Italian moto journalist and avid motorcycle rider, Valerio Boni, has recently achieved a new world record for most countries visited onboard a motorcycle. Boni, who rode onboard a stock MV Agusta Turismo Veloce Lusso SCS, visited a total of 11 countries throughout Europe all within 24 hours.
The ride started at Malmo, Sweden, and passed through Denmark, Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxemburg, France, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein, and finally, at MV Agusta’s home in Italy.
“Everything went according to plan, or almost,” said the 62-year-old Boni. Dubbed as the “Turismo Veloce Europe Endurance” or TVEE, which was inspired by the first-class Trans-Europe Express (TEE) train service which operated between 1957-1995.
His attempt, by contrast, aimed to highlighting the Turismo Veloce’s superb technology and reliability especially for long-distance riding.
Taking advantage of the longest day of the year, Boni departed on the day of summer solstice and took off at exactly 5:38 PM, as shown on the receipt from a petrol station in Malmö’s Western suburbs.
Weather conditions changed several times during the trip. After an unusually warm day in Sweden, a pleasant breeze accompanied Boni while crossing the Oresund bridge into Denmark. A spectacular sunset at the German border was awaiting the rider before a night of heavy rainfall. The sun finally appeared towards midday on the following day, as temperatures rose significantly.
Boni also needed to slow down in accordance with the speed regulations in the countries he passed through. Also, the Italian rider encountered a couple of road works along the way, further slowing his pace down.
With that, Boni had no time to rest. As confirmed by the onboard instrumentation of the Veloce Turismo, his engine was running non-stop for the duration of the attempt (with the exception during refueling).
“We reached our objective also thanks to the Turismo Veloce, which proved to be extremely reliable and comfortable, two qualities that certainly were key in this situation. The comfortable saddle, the good protection provided by the windshield, the absence of vibrations, and the cruise control function are the most important elements that helped me ride the Turismo Veloce for 2,003 kilometers in 24 hours across 11 countries. It was an unforgettable experience, and a not too tiring one either,” added Boni.
Besides the new world record, Boni has also earned the title of “Iron Butt Rider” bestowed by the Iron Butt Association’s (USA) SaddleSore 1,600.
