The Man Who Cycled the World

by Mark Beaumont

Overview

The remarkable true story of one man's quest to break the record for cycling around the world
 
On the 15th of February 2008, Mark Beaumont had pedaled through the Arc de Triomphe in Paris—194 days and 17 hours after setting off in an attempt to circumnavigate the world. His journey had taken him, alone and unsupported, through 18,297 miles, 4 continents, and numerous countries. From broken wheels and unforeseen obstacles in Europe, to stifling Middle Eastern deserts and deadly Australian spiders, to the highways and backroads of America, he’d seen the best and worst that the world had to offer.
 
He had also smashed the Guinness World Record by an astonishing 81 days. This is the story of how he did it.

Told with honesty, humor, and wisdom, The Man Who Cycled the World is at once an unforgettable adventure, an insightful travel narrative, and an impassioned paean to the joys of the open road.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780307716668
Publisher:	Crown Publishing Group
Publication date:	06/28/2011
Sold by:	Random House
Format:	eBook
Pages:	400
File size:	3 MB

About the Author

Mark Beaumont grew up in the foothills of the Scottish Highlands. When he was 12, he cycled across Scotland, then a few years later completed the 1,000-mile solo ride across Britain from John O'Groats to Land's End. His next long-distance ride took him the length of Italy, a journey of 1,336 miles, helping to raise £50,000 for charity. After graduating from Glasgow University, he decided against a conventional career and devoted himself full-time to his endurance adventures. In 2008, Beaumont completed his Guinness World Record–breaking cycle around the world, having traveled 18,297 miles in just 194 days and 17 hours. He has self-filmed and presented three documentaries for the BBC, The Man Who Cycled the World, The Man Who Cycled the Americas, and most recently Rowing the Arctic, the story of the six-man team who crossed the ocean to the magnetic North Pole in August 2011.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments vii

Prelude in Something Major 1

Leg 1 Paris to Istanbul 3

Leg 2 Istanbul to Calcutta 69

Leg 3 Bangkok to Singapore 191

Leg 4 Perth to Brisbane 215

Leg 5 Dunedin to Auckland 269

Leg 6 San Francisco St. Augustine 285

Leg 7 Lisbon to Paris 347

Epilogue 377

Editorial Reviews

A fascinating tale of determination and discovery, and a gripping, emotional ride through the peaks and valleys of the mountains and the human spirit.”  - Dean Karnazes, ultra endurance athlete and New York Times bestselling author of Ultramarathon Man

“120 years ago, the idea that it was even possible to bicycle some 20,000 miles around the world captivated the public’s imagination. What would they think about Mark Beaumont and his modern mount, completing the journey not in two or three years time but in less than two hundred days? The Man Who Cycled the World delivers a fast-paced, lively account of this extraordinary achievement, infused with insights and humor.” – David Herlihy author of The Lost Cyclist and Bicycle: The History

"Cycling enthusiasts and readers of such varied books as Joe Kurmaskie's Metal Cowboy (1999), Tim Moore's French Revolution (2002) and Robert Penn's It's All about the Bike (2011) will definitely want to check this one out."—Booklist

"Racing aficionados and armchair racers seeking freewheeling glimpses of the world via bicycle will cherish the trip."—Kirkus Reviews

From the Publisher

A bicycle racer recounts his solo cycle around the world while attempting to break the existing Guinness World Record.

There is no denying that Beaumont's journey, riding 100 miles a day for six-and-a-half months always against the clock, entailed a remarkable feat of endurance. He handily trounced the existing record, and the BBC chronicled his trip in an award-winning TV program. The author does a solid job of revealing his psychological difficulties, his physical challenges and the mundane task of finding food and a safe place to sleep each night, and he delivers tantalizing cultural and geographic tidbits along his route. Among his many stories: staying the night in a Mafia-run hotel in the Ukraine staffed by beautiful dancing girls; feeling overwhelming illness at the sight of the absolute poverty in Pakistan; and experiencing frazzled nerves when he was run over by a kindly old lady in Louisiana, then mugged the same night in his motel room by drug addicts. When Beaumont provides more of a story line, the narrative sails along. However, far too often the author recounts repetitive details while providing only the skimpiest snippets about the people and places he encounters. Beaumont acknowledges this conundrum, recognizing that beating the world record meant speeding by numerous cityscapes "begging for further exploration." As he crossed the Paris finish line, he struggled to answer many of the journalists' questions. "The stories lacked the human element and any insight into how I'd actually felt and reflected on my experiences," he writes, "but they were all I could offer."

Even with its flaws, the book merits a spin through. Racing aficionados and armchair racers seeking freewheeling glimpses of the world via bicycle will cherish the trip.

Kirkus Reviews