Transcontinental: the race that changed cycling

Celebrate 10 years of the Transcontinental Race — and 10 years of self-supported racing and route planning across Europe — with the official TCR book, now available to pre-order on Kickstarter! Explore this curated TCR Collection and pore over a decade of self-planned routes across Control Points with this special selection from TCR riders from each year of the Race.

The first Transcontinental Race (TCR) in 2013 was a bold experiment. Its visionary founder, Mike Hall, drew on everything he had learned from his experiences in 24-hour mountain-bike racing, and winning the Tour Divide and the World Cycle Race, to create a challenge that was tantalisingly simple in outline but fiendishly difficult in execution. One that would push every competitor to their breaking point and beyond.

From that very first year, TCR established itself as the world’s definitive self-supported ultra-distance cycling race. In doing so, it radically changed bike racing for riders and spectators alike. Now, hundreds of riders race every year, cheered on at the side of the road and eagerly followed by tens of thousands of dotwatchers online.

To celebrate the 10th edition in 2024, organisers Lost Dot are creating an official book, to tell these stories, for everyone who has ridden, spectated or volunteered – or might be thinking of doing any of these!

We’ve also created this komoot Collection, featuring and celebrating a completed ride from each of the previous editions. Each ride tells a unique story; crossing the continent by pedal power alone, via a series of mandatory parcours and control points that change each year, with no outside help and against a clock that never stops.

Take a look at the routes below, and visit the Kickstarter link for more info on the official book launch: kickstarter.com/projects/tcrbook/transcontinental-the-race-that-changed-cycling