Ewan McGregor has revealed he nearly died after his motorcycle was rear-ended while he was travelling into Calgary from Alaska during the near-20,000-mile Long Way Round journey, saying motorcycle panniers prevented worse injury.
Speaking at a fan event in Canada this month, the Scottish actor described the moment the crash happened and the immediate aftermath. "I almost got killed in Calgary. We were coming down into Calgary from Alaska. We were on the freeway and were going to be in Calgary in an hour or two and all the traffic started to slow down," McGregor told the audience. "So I slowed down and the next thing I knew I was looking at the sky and was like ‘Oh s***, what’s happened’. This kid had totally rear-ended my bike." He said the panniers on his bike absorbed the impact and prevented more serious harm.
The incident occurred near the end of the transcontinental documentary trip McGregor undertook with Charley Boorman for the series Long Way Round, in which the pair rode by motorbike from London to New York. McGregor, who has long been known for his interest in motor vehicles and collecting classic cars, recounted the crash as part of a broader discussion about his travels and experiences on the road.
McGregor’s comments offered a first-person account of the collision and its immediate physical toll; he described coming to after being struck and credited the luggage fitted to the bike for taking much of the force. He did not provide detailed medical information about injuries sustained, nor did he say whether the other rider involved in the rear-end collision was injured.
Long Way Round drew attention when it aired for documenting the hazards and logistics of long-distance motorcycle travel across varied and often remote terrain. The Calgary crash, as recalled by McGregor, underscores the risks riders can face even on highways near the end of long journeys.
McGregor’s reconstruction of the event adds to public recollections of the trip, which has become part of his public persona as both an actor and motorcyclist. The actor has continued to speak about his adventures and vehicle collection at public appearances, using anecdotes from his travels to illustrate the unpredictability and dangers inherent in long-distance road travel.