Marchtrenk pedaler

Record in endurance cycling is broken on the Donauweg

Hans Warga (67) from Marchtrenk is currently constantly whizzing along the Danube cycle path(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

Cycling is his passion - and that's just an euphemism: Hans Warga (67) from Marchtrenk is currently attempting to break the world record for endurance cycling - in fact, he has already done so and is now aiming for the "8000".

Since 1 May at 5 a.m., the former printer has been pedalling like a man possessed, racing back and forth along the Danube Cycle Path between Wilhering and Aschach an der Donau for ten to 14 hours a day at an average speed of 28 to 29 km/h. He wants to break the world record.

Warga wants to break the world record(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

"I want to break the existing world record for over 60-year-olds of 7800 kilometers in 30 days. I actually beat the previous record holder, an American, on Tuesday," says Warga, who is also taking part in the 24-hour cycle marathon in Grieskirchen and obviously not only has top-trained calves, but must also have iron-hard buttocks and neck muscles like steel cables.

His performance is monitored by radio tracker(Bild: Wenzel Markus)

You can't cheat, says Warga: "I'm directly connected to America via a tracker. My pulse is also transmitted. This ensures that I'm really on the track, which I'm not allowed to leave."

Three racing bikes in use
In the meantime, Warga continues to cycle undaunted. He uses three bikes for his obsession, two Simplon and an Argon 18. The base for the campaign is a campsite in Wilhering, where Warga has a bus. He will be cycling along the Danube until May 30th - let's see how many kilometers he can cover.