A SCOTTISH cyclist has become the fastest woman to travel around the world on a bike.
Ultra-endurance cyclist Jenny Graham, from Inverness, circumnavigated the globe in 125 days.
The 38-year-old arrived at the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin yesterday, knocking almost three weeks off the previous record of 144 days set by Italy’s Paola Gianotti in 2014.
Graham said: “I just set out to see how far I could go. The furthest I’ve cycled before was from Land’s End to John o’ Groats, now I have cycled right around the world.
“It’s sometimes been tough, but I thrive on challenges on the road and of course it has also been so amazing!
“I knew I wanted to do something solo to test my physical and mental ability. I am the fittest I have ever been, so I thought I’d train hard and give it a go – here I am back in Berlin, I can hardly believe it.”
She was greeted in Berlin by a crowd of supporters which included her son, mum and sister.
Her journey included facing sub-zero temperatures in the Australian winter, bear risk in Canada and close-passing lorries on the Trans-Siberian Highway.
Fellow Scot Mark Beaumont is the current male record-holder for the feat, which he completed in September 2017.
The Edinburgh-based adventurer said: “Just phenomenal riding and all the way with a smile, with a cheer, with a sense of humility and the excitement of the unknown around the corner.”
Graham started her journey in Berlin on June 16.
She cycled 15 hours a day unsupported – managing an average of 156 miles a day – while carrying all her kit.
The 18,000 mile route took her across four continents and through 16 countries – Germany, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania, Russia, Mongolia, China, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the US, Portugal, Spain, France, Belgium and Holland.
She took four flights and a boat. To make the record official, Guinness World Records still needs to ratify the data. If confirmed, it will mean both male and female records for cycling around the world will be held by Scots.
Paul Tuohy, chief executive of charity Cycling UK, which Graham is a member of, said: “Jenny is following in a great tradition of Brits who have set off by bike and had an amazing adventure.
“Jenny’s record-breaking trip shows that you don’t need to be a professional athlete to turn a love of cycling into an inspirational journey – she has certainly encouraged others to see they are so much more capable than they think
they are.”
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