Most of us struggle to last 45 minutes in a spin class. Benjamin Alexis Miles lasted almost 12 days.
In June 2020, the British athlete set out to do what seemed physically impossible — to break the Guinness World Record for the longest time spent cycling on a stationary bike. The record to beat stood at 268 hours, 32 minutes, and 44 seconds, but Miles didn’t just edge past it — he crushed it, logging an astonishing 277 hours, 20 minutes, and 30 seconds in Bunyola, Spain.
That was five years ago. And even today, his ride still stands as one of the most extreme endurance achievements ever witnessed — a blend of suffering, science, and sheer willpower.
The record’s framework sounded simple — for every hour spent pedalling, Miles earned five minutes of rest. That rest could be banked if he wanted to take a longer break later.
The clock began ticking on June 5, 2020 — World Environment Day. His motivation wasn’t fame or a paycheck; it was purpose. Miles wanted to raise awareness around environmental issues, encouraging people to take more sustainable action.
“This was about pushing limits,” he said. “It was about testing physical endurance, mental fortitude, and embracing discomfort.”
But simplicity doesn’t mean ease. Because this wasn’t just a cycling marathon — it was a fight against the basic needs of the human body.
Day One: The Start of Madness
“My first day was quite difficult,” Miles told Guinness World Records. “Before the event, I’ve not relaxed at all. With nerves and stress, I wasn’t sleeping so well. I’m now going to try and go 72 hours without sleep. This will allow me to bank six hours to rest during these 12 days, and I’ll be able to sleep a decent amount of time.”
Three days. No sleep. Just pedals turning.
The idea was extreme — cycle for 72 hours straight to “earn” six hours of rest time later in the challenge. You see, for every 1 hour of activity, Miles could bank 5 minutes of rest. But by the time he banked that sleep, his body was already beginning to break down.
The Hallucinations
For the first several days, Miles’ pace was carefully monitored — every 15 minutes, he needed to hit 5km to stay on track.
But after six days, the fatigue turned savage. His body began to revolt, and his mind followed.
“I’m very worried about my head,” he said midway through the attempt. “I think I’ve got a problem with my mind… I’m losing speech, and rooms are being redesigned in front of my eyes.”
That wasn’t an exaggeration. His team described moments where he appeared to drift in and out of reality, hallucinating as the room seemed to shift and distort. Still, his legs kept moving.
277 Hours Later
When he finally dismounted after 11 days, 13 hours, and 20 minutes, Miles had done it. He’d officially broken the world record — cycling for 277 hours, 20 minutes, and 30 seconds without ever quitting.
“It’s absolutely fantastic,” he said. “I’m very, very happy. There are so many emotions, words cannot describe how I feel. On top of all this, I’m absolutely destroyed and exhausted. I am just desperate to sleep. Every fibre of my being was looking for an excuse to stop. It’s only me on a bike, but there is a team of people behind me who are incredible.”
And just when you thought he’d collapse and vanish into a well-deserved sleep coma — he dropped to one knee and proposed to his girlfriend. She said yes.
Miles’ record — set five years ago — still hasn’t been broken. It’s not just because of the distance or the time; it’s because of the mental fortitude it took to survive it.
He rode through exhaustion, hallucinations, dehydration, and sleep deprivation so severe that most people would’ve required medical intervention. Yet, somehow, he turned it into a story of purpose.
It wasn’t just a test of endurance — it was a message about resilience, environmental awareness, and human potential.
Even now, athletes still reference his 2020 ride as a benchmark for mental toughness. And while Miles admitted afterward that he was “absolutely destroyed,” the message behind the pain lives on:
Every fibre of his being looked for an excuse to stop — but he never did.
Five years later, that’s what makes Benjamin Alexis Miles’ record more than just a number. It’s a reminder of how far the human mind can go when the body has nothing left to give.
Featured image credit: YouTube/GuinnessWorldRecords (screenshot)
