A court in the Primorye region of the Russian Far East confirmed on Thursday the detention of Sofiane Sehili, a French endurance cyclist who was apprehended last month while trying to set a world record for cycling across Eurasia.

The 44-year-old Sehili could face up to two years behind bars for allegedly illegally entering Russia. His arrest occurred in early September after he crossed from China into Russia using a passage intended exclusively for trains and buses.

The Primorsky Region Court stated that it had examined Sehili’s appeal and upheld the “legitimacy and validity” of the initial court’s decision to keep him in pretrial detention since September 6. His attorney, Alla Kushnir, informed state media that she intends to pursue further legal action against this ruling.

Sehili, who commenced his journey from Lisbon in early July, had traveled thousands of miles through 17 countries and was close to reaching Vladivostok when he was detained.

His partner, Fanny Bensussan, shared with France 3 Occitanie that he thought border authorities would permit him to enter by bicycle.

“He was solely focused on his athletic goal,” Bensussan remarked.

The court had originally set Sehili’s detention until October 4 but later extended it to November 3.