ADVENTURER Mark Beaumont has captured a new world record for cycling across Africa.

Beaumont reached the finish line at Mouille Point in Cape Town at 4.22pm UK time this afternoon.

He has completed an almost 7,000-mile journey from Cairo in 42 days, 10 hours and 22 minutes - beating the existing record by just under 17 days.

The 32-year-old from Perthshire started his journey in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on April 10 and has travelled through Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, Botswana and South Africa.

Waiting to meet him in Cape Town was his wife Nicci, 32, and their 21-month-old daughter Harriet along with Beaumont's mother Una.

Speaking after he crossed the finish line, Beaumont said his overwhelming emotion was relief.

"There is a lot of pressure, pain and obsession on a ride like that for 42 days," he said. "Getting to the finish is an incredible relief.

"I'm sure I will wake up tomorrow and be jumping up and down, but that's not the emotion you feel at the finish."

Over the past six weeks Beaumont has overcome food poisoning, stormy weather conditions, poor roads and mechanical issues. He had to fight off a mugger and has come within inches of being knocked from his bike by passing vehicles.

The Scot said he planned to celebrate this evening with a family dinner followed by a good sleep.

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.

The Africa Solo challenge marks Beaumont's first major expedition since 2012 when his boat capsized on a world record attempt to row across the Atlantic Ocean. He and his five crew-mates spent 14 hours in icy waters fighting for survival.

His remarkable feat in cycling across Africa is in distance terms the equivalent of riding the Tour de France three times back-to-back.

When Beaumont first began eyeing the Cairo to Cape Town world record it was held by Robert Knol of the Netherlands and stood at 70 days and three hours.

Keegan Longueira from South Africa completed the route in 59 days and eight hours in March this year, a time verified by Guinness World Records.

Beaumont earlier said that to bring home the pan-Africa record would complete what has always been his ultimate hat-trick.

"If you look at the world map you have the circumnavigation, Alaska to Tierra del Fuego and then Cairo to Cape Town: those are the three big endurance routes," he said.

"Back in 2007/08, I broke the round-the-world record by what was 81 days at the time and then followed that up with a nine-month journey down the Rockies and Andes.

"It's been five years since I've done anything big on the bike."