An inspiring 77-year-old heart attack survivor with stents is attempting to become the oldest man to ride a motorcycle around the world and claim a Guinness World Record.
Los Angeles-born Steven Barnett has always been a keen rider, having travelled across nearly 80 countries over five decades, and is now embarking on an estimated 50,000-mile trip around the world from Madrid, Spain, on Saturday, March 7.
An adventure and journey like no other begins, and to claim the record he has been told he must ride the same motorcycle for the entire trip. His progress can be followed on his Instagram account, steveswayaround.
Steven Barnett’s Voyage in Detail
Barnett has been living in Panama for the last two decades, but he is no stranger to long-distance adventures. Just two months after his health scare, he showed the toughness riders are known for by setting off on a three-month journey through Vietnam.
After receiving medical clearance ahead of the voyage, he will begin in Madrid, Spain, flying in from Panama on his modified Suzuki DR650, fitted with a bigger gas tank and stronger suspension for stability, before riding through Europe, including France, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Serbia, Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.
After the European leg, he will continue through Asia, travelling across Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan before entering China. China is likely to be the largest country on the route, after which he will ride through Laos, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia before flying to Australia and then crossing the Pacific to Chile, continuing through Peru, Ecuador, Colombia and Panama.
A Meeting With Bridget McCutchen
Barnett’s inspiration for the venture came after reading about Bridget McCutchen, who became the youngest woman to circumnavigate the world by motorcycle. She completed her journey on November 4, 2023, aged 22 years and 353 days.
The pair met when McCutchen rode through Panama in December 2022, and their conversation sparked the idea for Barnett to attempt something similar — and potentially etch his name into the Guinness World Records as the oldest man to complete the feat.
Barnett told CNN: “I said, ‘Wait a minute. If she can do it as the youngest woman, why can’t I do it as the oldest man?” Barnett explained that McCutchen and he keep in touch as she provides useful advice from her experience.
A Philosophical Outlook Keeps Him Riding
The 77-year-old is proof that age is just a number, even after facing the adversity of a heart attack. Rather than slowing down, as shown by his trip through Vietnam, Barnett is now attempting a feat never achieved by someone his age, a far longer and more demanding journey around the world.
His philosophical outlook continues to keep him motivated along the way.
“You never know how long you have. You’ll never be as prepared as you would like to be, but that’s not an excuse for putting things off.
“I’ve really encouraged a lot of people. They say, ‘Wow, you’re doing that at your age, that’s really cool and kind of inspiring.’ So that makes me feel really cool.
“My cardiologist thought I was crazy,” he says when he proposed the idea. “But I told him that’s what he fixed me for.”