United Selfies of America
Cyclist crossed the US in 38 days and took a snap in every State to prove it
IT is perhaps the ultimate collection of travel selfies.
But Euan Hunter’s photos – which include him posing in the deserts of Nevada, the forests of New Hampshire and the urban jungle of New York – chronicle an epic achievement rather than a relaxing break.
The former Edinburgh University student cycled through 48 mainland US states in only 38 days – an astonishing feat that he hopes will propel him into the Guinness Book of World Records.
The 23-year-old completed his near 7,000-mile journey – which took him from California on the Pacific coast to Maine on the Atlantic – 21 days ahead of schedule.
It vindicated his strategy of spending three years planning the most effective route on Google maps before he set off on May 16.
As part of the record bid Mr Hunter, who lives in the Edinburgh suburb of Currie, had to provide photographic proof he had pedalled through every mainland state.
In addition, he had to fit his lightweight carbon fibre bike with a GPS unit that tracked his journey via satellite, as well as having a log book signed by state residents.
The endurance cyclist, who has now returned to Scotland, said: ‘I’ve been planning this since I was 17, so I’m so glad I finally managed to do it. I hadn’t planned to do it that fast, so I’m really happy. I just have to
‘The hardest part was the first day’
send all the stuff away now and wait to hear if it’s an official record.’
His trip was inspired by Scots adventurer Mark Beaumont, who held a speed record for cycling round the world in 2008.
Mr Hunter set off from San Bernardino county, California, reaching the Nevada state line in only 15 seconds and crossing into another time zone – cutting an hour from his day.
He said: ‘The unofficial world record was 60 days, so initially I was thinking 59 would be great.
‘The hardest part was the first day, it was very difficult mentally because I had just started and there was so far to go. My motivation was that I just didn’t want to let people down at home. But that changed towards the end. I decided the faster I cycled, the faster I could get home and that’s where I wanted to be.’
While riding through the deserts of Arizona and Utah he endured temperatures which peaked at 97f (36c). In contrast, his route also took him through the icy mountains of Montana and snowy trails.
But he found the sparsely populated prairie of the Midwest in South Dakota more of a challenge. He said: ‘There were extremely strong winds coming towards me and giant thunder storms. It was so demoralising.’
To keep his record bid on track, Mr Hunter rode from dawn until dusk, averaging between 175 and 180 miles a day. Despite this, he remained completely uninjured, aside from a little saddle soreness.
He said: ‘I was surprised my legs didn’t feel strained or get cramp. At first they were tired but my body adapted pretty quickly.’
Along the way, though avoiding grizzly bears, he was chased by a pack of 20 feral dogs in Alabama. But after finishing, it took a while for his achievement to sink in.
‘When I saw the Maine sign I was happy but it didn’t feel like the end,’ he said. ‘My friends had set up a line for me to cross with fireworks and champagne. To celebrate, we went out for lobster, as that’s pretty famous in Maine, but I opted for fish and chips as I really wanted something familiar to me from home.’
Yesterday, a Guinness World Records spokesman said it was waiting for Mr Hunter to submit his evidence ‘so we can verify his claim’.