According to Cycling Weekly magazine, the pair traveled approximately 18,100 miles, or more than 29,000 kilometers, across 20 countries and two hemispheres to record the fastest trip around the world by a couple by bicycle.
According to the travel tracking platform, the adventure took 123 days, 23 hours and 24 minutes, but it is still awaiting certification by the World Ultra Cycling Association as the fastest cycle in the world for a mixed team and in the Guinness Book of Records as the fastest pair.
from four in the morning to eight in the evening
Amy and Kyle relied on themselves for the entire trip, waking up at 4am and cycling until 8pm, covering around 150 miles a day.
At this pace, they completed the journey 27 days ahead of schedule, 83 days ahead of the previous record of 205 days set by David Ferguson and Caroline Sobero in 2023.
But the road wasn’t just a race against time as the pair faced extreme heat, extreme cold, heavy rain, aggressive drivers and wild animals.
In Serbia and Bulgaria they were chased by stray dogs, and in Canada they found themselves with huge herds of bison and their children.
As for Thailand and Malaysia, temperatures reached 45 degrees Celsius and humidity reached 99 percent, forcing people to buy ice from shops and stuff it inside their clothes to continue the journey.
The accident almost ended the trip
The most difficult test happened near the Canadian city of Montreal, when a car turned on the bike path in front of them. Amy hit the brakes hard and Kyle hit the bag and fell to the ground.
Kyle’s skull was broken, his head hit the ground and his helmet cracked. At that moment, Amy thought the recording attempt was over.
But Kyle refused to stop, even though they were still nearly two thousand miles from the finish line. The pair continued their journey with extreme caution, fearing that falling again or even going over a pothole in the road would spell its end.
This was not the only accident as the couple fell off their bikes 6 times during the trip. However, both carbon fiber bikes held on and the crash was limited to 53 flat tires and one broken cable, which Kyle repaired on the side of the road.
A journey for mental health
The record attempt wasn’t the only goal, as the couple wanted to raise £50,000 for Shout and The Mix, which provide mental health support services.
Donations topped £69,000 after the trip attracted more than 1,700 contributions, according to the trip’s fundraising page.
The couple explained that their relationship with cycling began during their experiences with mental health and so they wanted to turn the challenge into helping others facing similar difficulties.
After ten years together and 123 days on the road, Kyle said the trip “brought them closer” as they learned how they cope with each other’s fatigue and stress.
Their next stop is to rest and treat Kyle’s fracture while they think about new challenges.
