Austrian cycling twins break 24-hour climbing record

0 Comments | AFP, July, 2007

VIENNA (AFP) — Austrian cycling twins Gernot and Horst Turnowsky broke the record for the number of metres climbed in 24 hours Sunday, race organiser Josef Pfleger said.

"The two climbed exactly 20,049.9 metres (65,780.5 feet) in less than 24 hours," Pfleger said.

The twins achieved this new record, which is not official, by cycling 97 times up a 2.1-kilometre stretch of road with an average gradient of 9.8, near Graz in southern Austria.

Gernot and Horst, who are also aiming this year to cycle the 5,900 kilometres from the ocean to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa without stopping, fought off fatigue with coffee and peppermint tablets.

"As non-coffee drinkers, caffeine works on us like a charm," they said in a statement.

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