REVIEW: Stories of adventures big and small are at heart of Mark Beaumont's Faster tour
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Round-the-world cyclist Mark Beaumont is well known for his endurance and speed on two wheels, but he’s also a great storyteller. The word “accomplished” springs to mind as he stands on stage at Eden Court in front of around 600 people packing out the theatre, and has each and every one captivated.
True, the majority attending the Inverness leg of his Faster tour are cyclists or adventurers of some sort – to a significantly lesser degree – and some want to know just how he does it. How do you put your body and your mind through 28 and a half hours on the bike to break the North Coast 500 record? How do you cycle for 16 hours a day for two-and-a-half months to cycle round the world in under 80 days?
None of us are going to do these things, but there are plenty of takeaways from a three-hour show. One of the big ones is consistency – and how you react to setbacks being key to reaching your goals.
There’s also a great mantra he picked up at the GB Duro race in 2021 from Howard Perkins, who had “Safe, finish, fun” painted on his handlebars. The idea was to prioritise in that order – and, as many of us have experienced, fun is often the last thing you think of during any challenging endurance event.
But on top of all the records of going further and faster, Mark says he’s no bike geek. But he clearly likes to have targets to aim for, and is committed to reaching them. He tells a story of his young daughter cycling every street in Edinburgh during lockdown, when the streets were quiet.
That quiet determination, challenging yourself rather than racing others, is clearly being passed onto a new generation. Mark’s love of Scotland and his intimate knowledge of the NC500, on and off road, is clear as he shares parts of the route that many in the audience have cycled themselves.
Everyone feels a connection, and Mark spends the whole night between the stage and the foyer at Eden Court – before the show, during the interval and at the end of the night – chatting to fans and sharing stories.
It shows a shared passion for cycling, for adventure, for Scotland and for stories, along with inspiration that many will take with them on their next adventure. As Mark says: “There’s no wrong way to ride a bike – just ride your bike.”
