A Russian court on Thursday freed French endurance cyclist Sofiane Sehili after finding him guilty of illegally crossing the country’s border with China while attempting to break the record for cycling across the Eurasian continent.
The ruling came from a court in Primorye, Russia’s Far Eastern district, which said Sehili admitted his guilt but was released from custody and spared a 50,000-rouble (about $615) fine. “Sofiane Sehili was released from custody in the courtroom,” the court said in a statement.
Sehili, who describes himself as an “ultra-endurance racer and adventure cyclist,” had set off from Lisbon on July 1, aiming to cycle across Eurasia faster than the current record held by Jonas Deichmann of Germany, who completed the journey in 64 days, 2 hours, and 26 minutes, according to Guinness World Records.
He often cycled more than 300 kilometres (190 miles) a day, passing through Turkey, Iran, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and China, before entering Russia, where he was detained in early September. Russian media reported that he had crossed the border illegally into Primorye while nearing his final destination — the Far Eastern port city of Vladivostok.
In court, Sehili appeared standing in a defendant’s cage, wearing his cycling shoes. The court said that authorities had returned his passport, visa, mobile phones, e-book, camera, navigator, and bicycle following the verdict.
Before turning to long-distance cycling, Sehili worked as a freelance journalist writing gear reviews, according to BikePacking.com, a publication covering endurance and adventure cycling. He later left journalism, saying he no longer found it fulfilling, and became a messenger before pursuing ultra-endurance racing full-time.
“I’m going to ride until I can’t, until there’s an ocean in front of me,” Sehili said in a previous interview quoted by BikePacking. “I’ll meet hundreds of people, and even if we don’t share a language, there will be great encounters. It’s an adventure before anything else.”
His lawyer told RIA Novosti, a state-owned Russian news agency, that Sehili had been treated well during his detention, though he struggled with “unusual food” and the lack of regular showers.
Sehili has not yet commented publicly on his release. His social media accounts show posts documenting his journey across Asia and into Russia in early September. It remains unclear whether he plans to resume his record attempt or return home to France.
Africa Digital News, New York
