B’yauling Toni started his trip in Saskatoon in July

B’yauling Toni has two big passions in life: cycling and outdoor adventure.

The 18-year-old recently returned home from a trip around the globe, testing his love for both.

“It’s very intense,” he said when he got home to Saskatoon, but overall he speaks positively about his experience.

B’yauling Toni stops for a selfie in Australia. (Submitted)

“I am so grateful I had the chance to go on such an amazing adventure,” he wrote on his Facebook page.

Toni cycled 30,000 kilometres starting in Saskatoon, heading east.

He biked across Canada to Halifax, then flew to Portugal and biked across Europe, into Russia, across Mongolia and through Asia. He flew to Australia and New Zealand before landing back in Vancouver.

In total, he visited 16 countries.

His motivation

Toni did it for two reasons: because he loves cycling, and to raise awareness about the Outdoor School Program, which he attended in Saskatoon.

“[It] really heightened my love for the outdoors,” Toni told CBC Kids News.

“I wanted a way to give back to that program because they actually helped fund my tuition.”

B’yauling Toni visited 16 countries in six months and biked more than 30,000 kilometres. Here he is in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France. (Submitted)

Before he left and throughout his trip, he raised money for the program, which gives Grade 11 students in Saskatoon the opportunity to spend a semester doing outdoor activities.

Funding has been cut recently so only half as many students can participate compared to before.

Toni raised about $15,000.

Half of the funds went to the Outdoor School and the other half went to pay for his trip.

Keeping things simple

The trip was far from luxurious.

Toni’s budget was less than $ 10 a day.

“So I tended to eat whatever was cheapest in that country, which tends to be what the locals ate,” he said.

He slept outdoors in a sleeping bag.

“I had a really tight budget so I tried to never pay for accommodations,” he said.

B’yauling Toni slept in a sleeping bag in a miniature tent almost every night of his journey. (Submitted)

Because his phone broke, he navigated through much of Europe using a compass, which worked some of the time, but not all.

“So often I would just just pick a road that fit the direction I wanted to head... I only got lost like a few times.”

The trip has made Toni appreciate the comforts of home.

“That’s one thing I love about cycling,” Toni told CBC Kids News. “You have a better appreciation for the small things.

“It’s easy to not really understand how privileged you are until you leave.”

The Mongolian desert presented the biggest challenges for cycling, said Toni, because there are no roads. (Submitted)

Breaking a record

According to Canadian Cycling Magazine, Toni is now the youngest person to ride unsupported around the world.

“It’s an unofficial record,” he said. “People don’t hold youngest records a lot because… it encourages people at a very young age to do crazy things.”

His adventure started shortly after his high school graduation in the summer, and concluded at the end of January.

B’yauling Toni biked through snow on the final leg of his trip in British Columbia. (Submitted)

But the record is not what’s important to Toni.

“I really just wanted to travel and see the world.”