BMW One World. One R 1200 GS Adventure Tour

The journey began in in Laos on 25 January 2013 with 35-year-old Italian Alessio Cigolini.

The journey lasted nine days during which the team negotiated rocks, gravel, dust and asphalted roads along the Mekong River and rode through mountains and jungle landscapes. Cigolini also forded more than a few rivers and explored remote areas outside Luang Prabang.

By the end of his journey, the smiling Italian could reflect on the knowledge that he had just experienced "the most impressive and unforgettable week of my life".

49 year old Bavarian rider Herbert Unger took over the keys to the new R 1200 GS in Christchurch to cut a swathe through New Zealand's South Island.

First up for Unger were some enthralling stretches of road taking in the fishing villages along the coastline on the way to the mountains. A stop-off in Queenstown was then followed by "the toughest 18 kilometres [11 miles] of my life" across rivers and over mud-caked ascents into New Zealand's distinctive mountains.

Unger and the crew had the privilege of exploring some now famous backdrops on their bikes. Indeed, Castle Hills - a location used for the filming of "Lord of the Rings" - provided a suitably special end to a very special tour.

41-year-old Spanish rider Salvador Echevarria was given the chance to pilot the new R 1200 GS across South Africa, where he made variety of acquaintances with people and animals along the way.

As a special surprise, a group of 40 GS riders had gathered in Cape Town to see him on his way and ride alongside him for the first 230 km (approx. 140 miles) of his trip atop the rocky cliffs overlooking the Indian Ocean. Cape of Good Hope National Park provided the new touring enduro with a stunning stage on which to display its all-weather capability and assurance on both rain-soaked roads and ultra-rough terrain.

The Spaniard's team also ventured along one of the world's most famous off-road trails, just the other side of De Hell, where rocky tracks and vertiginous hillsides demanded absolute concentration and riding precision. Nature had laid on a truly extraordinary experience for all concerned.

"GS goes to Hollywood" was the message for 39-year-old Frenchman Stéphane Gautronneau as he climbed onto the new R 1200 GS in Los Angeles for the first time.

10 day long journey allowed him to soak up the western USA - canyons, surfing beaches and all. This was a journey of climatic extremes, over the peaks of Californian mountains, through desert scrub along the Pacific coast, picking his way over trails covered by snow, packed in mud and swirling with dust.

The tour also took in cities including Los Angeles and San Francisco, as well as ghost towns shimmering within the scorching heat of Death Valley. Gautronneau summed up the experience of a typically fulfilling day: "Riding a wonderful machine along this demanding road - that's rock'n'roll!"

25 year old British rider Stephanie Rowe was the youngest of the competition winners and also the only woman in the field. Rowe's tour began in Barcelona, launching rider and machine on a journey across the fifth and final continent of the "One World. One R 1200 GS." expedition.

The European leg of the journey took Rowe through five countries - from Spain, across France and Italy, via Austria to BMW's home city of Munich. Along the way she piloted the GS over precipitous Pyrenean mountain passes to the partly unsurfaced roads of the Languedoc and Auvergne in France. Once into Italy, her route led her through the rolling Tuscan hills and around the winding roads overlooking Lake Garda.

There she met up with fellow participant Herbert Unger, and together they covered the remaining part of the leg over the Italy-Austria border and finished in Munich on 13 April. The pair were greeted by a welcoming committee of visitors, organisers and other participants at the BMW Museum at the end-of-tour.