Mark Beaumont

Mark Ian Macleod Beaumont (born 1 January 1983) is a British long-distance cyclist, broadcaster and author. He holds the record for cycling round the world, completing his route on 18 September 2017, having taken less than 79 days. On 18 February 2010 Beaumont completed a quest to cycle the Americas, cycling from Anchorage, Alaska, US to Ushuaia in Southern Argentina, for a BBC Television series. In the summer of 2011 Beaumont joined a six-man team to row from Resolute Bay in the Nunavut Territory, Canada to the 1996 location of the North Magnetic Pole. Each of these expeditions was filmed for BBC One documentaries. On 1 February 2012 Beaumont and his team of rowers were rescued from the Atlantic Ocean when their rowing boat capsized during a crossing from Morocco to Barbados. On 21 May 2015 he rode from Cairo to Cape Town (10,000 km) and broke the world record for fastest solo ride for the length of Africa by finishing in 42 days and 8 hours. Personal life Beaumont was born in Swindon, Wiltshire and raised in Scotland, where he was home-schooled until the age of 11 by his mother, Una. He was then educated at the High School of Dundee. At age 15, he completed a solo ride the length of Great Britain from John o'Groats to Land's End. He has a degree in politics from the University of Glasgow. He was awarded Graduate of the Year 2009 from that university, and won the 2010 Glenfiddich Spirit of Scotland Award. In 2012 he was awarded the degree of Doctor of Laws honoris causa from the University of Dundee. Beaumont was made Rector of the University of Dundee in January 2016.