Watch Mark's latest video diary on the road in Southern Mexico.
Find out more about hydration and nutrition strategies to stay fit and well on a massive expedition on this blog entry, The Values Of Nutrition. Posted by Una Beaumont and Ruth McKean.
You can also get new pictures from Mexico on the flickr stream and stay up to date with Mark on twitter.
Almost 6,000 miles down in Mark's epic journey down the length of the American Cordillera and he's reached the sunny Mexican coast line. The next stretch will be sure to supply some stunning images, with the first view of sunset over the ocean already on flickr.
More updates from Mexico to come on the blog but for now keep an eye on twitter for messages from the Pacific coast.
The first time I have seen the ocean since Anchorage, Alaska, nearly 6000 miles ago.
Discover the full set of photos from Mexico on flickr.
We've had a chance recently to go through Mark's headcam videos and thought you might enjoy this downhill section from his day out in Moab.
Why not pick a tune to play while watching and let us know what you're listening to in a comment? Our Director's suggestion is Hate to Say I Told You So by The Hives, good choice?
It has been a while since I have found time to reply to the many comments and questions on this blog as well as Flickr, Twitter and Facebook.
However please keep up all the feedback - I will reply when possible. There are a good number of you who seem to be online 24/7 and with me for every pedal turn which is great support!
A lot people have got in touch after following this blog, seeing my last documentary or reading my book to share their own expeditions and plans. It is always great to see the 'adventure bug' inspiring people to get up and get out there - it's a big family with great ambitions! In particular have a look at Cycling Nomads and Riding Out The Recession.
Your questions...
Peter White (facebook) Q - Do you, like me, find yourself turning over ideas when cycling and occasionally laughing out loud when you hit on a good one?
A - Yes. I definitely cycle best when I let my mind wander off a bit and get caught up in some grand plan - normally a business or expedition dream and how to make it happen. The absurd ones definitely make me laugh - singing aloud also normally gets strange looks from pedestrians!
@jamietabb (twitter) Q - Just saw your photo of your salt loss through sweat. What do you drink, and eat? Is water enough for just riding?
A - I hope my nutritionists recent blog helped answer this - I have to drink electrolytes each day as well as water to replenish salt and sugar losses.
@RegNom (twitter) Q - I've been wondering if you are using a dynamo or solar recharger for your laptop/mobile battery. I guess not?
A - I use a dynamo on the bike but only for the lights. I use a solar panel for charging the mobile, satellite phone, iPod, and most small electronics but it is not powerful enough to charge the laptop or satellite dish.
@Jailender (twitter) Q - Which country will see you cycle more miles, USA or Mexico? Both look about the same on maps.
A - The USA took 34 days and was 1980 miles. Mexico should take about 38 days and be 2173 miles or thereabouts.
@Metalmike75 (twitter) Q - Nullabor, that poor spider! You must have been scared when you woke up to it. any nasty beasties to avoid this time?
A - This was a reference to when I woke up with a Huntsman spider in my tent in Australia a few year ago. No bad beasties this time yet except the mosquitoes which ate me alive in the Yukon and when I woke up with an ants nest in my shoe!
Have just stopped at the town of Tabasco. Cool name but not where the hot stuff is made. Spent the last couple of days celebrating independence day in Zacatecas. The Mexicans know how to party in style with fireworks, bell ringing and street parades. Here's just some of my pictures from Mexico so far...
Post fiesta, Mark caught up with Greg James live in the early hours of this morning.
Week one in Mexico - what a place. Never have I seen such a distinct culture change over a single border. They say a change is as good as a rest and I have relished the new experience after a seemingly never ending cycle down the USA! When traveling solo your perception of time changes a lot, making some months fly by, others last forever. It actually took 34 days to pedal north to south down America.
Julain has been wonderful company through the border regions of Mexico...
This new energy was just as well as the Chihuahua border region had the extra challenge of being very high risk. I was joined for this area by Julian, a local photo journalist, who writes for Reuters and who has also published a number of books. Covering the first 700km as fast as possible whilst filming the story of the region was a tough task, but Julian was the perfect guy for the job.
We both made a practice of telling people that I was just cycling to the next big town, to divert interest and had a list of other precautions to keep my profile low. Only once was my cover blown when I turn up at a hotel to find there had been a leak and the local press had somehow been tipped off! Apart from keeping me safe Julian also did a great job and introducing the country and its history, culture and...food.(muy picante!)
I am now back on my own and to be honest, the cycling is not particularly exciting, through vast open valleys. However, the big challenge is quickly finding my way with the language and trying to find enough food that I can actually eat!
Despite being my idea of hell, the highlight of my time in Mexico so far was to look around a chilli farm where the fresh plants are smoked and cooked ready for being made into hot sauce! I struggled to film as I was sneezing so much from the spice in the air!
As Mexico celebrates its big day Mark finds himself in the privileged position of helping to take part in the 24-hour long fiesta.
Image courtesy of soupshow via flickr creative commons license
Its been 199 years since Father Hidalgo rang a church bell and rallied his fellow Mexicans to fight for freedom from Spanish rule. Mexican Independence Day celebrates the events and people that eventually resulted in independence. Fiestas up and down the length of the country begin by re-enacting that "cry of independence" by ringing the bells in small villages and hamlets, to the bells of the National Palace in Mexico City.
During the celebrations streets are littered with green, white and red decorations, flags fly high from almost every building as the towns and cities break into the party mood.
It's a grand occasion for the people of Mexico and with still a full day to go keep an eye on the Twitter feed for messages from the party.
We will feature an update from Mark in the next few days about what he thought of the event, and we'll find out if he has managed to stomach the spicy food!
Earlier this year, Mark and I met Tom Kevill-Davies who wrote the book The Hungry Cyclist after he completed his own great journey through South America. As you can imagine Mark and Tom ran out of time telling stories from the road!
Continuing on the food and nutirion aspect of Mark's journey, I called Tom last week to ask him about the food Mark will find and what will be good for him as he cycles through Mexico. Tom has kindly written down his top tips and sent us some photographs.
As Mark continues his epic ride through the Americas and heads further south things are going to change. Music, language and lifestyle will become more Latin-American influenced. As he leaves the developed surroundings of the United States and enters Mexico the cycling will change too. Empty stretches of smooth American tarmac with wide shoulders will be replaced by thundering trucks, pot-holes and road kill.
Images courtesy of Tom Kevill-Davies - The Hungry Cyclist
The USA into Mexico is one of the only land crossings where a turn of the pedals can transport the rider from one world into another. Some pessimistic Americans will already have filled Mark's head with tales of dangers and misfortune. But he shouldn't let these doom mongers put him off.
Mexico is a beautiful and peaceful country, her people are some of the kindest in the world. In terms of food Mexico is the culinary gem of the Americas. From the dry deserts of the North, along abundant coastlines, through indigenous heartlands and into the tropical jungles, for a hungry cyclist Mexico is a complete treat.
Watch Mark's latest video diary on the road in Northern Mexico.
As well as being Mark's Mum I have worked with him since the day he left Paris on his World Cycle. It was a quick learning curve taking over the reins of Mark's "expedition business" and having no computer skills! Whilst Mark is on the road, I am on a parallel journey back home in Scotland; researching. liaising, updating, networking and attending to anything else that crops up.
Part of my role as Mark's expedition co-ordinator is to take advice from sports and technical experts. Sports Nutritionist Ruth McKean helped Mark before and during his world cycle and continues to give valuable advice. Ruth has kindly written a three part article for the blog which will feature over the next few weeks.
The first article focuses on Mark's nutrition challenges for cycling the Americas...
Mark's Energy Needs
by Ruth McKean
In my view nutrition and sleep are the most significant 'controllable' factors as to whether Mark can achieve his end goal. However when food is unfamiliar, not always available in type and quantity or at the time he needs, Mark's goal is much more of a challenge beyond the obvious physical hardship of day on day exhaustive exercise.
It has been estimated that Mark should aim to eat 6000kcal per day (more than twice what a typical active man may require) although some days he may use considerably more than this. This extreme daily energy need will require a significant contribution from all three energy sources: carbohydrates, fat and protein.
Mark found the perfect vantage point to discover Mexico yesterday when he met an experienced cyclist with an unusual mode of transport.
Visit Flickr to find more pictures from Mark's epic 15,000 mile journey down the Americas.
A few weeks ago at the side of the road in Moab, USA Mark bumped into Mike and Alanna Clear, a husband and wife team, who are making their own documentary about marriage called Going the Distance.
The couple are on similar journey to Mark travelling by motorbike and sidecar from Alaska to Argentina in search of the answer to long-lasting love. Not content with appearing in one documentary Mark stopped to share his thoughts on the subject.
You can follow Mike and Alanna's progress on their blog and also on facebook and twitter.
Saturday (5 September) recorded Mark's 100th day in the saddle and his first full day in Mexico. A new chapter in the journey is about to begin as he leaves behind the USA and Canada for a more unpredictable adventure in the Spanish speaking south.
Mark called on a crackly line from Mexico over the weekend and left us a voicemail about his first few days and his thoughts on the road south.
It's good time to rediscover some of the highlights from beginning of the journey. We have listed a handful of some best bits from the last three months, and you can find loads more content in the blog and masses of photos on flickr.
As Mark mentioned he's been on the same section of the route from his record breaking world cycle, well we have managed to dust off an interview from the fresh faced adventurer as he heads for New Mexico in January 2008, and it seems like some things never change.
This is only a small snippet from the interview, visit the pedalling around site where you can find the whole item and masses of archive material from Mark's last adventure.
Don't forget you can be part of Mark's journey every step of the way by following his updates on twitter. With new photos and messages everyday it's one of the easiest ways to get an instant impression of his current surroundings.
You can also find some of the great photos from the journey so far on flickr.
Mark spoke to the Radio Scotland Newsdrive team yesterday afternoon (1 September) as they caught up on the latest from his time in North America.
Latest video update from Mark as he contemplates the long road ahead. With temperatures topping over 40 degrees C (100F) and some high climbs, Mark has dealt with tough riding in Arizona and New Mexico.
Discover some of the fantastic pictures from Mark's time in the USA on flickr.
Jump to more content from this blog
Don't miss out on the great videos from Mark's journey.
Did you know you can follow Mark's progress on our map? It's an easy way to rediscover pictures, videos and stories from the trip.
You can stay up to date with Mark Beaumont Cycling the Americas Blog via these feeds.
Mark Beaumont Cycling the Americas Blog Feed(RSS)
Mark Beaumont Cycling the Americas Blog Feed(ATOM)
If you aren't sure what RSS is you'll find our beginner's guide to RSS useful.
BBC © 2012 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more.
This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so.
~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~29~RS~)
