Mark Beaumont

pneumatic

is just about to arrive at Terra Del Fuego after a 10 month tour from the top to the bottom of the americas.

Looking forward to the TV programmes already. Such a nice bloke, too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/cyclingtheamericas/

captain_oakley

Have booked tickets to a talk by him on his Round the World trip in May at a local
theatre, really looking foward to it.


'A state of war only exists as anexcuse for domestic tyranny'

megilleland

Mark was on Breakfast TV today and it was nice to hear him say that he took things a bit slower to take in the culture. What cycle touring is all about. Well done and good for cycling. The first part of The Man Who Cycled The Americas will be shown on Tuesday, March 23, at 10.35pm on BBC1.

amaferanga

How does a guy cycling across America make headline news? :?

LittleB0b

It's more BBC reporter cycles the length of the americas - Oh an also summits Aconcagua.

Fair play it's a pretty big acheivement in anyones book - and he has been doing a lot of ongoing media, so it's natural that they want to conclude the story.

I for one have been following progress via twitter and flickr

toontra

amaferanga wrote:

How does a guy cycling across America make headline news? :?

He didn't cycle across America - he cycled the length of the Americas, an amazing cycling feat in any terms, especially the route he took.

What would you prefer on the news - celebrity tosh?

amaferanga

toontra wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

How does a guy cycling across America make headline news? :?

He didn't cycle across America - he cycled the length of the Americas, an amazing cycling feat in any terms, especially the route he took.

What would you prefer on the news - celebrity tosh?

I'm fully aware of where he cycled from/to. My point was rather that numerous people do this every year without any interest from the media.

I didn't realise though that he was now a BBC reporter (never seen him reporting on the news).

White Horse

Yeah, you're right. We could do without people promoting cycling on the telly.

LittleB0b

amaferanga wrote:

I didn't realise though that he was now a BBC reporter (never seen him reporting on the news).

I'm sure you're well aware that there are reporters other than those on 'the news' - and also that the bbc contracts people to report stories for them.

toontra

amaferanga wrote:

[My point was rather that numerous people do this every year without any interest from the media.

Have you got figures for this (approx. would do)? I'm genuinely curious.

I guess that if you smash the world record for cycling round the world then you become a celebrity (in the true sense of the word) and your future exploits will be followed more closely than a regular Joe.

ralex

There are certainly significant numbers of people cycling the length of the Americas at any one time, and have been doing so for years. As for numbers, I don't know, but would guess it would be in the low hundreds per year. When I was in Patagonia in 1997 for two months I met at least two who had come all the way from Alaska, and I would guess its more common now.
But it doesn't really detract from Mark Beaumont's achievement, and he climbed Denali and Aconcagua on the way. I guess if he hadn't done the World Record thing then he would not have had the publicity on this trip. I reckon its great for the promotion of cycle touring.

pneumatic

When I was preparing my first long tour, I was all full of the idea of turning it into a book (I also enjoy writing). One of my mates pointed out that what we were planning to do was no big thing and that thousands of people do it every year (he was right, since we were going to Santiago de Compostela!) and that nobody would be interested.

However, what marks Beaumont out (see what I did there ) is the quality of his journalism. I've seen some pretty shoddy video diaries by explorers, but his are a class apart, in my view. Having heard him speak live, what he is also good at is addressing the psychological dimensions of long distance touring, rather than just the usual banal discussions of route choice, physical stamina, kit selection and cultural curiosities.

I suspect when we compare his TV travels in South America with the Top Gear Xmas special (which I thought was very funny, albeit totally scripted), I think the quality of Mark Beaumont's work will be clear.

reecesanford

I think its fantastic for someone to cycle from Anchorage, Alaska to Ushuaia in Southern Argentina. And climb the two highest peaks on the continent, Mt McKinley and Aconcagua.

Even cooler hes been replying to my messages on Facebook and Twitter.

He also told me 2 people last year attempted to break his RTW record but neither has been confirmed by the Guinness Book of Records.

Anything is better than hearing about John Terry,Ashley Cole,Big Brother,Jordan,X Factor and the usual politics rubbish

crankycrank

I never saw his trip mentioned in the news here in the U.S. The press prefer to talk about Tiger Woods and his wayward penis. Be glad you're getting some cycling news.

amaferanga

toontra wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

[My point was rather that numerous people do this every year without any interest from the media.

Have you got figures for this (approx. would do)? I'm genuinely curious.

I guess that if you smash the world record for cycling round the world then you become a celebrity (in the true sense of the word) and your future exploits will be followed more closely than a regular Joe.

Only because the rules had been changed such that the truly impressive RTW record of Nick Saunders was no longer recognised and no-one remotely talented had attempted it. Its a noddy record as is clear by the fact that the record was set on a hybrid loaded up with 4 panniers.

I'm sure Mark Beaumont is a nice guy and the quality of his journalism may be above average, but a talented athlete he is not.

Homer J

It's got nothing to do with being a talented athlete, watch the olympics for that. Bear Grills aint the first or youngest to climb Everest but he sure made a lot of docs off it.
There are countless adventure docs out there where someone else has done it but choose not to approach the media, which is their choice, so to flame anyone that does is a little childish.

The fact that it is getting cycling on the box is a big thumbs up from me.

sbaywatch

amaferanga wrote:

toontra wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

[My point was rather that numerous people do this every year without any interest from the media.

I'm sure Mark Beaumont is a nice guy and the quality of his journalism may be above average, but a talented athlete he is not.

Wow, you must be some super super athlete to post that rubbish. So Mark cycles 100 miles a day for 8 months and he isnt a talented athlete

yeh thats rubbish , and then to cycle the length of the america. I do accept that that isn't the best cycling achievement but hey who cares.

Amaferanga - have you ever cycled over 100 miles ... period , Amaferanga a talented athlete he is not ..... or poster

toontra

amaferanga wrote:

I'm sure Mark Beaumont is a nice guy and the quality of his journalism may be above average, but a talented athlete he is not.

For someone who did a LEJoG at the age of 15 and holds the RTW world record (which none who have tried have bettered yet) to be described a not a talented athlete is a bold claim.

BTW, another factor that makes his achievements noteworthy is that he takes all the technology that's needed to document the trips (laptop, video camera, sat-phone) which is a substantial hit in terms of weight.

amaferanga

sbaywatch wrote:

toontra wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

[My point was rather that numerous people do this every year without any interest from the media.

I'm sure Mark Beaumont is a nice guy and the quality of his journalism may be above average, but a talented athlete he is not.

Wow, you must be some super super athlete to post that rubbish. So Mark cycles 100 miles a day for 8 months and he isnt a talented athlete

yeh thats rubbish , and then to cycle the length of the america. I do accept that that isn't the best cycling achievement but hey who cares.

Amaferanga - have you ever cycled over 100 miles ... period , Amaferanga a talented athlete he is not ..... or poster

Ha! Yes I've cycled 100 miles plenty of times thanks. I won't go into the detail of what I have and haven't done as you'll likely think I'm showing off. Suffice to say that I have solo toured >20,000km in Africa and have cycled >400km in a day plenty of times. So I think I can comment on whether in my opinion someone is a talented athlete!

I would class myself as a fairly average cyclist. Not particularly talented, same as Beaumont.

Btw have you even heard of Nick Sanders? Jure Robic? If not go away and read about them and you'll appreciate what a truly talented athlete really is.

It amazes me how precious people are about Mark Beaumont. If you think that what he did was extraordinary then its likely because you've never tried anything similar yourself.

andymiller

megilleland wrote:

Mark was on Breakfast TV today and it was nice to hear him say that he took things a bit slower to take in the culture. What cycle touring is all about. Well done and good for cycling. The first part of The Man Who Cycled The Americas will be shown on Tuesday, March 23, at 10.35pm on BBC1.

Got to be a change from yet another Michael Palin/Michael Portillo/Top Gear presenter/rent-a-celebrity travelogue.

CyclingBantam

amaferanga wrote:

sbaywatch wrote:

toontra wrote:

amaferanga wrote:

[My point was rather that numerous people do this every year without any interest from the media.

I'm sure Mark Beaumont is a nice guy and the quality of his journalism may be above average, but a talented athlete he is not.

Wow, you must be some super super athlete to post that rubbish. So Mark cycles 100 miles a day for 8 months and he isnt a talented athlete

yeh thats rubbish , and then to cycle the length of the america. I do accept that that isn't the best cycling achievement but hey who cares.

Amaferanga - have you ever cycled over 100 miles ... period , Amaferanga a talented athlete he is not ..... or poster

Ha! Yes I've cycled 100 miles plenty of times thanks. I won't go into the detail of what I have and haven't done as you'll likely think I'm showing off. Suffice to say that I have solo toured >20,000km in Africa and have cycled >400km in a day plenty of times. So I think I can comment on whether in my opinion someone is a talented athlete!

I would class myself as a fairly average cyclist. Not particularly talented, same as Beaumont.

Btw have you even heard of Nick Sanders? Jure Robic? If not go away and read about them and you'll appreciate what a truly talented athlete really is.

It amazes me how precious people are about Mark Beaumont. If you think that what he did was extraordinary then its likely because you've never tried anything similar yourself.

I'm sorry but that is the most depressing negative tosh I have read today. I'm not sure Mark has ever claimed to be a supreme athlete. He is notable because of the sum of all the things he does. The whole trip, his fitness, his personality and his ingenuity to publicise and make interesting the whole lot.

To then come on here and seemingly just criticise what is an exceptional acheivement (I am not aware of many others that have done what Mark has done (the whole package remember) is bizare at best. I think it really does say a lot about the person criticising.

Sure plenty may have achieved greater cycling feats however I don't see anyone claiming they have not. You may have Marks cycling talents (although I doubt you have the mental toughness with such a negative attitude) but I dout you have acheived anywhere near what he has.

In terms of being amazed that people think what he has done is extrordinary, well it is. I don't know anyone who has cycled unsupported round the world and no, I have not done it and neither have you. Jeez.

I'm cycling to Italy from Northern England in June and when I complete the trip I will be really proud becasue I know it is something a lot of people can't do. Obviously for you that is just a pootle to the shops. To cycle round the world to me is incredible. You must be very hard to impress. I hope that you don't lose out on the excitement the rest of us get from thinks like this as you are missing out on a lot.

I will be looking forward to Marks trip on the BBC. I can't wait.

amaferanga

One of my favourite writers is Dervla Murphy. I admire her for her achievements and her spirit of adventure. If you haven't already, I suggest you get hold of a couple of her books and compare what she achieved and her personality to that of Beaumont. In my opinion one of them is exceptional. You may disagree.

BenBlyth wrote:

To then come on here and seemingly just criticise what is an exceptional acheivement (I am not aware of many others that have done what Mark has done (the whole package remember) is bizare at best. I think it really does say a lot about the person criticising.

To you it's exceptional, to me its not. Why does that make me wrong? To the lazy and obese population cycling 10 miles might seem like an exceptional achievement.

BenBlyth wrote:

You may have Marks cycling talents (although I doubt you have the mental toughness with such a negative attitude) but I dout you have acheived anywhere near what he has.

Well I have the mental toughness to travel through foreign lands without the back-up of a satellite phone to get me out of there if something goes wrong. Oh but hang on a minute, you've read a couple of my posts on an internet forum so you know all about my character, personality and achievements :roll:

BenBlyth wrote:

I hope that you don't lose out on the excitement the rest of us get from thinks like this as you are missing out on a lot

Really? You don't think that my memories of my own trips are more significant to me than reading about Mark Beaumont's trips!?


Maybe Mark Beaumont didn't claim to be an exceptional athlete, but there seems to be a bit of a myth circulating on the internet that he is.

CyclingBantam

I just think it is poor form to poo poo things for no real reason. It is much better to celebrate what you like as opposed to put down what others are interested.

I may never match your acheivements. Lets just be clear, I never claimed to know you, just pointed out what your comments said to me.

P.s. You won the argument with the rolling eyes!

megilleland

Just picked this up from the CTC website "Travelling the world on a bicycle" and an inspiration for all cycle tourists.

pneumatic

pneumatic wrote:

Such a nice bloke, too.

As OP, I don't recall starting any "myths circulating on the internet" about him being a talented athlete, but he seems to be ahead in at least one contest with our friend from Sheffield.

tailwindhome

amaferanga wrote:

Btw have you even heard of Nick Sanders? Jure Robic? If not go away and read about them and you'll appreciate what a truly talented athlete really is.

Not getting involved in this argument

But could you point me to links about this Nick Sanders fellow. Trying a bit of Google Fu but can only find brief mention of his cycling exploits, most references to him relate to motorcycling

Thanks

ralex

http://cycling-books.com/Great_Bike_Rid ... anders.htm