Entries have opened for the first Quick Energy Transcontinental, a 2,000-mile unsupported bike ride from London to Istanbul starting on 2 August 2013.
The race is designed for cyclists with an adventurous streak and a limited budget, and the fastest riders – expected to fend for themselves and live like hobos – should complete the journey in under two weeks. That means participants will have to cover about 140 miles a day.
Entry costs £95 and the number of places is currently limited to 100. The fee includes live tracking during the race. So far, 40 places have been provisionally filled.
Mike Hall, who cycled around the world in just over 91 days and is lending his experience to the event, told BikeRadar there would be high calibre endurance cyclists on the line. These will include the current women’s round-the-world record holder, Juliana Buhring, and Richard Dunnett, who finished second in the 2012 World Cycle Race.
Hall said: “We want people to be able to grab a bike and just go – no support vehicles, no teams of helpers and no costly logistics or exorbitant entry fees. Just a bike, a map and a vague sense of direction will do. Plus, living like a hobo is much faster than staying in hotels!”
Mike Hall on his epic round-the-world trip in 2012
To enforce a minimum distance of 2,000 miles and ensure entrants can’t take the flattest route, the company staging the race, The Adventurists, have placed a checkpoint at the top of the 2,757m Stelvio Pass in Italy.
For more information and to sign up, visit www.transcontinentalrace.com.