Around the world in 80 days… on a bicycle

British cyclist Mark Beaumont gets set to prepare for a world record attempt to cycle around the world in 80 days, by starting off with a warm-up around the coast of the British Isles in 20 days.(photo grabbed from Reuters video)
British cyclist Mark Beaumont gets set to prepare for a world record attempt to cycle around the world in 80 days, by starting off with a warm-up around the coast of the British Isles in 20 days. (Grabbed from Reuters video)

LONDON, United Kingdom (Reuters) — British cyclist Mark Beaumont is getting ready to cycle around the British coastline beginning on Tuesday (April 4) as he prepares to smash the world record and cycle around the globe in 80 days this summer.

Beaumont is looking to cycle around 18,000 miles (29,000 kilometers) across the planet in just 80 days, starting from Paris on July 2.

His trip will see him crossing east across Europe through Poland, Russia, Mongolia and China, before hopping onto a plane and cycling from Perth to Brisbane across the deserts of Australia.

He will then cycle again through New Zealand, before crossing North America from Alaska to eastern Canada, and finally start again from Lisbon and cycle back to Paris.

He aims to cycle around 16 hours every day.

Beaumont managed to cycle around the world in 194 days back in 2008 and is aiming to be more than twice as quick.

The current record is held by New Zealander Andrew Nicholson who in 2015 managed the feat in 123 days.