French cyclist Sofian arrested in Russia

French traveler Sofian Sehili, who traveled by bicycle from Portugal to Vladivostok, was detained in Russia. This was reported by Zamin.uz.

According to the French publication Le Monde, citing its sources, he was attempting to break the world record for the fastest crossing of Eurasia by bicycle but is accused of crossing the border illegally.

44-year-old Sofian Sehili is a documentary filmmaker. He has focused his career on cycling since 2012 and has participated in nearly twenty grueling races during this time.

He has won eleven of them. Among these, he also took part in the Tour Divide race, which spans 4,500 kilometers from Canada to Mexico.

This year, Sehili announced his goal on social media. He planned to break the record for the fastest crossing of Eurasia, set in 2017 by German cyclist Jonas Deichmann.

The journey began on July 1, 2025, from Cabo da Roca in Portugal and reached Vladivostok in 64 days, two hours, and twenty-six minutes. However, his route encountered various difficulties.

At the end of July, Sehili entered Chechnya through Georgia and crossed the Russian border. Later, he left Russia via the Astrakhan region, passing through Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Mongolia.

His next destination was China, where he temporarily halted his journey. According to the traveler, he was stopped by Russian customs officers at the China-Russia border.

He announced this on September 2 in an Instagram story. However, there is no clear information about his subsequent fate.

According to Le Monde, Sehili is deeply regretful that he could not complete his journey's final stage. He wrote that facing failure near the finish line breaks the heart.

He has now been given ten months to consider either making another attempt to break the record or stopping. At the same time, he emphasized that this attempt could also end in lifelong failure.