- Joined
- Sep 27, 2013
- Messages
- 4,518
- Reaction score
- 769
- Location
- Wellinton, WC
- Bike
- BMW R1200GS Adventure
From Adventure Bike Rider:
Having grown up being home-schooled on a farm, Bridget McCutcheon, in her own words, been “literally nowhere” by the age of 19. Three years later, she became the youngest person to ever circumnavigate the globe by motorcycle, aged just 22 years and 362 days.
We sat down with her for the latest issue of ABR to discover what it takes to become a record breaker and find out what insights she’s learnt from living on the road for years:
1) You don’t have to know what you’re doing. When we asked her about how the idea for breaking the record came about, she replied that “she’d never considered it… never even stated it as a possibility as something I could do.” It wasn’t until her older brother suggested it after reading an article on the previous record holder that the idea “planted itself”. After thinking about it, Bridget thought “why not? I suppose I could give it a shot.”
2) The world isn’t as dangerous as the news would have you believe. As a solo female traveller, Bridget rode through some countries that the news typically presents as unsafe: Central America, Colombia, and even Iraq. Despite that, she didn’t have any issues. In fact, Iraq is Bridget’s “favourite Middle Eastern country. I really loved it there.”
3) Sometimes, you need to stop and smell the roses. Because Bridget was on a tight deadline to break the record, she could rarely stay in one place for more than a night. This exhausting pace led to some challenging moments.
4) It can’t always be fun all the time. Even riding a motorcycle through some of the most incredible landscapes on the planet can wear a little thin. By the end of the trip, the mental and physical exhaustion of attempting a world record holder was growing. Anyone who’s done a big trip can sympathise, but even at its worst, it’s still far better than the alternative of not seeing anything at all.
5) Just get out there and do it. When her brother first brought up the idea of riding around the world, Bridget said, “Hell no, I can’t do that. Are you kidding me?” However, after taking the leap of faith and just getting on the bike and going for it, Bridget realised she was capable of more than she ever thought she was.
I just confirms that the will and determination to make it happen counts more than skill, experience or which bike you choose!
Having grown up being home-schooled on a farm, Bridget McCutcheon, in her own words, been “literally nowhere” by the age of 19. Three years later, she became the youngest person to ever circumnavigate the globe by motorcycle, aged just 22 years and 362 days.
We sat down with her for the latest issue of ABR to discover what it takes to become a record breaker and find out what insights she’s learnt from living on the road for years:
1) You don’t have to know what you’re doing. When we asked her about how the idea for breaking the record came about, she replied that “she’d never considered it… never even stated it as a possibility as something I could do.” It wasn’t until her older brother suggested it after reading an article on the previous record holder that the idea “planted itself”. After thinking about it, Bridget thought “why not? I suppose I could give it a shot.”
2) The world isn’t as dangerous as the news would have you believe. As a solo female traveller, Bridget rode through some countries that the news typically presents as unsafe: Central America, Colombia, and even Iraq. Despite that, she didn’t have any issues. In fact, Iraq is Bridget’s “favourite Middle Eastern country. I really loved it there.”
3) Sometimes, you need to stop and smell the roses. Because Bridget was on a tight deadline to break the record, she could rarely stay in one place for more than a night. This exhausting pace led to some challenging moments.
4) It can’t always be fun all the time. Even riding a motorcycle through some of the most incredible landscapes on the planet can wear a little thin. By the end of the trip, the mental and physical exhaustion of attempting a world record holder was growing. Anyone who’s done a big trip can sympathise, but even at its worst, it’s still far better than the alternative of not seeing anything at all.
5) Just get out there and do it. When her brother first brought up the idea of riding around the world, Bridget said, “Hell no, I can’t do that. Are you kidding me?” However, after taking the leap of faith and just getting on the bike and going for it, Bridget realised she was capable of more than she ever thought she was.
I just confirms that the will and determination to make it happen counts more than skill, experience or which bike you choose!
