Longest distance by human power in 24 hours

What to remember

On August 6, 2010, Christian von Ascheberg improved two records in a single ride in his Milan SL Velomobile. He first covered 1,000 km in 19 hours and 27 minutes, then kept pedalling until he reached 1,219 km at the 24-hour mark: the longest distance covered in a day by human power alone.

Human-powered transport is the movement of people or goods using muscle power. Unlike animal-powered transport, it has existed since time immemorial, as walking, running and swimming, and in small vehicles such as litters, rickshaws, wheelchairs and wheelbarrows.

Modern technology added machines that multiply human effort. Motorization brought higher speeds and bigger loads, yet human-powered vehicles keep their followers for reasons of cost, convenience, leisure, exercise and environmentalism.