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25 July 2018 by Claire Benktander
Wexas Honorary President Mark Beaumont, a celebrated athlete, adventurer, broadcaster and ambassador, holds the world record as the quickest person to cycle around the world in 80 days – and his new book, Around the World in 80 Days: My World Record Breaking Adventure, released on 26 July 2018, details every step of the way.
On Monday 18th September 2017, Beaumont cycled through the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, having started 78 days, 14 hours and 40 minutes earlier and covering a total of more than 18,000 miles. He needed to cycle around 240 miles a day to beat the world record – and did that and more, making history by beating the previous record by an extraordinary 45 days. He gained two Guinness World Records in the process – the second gained during the first month when he rode from Paris to Perth in Australia, totalling 7,031 miles – the most ever cycled in one month.
Around the World in 80 Days: My World Record Breaking Adventure details the story of his spectacular achievement, inspired by Jules Verne's classic novel Around The World In Eighty Days. Beaumont remained on his bike for around 16 hours a day, sleeping just five hours a night and enduring bitter cold and intense heat as he rode through Europe, Russia, Mongolia, Australia, New Zealand and across North America before his final 'sprint finish' through Portugal, Spain and France.
Beaumont's passion started aged 15 when he completed a solo bike ride along the entire length of Great Britain, from John O'Groats in Scotland to Land's End in Cornwall. His other feats include cycling the Americas, when he ventured across 13,000 miles in 268 days, as well as climbing the highest peaks in North and South America, broadcast on the BBC. His 10,000km ride from Cairo to Cape Town also broke another world record for the fastest solo ride along the length of Africa, which he completed in 42 days.
In the 2018 New Year Honours was awarded the British Empire Medal for "services to sport, broadcasting and charity". Outside of sport and broadcasting, Mark is a business ambassador and speaker, as well as working with a number of charities and educational organisations.
Mark Beaumont is also the author of The Man who Cycled the World, The Man Who Cycled The Americas and Africa Solo: My World Record Race from Cairo to Cape Town.
