Mark Beaumont: When it comes to adventure cycling, it doesn't get much bigger than
the dream to cycle around the world. I first set my sights on that when I was 22 years old,
and I went out there trekking style on my own for about half a year.
I came back to it over 10 years later, fully supported, racing, and take it to another level.
The film of my most recent record around the world in 80 days has just been released on GCN+,
and it's the perfect opportunity to reflect not just on those adventures,
but also on my two completely different record-breaking bikes.
I always said before I left, regardless of the outcome,
we're never to regret giving this a go. [sound effect]
Two very different bikes, but both of them have been 18,000 miles
around the planet. When I first had that dream, I simply thought, "Let's cycle around the world
because if I've only got one chance, let's make it as big as possible." I had no idea that it would
lead to a lifetime of adventure cycling. In a strange way, my own career has
mirrored the changes that we've seen across the board in adventure cycling, going from
trekking style through to much lighter and performance-driven. I exaggerate to make a point,
but that bike pretty much weighs the same as the back wheel of that bike.
This is the 2007 Koga Signature World Traveler. This took 194 days and 17 hours to pedal around
the planet. It makes it sound like it did it by itself, but we were a good team. I can't tell
you how excited I was when I first built up this steed. I lived in a flat, literally just
around the corner from here, a mechanic in a shop across the road. I was a student. It was a massive
step-up from everything I'd ever ridden before, but I was going to be riding 100 miles a day
every day for half a year. I'd split up my days thinking I'll ride four times, two-hour sets,
I thought, eight hours in the bike a day. Really the adventure happens off the bike
rather than on the bike. It's like, where are you going to sleep every night? Where are you
going to get clean water from and your next meal? I remember, because I've got to carry
five pannier bags, two small ones in the front, two big ones at the back, and then the tent and
all your kit goes on the top of the back. You've got so much weight. The handling of this thing
couldn't be more different than if you've only ever ridden a road bike or mountain bike before.
I chose to have an internal gearing system, so hub gears, so you're riding a straight chain. You can
have a slightly wider chain so you get more wear. Remember back then it doesn't seem that long ago,
but 15 years ago, disc brakes hadn't really made a splash on the scene. I'm still riding old rim
brakes. I did have issues with wearing out my rims because you've got so much weight on this bike.
The electrics because it would be riding into the night sometimes, I had a dynamo
front hub, which worked a dream until I got to Louisiana in the deep South, then I had a
crash at crossroads, which buckled the front wheel, broke a lot of this. I ended up having
to rebuild my front wheel and change the light. It never worked quite so well for
the final 2,000, 3000 miles around the world. I'll tell you what, when I hit the side of that
car, I went over the bonnet, broke the windscreen, it was like riding into it with a snowplow. This
thing with all the weight behind it it's like I had a bull bar on my bike. I wouldn't recommend
any crash to anyone, but if you are going to have a ding, then a bike as heavy as this
and built up for a big expedition does give you a bit of a buffer if things do go wrong.
I chose butterfly bars. I was thinking then I wanted as many options as possible for my hands,
move around these grip shift gears, double taped for a bit more comfort, but it's a super upright
position. I think the only commonality between the first and the second time I cycled around the
world was the saddle I rode because once you know and like a saddle and are familiar with it, then
it's quite hard to change. I've been asked so many times what is the around-the-world
saddle to use? I'm like, "Well, don't use mine because what works for me, won't work for you."
That's probably the only thing that's the same. This is a super upright position. I was sitting
there comfortable all day, every day, trekking style, looking at the world around me, filming
as I went. This is your home on two wheels. I do reflect on that first time around the planet as a
proper adventure, not just because of this amazing bike and the places we went, but just also because
of where I was. I was a 22-year-old setting out just having, never seen the world. This vehicle,
this bicycle just gave me such a freedom, 100 miles a day, half a year. Back then that was good
enough for a Guinness world record. [music]
This definitely could not get around the world in 80 days. Let's check out the other one.
Wow. I love the bronze color. [music]
When I first saw this bike, I was just so excited and it's an [unintelligible 00:06:36]
race machine, even looks fast standing still. Still built for endurance, exactly the same world
record, 18,000 miles around planet Earth. This time we were going 240 miles a day and the whole
thing is over in two and a half months. Speaker 2: Mark Beaumont
cycling around the world in 80 days. Mark: This is everything I felt towards.
An incredible challenge. I can see from my team, this unblinking belief that I could do it.
The choices I was making for the second time around the world were all about speed.
How do I make this bike go faster? How do I get every possible efficiency? This time it
wasn't really about the adventure off the bike. It was very much about just making the miles.
The last two, three hours just opened out, just perfectly straight roads,
and I just flew. It's a wonderful feeling.
Starting from the cockpit, the front end,
I was 1,200 hours. Most of the time was spent on the skis on the tri-bars stretched out. It's super
important when you're riding endurance to have multiple hand positions. Still got the flats,
still got the drops, still got the lugs, but a lot of the time is spent here, super comfortable
out on the skis, of course, more aerodynamic as well. Wearing an aero helmet with a visor as well,
just to get every efficiency I could. Speaker 3:
Mark might be riding until after 11 midnight and have two hours sleep. He's had a very hard day and
he'll have another one tomorrow. Mark: I
chose to ride with hydraulic brakes this time stopping par pretty important. DI2 electronic
gearing. Again, when you're hundreds and hundreds of hours riding that little-- feels like you're
playing a game as opposed to moving mechanical gears. It feels insignificant when you start out,
but once you're deep into an around-the-world cycle, having that simplicity of gear changing
is so nice and so important. It's that lovely, lovely electronic noise, which is quite addictive.
I do think, and I know this is a really geeky point, but I love the noise that bikes make, which
gives you that sense of peace and efficiency. This bike's got a really loud, freehub in it.
It's just beautiful, that click, click, click, click, click, click, click when you stop pedaling.
I think there is something psychological about looking down on your bike and listening to
it as you ride, and it just feels fast, which I know is incredibly unscientific,
but as somebody who spent a huge amount of time on the bike, that connection with your bike is
super important. [music]
It's just been absolutely glorious. Smooth, rolling. I'll take that. Deep section wheels.
These are 47s. I would sometimes switch out the front for a 32 mil if there was a big side wind,
but carbon wheels just like I have a carbon frame now, the wheels probably make the biggest
difference when it comes to endurance riding. Anyone interested in going fast, everyone geeks
out on their frame and their componentry and they forget about wheels. Wheels are what make
you go fast. 47 mil, deep sections and switching that front out for a 32 mil if it gets windy.
The bike weighs about seven and a half kilos, maybe slightly more with these bars on it.
You've just got none of the luxuries that I had the first time around. Clearly, no pannier racks,
but it's a much more racy position. It's actually less comfortable, but you certainly cut through
the air and cover the miles. That's an absolute dream scenario. A hell of a ride. I've done the
first two-hour blocks of the day and I'm already about 20, 25 miles up on where I would plan to be.
The other trick up my sleeve is that we had multiple bikes. When I landed at each continent,
I could switch on to a fresh bike. They're identical to look at. The only way I know
the difference between these bikes is the color of the top cap, and this one is the red bike.
It's a bike that I absolutely love. So much time and care went into it. I joke because
recently, I bought a house which is one of those milestone moments in your life but I'll tell you
something, I spent a lot more time thinking about and specking out this bike than I did buying my
house. That's the amount of detail that went into caring that this was the right bike for the job.
There you have it, two very different bikes, two different generations. I absolutely
love them both. They both bear scars from those adventures. The thing they have in common,
they've both been around the planet. [music]
If I knew everything that the last 78, 79 days has been, would I do it again? No.
No rational being could possibly commit to it in full awareness of what it entails but that's
the great thing about trying to do things which have never been tried before that you are taking
a step into the unknown. [applause]
I hope you enjoyed a close look at both my around-the-world bikes. They couldn't be more
different. Do leave a comment below and be kind. I love those bikes. Head over to GCN+ so you can
watch the Around the World In 80 Days documentary. [00:13:26] [END OF AUDIO]