Luxembourg Couple Sets Altitude Record on Motorbike
Pascal and Stéphanie Moscato reached 5,629 metres on a Honda Africa Twin while climbing Bolivia's Uturuncu volcano.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Motorcycles
Luxembourgish couple Pascal and Stéphanie Moscato set a world altitude record for a two-person team on a motorbike, reaching 5,629 metres. Atlas World Records certified the achievement in September 2026.
Why it matters
The record surpassed a mark set by an Austrian team nearly 20 years earlier by 29 metres. The independent certification by Atlas World Records confirms the result under recognized standards.
The couple reached 5,629 metres on a Honda Africa Twin named Ralph, 29 metres higher than the prior record set nearly 20 years ago. Pascal reported the bike losing power at around 4,000 metres during the climb.
The players
Pascal Moscato
Luxembourgish rider who co-piloted the motorbike record attempt with his wife, Stéphanie Moscato.
Stéphanie Moscato
Luxembourgish rider who shared the motorbike record attempt with her husband, Pascal Moscato.
Atlas World Records
Independent organization that certified the couple's motorbike altitude record.
The details
The couple climbed Uturuncu volcano on foot the day before the attempt to acclimatise and inspect the terrain. At around 5,600 metres they identified and repaired a heavily damaged stretch of track before completing the ascent.
Timeline
September 2026: Atlas World Records certified the altitude record.
Early 2000s: An Austrian team set the previous two-person motorbike altitude record.
April 2026: The couple was interviewed by RTL during a stopover in Chile's Atacama Desert.
2025: The couple left Luxembourg to travel the Americas by motorbike.
Roadmap
The record extends a motorcycle altitude benchmark first set by an Austrian team in the early 2000s, showing how adventure motorcycles like the Honda Africa Twin are being pushed to extreme elevations. Independent certification by Atlas World Records keeps such feats measurable against earlier standards.
The record shows what a standard adventure motorcycle can handle when ridden by a prepared team at extreme altitude. Riders planning high-elevation trips can note that the couple scouted the terrain on foot and repaired track damage before attempting the climb.
The takeaway
Preparation matters at extreme elevation: the couple's day-before ascent to acclimatise and their on-site track repair helped them beat the prior record. Riders attempting similar climbs should plan for thin air and damaged terrain.
Further reading
Explore more adventure riding stories in the Motorcycles section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by RTL Today.
