Exeter Athlete Eyes 8th World Record on Tour de France Route
A wheelchair athlete who uses a standard chair is tackling one of cycling's most brutal climbs to prove anyone can do sports. Lexi Chambers will push 6,100 feet up France's Alpe d'Huez this July.
When Lexi Chambers was wheeling up hills during her Land's End to John O'Groats world record attempt, she had a wild thought: what if she tackled one of cycling's most feared climbs?
Now the former NHS nurse and Army veteran from Exeter is making it happen. On July 23, she'll push her standard manual wheelchair up the Alpe d'Huez, climbing 6,100 feet over 8.6 miles just one day before Tour de France cyclists tackle the same legendary route.
This will be Chambers' eighth Guinness World Record. She's already the fastest woman to complete a marathon and half marathon in a non-sports wheelchair, and the fastest female wheelchair user to travel from Land's End to John O'Groats.
The 18% gradient sections feel like wheeling up a flight of stairs. To put it in perspective, the Alpe d'Huez climb is higher than Ben Nevis, the UK's tallest mountain.
Chambers lives with fibromyalgia and complex regional pain syndrome, which led to her leg being amputated in 2018. She trains by completing three marathons every week, plus regular gym sessions. This year alone, she crushed 10 ultramarathons in 10 days.
But breaking records isn't what drives her most. Chambers deliberately uses a standard wheelchair instead of racing equipment to send a message: you don't need expensive gear to engage in sport.
Why This Inspires
The messages Chambers receives tell the real story. People write to say they started using their wheelchairs for sport after watching her challenges.
"I didn't think in a million years that I would be inspiring anybody," she said. She sees herself as someone who gets inspiration from others, not someone who provides it.
She's raising money for Team Forces, a charity supporting veterans in athletic challenges, and promoting women's rugby. After conquering the Alpe d'Huez, she's already planning her next adventure: wheeling across America from San Diego to Florida in March 2027, about 120 marathons back to back.
Every push of her wheelchair wheels is proving that limitations exist only in our minds.
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Based on reporting by Google News - World Record
This story was written by BrightWire based on verified news reports.
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