The Transcontinental Race is an epic bike race that begins in Belgium and ends in Turkey. Competitors can ride up to 400km in a day, and have to sleep on the roadside, wake up and do it all over again for 10 days or more.
Usually completed as a lone rider, competitors navigate to Turkey via four mountainous checkpoints, crossing up to 13 countries and 4,000km in as little as 10 days. It's the ultimate test of cycling endurance, mental stamina, navigation and logistics.
Riders must be prepared for cold nights in the alps, 40°C heat in the Balkans, dog attacks, mechanical woes and a host of other problems. It's no wonder nearly half of all entrants quit long before they reach Turkey.
Support is strictly forbidden. All kit must be carried on the bike, and having the right kit is just as important as having a strong set of legs. Here's a run down of what one finisher, George Marshall, took on this year's Trans Continental Race.
The Bike
The bike used was a bespoke Donhou Bicycles lightweight steel road bike, tailor-made for an excellent fit.
- Shimano Di2 electronic gears (great and maintenance-free)
- Tyres need to be fast but tough enough for gravel – 28mm wide and tubeless is ideal
- TT bars improve aerodynamics
- Gears: 52/36 on the front and 11–28 on the back
- Sideways-entry bottle cages
Bags
Pannier racks are heavy and slow. Instead, everything fits into lightweight bike-packing bags.
- The Apidura Top Tube Pack (filled with food for round-the-clock feasting)
- The Apidura Road Frame Pack (great for storing everything with immediate access)
- The Rapha + Apidura Saddle Pack (stores all sleeping gear)
Overnight Gear
Everything you need for ultralight camping.
- Rab silk liners are light (150g) and warm enough if you wear all your clothes
- Rab Alpine bivvy bag (a completely waterproof bag to sleep in)
- Rab down jacket
- Beanie hat
- Klymit Inertia X-lite airmattress (makes any floor comfy and insulates you from the cold ground)
Bike maintenance
- Multi-tool with chain breaker
- Chain links
- Di2 charger and wrench
- Spare innertubes
- Tyre boots for fixing torn side walls
- Tyre levers
- Patch kit (NB glue doesn't work in 40ºC)
- Leatherman multitool
- Spare mech hanger
- Spare brakepads
- Chain lube (your new daily ritual)
- Spoke key (pot holes are everywhere, spare wheels are not)
- Zip ties and tape (these fix most problems in life)
- Pump
Clothing
- Transcontinental cap
- 2 base layers
- Rapha brevet jersey
- Rapha bib shorts
- Arm and legs warmers (easily slipped on when the temperature drops)
- Rapha Race Cape (fully water proof and high-vis)
- Rapha Brevet gillet (an extra layer for riding at night)
- Rapha shoes (double up as a pillow at night)
- Giro helmet (the only item you take and plan not to use)
- Oakley sunglasses
- Rapha gloves (essential for descending in the cold)
- Rapha mits (good for blisters, bad for tan lines)
Tech
- iPhone (essential for navigation and crying to your girlfriend)
- Garmin 510 (displays all riding data)
- Garmin eTrex (for navigating and runs from AA batteries)
- Exposure Toro front light
- Head torch (a good back-up and useful when fixing a flat in the dark)
- Exposure rear light plus spare
- Mophie Powerbank to charge gadgets on the move
- Dry bags are ideal for keeping all electronics accessible for charging at every cafe and pizzeria
- Garmin heart rate monitor
Miscellaneous
- Passport (border controls are difficult without this)
- Brevet card (get this stamped at each check point)
- Cash in multiple currencies
- Cash cards
- P20 sun block
- Toothpaste and toothbrush
- Chamoix Cream (because saddle sores are no laughing matter)
- Baby wipes (the closest thing some riders get to a shower)
- Electrolytes to replenish salts lost through sweating
- Two SIS GO Energy Gels for emergencies only