Massive Strava Heart Sets Guinness World Record, Raises Money for Cardiac Philanthropy

A father/daughter team just set a new Guinness World Record for the "largest GPS drawing by bicycle (team)," by creating a massive heart in their home country of France. The humungous heart required 1,343 miles of riding to draw using Strava—and they did it on a tandem, no less!

Frédéric de Lanouvelle is the father of four daughters, and for each daughter's sixteenth birthday, he takes them on an epic adventure, GuinnessWorldRecords.com reports. With this Guinness World Record, Mathilde's sixteenth birthday turned out to be extra special. The epic trip took them 16 days to complete, logging 117 hours and 25 minutes of moving time on Strava.

Even though they had previously completed a 600km tandem ride, the duo still trained for three months to be prepared to draw the heart. However, they still encountered unexpected challenges on this long ride. According to Guinness World Records, on day six of the challenge, they dealt with a major mechanical: they broke not only the chain and the derailleur on their tandem, but cracked the bike's frame too!

"We thought it was all over," Frédéric said. “But the people around us mobilized in an extraordinary way, and we managed to repair everything within a day. We even had the frame welded back together!"

The heart drawing signifies much more than a really long bike ride. Frédéric and Mathilde drew a heart in an effort to help raise money for the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque Association, "which saves children with heart defects who live in countries where the operation is impossible due to lack of resources," wrote Frédéric on Strava. "With this family challenge, we raised more than 26,000 Euros ($27,500 USD), which will help save 2 children."

Be sure to give Frédéric and Mathilde's drawing on Strava some kudos, and if you're also feeling the love, consider donating to the Mécénat Chirurgie Cardiaque Association as well.