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Transcontinental Race

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Start of the 2014 Transcontinental Race

The Transcontinental Race (TCR) is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance cycling race across Europe. The route varies for each edition and the distance has been between approximately 3,200 to 4,200 km, and the winners have taken between 7 and 10 days to reach the finish. Interest in the race has grown rapidly: 30 people started the first edition of the race in 2013; over 1,000 people applied for a place in the fourth edition in 2016, 350 of whom were successful.

It is not a stage race, the clock never stops from the moment the riders leave the start to the moment that they reach the finish, so it is a long individual time trial. Riders must therefore strategically choose how much time to devote to riding, resting, and refueling each day. Being self-supported or unsupported means that drafting is not allowed, receiving any form of support from other racers is not allowed, nor is it from friends or family; all food, accommodation, repairs, etc., must be purchased from commercial sources.

Route

TCR racers in Bosnia

Despite being an individual time trial, there is a mass start, which has always been in northwestern Europe, two to four intermediate checkpoints must then be reached, and the finish has always been next to Europe's southeastern border with Asia in Turkey.

Year Approximate
Distance (km)		 Approximate
Ascent (m)		 Start Checkpoint 1 Checkpoint 2 Checkpoint 3 Checkpoint 4 Finish
2013[1] 3,200 unknown London,  UK Geraardsbergen,  Belgium Stelvio Pass,  Italy — — Istanbul,  Turkey
2014[2] 3,600 32,000 London,  UK Paris,  France Stelvio Pass,  Italy Mount Lovćen,  Montenegro — Istanbul,  Turkey
2015[3] 4,200 35,000 Geraardsbergen,  Belgium Mont Ventoux,  France Strada dell'Assietta ,  Italy Vukovar,  Croatia Mount Lovćen,  Montenegro Istanbul,  Turkey
2016[4] 3,800 50,000
(estimated)		 Geraardsbergen,  Belgium Puy de Dôme,  France Grosse Scheidegg - Grimsel Pass - Furka Pass,   Switzerland San Pellegrino Pass - Giau Pass,  Italy Durmitor Massif,  Montenegro Çanakkale,  Turkey

Aside from some relatively short obligatory sections that must be used near the start, some checkpoints, and the finish, participants are mostly free to choose their own route,[5] and are strongly encouraged to independently plan their own route.[6] Even so, many riders use the same roads as each other, particularly when choices are limited. Certain ferries are sometimes allowed to cross bodies of water, but all land-based forward travel must be completed by bike.[6][7] For the sake of time and efficiency, nearly all participants ride solely on paved, public roads, and so nearly all use road bikes.[8] However, due to routing errors, adventurous planning, or more challenging checkpoints being chosen by the organizers, some off-road sections are occasionally used.[9]

Following the race

Volvo race vehicle for the 2015 TCR

Racer positions are monitored using GPS satellite-based tracker devices mounted on all participants' bikes that upload their positions every 5 minutes.[8][10] This information is then posted on the Trackleaders website for racers and followers to view. Many participants also update followers on their progress using social media websites.

During the race, volunteers are stationed at each control point to register the passage of each rider. Volunteer "dot watchers" remotely follow the progress of each racer's tracker position and inform the organizers of possible rule violations (e.g., individual riders appearing to ride together for extended periods or people riding on prohibited roads).[6]

Rules

Rules are listed on the official website[11] and in the Race Manual.[6] The idea of self-supported or unsupported bicycle racing is a key component.[12][13] Drafting is not allowed, receiving any form of support from other racers is not allowed (which includes sharing food and equipment), and neither is receiving support from friends, family, etc. (again including food and equipment). Social/emotional support is allowed, but information should not be shared between different racers or between racers and their supporters once the race has begun. All supplies, accommodation, repairs, etc., must be purchased from commercial sources that are equally available to all participants. Since the 2015 edition, in addition to the solo race category, a pairs category has existed in which riders may draft the other person in the pair and they may share equipment.[6] The rules concerning the type of bicycle that can be used and the equipment that must be carried are minimal.[6] To ensures that everyone is riding somewhat similar equipment, recumbent bicycles are not allowed and neither are tandem bicycles.

Results

The main results are summarized in the table below:

Year 1st Male (Time) 2nd Male 3rd Male 1st Female 1st Pair
2013[14][15][16] Kristof Allegaert Belgium (7d 14h) Richard Dunnett United Kingdom Matt Wilkins Australia Juliana Buhring Germany —
2014[17][18][19] Kristof Allegaert Belgium (7d 23h) Josh Ibbett United Kingdom Richard Dunnett United Kingdom Pippa Handley United Kingdom —
2015[20][21] Josh Ibbett United Kingdom (9d 23h) Alexandre Bourgeonnier France Thomas Navratil Czech Republic Jayne Wadsworth United Kingdom Timothy France United Kingdom & Neil Phillips United Kingdom
Finish party for the 2014 TCR, with Mike Hall on the microphone

Most of the people who are not competing to win tend to have the goal of arriving before the finishers' party at the end of the 15th day,[9] so the most common finishing times are between 14 and 16 days, which requires an average distance per day of between 220 and 280 km depending on the year.

Organization

The race's founder and main organizer is Mike Hall, who has won several similar events: In 2012 he set the Around the world cycling record,[22] in 2013 he won the Tour Divide,[23] and in 2014 he won the TransAm Bicycle Race.[24][25] The Adventurists helped to organize the first edition of the race in 2013.[1]

Criticisms and risks

Contact between the organizers and participants is minimal outside of the checkpoints and not all checkpoints are staffed 24 hours per day.[6] Riders' satellite trackers can also fail, which is typically due to the tracker's batteries going flat despite riders being encouraged to carry spares and to change them at certain intervals.[6] Many forms of cheating are possible due to the lack of monitoring, including the use of performance-enhancing substances. The organizers hope that an honor system is sufficient to curb violations, and in 2015 an online form was created for people to submit reports of rule-breaking.[26] It is impossible to known how big of a problem cheating actually is, but it is hoped that it is low since winning has no monetary value.

The lack of transparency in the participant selection process has been criticized, but the organizers addressed this in a lengthy announcement about the process used for the 2016 edition.[27] Veterans are given preference, followed by selecting certain people to improve the demographic diversity, and the remainder who did not make any serious errors in their application were entered into a simple lottery. Almost half of the riders who started the 2015 edition (83 out of 172) did not reach the finish for various reasons,[20] which suggests that the degree of difficulty may have been too high or riders did not prepare enough for this kind of race, but this rate varies each year.

Serious accidents have occurred leading to participants receiving hospital treatment.[28] The frequency of such incidents should be contrasted with the distances ridden, with an estimated 900,000 km being ridden in total by participants during the first three editions of the race.[14][17][20] The organizers have addressed safety issues by being more explicit about which roads are allowable and attributing penalties to participants who rode on sections of roads forbidden to cyclists.[20] For 2016, the finish has been moved away from Istanbul due to safety concerns.[28] The control points for 2016 have also been chosen to keep riders away from areas that have been found to be particularly dangerous in the past.[28]

Similar races

This form of ultra-distance, unsupported bike racing first became popular with the Tour Divide mountain bike race, which was first held as a mass-start event in 2008. The Tour Divide starts in Alberta, Canada, follows the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route through the USA and finishes at the Mexican border in New Mexico. The Trans Am Bike Race started in 2014 and is the event that is most similar to the Transcontinental Race because it uses roads; however, the route is fixed and uses the TransAmerica Trail, which was developed by the Adventure Cycling Association and runs from the Pacific coast in Oregon, USA, to the Atlantic Coast in Virginia.

The self-supported nature of the TCR makes it very different from supported ultra-distance events like the Race Across America (RAAM), in which each racer has a large support crew with multiple vehicles. All such support is prohibited in the TCR and similar races that are described as self-supported or unsupported. Ultra-distance audax and randonneuring cycling events are somewhat similar except that drafting is allowed in those and the race organizers provide support at the control points.

References

  1. ^ a b Stevenson, John. "QuickEnergy Transcontinental Race heads for Istanbul from London Saturday". road.cc. Farrelly Atkinson Limited. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  2. ^ Stevenson, John. "Epic cycling: TransContinental and World Cycle Race return for 2014". road.cc. Farrelly Atkinson Limited. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  3. ^ Benson, Cory. "Unsupported racing from Flanders to Istanbul: 3rd annual Transcontinental Race 2015". bikerumor.com. BikeBoardMedia, Inc. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  4. ^ Beltchenko, Neil. "Transcontinental Race releases 2016 controls". Bikepackers Magazine. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  5. ^ Wells, Jonathon. "Meet the man who won a 2,600 mile bicycle race ... on three hours' sleep a night". The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h "Transcontinental Race Manual 2015, Issue 1" (PDF). Transcontinental Race. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  7. ^ Thurston, Jack. "The next crazy venture beneath the skies". Brooks England Blog. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  8. ^ a b "The Transcontinental Race. Past, present, and future". Brooks England Blog. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  9. ^ a b Rumpf, Alain. "The Transcontinental Race: crossing Europe by bike in 16 days". CyclingTips. Wallace Media Pty Ltd. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  10. ^ Stevenson, John. "TransContinental Race sets out from London for 2,000 mile trek to Istanbul". road.cc. Farrelly Atkinson Limited. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  11. ^ "Rules". Transcontinental Race. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  12. ^ "What is unsupported: Part one". Transcontinental Race. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  13. ^ "What is unsupported: Part two". Transcontinental Race. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Results 2013". Transcontinental Race. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  15. ^ Stevenson, John. "Kristof Allegaert wins Quick Energy TransContinental Race". road.cc. Farrelly Atkinson Limited. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  16. ^ Stevenson, John. "Juliana Buhring on track for top 10 finish in TransContinental Race after 5 riders reach Istanbul". road.cc. Farrelly Atkinson Limited. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  17. ^ a b "Results 2014". Transcontinental Race. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  18. ^ MacMichael, Simon. "TransContinental Race: Kristoff Allegaert still on course for repeat win". road.cc. Farrelly Atkinson Limited. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  19. ^ Stevenson, John. "Pippa Handley wins women's TransContinental Race". road.cc. Farrelly Atkinson Limited. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  20. ^ a b c d "Results 2015". Transcontinental Race. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  21. ^ MacMichael, Simon. "British ultra cyclist Josh Ibbett wins 3rd Transcontinental Race". road.cc. Farrelly Atkinson Limited. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  22. ^ Whitney, John. "Interview: Mike Hall, round-the-world record breaker". BikeRadar. Immediate Media Company Limited. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  23. ^ Arne, Lindsay. "Tour Divide: Past winners and records". Bikepackers Magazine. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  24. ^ "Results". TransAm Bicycle Race. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  25. ^ "Gallery: Trans Am Bike Race". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. Retrieved 26 December 2015.
  26. ^ "Rider activity reporting". Transcontinental Race. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
  27. ^ "No.4 Entries Post Mortem". Transcontinental Race. Retrieved 15 April 2016.
  28. ^ a b c "Transcontinental Race Manual 2016, Issue 0" (PDF). Transcontinental Race. Retrieved 1 January 2016.
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