Last September we reported that Nick Sanders MBE was to attempt an around the world ride on his Yamaha Wabash electric bike. We recently reviewed the bike in question and found that the battery life was pretty good – perhaps not 20,000 miles good, but we digress.
Sanders has now completed his journey, which began at the Yamaha Motor Europe HQ outside of Amsterdam. He initially rode towards Athens, Israel and then towards the Middle East. From there, he undertook a journey across India beginning in Mumbai, then moved through the Himalayas, Thailand, Malaysia and more before arriving at Australia. He also travelled to the US where he rode the entirety of North America from Los Angeles to New York before returning to Europe heading through Spain, the Pyrenees and back to Amsterdam.
Sanders commented on his impressive accomplishment: "The first time I ever rode around the world was with pedal power, so it is nice to have come full circle over the last 40 years. I have worked with Yamaha for a long time now, so when they brought out their range of eBikes and we discussed the option of taking on a Round the World challenge on the Wabash RT, I was very excited!
"There is no tougher test than a trip around the world and the Wabash RT performed excellently, it must be one of the world's strongest gravel bikes after that 20,000 mile ride!
"Riding around the world is what I do, that's my 11th circumnavigation of the globe and people often ask how I do it. The reality is, it's not too difficult, you get on your bike and every day you keep going - eventually you end up at the beginning again! It's that simple. Thank you to Yamaha for their support, I look forward to the next challenge!"
Now eight months later, Sanders has got another ride in the record books.
Sanders' Yamaha Wabash RT was equipped with a 500Wh battery, a dropper post and grippy tyres to make his journey as easy as possible. Sanders apparently travelled light, carrying just spare cycling kit, shoes and camera gear. He aimed to complete 100 miles per day for 229 days.
