AS adventurer Mark Beaumont neared the halfway point in his world record attempt to cycle the length of Africa, he said it was a "huge relief" to be on target after an "incredibly tough" ride so far.
It is three weeks today since Beaumont began his 6,200 mile journey from Cairo to Cape Town.
During that time the 32-year-old from Perthshire has had to battle stormy weather conditions, poor roads and mechanical issues.
Despite the setbacks, Beaumont remains on schedule to complete the route within his goal of less than 50 days and smash the current Guinness World Record of 59 days and eight hours.
He should reach the Kenyan capital of Nairobi by this weekend which will mark the halfway point in terms of distance and time.
"I'm quite excited to get to halfway almost exactly on target for my average of 150 miles a day which would take me to Cape Town in 46 days," he said.
"Most of Zambia and Botswana is pretty flat. If I can get favourable winds like I did in Sudan I could maybe even go a couple of days quicker than that."
Starting from Egypt, Beaumont's journey so far has taken him through Sudan, Ethiopia and now Kenya with Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa still to come.
Recent days have seen the Scot successfully navigate his way through northern Kenya, an area he previously admitted that he wasn't looking forward to.
Given the political unrest in the region Beaumont has been accompanied by an armed security escort on the 300-mile stretch from Moyale at the Kenyan border to the town of Isiolo.
He revealed, however, that the most challenging section so far has come in southern Ethiopia.
"The last week has been brutal and not particularly sustainable," he said. "Every day has been absolutely massive trying to get through Ethiopia. Body, mind and bike are craving a slightly easier spell so I can get some recovery in. Ethiopia was very tough."
Beaumont suffered a sleepless night last Friday due to an upset stomach and has continued to feel the lingering effects in recent days.
"I was off-form for a couple of days last week and a little bit ill again on Tuesday but I'm OK," he said. "It is nothing that is going to stop me riding but it is just not a lot of fun when you have a bad stomach.
"The food on the whole has been pretty good but I'm just eating at the roadside whatever I can find. It was pretty likely I was going to eat something that didn't agree with me at some point. Those two days in Ethiopia I really was knocked sideways and it was pretty grim on the bike."
Beaumont said that construction work combined with heavy rain had turned several hundred miles of Ethiopian road into treacherous mud.
Having got all the way from Cairo to southern Ethiopia without a single puncture, he then had eight in four days.
"The mud was unbelievable," he said. "Trying to cycle through that thick mud I think a lot of it got into my water bottles and I have a funny feeling that is what gave me a bit of a dicky stomach. It was a relief to get out of Ethiopia."
The challenge marks Beaumont's first major expedition since 2012 when he almost lost his life after his boat capsized on a world record bid to row across the Atlantic Ocean.
Beaumont, who has previously cycled around the world and across the Americas, has so far raised more than £30,000 for Orkidstudio, a Glasgow-based humanitarian architecture charity.
"I am enjoying it and think I will look back with a lot of pleasure," he said. "It is by far the toughest cycling expedition I've done. I'm on the road from just gone 6am each morning until 6pm each night.
"It is long days on the bike and physically that is tough but there is some wonderful scenery and it is amazing seeing Africa changing so quickly when you travel 150 miles a day."
He described his routine as "pretty basic stuff" as he continues to notch up the miles.
"I'm doing the hours on the bike, trying to find enough food and a safe place to sleep each night," he said. "I'm struggling to even find much time to do any filming or anything else. It is dawn to dusk.
"When each day is so big, it is quite hard because you are thinking how long you have to go to Cape Town. You have to keep your focus incredibly short."
Beaumont said the support he has received through social media has helped him in trickier moments. "The response has been fantastic because it is quite lonely out here at times," he said. "When I get online and see those comments it is overwhelming. I'm keeping that in mind when I'm having a tough time."
The public can follow his progress online with half-hourly updates via GPS tracking on his website and through social media using the hashtag #AfricaSolo
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