Photographer Sean Gallagher Sets Fastest Known Time for Cycling the Great Wall of China
Sean Gallagher and Ben Schuessler complete the journey in 9 days, overcoming harsh weather and challenging roads
Quick Look
UK photographer Sean Gallagher, 46, and friend Ben Schuessler mark 20 years in China by cycling the Great Wall's length, setting a fastest known time of 9 days amid sandstorms and extreme fatigue
AI-generated summary
When English photographer Sean Gallagher has decided he is keen on something, there is no going back. Intrigued by China as a child, when his father would return home from business trips armed with “trinkets and photos”, Gallagher duly relocated to the country at 26. Spending countless hours on his bike during Covid, he grew into a “cycling addict”. It made sense to 46-year-old Gallagher, then, that he should mark the 20th anniversary of his move by embarking on a ride that celebrated his “long, deep connection with China”. Which was how, along with friend Ben Schuessler, who has also been on the mainland for 20 years, Gallagher recently came to establish the fastest known time for pedalling the length of the Great Wall of China. The pair survived sandstorms, freezing rain, perilous roads and extreme fatigue to complete their journey in nine days, around 48 hours after they had unwittingly gatecrashed a wedding reception atop a mountain pass.
