Transcontinental Race 2026: Robin Gemperle covers 4,695 kilometres in 10 days

Let’s just think for a moment about how an amateur cyclist might tackle a trans-European route from Norway to Greece: 4,695 kilometres and more than 30,000 metres of elevation gain? Well, first of all, you’d need to book a six-month holiday. At least. Then, of course, you’d need plenty of luggage space, as the tour is meant to be a self-catering adventure: tent, sleeping bag, crockery, tools, warm clothes for the far north, rain gear...

To cut a long story short: this year’s Trans Continental winner, Robin Gemperle, carried just a 7-litre frame bag. Whilst there’s no room in it for a tent or a sleeping bag, it does hold a surprising number of items that Gemperle felt were worth every gram. After the race, the Swiss rider unpacks his prototype travel bag in front of the Instagram camera.

Europe’s toughest stage race

Hundreds of ultra-racers from all over the world sign up for the “TCR” every year. Every year on a new route, every year as self-supported runners. This year, too, 422 runners set off from Trondheim on 19 July. They must pass through certain checkpoints, but are free to choose their own route in between. Accommodation, food – everything is organised by the participants themselves. Why am I writing this in the present tense? Because most of the race’s participants will still be on the road for a few more days.

When the winner, Robin Gemperle, crossed the finish line in Kalamata, in the south of the Greek Peloponnese peninsula, on 30 July, the back of the field was still battling a headwind from Scandinavia. As of today, 6 August, race day 18, 128 riders have now reached the finish line, 170 have already withdrawn (40 per cent), and 124 are still on the road. Thanks to GPS trackers, you can follow them on an interactive map as they make their way through Germany, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary, and on through the Balkans via Albania and North Macedonia to Kalamata.

On this route, you not only need to be fit and able to cope with the weather, but also have a certain knack for organisation. After all, you also need to tactically incorporate a number of ferry crossings into your route and stage planning. The last racer currently still in the running has just crossed the Slovakian border and has an estimated 2,655 kilometres to go to the finish. Although perhaps he isn’t really ‘fighting’ at all, but rather simply enjoying himself. That, in fact, was the original idea behind the Trans Continental Race: timing is part of it, but the primary aim was for participants to experience an adventure – to get to know Europe’s diverse landscapes and ways of life, and to interact with its inhabitants. Some participants are already criticising the race’s increasingly professional nature.

It is unlikely that Gemperle struck up a conversation with anyone whilst covering his 450 kilometres a day. Without a sleeping bag or sleeping mat in his luggage, he probably hadn’t planned on getting much sleep either. In fact, his actual cycling time amounted to just 8 days, 2 hours and 49 minutes. The rest (around 50 hours) was spent waiting, taking breaks and, presumably, on ferries.

Sarah Bosslet was once again the fastest woman this year. The German had also won the TCR back in 2024. This year, she topped the newly introduced FLINTA classification and crossed the finish line in Kalamata after 12 days, 11 hours and 1 minute.

All the information, including interactive map You can find all the competitors still in the race on dotwatcher.cc

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