Don’t you just love it when your friends and colleagues are amazed you’re going to ride 150 miles in two days or 550 miles in a week?

 Well, don’t tell any of those people but there’s a Scottish cyclist who’s put us all to shame. Last month, Mark Beaumont shattered the record for cycling around the world, pedaling 18,000 miles in just 195 days. That’s no typo, he did it in 195 days, besting the previous record of 276 days.

Let’s put that into New England Classic perspective. The mileage Beaumont racked up on his Tour de World is the equivalent of riding 32-plus 7-day New England Classics or 120 two-day rides. At his pace, Beaumont was averaging 92.3 miles per day. If he traveled at our weekly pace of 550 miles, it would have taken him 224 days to circle the globe.

Now, if we’re going to look at his trek by the numbers, let’s measure him in terms of the most important NEC figures – fund-raising dollars. If Beaumont had pedaled to fight diabetes at the minimum rate of $1,800 per 550 miles, he would have raised $57,600 for the American Diabetes Association.

LET’S GET THIS GUY REGISTERED FOR THE NEC!

But don’t let all these numbers make you feel like the feat of completing the New England Classic pales in comparison to Beaumont’s accomplishment. Sure he traveled through 20 countries but let’s see him negotiate Kennebunkport while keeping an eye open for just the right gift shop or clam shack. And maybe he triumphantly crossed the finish line at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, but has he experienced the joy of arriving at UNH the first day of the NEC knowing an all-you-can-eat dinner awaits in one of New England’s finest college dining halls? I think not.

Rather than being blown away by all those miles Beaumont cycled, I say we take on a greater challenge. If we can get 125 cyclists to join the two-day NEC, collectively they alone would ride 18,750 miles, eclipsing Beaumont’s distance. Add 75 seven-day NEC riders pedaling a combined 41,250 and we rack up 60,000 miles, equal to more than three trips around the Earth.

And you want to talk about big numbers? If we put that many riders on the road, it’s quite possible to raise more than $275,000.

Impressed by Mark Beaumont? You ain’t seen nothing yet.    Register today.