Cyclist reaching halfway point in round the world bid

A Scottish endurance athlete is looking likely to reach the halfway mark of his effort to cycle around the world in record time.

Mark Beaumont is on track to hit 9,000 miles (14,484km) by the end of Tuesday, as part of his challenge to circumnavigate the globe in 80 days.

He kicked off his journey is Paris in July and has spent 16 hours a day on the bike, travelling through more than 10 countries to reach the mid-way stage.

The 34-year-old said: "It's a huge relief and achievement to be at the halfway point. The impact of riding 240 miles per day is a test of physical and mental strength. Weather conditions and logistics are also daily challenges, as well as coping with continually changing time zones.

"I'm having to draw on all of my experience as an endurance athlete but, through all of the trials, I am loving every minute of it. It's been an amazing experience cycling through the first 10 countries and being exposed to different cultures.

"I am especially pleased about completing stage one, as it was unknown territory, and I'm enjoying being back on familiar roads through Australia."

Beaumont cycled from the French capital through Germany, Poland, Russia and Mongolia to complete stage one in Beijing.

He is now more than 2,000 miles (3,218km) into his second stage through Australia, which will also take him the length of New Zealand to finish stage two in Auckland.

After completing stage two, the Scottish cyclist will fly to Anchorage and make his way to Halifax for stage three, beginning the final leg in Lisbon, Portugal.

He is anticipated to be back in Paris by Thursday September 21.

The current Guinness World Record for cycling around the world is 123 days.

But Beaumont's record attempt nearly ended after he fell off his bike on day nine.

He said: "I thought I had lost my front teeth and done a lot more damage than I had.

"I didn't know how serious it was for the first couple of minutes. It was sensitive, and would have got worse so we had to put a temporary filling on it.

"The fall could have ended the whole expedition, so I got away lucky.