Monday 15 December 2014

The Transcontinental Race 2015

For those who rely on luck alone,
Transcontinental N0.3 will raise the stakes.
Many will fail


The Transcontinental Race is the longest unsupported cycling race in Europe. The third edition will see a field of approx 200 riders cover a minimum of 3,800km’s between the start in Flanders, through mandatory checkpoints at the peak of Mont Ventoux in the French alps, the gravel slopes of Italy’s Col D’Assettia, Vukovar in Croatia, Mount Lovocen in Montenegro to the arrivee in Istanbul, Turkey.




The race starts at the strike of midnight on the 24th July and the virtual broom wagon will arrive in Istanbul on the 9th August. This timeframe leaves an average of 275km per day, for 15 days simply to finish in time. The winner is likely to arrive in Istanbul around the 9th day of racing…

The concept of the Transcontinental Race is influenced by the initial editions of the Tour de France, a multiple day race with stages of up to 400km long, designed to be so difficult that the winner would likely be the last man standing.

The rules are simple: One stage (The clock never stops.  Racers chose where, when and if at all to rest). No Outside Support (Racers can only use what they take with them, or what they can find en-route at commercially available services). No Set Route (Only mandatory controls, The rest is up to them). Live Tracking (to check on riders progress).

My entry is confirmed, and I know need to prepare myself for what will ultimately be the longest, hardest period of cycle related suffering that I will ever complete…

My race, and I use the term race in a quite a loose sense, will be based around the interwoven concepts of Audaxing, where the focus is what happens at the back of the field, instead of whose up front, and Bikepacking, in the sense that I will be required to be completely self sufficient for 15 days, carrying everything I need to face the road, the elements and fatigue.

I aim only to finish, and I want the lanterne rouge…

Training will combine a mixture of long miles, speed work, core training and mental preparation. Arriving in good physical health will be one thing, arriving with the mental strength to complete the ride will be an entirely different skill altogether.

I have always ridden with a lack of regard for expensive cycling equipment, favouring instead the reliability and comfort of whatever works to get my moving, so will likely simply ride The Iron Buterfly.

It’s difficult to translate how relevant my experiences of long distance cycling would be for this, sure I’ve seen the inside of my skull, I’ve thrown up on my own handlebars, I’ve cried on the bike and I’ve slept in ditches, but the ability to maintain that for 15 days… I hope I get a medal…

Alright, this is it, I’ve signed up now and I’ll soon be on the start list, so the eyes of the world will be once again upon me, there’s no turning back. It‘s the middle of winter in Berlin, there is nothing but freezing cold lanes and snow between me and the spring, what could possibly go wrong. Let's ride...

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