18-year-old believed to be youngest person to cycle around the world

A teenager from Canada is believed to have become the youngest person to ever circumnavigate the globe by bike.

B’yauling Toni loaded up his machine six days after finishing school and set off to pedal around the world, aged just 17.

After passing through 16 countries and riding 31,00km unsupported, Toni’s seven month odyssey has come to an end.

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Now 18, he rolled into his snowy hometown of Saskatoon on Tuesday (January 22) where he was greeted by a group of riders who completed the final stretch with him.

In an interview with Canadian Cycling magazine, Toni said: “I was surprised by the mental drain of the constant grind.

“Over a long period of time my body is tired but recovers, but the mental struggle tends to just pile.

“There are times when I was struggling so much that I wondered why I was putting myself through this, but I don’t think I would ever quit.”

Setting off in July, Toni rode across Canada before flying to Portugal, riding through Spain, France and across Europe to Russia.

He then road across Mongolia and China, before flying to Australia, New Zealand before heading back to home soil.

Toni set off on the trip to raise money for the Outdoor School Programme, an education initiative aimed at giving youngsters the chance to learn through outdoor activities like canoeing, camping, skiing and cycling.

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He raised a staggering $12,000 (£9,200) for the cause during his trip.

Toni’s love of long distance cycling started when he was just 12 years ago, when he rode 1,600km from his home to Vancouver on a girl’s bike bought from a supermarket.

The former youngest person to cycle around the world was British teenager Tom Davies, who was 19 when he finished the 18,000-mile trip in 2015.

While Toni is believed to have broken the record, he said his ride was more about seeing the world than entering the history books.