Bridget McCutchen aims to become the youngest woman to ride around the world

Aged just 22, American rider Bridget McCutchen is on a mission to set the world record for the youngest woman rider to circumnavigate the globe.

At the time of writing, Bridget and her 2020 Kawasaki Versys X-300 (named Mab) are in Costa Rica, heading south on a journey that will see her visit dozens of countries, cover 25,000 miles and take the best part of two years.

Some of the inspiration for the record attempt was to highlight that rider demographics are changing and young women riders are a “growing force”.

“I wasn’t sure exactly why I was doing it except that I just wanted to explore the world,” Bridget told MCN.

“Now it’s about a little more than that. I get to meet so many fantastic people and learn about their lives and travel through beautiful places that have literally brought me to tears.”

Bridget hopes to complete the trek by the end of the year, having left her Wisconsin home last May. The preparations for the ride were just as extensive.

“From the conception of the idea to the first day I officially set off on the trip was about a year-and-a-half,” said Bridget. “Most of that time I spent finding out what countries require visas, budgeting and learning about world conflicts so that I wouldn’t run into trouble on the road.”

Her motorcycling experience is somewhat limited which makes her feat even more incredible, because she only passed her test three years before setting off on her round-the-world epic.

“I grew up around motorcycles, but I didn’t get into them myself until I got my motorcycle licence when I was 18,” she said.

“I bought my first bike, a Kawasaki Ninja 250, when I was 19. Before that I was exposed to motorcycles for most of my childhood thanks to my older brothers who had them.”

The choice to ride the Kawasaki Versys was suggested to her by older brother Thomas as a competent and reliable bike that would fit with her $5000 budget.

It has remained largely stock with a few additions, as Bridget explains: “I designed and built my own bash plate. I also made my own luggage rack to fit a pair of two-gallon auxiliary gas cans that I would later discard in favour of a collapsible gas bag and a rackless luggage system from Mosko Moto.

“I also mounted an accessory headlight for night-time riding,” she continued. “At the end of the day you could do this trip on a scooter with a backpack – this is just the machine I chose and I’m quite fond of it.”

Currently the youngest rider to circumnavigate the world is British rider Henry Crew who completed it a month shy of turning 24. There is no current record for a female rider. To keep track of Bridget’s record attempt progress, visit www.two-wheels-round.com.