French endurance cyclist Sofiane Sehili made it 17,600 kilometers (10,936 miles) across Eurasia on his bicycle. Then Russian border guards stopped him 400 kilometers (248 miles) short of his destination.

Sehili sits in detention in Vladivostok, Russia, after attempting to break the world record for cycling from Lisbon to the Russian Far East city. Russian authorities arrested the 44-year-old on charges of illegal border crossing, according to Le Monde and L’Equipe.

Sehili departed Lisbon on 1 July and cycled through Tajikistan, Mongolia, and China before reaching the border crossing that ended his attempt.

The problems began at the Chinese-Russian frontier on 2 September. Sehili posted on Instagram that customs officials had blocked his entry. He tried twice at border crossings 200 kilometers (124 miles) apart.

“I am the main attraction, the only foreigner,” Sehili described in an Instagram video while waiting at the border. “The police inspect my bike, look at me and say nothing to me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to cross the border.”

Border authorities ultimately denied him entry to Russia. After traveling nearly 200 kilometers between crossing attempts, Sehili received final confirmation he could not continue.

“Failing so close to the goal is heartbreaking,” he wrote on Instagram. The cyclist now faces a decision about whether to attempt the record again, giving himself ten months to decide if the route “will remain a failure forever.”

Sehili left his documentarian career in 2012 to pursue endurance cycling. He has since won 11 major competitions from approximately 20 attempts, including the 4500-kilometer (2800 miles) Tour Divide from Canada to Mexico in 2022.

The French consulate is working to assist the detained cyclist, according to Le Monde. Officials have not disclosed the status of diplomatic efforts to secure his release.