Around the world in 80 days sounded like a challenge to Mark Beaumont.
The 34-year-old British cyclist decided he had the legs to beat that time.
He headed east out of Paris on Sunday, July 2, on an 18,000 route takes him across Poland, Russia, Mongolia, and China.
He will take a plane to Australia and cycle across that. After crossing New Zealand, Beaumont will fly to Alaska.
He will cross Canada, then take a jet to Lisbon, and ride back to Paris.
Beaumont is planning to ride 16 hours a day.
Beaumont rode around the world in 2008, but he took 194 days.
In 2010 he rode the Americas, from Alaska to Argentina. In 2015 he rode Africa top-to-bottom, biking from Cairo the Cape Town in 42 days.
Beaumont has a support crew, which carries food, water, camping gear, and spare parts. All the Brit has to do is sit on the saddle and spin the pedals—all day long, day after day, until September.
The current around-the-world cycling record belongs to Andrew Nicholson. The New Zealander finished the trip in 123 days in 2015.
