Interview with Mark Beaumont

Having cycled round the world in 194 days and breaking a World Record in the process before going on to climb two of the highest mountains in the world and cycling the Americas over some of the toughest mountain ranges imaginable whilst making a television documentary Mark Beaumont is used to finding himself in challenging situations. I on the other hand have never climbed a mountain, can't really cycle more than ten miles, am pretty useless with a video camera and have never interviewed anyone, so to start with this truly amazing adventurer was just a little bit daunting!

I needn't have worried as Mark couldn't have been more open about his experiences and was happy to fill in the blanks with answers to the questions I should have been asking during the times when I became a little too star struck to keep track. Mark was driving back up to Scotland after too many days south of the border but thankfully his mobile signal held out long enough for us to get through the interview.

I looked at you tour dates and I couldn't see anything happening in Dundee, when is your next event in the city?

I know, The Company that organised my tour was only able to get certain cities fitted into the tour schedule for a variety of reasons but I am doing an event for my little sister on the 25^th of May at Dundee Uni and would also like to do more events in Dundee and Scotland in the future.

The internet is buzzing with the story of your round the world trip and there was even a BBC documentary about your trip down the length of the Americas but what happened before that? What inspired you to embark on such a terrific undertaking?

Well I had always been a keen cyclist, so much so that at the age of twelve I embarked on my first major cycling trip taking me from Discovery Point in Dundee to Oban on the other side of Scotland. I guess you could say that it all started in Dundee with me leaving from Discovery Point and it just grew from there. At fifteen I cycled John o Groats to Lands End. I went to Glasgow Uni to study Finance and kept up with my cycling whilst I was there. Once I finished my degree I guess I realised that I had wanted to do something a bit different. Cycling round the world seemed like a good example of something different.

You have seen some amazing places on your travels and so have we thanks to your BBC documentary but I want your honest opinion on how the city of Dundee compares to other cities you have seen.

Well I went to the High school of Dundee so I can't help but think of Dundee as home which makes it very different from anywhere else in the world. When I was travelling I would try to avoid cities as much as possible as they slow you down but I know Dundee so much better than any other city and I think it's great. When I was at school there was the Wellgate centre and that was about it but now the Overgate has been built and the waterfront regeneration project is well underway and the city is re-inventing itself. I guess one of the other fundamental differences between Dundee and other cities is that whilst most of the places I saw were huge sprawling metropolises Dundee remains a small compact city that stands apart even in Scotland, never mind Asia and America.

During your adventures there must have been times when you wanted to give up and get the next plane home. How did you find the drive to keep going?

Absolutely, there were several moments where I really felt like giving and some of them where you might least expect. One of the hardest stages of my initial round the world trip was the ear before I set off. Being knocked back by sponsors and trying to get a little interest from the media became very difficult and it would have been easy to give up at that point but I am a great believer that the tougher it gets the more important it is to keep going. Things were different when I was finally on my way as your focus changes from the bigger picture to the day to day. I couldn't let myself think about the next 4000 km I had left to cycle but rather what could I accomplish that day without considering the next; I had to blank out everything else. 

Apart from the obvious - family and friends, what did you miss the most when you were travelling?

Well my family and friends were what I missed the most, especially since this is kind of a family business and we all work very closely together. My mum manages my events and arranges interviews for me so you can imagine that being separated from all the people I work with on a daily basis when I am on tour is quite difficult. I guess I also missed home cooked food.

And now that you are back in the UK what is it that you miss most about the open road?

I guess I miss the simplicity of life when travelling. My only goal was to make it through the day and cycle as far as possible with only a camera and the sound of my own voice for company. Of course it was a pretty big culture shock coming back home to interviews and tours but I am used to new scenarios. I was home schooled for my primary education and then I went to The High school of Dundee for secondary education with around one thousand other kids so I have has some experience of the different extremes. Human beings love routine and I miss that.

So what are your plans for the next big adventure?

Well I have only been back home a matter of weeks after the Americas and I need to give my body time to get back to full strength before considering my next move. I have a few ideas but it's safe to say that my next big adventure will not be until 2011.

Many people have their own personal heroes and I have no doubt that for many long distance cyclists you must be one of them but who is your hero and why?

I don't have particular heroes as such but the work of other people who I admire have influenced my life and the decisions I have made. I really appreciate people like David Attenburgh and Lance Armstrong but I wouldn't call them my heroes.

A lot of people feel very inspired by the work you have done and the amazing goals you have set yourself and met. What advice would you give to anyone wanting to tackle a similarly difficult and audacious task?

Determination is absolute key. I spent half a year being rejected by sponsors and having so many people telling me that it would be completely impossible. If I had listened to them or gave in to the massive pressure to quit then I wouldn't be where I am today.  As I mentioned earlier getting to the start line is sometimes the hardest part. Be bloody minded about it and no matter what everyone else does don't doubt yourself!

You may not have made your mind up yet but do you think you will stop taking on these massive time consuming adventures as you get older or do you see yourself a bit like Ranulph Fiennes and adventuring into your old age?

No I won't do it forever. I don't know what the future holds but I may want a career, a family and kids and it just wouldn't be fair to expect my family to cope whilst I was away for months on end travelling. What I am doing at the moment is a bit of a cross between a job and a lifestyle and I think that the skills I am picking up just now will be hugely useful in the future wherever I am and whatever I am doing.

To Find out more about Mark and his adventures visit his site here