Join the ABR RTW Challenge

Adventure Bike Rider·19th March 2021

January/February 2020 - Issue 56

The ABR RTW Challenge 2019 has come to end. Find who made it around the world…

At the start of 2018, four members of the ABR team challenged themselves to ride around the world… Well, sort of. In a bid to encourage ourselves, and hopefully some of you guys, to get out on our bikes more often, we set ourselves the task of covering the 18,000 miles it would take to circumnavigate the globe (as measured by the Guinness Book of Records) as part of our every day lives.

Almost 12 months later, and the ABR RTW Challenge has resulted in a joyful triumph for one competitor, a late yet futile dash for the finish line by another, a respectable effort by the third-placed man, and an abject failure for the tail rider. That’s right, only one of us actually managed to go the distance, and I find myself spraying Champagne on the top step of the winner’s podium alone after crossing the finish line with a few days to spare.

ABR Editor Bryn made it most of the way around the world after clocking up 15,672 miles during 2018, but he didn’t quite get to the finish line. Bike Tester Julian managed to cover 7,892 miles, which would have seen him travel across Europe, Russia, and parts of the USA if he had followed the route Ewan and Charley took in the Long Way Round. However, sales guy Will, with just 3,726 miles on the clock, is floundering somewhere in central Asia, perhaps never to be seen again.

OK, perhaps that’s a little harsh on Will, but I’m sure he’ll be smiling reading this. You see, competing in the RTW Challenge proved huge fun with plenty of friendly banter being thrown around the office. In fact, it’s been so enjoyable that we’re going to do it all again in 2020 and we’d like you to join us.

To take part, simply take a photo of your motorcycle’s odometer with a copy of that day’s newspaper in the shot and email it to us at: [email protected]. Don’t worry if it’s not at the start of the year, we’ll welcome latecomers to the challenge. You can also post the picture in the ABR RTW challenge thread on the ABR forum (www.adventurebikerider.com/forum). Then, as the year progresses, keep us updated with how your RTW Challenge is going and we’ll print a leaderboard of the highest mileages we’re sent in in each issue of ABR magazine.

Plotting our imaginary progress across the globe as part of the ABR RTW Challenge throughout 2019 inspired us to meet up and ride our bikes more often than we otherwise would have. We’ve had some fantastic rides, discovered new places, and met plenty of new friends along the way. I look forward to hearing about your challenges in 2020, and hopefully, I’ll see some of you on the road.