With Daytona Bike Week fast approaching, the special surprises keep coming. Take note of Swiss Endurance rider Urs Pedraita, aka “Grizzly,” who will be setting off on his potentially world-record-breaking journey from the event on Friday, March 11 at 1 pm ET. Grizzly intends to ride his Victory Motorcycles Cross Country bagger around the world through six continents in 100 days. The current record stands at 120 days.
Grizzly plans to maintain a steady speed with as few stops as possible for rest or other necessities. He has spent the past year preparing for his journey, acclimating himself by taking long rides in freezing temperatures.
Grizzly’s mount has undergone modifications to handle any type of terrain it may encounter, including ice, mud, snow, sand, and gravel. A nine-gallon fuel tank, custom seat with back support, and two additional LED headlights are among the custom additions.
Once he sets off from Daytona, Grizzly’s progress can be traced through the “GrizzlyTracker” app, which shows his location in real time. You can also follow him here. To achieve his goal, Grizzly needs to complete his 100-day quest by Friday, May 20.
If you wonder how Pedraita earned the name Grizzly, be aware that this is not his first rodeo. In 2013, he completed a 9,000 mile trip on a Cross Country in 37 days in the dead of winter. A statement on his website reads: “In the past two years Grizzly has set a pair of distance riding world records on Victory motorcycles, and now he hopes to set the ultimate record on a Victory Cross Country: He’ll ride across the required six continents, and will add a side trip to Antarctica to make his record virtually unbreakable.”
For fans who want to be more involved with this epic world record attempt, Victory motorcycle owners can join Grizzly for a lap of the Daytona 200 road course before he sets off.