A Frenchman arrested in Russia trying to beat a record for Eurasian bikes

Sofiane Sehili had left Lisbon on July 1. His journey ended by trying to cross the border between China and Russia, near Vladivostok.

A French national was arrested in Russia, France Télévisions learned from diplomatic sources on Monday, September 8. His identity was not revealed, but it is according to our information from Sofiane Sehili, a cyclist who aspired to break the world record for the Eurasian bike between Lisbon and Vladivostok, as revealed The world SATURDAY.

Aged 44, Sofiane Sehili is a endurance cyclist accustomed to these very long distance races – he had notably linked Paris to Taiwan (16,000 km) in three months in 2017. On July 1, he started from the Portuguese capital, Depending on the tracking platform that he had shared on social networks to follow his performance.

But his career seems to have stopped on September 1, close to the goal, at the border between China and Russia. The next day, as reported The teamhe had also published a video on Instagram In which he told his disappointment for not having succeeded twice in passing the Sino-Russian border, synonymous with failure in his attempted record.

The circumstances of his arrest in Russia have not been revealed. But according to The teamwho was able to speak with his partner, he was arrested on the Russian side after crossing the border through wooded hills. The sports daily specifies that the cyclist is currently detained in Ossouriïsk, halfway between the border and Vladivostok. According to our information, the French consulate in Moscow has requested the exercise of consular protection.