Two Canadian brothers have set a world record for their 18,000km journey
around China on BMW motorcycles. Originally from Toronto, Colin and Ryan
Pyle completed their epic motorcycle journey when they returned back to their
starting point of Shanghai on Sunday October 17th, 2010, after 65 days on
the road circumnavigating China on their BMW F800GS machines. Their journey
was a unique one, as they have become the first riders to fully circumnavigate
China by motorcycle in one single journey.
On March 9th 2011, the two brothers received confirmation by the Guinness World
Records organisation that they had indeed set a world record for their motorcycle
journey around China. According to the Guinness World Records, the name of
the record they received was for the "Longest Journey by Motorcycle in a
Single Country".
Ryan and Colin join fellow GS riders Kevin and Julia Sanders, who also hold
world records in endurance motorcycling. In 2002, Kevin and Julia smashed
the Guinness World Record for the Fastest Circumnavigation of the World by
Motorcycle, taking 12 ½ days off the previous record. They averaged 1,000
miles a day on the bike and rode 19,461 miles in 19½ days. Their second World
Record is "The Trans-Americas by Motorcycle" and is the ultimate
endurance motorbike ride through North, Central and South America, covering
almost 27,200 kilometres (17,000 miles) of tough riding, rugged terrain and
extreme weather conditions. Kevin and Julia smashed the previous record of
47½ days, completing the ride in just 35 days.
"
"It's
an honor to be recognized by Guinness World Records for what
was 65 of the most exhilarating, exhausting, and rewarding, days of my life,"
said Ryan, who has spent the last decade in China building a career as a
documentary photographer. "We have taken our BMW motorcycles through the
toughest terrain in the world, and we're alive to tell the story! On October
17th 2010, some 65 days after we departed, Colin and I rolled back in to
Shanghai exhausted and unsure of how the outside world would react to our
trip; so it was great to learn that the fine people at the Guinness World
Records office were pretty impressed by our journey – so much so that Colin
and I are now officially Guinness World Record holders!"
During their remarkable 17,674km odyssey the brothers encountered some of
the most intense changes in culture, weather, altitude and terrain that exist
in the world. They tackled heavy rains, flooding, landslides, freak hailstorms,
extreme altitude (above 5,000m/16,000ft), sand, gravel, thousands of kilometres
of road construction and even bureaucratic and military interference.
Colin and Ryan intend to produce both a documentary film and a written book
(entitled The Middle Kingdom Ride) on their experiences in China, which have
been far from regular. They plan to showcase much of China's change and development
from factory to farm, and the film will help put China on display by exploring
the visual and cultural wonders of this amazing place, with its massive population,
crowded cities, abundant minorities and stunning natural landscape.
As any long-distance motorcyclist will know, if you open yourself up to
the experiences of adventure travelling, the chances are that your journey
will prove to be colourful and dramatic, intense and fulfilling, with moments
of danger, humour, sadness and gratification along the way, but it will be
one of the most rewarding things you'll ever do, according to Ryan.
"When
Colin and I began this journey of ours last March there were more questions
than answers. How would we circumnavigate China? Is it even possible? What
bikes would we use? Would the traffic in China be the end of us? Obviously
Colin and I are over the moon to have been awarded a Guinness World Record
for the most kilometres completed in a single country, in a continuous journey
and without backtracking and repetition. It is an amazing recognition of
what was a most insane journey."
The two brothers believe that China offers the traveller an experience like
no other and have titled their project "The Middle Kingdom Ride", as China's
historical name was once The Middle Kingdom.
To see a teaser clip of Ryan and Colin's Middle Kingdom Ride, please visit www.youtube.com/user/TheMKRIDE