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Tag: mark beaumont

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Edge of Heaven – New film launches new bikepacking and cycle routes on Route YC

Today we have launched a network of twelve new routes for gravel cycling, bikepacking, cycle touring, road cycling and touring, ranging from 9 to 260 miles (15 – 415 km) in length on Route YC on the Yorkshire Coast. Like our ‘Explore Your Boundaries Argyll‘ the new film produced by Markus Stitz – ‘Edge of Heaven’ – features world record holders Mark Beaumont and Jenny Graham and takes you on a journey through some of the region’s best coast and countryside scenery and local attractions.

Adventure Bikepacking Route

At the heart of the collection is the Route YC Adventure Route. It starts and finishes at Scarborough Railway Station and features stunning cliffs and beaches, remote moors, dark skies, picturesque villages and towns. Designed for gravel bikes, the bikepacking route is equally fun on mountain bikes, combining a good mix of gravel paths, singletrails, cycle path and quiet roads – at times on fast and flat sections, at other times negotiating the hills that give riders a taste of real Yorkshire grit. A friendly Yorkshire welcome is guaranteed where riders stop.

Adventure Weekender Route

A shorter bikepacking route, the Route YC Adventure Weekender, packs in everything that is unique about the Yorkshire Coast into a long weekend, and a Route YC Cycle Touring Route from the ferry terminal in Hull to Staithes, offers a stunning journey along the coast on touring and e-bikes.

Endorsed by world cyclists

Mark Beaumont comments: ‘Whilst of course the bike’s the best way in my humble opinion to explore the world on two wheels, it’s not just about the riding. It’s about discovering these beautiful little Yorkshire villages and little market towns. There’s a lot of history in this area which I’ve really appreciated coming across and seeing by bike.’

Jenny Graham comments: ‘If somebody was coming out here on their first bikepacking trip, then they would be able to tailor it so it was really manageable. And equally, if people are out here and they are really experienced, then they have the option of making the days a bit more challenging and a bit harder. And I think that’s something quite unique about this route.’

The new Route YC cycle routes have been developed in partnership with navigation and route planning app, Komoot. Designed by Great British Gravel Rides author and Bikepacking Scotland founder Markus Stitz, they will help local people and visitors of all ages and abilities explore the Yorkshire coast and countryside on gravel, touring and road bikes. Several day trips start in the Yorkshire coast towns of Whitby, Scarborough, Filey, Bridlington, Hornsea and Withernsea, and the North York Moors village of Grosmont.

Rob Marshall, Marketing Manager UK at Komoot, said: ‘Komoot has been committed to providing a wide range of adventure inspiration since its inception – so we’re delighted to be supporting Route YC in creating accessible cycling adventures for everyone. The new cycle routes will showcase the diversity of the Yorkshire coast landscape and provide people with the inspiration to saddle up and enjoy everything the region has to offer.’

The new cycle route itineraries are available at routeyc.co.uk/cycling and komoot.com/user/routeyc. ‘Edge of Heaven’ is available on YouTube. People can also follow Route YC on social media, on Facebook at facebook.com/RouteYC, on Instagram at www.instagram.com/routeyc and X (Twitter) at twitter.com/routeyc.

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Round the world cyclists explore Scotland’s Adventure Coast in a new film

After the success of their first two Explore Your Boundaries films, round the world cyclists Mark Beaumont and Markus Stitz have teamed up with Jenny Graham, the fastest woman to cycle around the world, and filmmaker and photographer Maciek Tomiczek to explore the boundary of Scotland’s Adventure Coast. Their journey is beautifully captured in a new 14-min film ‘Explore Your Boundaries – Argyll and the Isles’, which has just been released on YouTube.

Their 500-mile (800km) route is a key feature of Wild About Argyll’s Pedaddling initiative, led by Argyll & The Isles Tourism Cooperative with funding from VisitScotland, which is showcasing the wealth of people-powered adventures available to the novice and the enthusiast across the breadth of Argyll and the Isles, easily accessible by public transport. The film was produced with additional support from Schwalbe Tyres UK, and sees the three adventurers using their gravel bikes as well as ferries and boats to travel along the boundary of Argyll and explore its rugged coasts and beautiful scenery.

Mark Beaumont commented: “I love the idea behind Explore Your Boundaries; you don’t need to go far to find adventure – and that is surprisingly true of Argyll, sitting immediately to the west of Glasgow. This was a much longer route than our rides in 2021. The rugged Argyll coastline and the Inner Hebridean islands were perfect to showcase opportunities to find new routes to inspire people to get out. We are spoilt for choice in terms of places to go in Scotland, and I want to give people the quiet confidence of getting out there and having adventures themselves, to appreciate wild spaces and get a new understanding of what’s on their doorstep.”

Jenny Graham commented: “It was exciting to be joining Mark and Markus to explore the boundary of Argyll and the Isles. I think it’s the perfect concept to showcase the adventure potential available from your doorstep. We were using Scotrail’s Highland Explorer carriage and Calmac ferries for part of our journey, which made getting to and cycling in the wild and diverse area of Argyll all the more accessible. Each time I adventure in this area I’m left with the feeling that I’ve only just scratched the surface.”

The three round the world cyclists cycled the boundary of Argyll in three ‘chapters’. Mark Beaumont and Markus Stitz kicked off their adventures in May with boat ride with Venture West from Crinan to the northern end of the Isle of Jura, cycling on gravel tracks and ‘The Long Road’ along the island’s rugged east coast to Craighouse, and on to the ferry from Feolin to Port Askaig. After a loop on Islay, including a visit to Bunnahabhain Distillery and Finlaggan, the Centre of the Lordship of the Isles, they continued their journey with Calmac Ferries via Colonsay to Oban, and from there to Tobermory on the Isle of Mull. While the original plan was to cycle on Coll and Tiree on the third day, high winds meant that both cyclists couldn’t travel to the smaller islands. The great gravel tracks and quiet coastal roads on the Isle of Mull offered a great alternative, and Mark and Markus finished the first chapter by taking the ferry back to Oban.

The second chapter of ‘Explore Your Boundaries – Argyll and the Isles’ took Jenny Graham and Markus Stitz from Dunoon on the Cowal Peninsula to Helensburgh, bikepacking parts of the Wild About Argyll Trail and Dunoon Dirt Dash routes. From Helensburgh the two cyclists put their waterproofs to a proper test and rode in, at times torrential, rain on the John Muir Way and Sustrans Lochs and Glens North route to Balmaha, and crossed Loch Lomond by water taxi. From Luss their journey took them along the western shore of the largest lake in Great Britain by surface area, and on the West Highland Way to Crianlarich. After drying all clothes at Crianlarich Youth Hostel they continued on the third day to Tyndrum, and from there through Glen Orchy to Dalmally. Scotrail’s Highland Explorer train took both cyclists to Connel Ferry, from where they cruised to Oban to enjoy a glorious Argyll sunset.

The third chapter of the film involved all three cyclists, accompanied by filmmaker Maciek Tomiczek (‘What Would Mary Do?’). From Cairnbaan they enjoyed their journey along the Crinan Canal and a sunset swim with Dan the Merman, a local wild swimming and snorkelling guide. On the following day they continued along the Knapdale & Kintyre coasts to Tayinloan, and with another Calmac ferry to the Isle of Gigha. From Gigha they carried on along the Kintyre 66 route to Southend at the Mull of Kintyre, and then along the Caledonia Way from Campbeltown to Tarbert. After another ferry and breakfast at Portavadie Marina they continued along Argyll’s Secret Coast to Colintraive, and around the Isle of Bute to Rothesay, to finish the ride on the Canada Hill serpentine road.

Cathy Craig, CEO at Wild About Argyll, said: “Appetite for the great outdoors grew massively during lockdown with bike, SUP and wetsuit sales rocketing. This summer, we created Pedaddling to encourage everyone to leave the car behind and enjoy people-powered adventures in stunning locations on Scotland’s Adventure Coast. And as you’ll see from the film, Mark, Jenny and Markus are the perfect people to showcase what is on offer on Glasgow’s doorstep.” 

David Adams McGilp, Regional Director VisitScotland, said: “Every year tens of thousands of visitors come to Scotland to explore our country by bike, including the stunning scenery and coastline around Argyll & Isles, and we expect this epic journey will inspire many more. There’s no better time to celebrate the power of the bike, as we countdown to next year’s UCI Cycling World Championships taking place in Glasgow and across Scotland.”

The film is available to watch with English and German subtitles on YouTube here, and the full route can be found on the Wild About Argyll Komoot channel here. More about Explore Your Boundaries can be found here.

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Mark Beaumont tells the tale of GBDURO – his Maiden Race – in a new film from Bikepacking Scotland founder Markus Stitz

An extraordinary race with a bizarre twist in the final stage gives GBDURO victory to the Around-the-World record holder in his first-ever race 

Despite a career of world-firsts in endurance cycling expeditions, Mark Beaumont, the current round-the-world record holder, had never competed in anything other than what amounts to very extreme solo time trials.  This summer though, for the first time in his career, he entered a race. And not just any race, arguably the toughest endurance race in the UK, GBDURO. The drama was captured in a new Shimano video called MAIDEN RACE.

With encouragement from Shimano, Komoot, Argon18 and Schwalbe UK, Mark Beaumont found himself on the start line at Land’s End in August 2021 with a daunting task: 

To ride 2000km of gravel and road to the other end of the UK at John O’Groats,  in 4 massive stages of approximately 500km each, reminiscent of early editions of the Tour de France, where racers rode huge non-stop stages, before regrouping for the next mass start.

No stranger to sleep deprivation and turning himself inside-out on a road bike, Beaumont was confident he had the engine, but it was the technical riding across the Snowdonia National Park, the Yorkshire Dales and the Scottish Highlands that would prove to be the real test. Did he have the skills to get to the finish line in John O’Groats? Would his Argon 18 with SHIMANO GRX drivetrain be up to the challenge?

To demonstrate both the interest and the demanding nature of the event, 250 hopeful competitors applied for only 60 places.  Yet by the time the racers left Wales on stage 2, over half the field had given up.  By the finish post in the very north of Scotland, only 14 racers survived.  

Angus Young, who finished 2nd in 2018 and scratched whilst leading in 2019, was desperately unlucky for a third time.  He was the clear winner for the first 3 stages, but with 200km from the finish, disaster struck with a terminal mechanical issue, handing victory to Mark who had consistently ridden into second during each stage. 

This story, plus the wider GBDURO ethos of no flying, leave no trace and no outside assistance, is told through MAIDEN RACE, a beautiful 20-minute documentary shot by film-maker Markus Stitz and narrated by Mark Beaumont. 

Mark Beaumont

Mark Beaumont, GBDURO21 race winner:

“This is truly one of the most punishing rides on bike, body and mind.  There were no easy miles across such relentless terrain. Just finishing was a victory because the person you are really racing is yourself.  And to finish first? First you must finish.  

The film itself shows the wonderful culture of gravel and ultra-endurance racing. I loved how the youngest competitor was 19 and the oldest 59, that five of the top ten finishers were women and everyone, regardless of their day job, their background or their ability level, was taking on a magnificently difficult race as a way of exploring, pushing their boundaries, and ultimately creating timeless memories.  Almost anyone can take on this kind of mad adventure, and I want to encourage more people to do so.”  

Markus Stitz

Markus Stitz, film-maker:

“I wanted this documentary to show the beauty and diversity of bikepacking racing. The gritty moments when the going gets almost impossible, but also the grandeur of being outside in occasions that make up for the hard work. The early morning sunrise, the rides into the sunset, the anguish of wondering whether to stop for a few hours. The best moments happened in the most remote places, and those moments are captured here to tell the story of GBDURO 2021.” 

Ed Wolstenholme

Ed Wolstenholme, The Racing Collective, organiser of GBDURO:

“Maiden Race showcases all that we love about GBDURO; the landscapes, the physical and emotional challenges and the bittersweet joy of the finish. More importantly though it demonstrates that there is a sustainable future for cycle sport which is better for us and our planet.”

The full MAIDEN RACE documentary is available on Shimano’s Youtube channel here.