In 1997, Nick Sanders, returned from the ultimate road trip on a factory supplied Triumph Daytona 900, having circumnavigated the world. Again. This time covering 19,930 miles (32,070 km) in 31 days and 20 hours. It was a world record attemp, so according the the rules set by Guiness, he had to travel a minimum of 18,000 miles, go round in the same direction and use the same bike with the same engine. He also had to touch an antipodal point.
The ride involved crossing Europe to Istanbul, then flying to Bombay. From there Nick crossed India to Delhi and Calcutta, flew from Calcutta to Bangkok, then rode down to Singapore and flew to Perth. He rode the west coast to Broome, then Katherine, down the Stuart Highway to Adelaide and across to Melbourne and Sydney. New Zealand was next from Christchurch to Auckland (one of the antipodal points) , then from Anchorage in Alaska down to San Antonio in Texas and back up to New York. Finally, a flight to Lisbon to ride to Madrid (the other antipodal point) and back up to Calais.
Nick was pretty much unknown to the motorcycling world at the time. This trip, filmed launched him on to the consciousness or many riders and launched his career as an adventurer.
The last last word can go to film and TV producer, Eric Michell, who was the first to bring Nick Sanders to our screens: “It was extraordinary. Apart from the laptop and cameras it was just him, his leathers, a toothbrush, a credit card and a bit of cash in his sock. You wanted to stay upwind of him when he got back, I tell you that!”
