They rode back into Canterbury to a hero's welcome after cycling around the world on a tandem.

Now, 14 months later, the extraordinary circumnavigation of John Whybrow and George Agate has officially been recognised as a new Guinness World Record.

The duo announced the achievement on The Tandem Men Facebook page and have been sent a sample certificate ahead of the official documentation.

It records that they set out from Canterbury on June 8, 2016 and rode more than 18,000 miles in 290 days, seven hours and 36 minutes, returning to the city on March 25, 2017.

During their epic journey, they crossed six continents and cycled through 30 countries while raising money for Porchlight, Great Ormond Street Hospital and WaterAid.

The official recognition is a huge relief for the pair who had to meticulously document their ride and submit it to officials at the Guinness World Records.

John, 26, is a manager at Cafe Des Amis, but is soon to move to Edinburgh to start his own street food business.

He said: "It is such a relief. The goal we set ourselves all those years ago has been achieved, and we couldn’t be happier.

"But whether or not Guinness ratified the record, nothing could take away from the unbelievable experience we both had.

"The sheer generosity and friendliness we were greeted with in each and every of the 30 countries we visited was overwhelming.

"And, of course, we could not have done it without the generosity of our sponsors.

"But now the record has finally come through, it really is the cherry on the cake."

George, 25, returned to his old job at the Ballroom but later went back to study and is just completing a masters in computer science at the University of Kent.

But already their record is under threat as another British duo have set out on a tandem to try and break it.

Emergency doctors Lloyd Collier and Louis Snellgrove, who both work in Australia, have set off from Down Under and are just a couple of weeks into their effort.

Sportingly, John and George wish them well, but know all too well the physical and mental test ahead.