The man who cycled the Americas

Record Breaker Aims for New Heights on Journey Which Will Be Charted In a Unique BBC Multiplatform Venture

Mark Beaumont, the young cyclist who broke the record for pedalling around the world, is getting back on his bike this month (May 2009) to begin one of the most awe-inspiring journeys on earth. The remarkable adventurer will endure the new challenges entirely on his own with his life packed into saddle bags.

His eight month quest to cycle the longest mountain range on the planet -the American Cordillera, which runs from the Alaskan Ranges past the Rockies to the Andes - will be followed on live online and radio with a television series documenting the journey all being produced by the BBC.

Mark, aged 26, is geared up to take the audience with him in a new ground-breaking way for the BBC. He will post regular blogs to a dedicated the website on bbc.co.uk/cyclingtheamericas and he will also be telling the story in social networks including Twitter, Flickr, Facebook and Bebo. Listeners to Greg James on BBC Radio 1 (weekdays 04.00 - 06.30) will also be able to follow the journey, as Greg links up with Mark at various points along the way. Meanwhile, on BBC One television, Breakfast will be following Mark as he pushes himself to the limit of mental and physical endurance. His videos will also be available on the BBC and YouTube.

BBC Scotland will produce a three-part series for network BBC One as well as a rich offering of online content which will enable interaction between Mark and the audiences throughout the exhilarating and gruelling journey.

Mark begins his epic venture on 27th May 2009 in Alaska and will be on the road continuously until February 2010 when he reaches his destination at the southern tip of the Andes in Argentina. He will travel alone through fifteen countries.

He said: "I'm really looking forward to getting back in the saddle for another epic adventure. There will be plenty of highs along the way - and no doubt a few lows when the going gets particularly tough. "But I know I'll draw strength from interaction with online followers who will be able to stay in touch all along the route."

David Peat, BBC Producer, of this and his last epic journey: "I can honestly say that I have never met anyone as mentally and physically tough as Mark. What he achieved around the world was awesome. But on this trip he craves a test over and above the cycling. He'll get it as he pushes up into the challenges of high altitude climbing where the physical effects can be devastating even on someone as fit as him."

"What is brilliant for the audience is they can follow his triumphs and his pain in a ground-breaking way. They will be able to see, hear and read about his amazing adventure mile-by-mile. Mark will use the latest technology to bring the audience as close to his journey as possible - long before it hits our TV screens."

Mark's odyssey will take in the extremes of the Cordillera's weather, from the -30C freeze of the Arctic to sweltering +30C heat of the Peruvian desert, and will include climbs up the two highest peaks on the continents, Mount McKinley in Alaska and Aconcagua in Argentina.

Along the way Mark will encounter a host of colourful characters whose lives are shaped by the mountains and will witness some of the remarkable events and see the memorable landmarks of the Cordillera. Mark will be completely immersed in a variety of cultures on his incredible journey, living by the roadside as he makes his way South.