Brian Bailey, from TinDirect, in Cirencester, has broken the World Indoor Rowing Record at Manchester's Velodrome, beating the previous record by 2.5 seconds.

Brian, pictured, rowed 2,000 metres in six minutes 44.1 seconds in the over 60s lightweight category and took the world record title from Australian Lyle Parker.

When age and weight were adjusted, his time was five minutes 47.1, putting him on the same level as five times Olympic gold medallist Sir Steve Redgrave and his team-mates, Matthew Pinsent, James Cracknell and Tim Foster.

"It was brilliant to beat the world record in a proper competition," said Brian, 61.

"The atmosphere was electric and the crowd got really noisy when the record was within reach.

"To beat it by such a margin was something else, and I've got to admit it was nice to take the record off an Australian!"

Brian is no stranger to competitions. A successful career as a runner gave him good fitness levels and he won the European Rowing Championships in Amsterdam last December and his time of 6.47.5 seconds was only nine tenths of a second outside the world rowing record.

He uses TinDirect Ltd's company gym and indoor rowing machine every morning to row 15 kilometres before work, followed by another half an hour every lunchtime.

Cirencester's TinDirect -part of Global Computer Holdings - is an international business-to-business IT hardware solutions provider and managing director Rod Haddrell keeps himself fit with road running.

"Brian is a great worker and, as an employer, if someone is prepared to compete at this level, we know their determination and dedicated attitude overflows into their work," he said.