Sanborn woman claims world record

It’s official.

Bridget McCutchen, 23, of Sanborn, has been recognized as the youngest person ever to circumnavigate the world on a motorcycle. The Guinness Book of World Records certified her accomplishment after she arrived back home last November.

“I’m very excited,” she said in a video on Facebook she posted after receiving the news. “It’s been a long time coming.”

But there is a little hiccup. In the posting online, Guinness included a picture of her riding partner Kiva Carmen-Frank instead of McCutchen. They hope to resolve the issue in the coming days.

McCutchen set off on her journey in August 2022, with just two years’ experience riding motorcycles. Over the coming months she rode 24,000 miles through 45 different countries on four different continents.

Two proved to be better than one on the journey, as McCutchen appreciated Carmen-Frank’s company. She reminded McCutchen to slow down and take it all in.

McCutchen, who had never left the United States before, found herself traveling roads on the side of jungled mountains and dirt paths through prairies.

She then sailed to Europe, where jungles and pampas were replaced by centuries-old cathedrals and ruins. Asia, India and the Middle East were next, and they seemed to pass in a blur. In Iraq, McCutchen enjoyed immersing herself in the culture of one of the first civilizations on earth.

Nepal provided a break from the crowds. To get to the next leg of her journey, McCutchen shipped her bike from Nepal to Thailand. From Thailand, she traveled to Malaysia and then returned to America, where her friends and family were waiting to greet her back in the Northwoods.

Not everything went as planned. McCutchen had to alter her planned route to avoid the war between Russia and Ukraine, which forced her to spend unbudgeted money on services such as ferries, a visa, guides to help her through Iran, and air freight for moving her cycle. If nothing else, McCutchen said the hardships taught her that it’s important to be patient because most of the obstacles in life can be overcome with the help of good people.

Giving up was never really an option, she said. Not that there weren’t moments. Along the way, she overcame physical exhaustion, theft, mechanical issues, a car crash, the red tape of border crossings and extreme temperatures, yet managed to stay on pace.

She credited folks back at home for motivating her to keep going.

“Thank you to Ashland for everything,” she said.