Founded by Mike Hall in 2013, the Transcontinental Race (TCR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance bikepacking race across Europe. The route varies for each edition, but participants are free to choose their own route between the mandatory checkpoints.
Event delayed until 2022
The Transcontinental Race is the definitive self-supported bicycle race across Europe. At the sharp end it is a beautifully hard bicycle race, simple in design but complex in execution. Factors of self reliance, logistics, navigation and judgement burden racers’ minds as well as their physiques. The strongest excel and redefine what we think possible, while many experienced riders target only a finish.
The Transcontinental is a single stage race in which the clock never stops. Riders plan, research and navigate their own course and choose when and where to rest. They will take only what they can carry and consume only what they can find. Four mandatory control points guide their route and ensure a healthy amount of climbing to reach some of cycling’s most beautiful and historic monuments. Each year our riders cover around 4000km to reach the finish line.
The Transcontinental Race was founded in 2013 by the late Mike Hall, a giant of the ultra distance cycling scene. The TCR is his legacy, a race dedicated to integrity, autonomy, history and community
Welcome to the eighth edition of the Transcontinental Race for 2021.
TCRNo8 has been adapted to accommodate, as far as possible, the uncertainties of travel during these unprecedented times. The route has been chosen to minimise the number of borders the riders must cross while maintaining as much distance, adventure and exploration as possible. With the requirement to be self sufficient our riders should be low risk to the communities they travel through however, the requirement to comply with local restrictions and regulations with regards to hygiene and social distancing will be a further burden on racers’ minds as they navigate the extreme challenges of the race. We know our riders share our ambition that the Transcontinental should never be part of the problem, and where possible, part of the solution.
As our friend and founder Mike Hall quipped “nothing that’s worth anything is ever easy”. A statement we hold to when designing the race route each year.
#BeMoreMike