Sofiane Sehili detained in Russia

[steveindenmark]

Sofiane is very well known in ultra cycling circles. His round the world record attempt came to a grinding halt at the beginning of September. Just short of breaking the record.

https://www.rfi.fr/en/international...peals-detention-in-russia-after-border-arrest

 

[matticus]

It's actually a "across eurasia record attempt":
"Sehili set out from Lisbon in July, aiming to cover 17 countries and finish in Vladivostok by early September – a journey of more than 60 days and many thousands of kilometres.

But his record-breaking ride ran into bureaucratic trouble at the Russian border with China."

Really bad luck. Don't know what the current record is (if there is one).

 

[Dogtrousers]

Hope he gets things sorted and is safe.

Regarding the record:
16000km, Lisbon to Vladivostok
Sofiane Sehilli is no stranger to cycling long distances having won many of the worlds toughest ultra cycling events over the past 5 years. However he didn’t just stumble into the world of ultra cycling, it all started with a journey from Paris to Beijing by bike. Since that journey, he has dreamed about another cross continent trip and so on July 1st 2025, he set out to take on the Eurasia cross continent cycling record, which currently stands at 64 days.

The record was set in 2017 by Johnas Deichmann and is essentially a point to point record between the Western and Eastern most points of Eurasia, starting in Cabo de Roca, Portugal and finishing in Vladivostokin Russia on the edge of the Pacific ocean. There is no fixed route, and so the record is as much about planning, navigating through the various hurdles of attaining Visas and avoiding areas of political tension or even conflict. A degree of flexibility will be needed by Siofiane during the journey and the pedalling will be the easiest part!

https://www.huntbikewheels.com/blog...Tow7WsnrvhGHuLZYAqg0glCUvwqWrIvz3_ZFEb48BT7D2

Bit more info here, but the pay wall only allows partial access https://escapecollective.com/sofiane-sehili-appeals-detention-in-russia/

 

[JonBuoy]

An interview with Sofiane's partner from about 21:40:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nOp5C4M17Q