French cyclist Sophia Sehili, who rode a bicycle from Portugal to Vladivostok, has been arrested in Russia. This was reported by the French publication Le Monde, citing its sources. According to reports, he attempted to break the world record for the fastest bicycle crossing of Eurasia, but is accused of illegally crossing the border.
44-year-old Sophie Cehili is a documentary filmmaker. Since 2012, he has switched to cycling and has already participated in about 20 major and difficult races. He won 11 of them. This includes a 4,500-kilometer Tour Divide from Canada to Mexico.
Sehili announced his goal this year on social media. He intended to break the fastest bicycle crossing of Eurasia record set by Jonas Deichmann of Germany in 2017. The trip began on July 1, 2025, from Cape Roka in Portugal and reached Vladivostok in 64 days, two hours, and 26 minutes.
However, his travel route was filled with various problems. Sehili first crossed the Russian border at the end of July, entering Chechnya through Georgia. Later, he left Russia through the Astrakhan region, passing through Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia. His next destination was China, where he was reported to have temporarily suspended his trip.
According to the traveler, he was stopped by Russian customs officers at the Chinese-Russian border. He announced this on his Instagram story on September 2nd. However, there is no precise information about his subsequent fate.
As Le Monde wrote, he deeply regretted not being able to complete his journey at the final stage. "It's heartbreaking to fail when the goal is very close. Now I have ten months to think about whether I will try to break the record again... Or it could be a lifelong failure," he wrote.
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