New details emerge of the French ultra-endurance cyclist’s current conditions and circumstances surrounding his arrest.
Sofiane Sehili on his way to a third consecutive win at the Silk Road Mountain Race, 2023. Photo: Usmanov Danil/SRMR.
French ultra-endurance cyclist Sofiane Sehili has lodged an appeal against his detention in Russia, Radio France Internationale reports, as new details have emerged about his current conditions and the circumstances surrounding his arrest.
Sehili has been in pre-trial detention in Ussuriysk, 100 km north of Vladivostok, since early September when he was arrested near the border of China and Russia as he neared the end of a record attempt to cross Eurasia.
French ultracyclist detained in Russia, 200 km from end of 18,000 km record attempt
Sofiane Sehili was on track for a staggering world record ride – until the last border crossing.
Sehili was on track for a record pace for the 18,000 km journey from Cabo da Roca in Portugal to Vladivostok in Russia, but ran into trouble just 200 km from the end of his journey. Although Sehili had a valid Russian e-visa, his first attempt at crossing the Sino-Russian border was blocked due to that checkpoint being limited to nationals of the two countries. After attempting a further entry to the north, Sehili was turned back again, as only bus or train crossings were allowed (which would have invalidated his record attempt). He rode over the border on a third route through a forested area near Suifenhe, China, and then presented himself at a checkpoint on the Russian side, where – under the expectation that the border guards would make an exemption – he was instead detained.
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