Juliana Buhring becomes first woman to cycle round the world as she pedals into Naples after 152 days on the road [The Telegraph]

It has taken Juliana Buhring just 152 days to cycle round the world, becoming the first woman ever to do so. She tells Cole Moreton about the highs and lows of her 18,000 mile solo road trip.

Juliana Buhring arrives in Naples at the end of her journey Photo: NICK CORNISH

When Juliana Buhring rode out of Naples in the summer, saying she was off to cycle around the world, hardly anyone believed her. But yesterday the 32-year-old English language teacher returned to a hero's welcome in the Piazza del Plebiscito, having pedalled more than 18,000 miles alone.

She had been on the road for 152 days, travelling through 18 countries on four continents and fighting off sickness in India, dogs in Turkey and even birds in Australia.

"It feels surreal to stop," she said afterwards, looking forward to a bath and a drink. "I haven't quite registered that I don't have to get up at five tomorrow morning and get back on the bike again. I am in surprisingly good shape, considering."

The last leg of the journey had been among the hardest: heavy snows were falling and the temperature was nine below zero as she cycled back through Italy. "But I was trailed by about 100 cyclists who rode with me along the coast into Naples, which made that fun," she said.

Miss Buhring, who has a British father, was attempting to set a new record as the first woman to circumnavigate the globe alone on a bicycle. She must now wait for the claim to be accepted by Guinness World Records, who act as adjudicators on such matters.

[Keep reading at The Telegraph]