On Sunday, 19th of July 2026, 20:00 h CEST I’ll be at the start line of the mother of all ultracycling races: the notorious Transcontinental Race. It will be my third participation the race (previous: No 6 in 2018 & No 8 in 2022) and hopefully also my third finish.
Here are some quick facts about this very special and innovative edition:
- Start location: 19.7.26 – 20h Trondheim (Norway), i.e. a few degrees from the polar circle.
- Finish: Kalamata (Greece), i.e. at the most southern tip of the Greek penninsula
- Finish closing: 8. August 2026 – end of day. i.e. ca. 20 days total time
- Usual TCR rules: Free route (all riders plan their own), self-supported (no cooperation, no outside assistance), single stage time-trial (clock runs through)
- 4 Checkpoints incl. fixed parcours to tackle: Flam (Norway), Tatras Mountains (Slowakia), Sarajevo Bob Sled (Bosnia), Leskovik (Albania)
- Probably round 300 participants, all genders
That also means: this is the first Transcontinental Race that goes in North/South-direction, and also the first exploring nordic countries. One consequence is: as opposed to previous editions this race goes through a huge range of lattitudes and thereby weather: from raw Norwegian weather, to Greek heat.
If you want to find out a bit more about the route: TCR veteran Josh Ibbett did a quick review right after the route was published; as always with some very qualified initial assessments. You find it here on his YouTube Channel
My relationship with the Transcontinental Race
My two previous Transcontinental Races (TCR) were life altering experiences; I’m not exaggerating. For many reasons, about which I could and will write a whole other extensive blogpost. In short: The Transcontinental Race is unique among all races in terms of it’s community spirit, attention to detail by organizers, it’s emphasis on fairness and spirit, and not least: its sheer length (usually >4000 km) and overall challenge incl. rough parcours. TCR brought me to my absolute mental and physical limits; but while I have found myself in unbelievably challenging situations, it also brought me to some of the highest highs I’ve ever experienced. And these experiences I carry with me every day and in a way they colour my day to day life in a light warm tint that acts subconsciously, but is easy to identify whenever I think about it. Having gone through TCRs (in combination with other trips) was a lesson on self-efficacy, handling uncertainty, trusting my abilities including the ability to know where my abilities end. More on that on a different occasion.
TCR No 6 in 2018 was also my very first ever race – in fact my first ever public bike event. I had a very naive approach to it, but finished nevertheless, and since then learned a lot about myself and ultracycling. After TCR No 8 (2022) I decided I would not do TCR again until it would substantially change and innovate. Because I was fed up with cycling in the balkans and also: I needed new scenery. For years I’ve been thinking (occasionally saying) TCR needs to innovate in terms of routing, and deviate from the east-west / west-east direction and not have every race revolve around the balkans. I also thought: Scandinavia has been largely neglected by ultra race organizers so far, and TCR could step into that niche.
So, in November 2025 Lostdot (the TCR organizer) published the 2026 route and… WOOWWW!!! As if they had read my mind and designed a route FOR ME. No hesitation: that was the change I had been waiting for! I immediately abandoned my “no TCR” default and applied rightaway! In January 2025 the great news: I was awarded a spot on the race.
For those who don’t know: TCR is extremely popular for many good reasons; this year they had (I believe) 4 applications per available spot. The selection process involves a somewhat secret mix of lottery, certainly some manual pics, also prefers veterans (like me) and maybe some softer factors. One other important policy of TCR is that until women make 50% of the field, women are guaranteed a spot (in case you wondered: I strongly favour that approach! It’s great for visibility and helps overcoming traditional under-representation). Not sure which of all the criteria and/or lottery got me in, but what counts is:
I will ride the Transcontinental Race No 12 in July this year and I’m incredibly excited!
There will be two follow-up posts coming soon:
- I just built a new bike (after 10 years of only owning one sports bike!) and will give you some specs and pictures. It will be the exact right machine to tackle the TCR
- I will inform you when the cap numbers are out and the dot-watching links are set up for following riders in real time on their way south
CYCLING TOURIST 