Q: What’s your motivation for undertaking such long and grueling solo challenges?

A: Motivation is something I have never really questioned – it has been there since my first expedition aged 12. I love the mental challenges as much as the physical, so solo ultra endurance appeals to me more than traditional sports. These days I am further motivated by being able to share my expeditions with millions of people through my documentaries, blogging and writing.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a life of adventure?

A: There has never been a conscious decision to make a career out of adventure. I have lived in and loved the outdoors all my life and have simply been pursuing my dreams. The TV documentaries, writing and everything else that has happened in recent years is great fun, and I love sharing my expeditions, but the motivation was from within and not for want of a career in adventure. I still think I am the same guy I was aged 11 who wanted to cycle the length of Britain!

Q: What made you choose solo-cycle expeditions?

A: Leaving University, my ambition was to cycle around the world. To go for the World Record I really needed to go alone, which I didn’t mind. I knew I was good at the mind games needed for solo journeys. The Americas expedition has been even longer and really tested my solo skills. When you travel alone by bike you are given a unique welcome almost everywhere, and it also allows you to see the world in every detail. As a film-maker it’s a wonderfully simple way to meet people, which allows a very real relationship.

Q: Apart from your bike and tent, what one piece of kit has become your best friend on the road?

A: My cameras are my constant companions. I would be lost without them. Every day I am kept occupied by ideas and inspiration for my online blogs and also my TV documentaries. My cameras are what allows me to capture these real time events. There is an incredible buzz from filming something like a persons reaction, a sunset or my own actions, knowing that it will never happen like that again and yet it will be seen by millions of people.

Q: What’s been the hardest part of your current expedition up until you reached Aconcagua?

A: The climb of Denali (Mt McKinley) in Alaska was undoubtedly the toughest and most dangerous time. Not all of my team summited and on the way we witnessed bad storms, fatalities and many situations that tested us all. Since then I have cycled 11,000 miles south to climb Aconcagua in Argentina. The last months cycling through Peru and the Atacama Region in Chile have been the toughest desert conditions I have ever experienced.  .

Which route are you climbing up Aconcagua?

I am climbing the North West Route, sometimes called de Los Pioneros. My team of four includes two Argentinians and a Russian – at the time of writing I am at Place de Mulas (Base Camp) at 4340m altitude. We have a day here to acclimatise before climbing higher

Q: Was it difficult to adapt to climbing as part of a team after being on your own for so long?

A: Sure. After half a year pedaling away in my own world, getting off the bike and living for weeks in very close quarters with a team on the mountain is a big change. I am so used to making my own decisions and setting my own schedule. Handing over control is strange for me. However, I was exhausted coming off the bike after 183 days pedaling down the Americas and despite now climbing the highest mountain outside the Himalayas, I am feeling a new lease of energy and determination thanks to the change of scene

A: Which challenge has been more difficult – cycling around the world or cycling the Americas?

That’s a really tough question – especially as I am still on expedition. I need time to stop and reflect, but I can already say that they have both been difficult in very different ways. Cycling the Americas is a much longer expedition and I have a lot more to do than while Cycling the World, where I was mainly cycling as fast as I could every day! The level of film-making and blogging here is a new challenge. I certainly could not be Cycling the Americas without the experience gained from Cycling the World, so in that sense it has been a step up in difficulty

Q: What keeps you going when you you’re having a bad day?  

A: Firstly I am exactly where I want to be when on expedition, and so even bad days are bearable. I have enough experience to remember what it’s like to get through tough periods and be able to reflect with that joy from having made it through. Also, I may be alone but I am always aware of the amount of people following and supporting me. For the sake of the blogs and films, these hard days and mental lows are as important to capture as the euphoria.

Q: Do you already have your sights set on your next adventure? 

A: I have some pretty diverse ideas for the future. There is no sense in telling the world before I have the means to actually go do it else someone else might use it! Having the right ideas for expeditions is a big challenge in a world where so much has been done… but if you think slightly differently (others might call you crazy) then there is still endless adventure out there!

Q: Why should people come and see your show?

A: People will enjoy an evening of my films and stories as they cover such a spectrum of places, cultures, emotions and challenges. Anyone who has read my book will know that I talk sparingly about the bike – I share more about my dreams and what it took to make them happen, as well as the thrill of the unkown on such solo journeys. The cycling fans should love every detail, but my stories appeal to a far greater group – anyone with a love of adventure, the joy of great mental and physical feats as well as films and photography from the wild world we live in