Sofiane Detained in Russia
Some of you may already have heard that Sofiane Sehili, the bikepacker and ultra-cyclist, has been detained in Russia at the end of his World Record Attempt. Here is what happened:
As the clock ticked toward 64 days, 2 hours and 26 minutes—the current record for cycling all the way across Europe and Asia—Sofiane was stuck at the Russian border, unable to cross and complete the last kilometers of his record ride, to the end of the route in Vladivostok. He was told that the only way to cross the border is by train—and the train for the day had just left. And the next day’s train would take him into Russia too late for the record.
Sofiane did not give up. Looking for an alternative way into Russia, it appears that he found an old, overgrown road into the mountains that separate China and Russia. As is natural for bikepackers, he headed up the road to explore where it went. He hiked for 8 hours and found himself on the Russian side of the border. In the first town, he presented himself to the border checkpoint—coincidentally the same checkpoint where the train would have dropped him off. It probably seemed normal for Sofiane at the time—why should it matter how he reached the checkpoint? To the border police, the idea of a foreigner coming through what they probably considered impassable mountains must have looked anything but ‘normal’: Sofiane was detained for crossing the border illegally. In the limited communications with Sofiane after his arrest, he said he realizes his mistake. Sofiane has a Russian lawyer, and the authorities say that he will be detained for one month to allow for the investigation. Fortunately, the charges are for a relatively minor infraction… Sofiane’s partner and the French government are asking for patience while this situation is resolved.
Sofiane knew he was embarking on an incredible adventure when he left Cabo da Roca on the west coast of Portugal on July 1 and stared cycling east. Already before he left, he had to change his route, because it was no longer possible to travel through Iran.
Traversing Europe was relatively smooth, but traversing central Asia was harder than he anticipated. Unable to follow his planned itinerary, Sofiane had to detour high into the Pamir Mountains (above). The rough roads and elevations of up to 4,655 m (15,275 ft) wreaked havoc with his schedule.
Upon finally reaching China, he had to detour again, this time into Mongolia. Then he found that the road crossing back into China was in such bad condition that it was faster to detour again. He made good progress across China and reached the last border, to Russia, with the goal almost in sight—and also just two days left to break the record. Vladivostok was just 200 km away, less than a day’s ride for Sofiane. Despite everything, it looked like Sofiane would break current record by the slimmest of margins!
Back in 2017, Jonas Deichmann set the current record, riding 14,331 km in the process. Traveling across central Asia has never been straightforward, and Jonas’ trip was also filled with unforeseen challenges. He wrote afterward: “It was the toughest thing I have ever done.” At least the route was more direct back then: Sofiane covered more than 17,700 km (11,000 miles)…
All the detours and course changes made it impossible to receive spare parts—a crash had disabled his shifter, and his tires wore out over the many miles. A first set of tires sent to eastern Europe never arrived. Another set, hand-carried to China and then sent to a hotel on his route, missed him by a day. The next set was waiting for him at another hotel just past the Mongolian border, but Sofiane had to re-route and never reached the hotel and his tires. He timed his ride perfectly to reach yet another hotel where a fourth set of tires was shipped, only to find that the package was delayed by three hours. With time running short, Sofiane decided to press on rather than wait for his package. Despite all these obstacles, Sofiane continued, taking everything in his stride. There were many good moments, for example, when truck drivers shared their dinner with him while they all waited for the Tajikistan border crossing to open and when he ran into his friend and fellow ultra-racer Josh Ibbett on the Pamir Highway (above).
I am reminded of previous travelers on a similar route: In 1938, Lily Serguéiew, a bikepacker, adventurer and artist, set out from Paris to ride solo to Saigon in Vietnam. World War II stopped her voyage in Aleppo, Syria. She returned to Paris after having cycled more than 6000 km (3800 miles), mostly on rough gravel roads.
Inspired by Serguéiew, Lionel Brans set out in 1948 to also ride from Paris to Saigon. After riding across the Balkans in mid-winter and braving snow and ice, traversing Afghanistan and India, he reached Burma, where a war stopped his ride after 12,710 km. The only way around Burma was through China—but that country’s borders were closed. Brans was able to reach Saigon eventually—by plane.
Now Sofiane has joined this illustrious group of adventurers, who headed across Asia by bike. Their exploits are celebrated even though they did not reach their ultimate destinations. Lily Serguéiew got to the half-way point of her planned route. Her adventures, recounted in her book Routes, Risques, Rencontres (Roads, Risks, Encounters), make for a fascinating read. Brans also wrote a book about his ride. Reading it, we are struck by the warm welcome he received in Turkey, Iran, India and beyond, especially by the local sports clubs.
Adventures by definition have uncertain outcomes. All three—Sofiane, Serguéiew and Brans were foiled not by a lack of stamina or bike problems, but by events beyond their control. All of Sofiane’s friends are doing everything we can to help him in his current situation. We’ll keep you updated as the situation develops.
Photo credit: Josh Ibbett (Sofiane on the Pamir Highway)
