Congratulations to Phil Fox who set the CW Circumnavigation Lake Ontario record on 2024-06-09 in the following categories: Male 18-49, officiated, standard upright bike.
*This is also a Guinness World Record
Lake Ontario:
Post Attempt Report Narrative
On June 8, 2024, Phil Fox and a team of eight crew members set out from the Rainbow International Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario in an attempt to set the world record Circumnavigating Lake Ontario in support of Bike MS.
While the ‘Lap of the Lake’ randonneuring route has been done counter-clockwise from Rochester, we opted to start (and end) at the Rainbow Bridge spanning the Niagara River with stunning panoramic views of American and Horseshoe Falls as a backdrop.
From Niagara Falls, we would head west towards Hamilton, Ontario and travel clockwise around the lake. This would involve a brief shuttle to cross back into the United States at the Thousand Islands Bridge. From there we would traverse upstate New York including portions of the Erie Canalway bike path.
Our route would involve large population centers including:
- Hamilton, ON
- Mississauga, ON
- Toronto, ON (the largest city in Canada)
- Kingston, ON
- Oswego, NY
- Rochester, NY
- Niagara Falls, NY
While many have completed this route (including randonneurs as a timed brevet), no one has attempted to see just how fast it can be accomplished nor in one-shot, on no sleep.
Accompanied by a set of three rotating support crews / vehicles, we planned on replicating a RAAM-support strategy to minimize stoppage time. A five-person, two-vehicle media crew also accompanied us on this adventure to capture the story.
Starting Line
With no fanfare, we set out at 6:00 am Eastern time on Saturday, June 8, 2024 from the scenic Niagara River Parkway underneath the terminus of the Rainbow International Bridge in Niagara Falls, Ontario. With early morning backdrops of American Falls and Horseshoe Falls, we quickly headed away from the river up Clifton Hill passing many tourist attractions yet to open for the day.
Conditions at the start were favorable with a 10 mph breeze from the W, a cool temperature of 55°F and cloudy skies.
As with any ultra effort, getting to the starting line is stressful. Not just the morning off but for days (if not weeks) ahead of time. For both rider and crew. We came out of the chute quickly knowing that we would be going right into a growing headwind that morning. It was imperative to get to Burlington, the westernmost point of the course as quickly as possible and turn out of the wind. Following frontage roads next to Queen Elizabeth Way, there was little cover as the winds (and traffic) started to pick up.
I turned off onto Hamilton Beach Trail parallel to the follow vehicle heading towards the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge.This was identified as our first critical juncture as this bridge could be raised as often as every 30 minutes for boat traffic, with no alternative way around. Considering we were hitting this point on a beautiful Saturday morning at the start of summer, it was a relief to get across with no issue.
For this stretch, my moving speed was averaging 18mph working with an average heart rate at ~150 bpm, putting out 190-200 watts. We covered the first leg (47.7 miles) in 2 hours 43 minutes.
At this point, I would take my first bio break before getting into the high stress, high traffic of downtown Toronto.
Toronto
From Burlington, we would continue to hug close to Lake Ontario traversing complicated routes between pedestrian paths, residential streets, high traffic thoroughfares and one street festival. No matter how we designed the course – we knew the stretch through Mississauga and Toronto would be heavily trafficked.
I entered the Waterfront Trail around 10:15 am on a Saturday morning, potentially the busiest time of the week. Fortunately there were no special events taking place that could have further complicated this stretch. While not dissimilar to the iconic Lakefront Path in Chicago (or the Embarcadero Promenade in SF), I had no personal experience with riding in Toronto. Summertime construction would also add complexity to how quickly we could get through.
Speeds would drop throughout this stretch between stop lights and pedestrian traffic near the Harbourfront. Communications between myself and the crew would also be spotty so it was my responsibility to make my way through. I rolled past many Toronto highlights between the SkyDome, the Space Needle and countless skyscrapers making up the Toronto Skyline. Right as we almost made our way out, I had to make a few complex turns to connect one final bike path to another under the Gardiner Expressway near the Don River.
Turns out, the Port Lands area is currently undergoing one of the largest urban revitalization projects in North America to transform the area into a vibrant, mixed-use community. There were new streets and bridges not mapped to my Garmin and orange detour signs all over.
The Lower Don Recreational Trail was ripped up leaving only chunky gravel and a dozen construction workers actively working. My cues indicated I was close to the next turn and I asked if I could ride through. “Absolutely not” they replied without an ounce of amusement. Flying blind, I double-backed and caught up with a few riders kitted out for their own Saturday morning ride to blaze a new trail forward.
Complications here added about a mile to the course and about 8 minutes to the overall time.
The crew identified the cue turning off of Kingston Road near Pickering, ON (101.5 mi) to signify the end of the white knuckle traffic experienced throughout this leg. Marked by an apropo brewpub named ‘The Fox Goes Free,’ we conservatively projected that I would get to this point in 6 hours, 40 minutes. Even with the confusion with the detour, we were at 5 hours, 55 minutes elapsed time, well ahead of schedule.
Belleville, Kingston and the Rest of Ontario
Unlike the first 100 miles of the course, the next stretch of Ontario was quite low key. Lower traffic, fewer turns and open roads coupled with a tailwind brought average speeds up to 19mph. Due to these speeds, we blew through several crew exchange points we mapped out between Colborne, Brighton and Quinte West. We stayed on CR2 and headed around the Bay of Quinte toward Belleville, a route change we made to remove the dependency on the Glenorra Ferry crossing.
With prior ultra efforts, my team and I have adopted a fairly conservative strategy with regards to kit changes. In an effort to minimize saddle discomfort, we’d typically change bibs every 100 miles (or 6 hours). However – mild conditions allowed us to cut down on stoppage time here. I rolled into a planned crew exchange in Belleville at 4:55pm (11 hours, 55 minutes elapsed) near an even 200 miles for my first ‘extended’ break off the bike. Within 8 minutes, I was able to use the restroom, complete a full kit change and swap out fresh lights / battery packs.
Thousand Islands Bridge
From Kingston, I found myself on another bike path. Riding parallel to the crew on the 1000 Islands Parkway, the crew were able to leapfrog ahead to prepare for the shuttle as bicycles were not allowed on the stretch of highway and bridges crossing the St. Lawrence River and the CAN-US border.
We met on the onramp to Highway 137 around 9:03pm. The crew stripped the safety signage off the bike rack and loaded the Roubaix. Not wanting to risk complications, I would stay with the night crew to ensure we would not get separated. We also coordinated with the route scout crew to pick up some McDonald’s ahead of the stop. This would be my first solid food thus far into the event.
We arrived at the US border at 9:14pm with no line to get through. The border agent noticed our vehicle signage and asked if we were heading to a race or coming back from one. Excited to hear our story, she got us through quickly and wished us well. This couldn’t have been any easier, especially when compared the confusion last year crossing the Peace Bridge for our Lake Erie record attempt.
Ultimately, the shuttle lasted for 7.9 miles and was completed in 25 minutes. I was back on the course rolling by 9:31pm.
Oswego, New York
As we turned to head south (and west), the wind started to die down. And while the forecasts indicated some chance for rain at the finish line – we were so far ahead of schedule, we rode right into a weather system that was previously expected to pass before our arrival.
For the majority of the night – we would have steady rainfall that was just heavy enough to play tricks with my Garmin 1030 touchscreen. Temperatures dipped into the low 50s (°F). By morning – the rain started to subside and the wind started to die down.
With the exception of Oswego, there were virtually no services on the course early Sunday morning. It wasn’t until finding a small awning at a medical clinic in Williamson, NY where I could dry off, inhale some leftover McDonald’s, toss the snap-on fender and swap out for a fresh jersey / jacket.
Not wanting to stop for the crew exchange shortly after – the crew handed over a Bluetooth speaker and I queued up some Nine Inch Nails and Twenty-One Pilots to give me a boost.The crew change took place at 5:45am, much earlier than forecast well beyond the range of options initially predicted. Twenty-four hours into the effort, I had successfully covered 416 miles – well ahead of the pace established in prior 500+ mile efforts.
Rochester, New York
In an attempt to find the most direct path through upstate New York – we headed due west through Rochester and away from the shoreline. Unlike our experiences on Lake Michigan and Lake Erie – we found ourselves on a lot of rolling terrain. No big climbs, no big descents. Just enough undulation to grind me down after 24 hours on the bike.
Assuming the course would be similar to prior efforts, it was a shock to slowly realize that there would be nearly twice as much climbing to complete the course relative to our prior records.
| World Record | Distance (Mile) | Climbing (Feet) | Feet / Mile |
| Lake Michigan (2021) | 921 | 15,413 | 16.7 |
| Lake Erie (2023) | 626 | 7,961 | 12.7 |
| Lake Ontario (2024) | 512 | 13,934 | 27.2 |
Niagara Falls, NY
Following the reconnaissance from a few days prior – I knew the route from Lockport, NY to the finish. We did one final bio break on the Erie Canalway Trail plus a quick kit change.
In the end, we passed under the Rainbow Bridge 12:35pm (Eastern) on Sunday June 8, 2024.
We completed the full 512.11 mile route in an elapsed time of 30 hours, 35 minutes and were able to raise over $6,871 (and counting) in support of the National MS Society.
Thank you to 56 donors who contributed to the cause. These funds support groundbreaking research and life-changing services for people living with MS. While we aren’t there yet, we’ve never been closer to a world free of MS.
Thank you to everyone amplifying the story here including our friends at the National MS Society, the World UltraCyling Association, UltraCycling Magazine and 13 WHAM Rochester.
Special thank you to the Chicago Randonneurs, Infinity Bike Seats, Infinit Nutrition, Specialized Chicago and Rapha Chicago. It cannot be overstated the impact your encouragement and generosity has on these efforts.
I must commend the sheer dedication of everyone in the support crew including William, Tony, Chuck, Morgan, Demian, Emily, Michelle and first-time crew member, Donsbach. The rotating cast of crew and officials kept me safe and supported around-the-clock. They guided me through the complex course on little rest, determined to keep me moving. The success of this effort is shared between the nine of us. There is no better crew to take the line with.
Heartfelt thanks to the incredible media crew including Armin, Chad, Max, Jeremy and Peyton for capturing every moment of my world record achievement—your dedication and artistry made this unforgettable project come to life. What a great collaboration, I cannot wait to see where this journey takes us.
Ultra efforts take a village and involve the countless sacrifices of my immediate family. Support on all the recon. The training. The recovery. The coordination. The distractions. Thank you to Suzanne, my mom, my dad. You’ve always been in my corner.
Extra special acknowledgment to Leanne and our two boys. Your love and encouragement have been my guiding light. Now let’s hit the road for some family time. You gotta see Niagara Falls.
Equipment Used:
- 2019 Roubaix Pro (Primary)
- Infinity Saddle E3
- Zipp Speed Weaponry Aero Bars
- FLO 64 AS Disc Wheels
- Vittoria Rubino Pro Control 28mm (TPU Tubes)
- Assioma Duo Power Pedals
- 2022 Roubaix Expert DI2 (Back-up)
- Infinity Saddle E1X
- Roval CL 32 Disc Wheels
- Vittoria Rubino Pro Control 28mm (TPU Tubes)
- Garmin Vector 3 Pedals
- Garmin 1030 + Charge Power Pack
- Lake CX242 Shoes
Nutrition Consumed:
- 18x bottles of Infinit (Custom Mix)
- 7x bottles of Ensure Plus
…and don’t judge me
- 2x McDonald’s McDoubles
- 1x McDonald’s Medium Fries
- 1x San Pellegrino Blood Orange
- 2x mouthfuls of Sour Patch Kids
- 1x Starbucks Double Espresso
- 1x Starbucks Bacon & Gruyere egg bites
World Record Crew
- William Edwards, Crew Chief
- Demian March, Mechanic
- Andrew Donsbach, Comms
- Tony Moguel, Night Crew
- Chuck Judy, NIght Crew
- Brian Morgan, Night Driver
- Emily Gunnels, Route Scout
- Michelle Hartman, Route Scout
Media Crew
- Armin Korsos, Director
- Chad Gilchrist, Director of Photography
- Max Rood, Camera Operator
- Jeremy Bloom, Camera Operator
- Peyton Johnson, 1st AC
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