A couple has completed a tiring 4, 500-mile bike ride around Europe in the shape of an enormous bicycle, in a creative attempt to promote sustainable travel.
Accompanied by their dog Zola, David Smith, 35, and Arianna Saraghi, 40, rode through seven countries to create the striking image, motivated by their desire to raise awareness about climate change. After completing their 7237-kilometer journey earlier this week, the pair said they had narrowly beaten the Guinness World Record for the largest GPS drawing made by any mode of transport.
They are also, unsurprisingly, confident that they have traced the biggest ever GPS bicycle, estimating that theirs is roughly 600 miles wide. "Being able to see it on^ the map is mainly a relief, " Ms Saraghi said after recounting the problems they had along the way.
They initially set off in the summer of 2019, armed with a computer-designed route which they had followed to avoid cycling through Paris'Charles de Gaulle Airport. However, they were forced to stop after Ms Saraghi sustained a knee injury.
The Anglo-Italian couple tried again that winter, before giving up because it was too cold to camp. The Covid-19 pandemic then delayed the trip's completion by another two years. "We had so many obstacles. When we started this time we were thinking—what can go wrong this time? We felt we had let people down by not completing it, and our life felt kind of stuck. So we're very happy, " Ms Saraghi said.
The pair said they want people who see the GPS image to consider cycling shorter journeys rather than choosing to drive. "Cycling is cheaper, it's healthy, it's fun, and it's often pretty fast. Please give it a second and consider if there is an alternative to the car- there may not be, but often there is, " Mr Smith told The Independent. The 35-year-old added that they also hope politicians, who come across their GPS bicycle are motivated to improve cycling infrastructure (基础设施) to encourage the public to travel sustainably where possible.
