Mountainous bicycle challenge complete
Mark Beaumont cycled the length of North and South America in nine months
A British cyclist has said how "absolutely ecstatic" he feels to have finished a nine-month journey through the world's longest mountain range.
Mark Beaumont, pedalled the length of the American Cordillera, setting off from Anchorage in Alaska last May and reaching his final destination in Ushuaia, at the tip of Argentina, at 3.38pm on Thursday 18th February.
The challenging route saw 27-year-old Mark climb the 20,320 ft-high Mount McKinley in North America in June, and last month he reached the top of the even higher Mount Aconcagua in Argentina - a formidable 22,841 ft.
While resting his saddle sores in Ushuaia, Mr Beaumont, from Fife, said: "When I first finished I was pretty emotional because it's been nine months on the road alone and pushing it pretty hard on the mountains and on the bike.
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"To get to the final point I was, I mean, absolutely ecstatic. It's been such an obsession for so long."
Fans followed his journey on an online BBC blog, where Mr Beaumont gave video updates filmed on a camera he named Wilson.
In February 2008, Mr Beaumont became the fastest man to cycle around the world, covering 18,296 miles in 194 days and 17 hours - smashing the previous record by 81 days.
