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A former UK Special Forces soldier and friend of Prince Harry has smashed the Guinness World Records title the Fastest time to cycle the length of South America (Cartagena to Ushuaia) after riding more than 6,000 miles in 48 days.

Facing brutal conditions and gruelling terrain between Ushuaia in southern Argentina and the Cartagena in northern Colombia, 40-year-old Dean Stott completed the journey in 48 days and 54 minutes - often cycling more than 100 miles a day.

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He took on this epic challenge to raise money for Heads Together, a charity which supports mental health.

This is a cause close to his heart; Dean sustained a devastating knee injury whilst serving in the Special Forces which forced him to cut his military career short and left him struggling to adjust back into civilian life in his hometown of Aberdeen.

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But despite the hardships, Dean found inspiration from HRH Prince Harry with whom he trained in the military.

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The retired veteran began cycling just a year before his official attempt but after a year of practice and gaining strength, Dean has embarked on the extraordinary journey to shine a light on mental health issues and is aiming to raise £1 million for the Heads Together campaign.

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His record-breaking challenge is being supported by the St. James’s Place Charitable Foundation, which is committed to helping mental health causes.

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Setting off on 1 February, Dean managed to shave 10 days off the former solo record of 58 days, 3 hrs and 45 mins set in 2009 by fellow Brit, Scott Napier, when he arrived at his destination on 21 March.

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And although the victory is indeed worth reveling in, Dean has had little time to celebrate as this is merely part of a bigger Guinness World Records attempt for the Fastest cycle journey of the Pan-American Highway.

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If he completes his second record attempt, Dean will have ridden 22,000 kilometres through 14 countries when he reaches Prudhoe Bay, Alaska, USA.

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He is currently on track to beat the current world record of 117 days and 5 hours set in 2015 by Mexican cyclist, Carlos Santamaria Covarrubias.

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"It has been a gruelling journey so far, and both a physical and mental battle. The support of my wider team has been invaluable, but the hard work has only just begun, and there is still a long way to go through more countries. I’m hugely proud to break this Guinness World Records title and even more determined to smash the fastest cycle journey of the Pan-American Highway record title too, raising money and awareness for the Heads Together charity partners and mental health issues overall."

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Dean has a whole host of high profile friends supporting and spurring him on in the saddle including Prince Harry and Olympic gold medalist, professional cyclist and Help for Heroes ambassador, Mark Cavendish.

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Supporters can track every pedal of his journey and follow Dean on his Pan American Highway challenge.

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