Uri helps cyclist shatter record

He may be more famous for willing spoons to bend, but now Uri Geller has exercised mind over matter to help a cyclist shatter a world record.
Bruce Bursford yesterday set a world record speed for nonstop cycling for 60 minutes when he rode his customdesigned machine at an average of 121.9 mph, breaking the record which had stood at 34.1 mph.
Bursford, aged 38, has been training for four years and has built up his thighs to 35 inches each. In the 24 hours before the attempt he consumed 10,000 calories.
Throughout the gruelling 60 minutes at the Brookland Aviation and Motor Museum, in Weybridge, Surrey, Bursford appeared to be coping well.
But at the very end of the attempt, having exerted a burst of energy in the final 10 seconds to push the digital clock which showed the speed he was doing above 190 mph, he collapsed and was helped off his bicycle by Geller and his trainer Cefyn Lloyd.
During the attempt, watched by a crowd of about 100, Geller whispered in the cyclist’s ear and willed him to success.
Afterwards an exhausted and modest Bursford attributed his record to the physical and mental preparation he has received from Geller.
The father of two from Scarning, Norfolk, said: “I would not have got through it today if it had not been for Uri. He has helped me a lot in focusing my training and to tap into the pool of hidden reserves I had.”
Geller, who developed a programme of psychological training for Bursford, said: “What I did was to psyche him up and exercise his mind and focus his attention of the goal and to help him believe in himself.”
The record time will now be sent to the Guinness Book of Records.