Swiss man wants to circumnavigate world in 2.5 years with muscle power alone

By Timur Kirez

GENEVA (AA) - Swiss athlete Louis Margot wants to circumnavigate the world in two and a half years with muscle power alone, using only a rowboat and a bicycle.

He will cross five continents and about 30 countries on a 50,000-kilometer journey. The start is scheduled for Sept. 2 in the city of Morges, according to Swiss radio station RNT on Friday.

The endurance athlete's project is called Human Impulse. Margot is tackling the effort with the goal of beating the current world record of 5 years and 11 days.

To achieve this, he has surrounded himself with a technical staff consisting mainly of people from his family and entourage.

In the interview with RTN, Margot also mentioned the difficulty of crossing the border between India and Myanmar. He needs special permits for this, the athlete said.

However, Margot still lacks some financial resources. He said he still needs 500,000 Swiss francs ($532,000) for his project and is looking for more sponsors.

He also wants his project to inspire people to follow their impulse and realize their dream, he added.