Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ

Mark Beaumont, the young cyclist who broke the record for pedalling around the world, is getting back on his bike this month to begin one of the most awe-inspiring journeys on earth.

The remarkable adventurer will endure the new challenges entirely on his own with his life packed into saddle bags.

His eight-month quest to cycle the longest mountain range on the planet – the American Cordillera, which runs from the Alaskan Ranges past the Rockies to the Andes – will be followed live online and on radio with a television series documenting the journey all being produced by the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ.

Mark, aged 26, is geared up to take the audience with him in a new way for the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ. He will post regular blogs to on bbc.co.uk/cyclingtheamericas and he will also be telling the story in social networks including Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and Bebo.

Listeners to Greg James on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 1 (weekdays 4.00-6.30am) will also be able to follow the journey, as Greg links up with Mark at various points along the way.

Meanwhile, on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One, Breakfast will be following Mark as he pushes himself to the limit of physical endurance.

Mark's videos will also be available on the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ and YouTube.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Scotland will produce a three-part series for network Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One as well as a rich offering of online content which will enable interaction between Mark and the audiences throughout the exhilarating and gruelling journey.

Mark begins his epic venture on 27 May 2009 in Alaska and will be on the road continuously until February 2010 when he reaches his destination at the southern tip of the Andes in Argentina. He will travel alone through 14 countries.

He said: "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.

"But I know I'll draw strength from interaction with online followers who will be able to stay in touch all along the route."

David Peat, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ producer of this and his last epic journey, says: "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 ground-breaking 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 – long before it hits our TV screens."

Mark's odyssey will take in the extremes of the Cordillera's weather, from the -30Β°C freeze of the Arctic to the sweltering +30Β°C heat of the Peruvian desert, and will include climbs up the two highest peaks on the continents, Mount McKinley in Alaska and Aconcagua in Argentina.

Along the way Mark will encounter a host of colourful characters whose lives are shaped by the mountains and he will witness some of the remarkable events and see the memorable landmarks of the Cordillera.

Mark will be completely immersed in a variety of cultures on his incredible journey, living by the roadside as he makes his way South.

Notes to Editors

Mark will travel to Alaska on 27 May 2009 to begin his journey. Mount McKinley, Alaska, USA is the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet

Aconcagua, Argentina is the highest peak on the Americas continent at 22,841 feet. Each mountain will take approximately three weeks to complete. Mark will travel through: the USA, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia and Argentina.

Mark Beaumont is the current world record holder of the fastest circumnavigation of the world by bicycle – 18,296 miles in 194 days 17 hours, beating the previous record by 81 days.

Mark's previous journey was documented by the Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One series The Man Who Cycled The World.

Greg James is on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Radio 1 (97-99FM), weekdays 4.00-6.30am. Greg's website and blog can be found at bbc.co.uk/radio1/gregjames.

Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Breakfast is on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One, weekdays, 6.00-09.15am. The Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ Breakfast website can be found at bbc.co.uk/breakfast.

Biography

Mark Beaumont holds the Guinness World Record for cycling around the world. The Scotsman crossed the finish line after 18,297 miles and in just 194 days and 17 hours, beating the previous record by 81 days.

Mark grew upin rural Scotland and was home-taught until secondary school. At the age of 11 Mark decided to cycle from John O'Groats to Land's End for the simple reason that he had read about the challenge in the local paper. His parents, with a better idea of how far 1,000 miles was, suggested a smaller challenge first, which resulted in cycling across Scotland in three days at the age of 12, raising Β£2,000 for charity.

Aged 15, Mark went on to break the record for his age for completing the End to End solo, raising a further Β£3,000.

From these early challenges grew a love of adventure, which led to many trips to Europe to ski, climb or cycle throughout school and university.

A love of sport, music and art including a qualification as a professional ski instructor made the post-school decision complicated. For the same reason that many people get pressurised into doing the "sensible" thing, Mark went on to study Economics and Politics at Glasgow University and for years told people how he would grow up to be a fund manager or stock broker.

However, after his degree, Mark's outdoor ambitions got the better of him and for now it is hard to imagine how he could ever find himself back in an office.

Graduating with considerable student debt, with no corporate contacts and never having cycled a race was not the strongest starting point for a two-year project to break the Guinness World Record for cycling around the world.

A 3,000-mile training cycle to attract profile resulted in chronic tendinitis in the legs and for the next eight months he was turned down by hundreds of potential sponsors.

Through what others credit as determination and courage, but Mark calls "being stubborn" ,he cycled out of Paris on 5 August 2007 just 14 months after graduating with the support of 15 sponsors. Ahead lay 18,000 miles, four continents and 20 countries to cycle in a target of 195 days.

On 15 February 2008 Mark cycled back to the Arc de Triomphe, Paris, after spending 194 days and 17 hours riding solo around the world, breaking the previous World Record by 81 days and breaking his own target by eight hours.

The expedition was captured for a four-part Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One documentary, benefited five charities and has been followed as a nationwide educational programme in Scottish schools.

Mark has recently finished writing his first book, The Man Who Cycled The World, which is published this month.

In the past year Mark has also established a successful public speaking reputation both in the UK and abroad.

JG