Juliana Buhring (born 2 June 1981) is a British-German ultra-endurance cyclist and writer. In December 2012, she set the first
Guinness World Record as the fastest woman to circumnavigate the globe by bike, riding over in a total time of 152 days (144 actual days in the saddle).
Buhring was the only woman to participate in the inaugural
Transcontinental Race
The Transcontinental Race (TCR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across Europe. It is one of the world's toughest ultra-endurance races. The route and distance varies for each edition between about 3,200 and 4,200 km, ...
from
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
to
Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
, blank_name_sec2 = GeoTLD
, blank_i ...
in 2013, finishing in 9th place overall. In 2014, she won the first edition of the Trans Am Bike Race (women) and 4th place overall. In 2018, Buhring won the women's category and came third overall in the inaugural self-supported Bikingman Oman Sprint. She started cycling for the first time in 2011 at the age of 30, and is now considered one of the strongest female ultra-endurance cyclists in the world.
Juliana Buhring is co-author of ''
Not Without My Sister'', an international best-seller translated into 11 languages, detailing her life growing up within the
Children of God and author of ''This Road I Ride'', an account of her world cycle ride.
Buhring is Race Director for the Two Volcano Sprint (2VS), a single-stage, unsupported bicycle challenge starting and finishing at southern Italy's two iconic volcanoes,
Mount Vesuvius
Mount Vesuvius ( ; it, Vesuvio ; nap, 'O Vesuvio , also or ; la, Vesuvius , also , or ) is a somma-stratovolcano located on the Gulf of Naples in Campania, Italy, about east of Naples and a short distance from the shore. It is one of ...
and
Mount Etna. The event promotes and sponsors projects, initiatives or services that positively impact nature preservation, environmental sustainability, or
climate action while boosting economic growth for local communities in south Italy.
Biography
Buhring was born in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
,
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders ...
on 2 June 1981. Her parents were members of the Children of God cult (now known as "
The Family International
The Family International (TFI) is a Christian New Religious Movement founded in Huntington Beach, California, USA, in 1968 by David Berg that has been criticized as an authoritarian cult. Originally named Teens for Christ, it has gone under ...
"). Buhring was abandoned by her parents at the age of four years and fostered out to different guardians within the group. She moved frequently throughout her childhood, living in nearly 30 countries across
Asia
Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...
,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
and
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
. The question of her nationality is complex. Although when asked, Buhring states she is German, because of her mother's ancestry, she never lived in Germany.
In 2004, after the death of her sister Davida, Buhring left the group. In 2006, she reunited with her two sisters, Kristina and Celeste Jones. Together they wrote a book exposing the inner workings of the group they were born into. ''Not Without My Sister'' became a best seller in the
UK,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
and
Australia. Together with her sisters, Buhring founded Rise International, which later merged with Safe Passage Foundation, helping children born and raised in religious sects or isolated and extremist groups.
Her second book, ''This Road I Ride'' recounts her adventure around the world by bicycle.
World cycle record
![Juliana in Uganda](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5c/Juliana_in_Uganda.jpg)
Looking for a way to raise money and awareness for Safe Passage Foundation, Buhring decided to cycle the world. After eight months of training, she left from
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
on 23 July 2012, without sponsorship and support, and with little money. Her limited funds ran out while in
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, and Buhring's numerous online followers started a regular chain of donations that kept her going around the world. After a total of 152 days (144 in the saddle), Buhring returned to Naples where a crowd of supporters followed her to finish line in
Piazza Plebiscito. She travelled through 19 countries and 4 continents, covering , and making the first woman's
record for circumnavigating the globe by bicycle in the
Guinness Book of Records.
Transcontinental Race
Having completed the world cycle, Buhring looked for a new challenge. In 2013, she participated in the inaugural
Transcontinental Race
The Transcontinental Race (TCR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across Europe. It is one of the world's toughest ultra-endurance races. The route and distance varies for each edition between about 3,200 and 4,200 km, ...
, founded by fellow world cyclist and record holder,
Mike Hall. Known as the toughest unsupported race across Europe, the first edition started in London and ended in Istanbul, crossing the high cols of the Alps. Buhring was the only woman in the race, finishing in 12 days and in 9th position.
Trans Am Bike Race
![Trans Am](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2f/Trans_Am.jpg)
In June 2014, Buhring raced the inaugural
Trans Am Bike Race
The Trans Am Bike Race (TABR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across the United States. The route is about long and uses the TransAmerica Bicycle Trail that was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association for the Bik ...
in the US. Starting in
Astoria, Oregon, and finishing in
Yorktown, Virginia
Yorktown is a census-designated place (CDP) in York County, Virginia. It is the county seat of York County, one of the eight original shires formed in colonial Virginia in 1682. Yorktown's population was 195 as of the 2010 census, while York Co ...
, the race is long, with a total of around of climbing. As in the Transcontinental Race, cyclists must ride unsupported and be self-sufficient. This race included some of the world's top endurance riders, including
Mike Hall, winner of the
Tour Divide and former world record-holder as the fastest man to circumnavigate the globe. Buhring finished the race in 20 days, coming first in the women's category and tying for 4th place overall. The part of her ride included an unbroken ride of 36 hours covering in her final sprint. Her performance attracted the attention of various magazines, and she was rated by the now defunct Women's Cycling Magazine as one of the strongest female endurance cyclists in the world.
Oman Sprint
In February 2018, Buhring won the women's category and came third overall in the inaugural self-supported Bikingman Oman Sprint. She rode 1,070 kilometres non-stop, finishing in 49 hours and 53 minutes.
Films/Documentaries
A feature-length documentary, called ''Inspired to Ride'' was made about the 2014 TransAm Bicycle Race. In addition to several interviews during the race with Buhring, the documentary included a section where Buhring was interviewed and filmed riding in
Naples
Naples (; it, Napoli ; nap, Napule ), from grc, Νεάπολις, Neápolis, lit=new city. is the regional capital of Campania and the third-largest city of Italy, after Rome and Milan, with a population of 909,048 within the city's adminis ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
.
Books
Buhring's first book, ''Not Without My Sister'', was written with her two sisters, Celeste and Kristina Jones, and published in 2007. The book details their lives growing up in the Children of God group. It was number 1 on the Sunday Times best-seller list for 5 weeks, and remained in the top 10 list for 15 consecutive weeks. It has been translated into ten languages.
Her second book, ''This Road I Ride'', published by WWNorton and Piaktus in 2016, describes her record-breaking journey around the world by bicycle.
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Buhring, Juliana
Road racing cyclists
Living people
1981 births
German female cyclists
British female cyclists
German women writers
British women writers
Sportspeople from Athens
Ultra-distance cyclists
Writers from Athens
Cycling writers
Solo female touring cyclists