The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
World record delight for Beaumont as he crosses Canada
Cyclist notches up most miles in a month
Cyclist Mark Beaumont has set a new World Record as his bid to cycle round the world in 80 days continues.
The adventurer has been officially recognised by Guinness as the holder of the record for the Most Miles Cycled in a Month, verified at 7,031 miles.
The 34-year-old has been pedalling through country after country as he fights to reclaim the world record for circumnavigating the globe.
His Artemis World Cycle covers 18,000 miles, which means the Scot will have to complete 240 miles a day.
That means spending 16 hours in the saddle at a time, grabbing snatches of sleep along the way.
He is currently making his way across Ontario, Canada – with around 15,700 miles already behind him – and has welcomed news of his latest recordbreaking success.
Cycling through a wet and windy Canada, on day 68 of his challenge, he delivered a video message to supporters as he travelled.
Mark said: “I’m three hours into ride day 68 and I’ve had good news this morning, with feedback from Guinness World Records that it’s been verified that I’m now the record holder for the most miles cycled in a month.
“That was the first month of the ride, from Paris to just off Perth, Australia – and that included a flight day.
“I want to add the caveat that I am fully aware that people may have cycled further than this but simply never applied for or been verified by Guinness, but I’m happy to now hold the record.
“I hope it is simply a marker for others to pip and to smash in the near future, but it is a nice milestone on the way to getting around the world in 80 days.”
Mark said he’d been “blown away” by the level of support he has received while on his journey.
An “amazing” number of people have come out to ride with him and support him from the roadside.
In 2008, Mark completed a cycle around the globe in 194 days, setting what was then a world record.
Since then, the record has been whittled down to 123 days by New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson.
He will therefore have to break the world record by more than 40 days to achieve the target he has set himself.
Mark set off from under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris in July. He is accompanied by a nutritionist, physiotherapist, mechanic and manager on the tour.
He is expected to be back in Paris by Thursday September 21.