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These 10 self-supported bike rides will test the limits of any ultracyclist
Bikepacking is growing in popularity, as are organised events that combine elements of racing and riding self-sufficient over long distances. Fancy having a go? These events may be just the thing.
Sportives are great for that one-day hit to get those bike legs pumping, but if you're seeking more of a bike adventure then a self-supported bike race or event may just be what you're looking for.
Essentially a self-supported bike race or bikepacking event is exactly as it sounds. You race as an individual to a designated finish without support. You carry your own kit. This can be anything from tools to clothing to camping gear. If you suffer a mechanical or a puncture it's up to you to fix it. There's no help from anyone.
Typically self-supported races are multi-stage events that see participants ride over large distances and over more than just one day. Most events will have a designated finish and an established route. Checkpoints are built into these routes. Some events just have a start point and an end point and how you get to that end point is entirely up to you, as long as it's on a bike! There are some rules though, so no cheating!
Gravel bikes are perfect for long distance riding
© Corey Rich/Red Bull Content Pool
There’s been an explosion in the popularity of bikepacking/self-supported events in recent years. It's no longer seen as the domain of specialist long distance bike athletes. The rise of gravel bikes has made such events more appealing to ride for the everyday cyclist. Self-supported races usually combine both off-road and road riding, but there are specific events for just road, gravel and mountain biking.
Events can range from relaxed to competitive. Either way you'll be able to find camaraderie and community in riding such events with like-minded riders along the way. Here are 10 to try:
1. Idatrod Invitational
- Where: United States
- When: March 1, 2020
- Distance: 1,000km
- Terrain: Snow, ice tracks
- Bike to ride: Fatbike
Racing a bike self-supported in freezing temperatures and in inhospitable wintery conditions may not seem particularly attractive at first thought, but if it does appeal then this is the race for you. The Idatrod Invitational takes place over 1,000km of Alaskan wilderness and is a test of resilience as much as a race to the finish. Participants must carry all the supplies they need, but they can stop at remote villages on the route and use supplies that they've forwarded to the villages prior to the race. Despite the extremities participants experience the Idatrod is still very popular.
Red Bull athlete Rebecca Rusch made her debut at the Iditarod in 2019
© Iditarod Trail Invitational
2. Classics Story – The Northern Way
- Where: Belgium and the Netherlands
- When: April 11 to April 17, 2020
- Distance: 1,200km
- Terrain: Road
- Bike to Ride: Road Bike
This event celebrates road cycling's one-day monuments by allowing you to ride legendary roads, cobbles and climbs that are part of professional cycling history. The ride will take in sections of Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, Gent Wevelgem, the Tour of Flanders, Paris Roubaix, the Amstel Gold Race and Liège Bastogne Liège among other Northern Classics. There is a seven-day limit to get to the finish in Valkenburg from the start in Ghent. Mechanicals are a given on these roads/cobbles, but remember you'll have to sort out those issues yourself. There is the added bonus that you could catch the pros ride Paris Roubaix on this ride and if you finish the end of the route in time, the Amstel Gold Race.
Those cobbles...
© George Marshall/Red Bull Content Pool
3. Italy Divide
- Where: Italy
- When: May 1, 2020
- Distance: 1,250km
- Terrain: Off-road
- What bike to ride: MTB or Gravel
This event is mainly off-road on gravel roads, while it also has some technical trails that will see you explore some of the most wild and remote parts of Italy. Taking part on a mountain bike is strongly recommended. Naples is the starting point for this event, but you also pass through Rome, Siena, Florence, Bologna, Mantua and Verona. The event can be done in six days. The entry list is limited to 250 participants.
A badge of honour for those who complete Italy Divide
© Italy Divide
4. Carso Trail
- Where: Italy
- When: May 8, 2020
- Distance: 335km
- Terrain: Off-road
- What bike to ride: MTB or Gravel
Promoted as more of a bikepacking adventure rather than an out and out race, this unsupported expedition takes place on the border between Italy and Slovenia, with the Gulf of Trieste a stunning backdrop. The route starts in Italy before making its way into Slovenia to the high point of Mount Nanos in Slovenia before it winds it way back into Italy. The route is over 335km in total of which 70 percent is off-road tracks. Total climbing for the event is 5,500m. Fastest riders can do it under just 24-hours, with organisers saying most complete it in three days.
Carso Trail
© Carso Trail
5. Dirty Kanza
- Where: United States
- When: May 30th, 2020
- Distance: 332km
- Terrain: Gravel
- What bike to ride: Gravel bike, MTB
Arkansas in middle America has long dirt roads that cut through America's farming heartlands. This is where Dirty Kanza takes place, a tough 322km race that tests your resolve in more ways than you ever thought possible. People usually complete this in a day, but of course you can take longer to enjoy the surroundings. Mountain bikes and gravel bikes are the machines of choice on this terrain. The race bible says you can have no support, so kudos if you get through this one without a puncture.
Dirty Kanza is probably the world's most competitive ultracycling race
© Dirty Kanza
6. IncaDivide
- Where: Peru
- When: July 13-26, 2020
- Distance: 1,600km
- Terrain: Road with some gravel/paved sections
- Bike to ride: Road bike
Now into its fourth year, IncaDivide brings the appeal of climbing and lots of it into our selection of self-supported rides. Racing takes place on the roads and gravel terrain that surrounds the Andes mountains, near Peru's second biggest city of Cuzco. This is high-altitude competition, so you have to be very fit to complete this. The 2020 race is 1,600km in length with 38,000 metres of total elevation. Participants have 14 days to complete a route that has three mandatory checkpoints on the way. IncaDivde is part of the established Bikeman series of self-supported ultra-cycling races that take place around the world.
You'll need your climbing legs for IncaDivide
© IncaDivide
7. Transcontinental
- Where: Europe
- When: July 25 to August 3, 2020
- Distance: 4,000km
- Terrain: Road with some gravel/paved sections
- What bike to ride: Road bike
The Transcontinental takes riders right across Europe on a racing adventure. For 2020, the Transcontinental will start in Brest, France and finish in Burgas in Bulgaria. Participants, who can ride solo or as a pair, have to hit four checkpoints along the way, but apart from that, the route is up to you. If you’re crazy enough to try and go for the win, you’ll need to be finishing in less than 10 days. For the rest of us that don’t fancy over 400km per day, anything under three weeks is still pretty impressive.
The life of the long-distance cyclist on the Transcontinental
© Pedaled
8. NorthCape 4000
- Where: Europe
- When: July 25, 2020
- Distance: 4,300km
- Terrain: Road
- What bike to ride: Road bike
Want to see as much of Europe as you can by bike? This could be the adventure for you. The NorthCape 4000 passes through 11 countries in a a self-supported ride that's 4,300km in length. Starting in Lake Garda in Italy, the NorthCape travels up northwards to the ultimate destination of the Arctic Circle. The route for riders is fixed and changes every edition. There are four mandatory checkpoints along the way, For 2020, these will be in Balaton (Hungary), Krakow (Poland), Riga (Latvia) and Rovaniemi (Finland).
The race finishes at the North Cape monument in the Arctic Circle
© Nord Cape - Official
9. Silk Mountain Road Race
- Where: Kyrgyzstan
- When: August 14 to August 29, 2020
- Distance: 1,800km
- Terrain: Road/gravel/off-road
- Bike to ride: MTB or Gravel
The Silk Road Mountain Race can best be described as brutal – really brutal. Of the 100 international competitors that set off on the inaugural event in August 2018, only a third of them finished. Participants can ride solo or as a duo. The Silk Road race trawls through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan on a journey that sees riders take on gravel, single and double track as well old former Soviet roads that have long been forgotten and fallen into disrepair. There are three checkpoints on the way.
The Silk Road Mountain Race: is this 1,700km event the world's toughest?
© Tom Hardie
10. The Distance
- Where: United Kingdom
- When: August 22-23, 2020
- Distance: 120km
- Terrain: Off-road
- What bike to ride: Gravel/MTB
The Distance, which takes place in Yorkshire in England, markets itself as ‘self-supported with benefits’. That said you’ll need to pack a sleeping bag and some shelter in the form of a tent for this two-day challenge. All riders must get to a series of checkpoints throughout a day's riding. Depending on how quick you get there you'll then be given three route options to the next checkpoint or final camp. These routes are of differing lengths. Faster riders will be given the route that's the longest to the next finish point, while slower riders who've probably been a bit more sociable while riding will do a shorter route. Entries are limited to 150 people, so get in quick.
Not all rides are created equal at The Distance
© The Distance
