Interview: Mark Beaumont

Published on Friday 15 May 2009 22:05

AS HE cycled down the Champs-Elysées with tears in his eyes, Mark Beaumont knew he had fulfilled his dream of becoming the fastest round-the-world cyclist in history.

Now, just over a year later the 26-year-old Scottish endurance sportsman is about to embark on his next adventure – a cycle ride along the Cordillera – the range of mountains that runs the length of the American continent – from Alaska to Argentina.

Beaumont's ride will take him from freezing Arctic wastes to scorching deserts and he plans to climb America's highest mountains – Mount McKinley in Alaska and Aconcagua in Argentina – along the way.

Beaumont, who was born in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, and now lives in Edinburgh, said: "It isn't another record. The whole idea is this is a first, it's never been done before.

"The whole idea is to travel the length of the Cordilleras. They call it the spine of America. It's the longest mountain range on earth and includes the Rockies and the Andes. It is 15,000 miles, which is 3,000 miles less than the round the world trip – but this is mountain riding the whole way."

Beaumont begins his epic trip at Anchorage, Alaska on 27 May. He will travel through Canada and the United States, along the Rocky Mountains then through Mexico and the Sierra Madre before following the Andes mountain range down through Panama, Ecuador, Peru and Argentina.

He is expected to reach his destination at Ushuaia in Argentina in February next year – after tracing the entire length of the mountainous backbone of the American continent.

At the northern end of his journey, Beaumont will ditch his bike and don climbing gear to scale Mount McKinley, the highest peak in North America at 20,323ft.

As the journey is nearing its southern end, he will scale Aconcagua, the highest peak in the Americas which rises to 22,841ft.

Beaumont, whose love of the great outdoors was forged in the north of Scotland, said he wanted to combine his love of climbing and skiing with his passion for cycling and adventure. He will carry his equipment, including tent and sleeping bag, on his bike, which has been adapted for the trek.

"It is a very personal ambition to do this trip," he said. "It's an adventure – a solo experience.

"I'm really looking forward to getting back in the saddle for another epic adventure. There will be plenty of highs along the way – and no doubt a few lows when the going gets particularly tough."

The solo cyclist will be mapping his progress every step of the way, with blogs, films and radio interviews sent via a satellite system, which will allow him to connect to the internet. His adventures will also be made into a three-part series for the BBC, entitled: The Man Who Cycled the Americas.

After a hard day's cycling, Beaumont plans to fire up his laptop and blog about his experiences en route. He will also be filming his experiences and sending regular reports to listeners on Radio One.

"I'll be cycling through some amazing places, central America, Panama, El Salvador, Colombia. And even in North America I think the places I'll be cycling through will be out of the ordinary and not what you might expect. I'm sure I'll meet some fantastic people along the way. The aim is to make people feel they are coming along on the journey."

Beaumont plans to cycle an average of 80 miles a day on the trip, which will take an estimated eight or nine months. His bike has been customised with a special saddle and adjustable handlebars, which will help him to avoid repetitive strain injuries.

"On the round the world trip, I made 100 miles a day, but although this time it is 80 miles a day I'll make up for it in altitude."

The cyclist will need to eat about 6,000 calories a day, around three times the recommended average daily amount, to give him enough energy for the ride.

BBC producer David Peat said: "I can honestly say that I have never met anyone as mentally and physically tough as Mark. What he achieved around the world was awesome. But on this trip he craves a test over and above the cycling.

"He'll get it as he pushes up into the challenges of high-altitude climbing, where the physical effects can be devastating even on someone as fit as him.

"What is brilliant for the audience is they can follow his triumphs and his pain in a groundbreaking way. They will be able to see, hear and read about his amazing adventure mile by mile. Mark will use the latest technology to bring the audience as close to his journey as possible."

During his previous epic cycle trip, Beaumont was caught up in flights and floods and even ended up in a jail cell in Pakistan.

After spending hours in the saddle the cyclist suffered from muscle cramps and lost some of the grip in his hands because of nerve damage. But he managed to slash the previous record, cycling 18,000 miles in 194 days and 17 hours.

Since then Beaumont has written a book, The Man Who Cycled the World, which is published this week.

The past few months have been spent planning and training for the Americas trip. Beaumont has trained for hot climates in Cyprus and for freezing conditions in the Swiss Alps. Gym sessions and fell running have helped him to maintain maximum fitness.

Beaumont has often spoken about the support of his family, particularly of his mother Una, who co-ordinated his world-record breaking attempt and who encouraged his love of long-distance cycling by allowing him to cycle across Scotland at the age of 12. But he is clear that this latest project is something he intends to do alone.

"I have got the full support of my family for this trip, but this is something I am doing on my own. I'm setting off with a camera and whatever happens, happens.

"I can't imagine when I reach the finish at Ushuaia in Argentina that it will be like the Champs-Elyses, when hundreds of people came out to watch me.

"But I'm planning to come back to Edinburgh and have the party here."

Beaumont will be launching his new book at Blackwells in Edinburgh's South Bridge on Thursday, 21 May, from 6:30-8pm.

&#149 You can follow Mark Beaumont's progress at: www.bbc.co.uk/cyclingtheamericas

Pedal Power

THE Koga Miyata bike that carried Mark Beaumont on his 18,000-mile journey around the world is still going strong – despite now having done 25,000 miles.

But it will be a new 4,500 custom-built bike, made by the same Dutch manufacturers, that will carry the Scot on his journey along the length of the Cordillera.

The new bike's state-of-the-art gears are internal, which will protect the mechanism from damage in extreme weather conditions.

It has standard 28in touring wheels and butterfly handlebars, which can be put into different positions for ease of riding.

After spending 1,600 hours in the saddle on his round-the-world trip, Beaumont ended up with nerve damage to his hands – so he will be changing the position of the handlebars regularly to avoid strain injuries.

He has also chosen a new type of saddle designed to prevent saddle sores, which can be agony for cyclists.

Beaumont will not be travelling with a television crew, but will be carrying all his own equipment, including tent, sleeping bag, repair kit, first aid, satellite phone, cameras and laptop. When fully loaded the bike will weigh about 30-40kg.

He said: "The shape of the frame has been designed for strength. Most bikes couldn't carry that amount of weight."