Ep. 37: André Goeritz - Venturing into the Unknown, and Setting World Records

What does it take to set a world record for cycling the largest distance in one month? Meet this week's guest, André Goeritz. André is an artist and an ultra endurance cyclist. Last year, he set the world record for the highest mileage cycled in one month – 6,679.8 miles or 10,750 kilometres. What goes into doing something like that and why would anyone attempt it? It's not for the money (there isn't any in this endeavour) or fame (apart from within the ultra cycling community).  As with my other conversations with people who have achieved something epic, this one is about much more than cycling. It's really a deeper conversation about venturing into the unknown. André is a fascinating guy. He was born in Germany, grew up in the UK and has lived in the United States for the past several years. He has worked on a cruise shop, dabbled as a professional body builder and studied fine arts. His journey has been non-linear and along the way, he has overcome many challenges. In many ways, his world record-setting ride was a microcosm of how he approaches life. In this conversation we get into: "Re-inventing" yourself – can one really do this?; Overcoming obstacles; Cycling – how André got into the sport and what led him to ultra distances; His world record attempt – how he prepared, the challenges he faced (there were many!), his motivation for this, strategy and tactics; Nutrition – André is a vegan and he has some thoughts on this in terms of endurance athletics, as well as overall wellbeing; Mental strength and mindset; Tackling the unknown, taking risks and dealing with uncertainty; The arts and the art work he is currently doing; Lots more! This was a fabulous conversation that I am sure you will all enjoy! Show notes: André's blog: http://andregoeritz.blogspot.co.uk/ André on Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/4823140 The HAMR (Highest Annual Mileage Record) 30 day record - http://www.ultracycling.com/wp_news/?p=1088 The 80/10/10 diet - https://www.amazon.co.uk/80-10-Diet-Balancing-Luscious/dp/1893831248/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485120005&sr=8-1&keywords=80+10+10 The China Study - https://www.amazon.co.uk/China-Study-Comprehensive-Nutrition-Implications/dp/1932100660/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1485120030&sr=8-1&keywords=china+study ___________________________ Did you like what you heard? Subscribe to the All Things Risk podcast, leave a rating or review, and share it on social media: Subscribe and/or leave a rating and review on: iTunes: http://apple.co/1PjLmKh Subscribe on Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/all-things-risk/the-all-things-risk-podcast Subscribe on Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/ben-cattaneo Follow the podcast on Twitter: https://twitter.com/RiskThings Drop us a note: [email protected] Visit: www.allthingsrisk.co.uk – and find all episodes and ways to subscribe