Sunderland to set off on 19-day record bid a year later than planned
FILE PHOTO: Rallying - Dakar Rally - Prologue - Alula to Alula - Alula, Saudi Arabia - January 5, 2024 Red Bull GASGAS Factory's Sam Sunderland in action during the prologue stage REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
LONDON, Aug 11 : Sam Sunderland has taken a year longer than planned just to get to the start line of his record bid to ride a motorcycle around the world in 19 days, but now the double Dakar Rally winner says he is ready to go.
The Red Bull-backed Briton launched his challenge last July, saying he expected it to be mentally tougher than anything he had done before, but he then broke his back in a training accident and had to put the adventure on hold.
The new departure date is set for September 5, with Sunderland leaving London on his Triumph Tiger on a six-leg route taking in Turkey, southeast Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Morocco and back to London.
The 37-year-old will have to ride 1,000 miles every day on public roads and across deserts and cover a minimum 18,000 miles in total.
The target time excludes ocean crossings, during which the clock is paused, but the journey must go one way around the world, touch two antipodal points and start and finish at the same location on the same machine.
The record of 19 days, eight hours and 25 minutes - no longer recognised by Guinness World Records because of the dangers involved - was set in 2002 by Britons Kevin and Julia Sanders for the fastest circumnavigation of the globe by motorcycle.
"This isn't just about riding a motorcycle. It's about managing sleep deprivation, making decisions when you're exhausted, adapting to whatever the road throws at you and continuing to move forward every single day,” said Sunderland.
"After everything that's happened over the past year, I am more excited than ever.
"Getting to the start line feels like a victory in itself, but I'm not setting off just to finish. I'm going to try and set a benchmark that stands for years."
