While we've been on the subject of globe-girdling bicycling with Annie Londonderry, 25-year-old Mark Beaumont completed his journey earlier today when he crossed under the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Beaumont's amazing feat? He shaved 81 days off the previous around-the-world solo bike tour record of 276 days.
No sag wagon accompanied him or carried his stuff. Beaumont toted his own 66 pounds of gear over the entire 18,000-mile journey for 195 days. Now he's looking to get some sleep.
Fastest
He told the BBC at the finish line on Friday:
“The challenge was one of those things which was out there to be done.
“I love the idea of being the first and the fastest and I felt I was capable of beating the record.”
You can read more about Beaumont's journey at his website: Artemis World Cycle Challenge.
Paris
Beaumont started his journey in Paris on Aug. 5, headed east and pedalled through 20 countries in the past six months. His path took him across Europe, Asia, Australia and North America aboard his Koga Miyata Signature.
He'd been pedalling across the US for a few weeks, leaving Florida for Portugal by jet in early February.
Louisiana
His journey nearly came to an end in late January in a bizarre string of events that started in the small town of Marmou, Louisiana. According to tour blog at the website:
“Mark had the green light at a cross roads and had no chance of stopping when an elderly lady went through red lights right in from of him. Mark smashed into the front left wheel of the car, the front left window of the car smashed and Mark was thrown onto the bonnet and windscreen of the car before falling to the ground. He lay there for several minutes winded by which time the lady had got out of the car and others had gathered round.”
His problems didn't end there.
After sorting things out with police, the woman offered to take him to Lafayette where he could get his bent wheel fixed in the morning. He spent the night in a motel that turned out to be a crack house where his wallet and a camera were stolen and the local residents shook him down for protection money. The next morning, he called the Lafayette police who came in three cruisers and took him and his bike to a shop.
Record
In spite of this and other problems Beaumont set a record that will put in the Guinness Book of World Records once it's confirmed. Among his possessions was a GPS tracker that constantly plotted his location across the globe.
You can check out video of trip highlights at the BBC.
Congratulations, Mark. Enjoy your rest.
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