painfully short naps and make sure he kept eating and drinking. There was no way he could replace those 14,000 calories each day. We had to constantly remind him to eat and drink, passing him food as often as we could.”

The ride concluded in Koblenz at 10:03 am on Thursday 2nd April. He rolled into his base at Zum Schwarzen Baeren hotel to a hero's welcome as supporters and members of the public gathered to recognise his achievement.

For the challenge, Alex used Canyon's Speedmax CFR, allowing him to adapt to fatigue, terrain and wind conditions – maintaining efficiency as cumulative load increased across the week.

The Speedmax CFR, developed for elite long-distance triathlon racing, is one of the most successful endurance race bikes ever made, with eight IRONMAN World Championship titles and the current T100 World Championship to its name.

Designed for sustained aerodynamic efficiency over extreme durations, it allowed Alex to maintain maximum speed with minimal physiological cost across the flat route.

Engineered from Canyon’s highest-grade CFR carbon layup and equipped with DT Swiss ARC 1100 carbon wheels and Shimano Dura-Ace, the Speedmax CFR provided Alex with aerodynamic stability and positional consistency during his extreme prolonged efforts. Alex equipped his bike with a Tailfin top tube bag, Styrkr nutrition and Exposure front and rear lights.

Canyon was proud to partner with Alex for this ambitious ride. Supporting athletes who challenge limits is in Canyon’s DNA – and was part of their motivation for founding the new Canyon x DT Swiss All-Terrain Racing squad of which Alex is a team rider.

Seven days. One question. How far is far enough? The question has been answered, for now...

1. For additional imagery, see here. All photo credits to Canyon/Réka Liziczai.

2. For video content or interview requests with Alex or his support team, please contact Ben Hillsdon at Canyon Bicycles, bhillsdon@canyon.com.