he doesn’t train long either, cycles everyday for commute and lots of hour or so “hard” sessions. Did RAAM as well!
Not sure if he went wrong but had a very different route to the main groups towards the end south of Sofia
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Ahhh thanks for the reminder I did want to check out what the route was gonna be next year! Norway is an interesting start point!
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Looks like an amazing route. Much nicer than this year. Will be very long, without parcours 4500km and 57000m climbing. Usually parcours and banned roads will add 500km, so will be another 5000km race. Not clear which ferry routes will be permitted, they said multiple routes and rumours are Sweden to Poland may be best. The Norwegians in the group are pretty certain that Norway will include 2 parcours with several hundred KM of gravel
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My very rough and quick calculations minus banned roads its 5000km and 50,000m climbing with the given parcours. But there will be a couple of extra ones in there no doubt and like Matt said, what ferry routes allowed will dictate it a bit
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May I recommend the Challenge Strada Bianca in 33, 36 or even 40 mm.
I’ve been dominating the local brideways this summer on the 36. Defintely not now though!
Yes, you want the 33s on now, to cut through all the mud 
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2 Weeks until the start of TCRNo12 - will be my 4th TCR
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On 19 July, I’ll roll off the start line of my 4th Transcontinental Race (TCR).
I’m excited. I’m terrified. And honestly, those two emotions are pretty much inseparable.
What excites me?
The mental reset
Every TCR has been enjoyable in its own unique way. No matter what was happening in my life beforehand, I always came back refreshed. There’s something almost meditative about ultra-distance racing. Within a day or two, my world shrinks to its essentials: eat, sleep, ride, repeat. Everything else fades into the background.
The adventure
One of the things I love most about TCR is the journey through unfamiliar places. This year’s route takes riders through the Nordics, Eastern Europe and the Balkans. For me, that feels like a far greater adventure than last year’s route, which was largely confined to Western Europe.
It’s part of who I am
Ultra-endurance events have become part of my identity. The challenges, the uncertainty, the resilience they demand, they’ve shaped who I am over many years. And I like who that person has become.
A new challenge
This year I plan to document the experience properly and create a video of the race. I’ve never done that before, and I’m genuinely looking forward to capturing not just the highs, but also the reality of life on the road.
What fills me with dread?**
Days 2–4**
Every experienced ultra cyclist knows what’s coming. My body won’t have adapted yet. I’ll be exhausted, hungry, sleep-deprived and questioning my life choices. Two more weeks of racing will feel impossible. I know from experi-ence that it gets better, but the temptation to quit is always strongest during those early days.
The Norwegian weather
I don’t enjoy riding in the rain. Unfortunately, Norway seems determined to test that weakness. It’s rained almost every day for the past two months, and the forecast isn’t offering much encouragement.
The heat
I love riding in warm weather, but extreme heat is something else entirely. The recent European heatwave showed just how brutal conditions can be. Even elite ultra-endurance athletes, like Lael Wilcox, have struggled with it. If those temperatures return, simply managing the heat could become one of the biggest challenges of the race.
My fitness
I know I’m not at the same peak fitness level I’ve had for some previous TCRs. To compensate, I’ve focused more on multi-day endurance events rather than outright speed. But if I’m honest, I still feel less prepared than I would like.
And yet, despite all of that, I’d rather be standing on the start line feeling uncertain than sitting at home wondering what if? In a little over two weeks, the adventure begins.
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Good luck Matt. Look forward to dot watching and your insta updates.
In the post above, I mentioned recording a video. I am looking for people who would like to interview me during the race. It will be done on Zoom and recorded. Format will be short chat about progress over past 24 hours, then a specific question about an agreed topic. Anyone interested send me a DM
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Seems like only a short time ago since you last did the TCR, this year has flown by.
Anyways, good luck & look forward to tracking your progress.
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Good luck spoons, hope the rain holds off in Norway, it’s miserable cycling in rain!
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The daily insta live will be back this year. Last year I didnt have enough followers to Livestream, but I’ve managed to gather 1000 followers which means that I am allowed to Livestream
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I’ve just spent 10 days cycling and hiking in Norway, we’ve been reasonably lucky with the weather but it has still rained reasonably often!
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“reasonably” sounds like a word that could mean a lot of different things in that context 
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Most days for at least a while but thankfully not too much on our biggest days and avoided some bad days with early/late starts.
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currently snowing in Finse which is the end of Parcours 1b
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Finse is also Hoth
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This seems an entirely different challenge in terms of kit, compared to prior versions? Carrying stuff to deal with snow versus potential upper 30 degrees later in the route seems like a different prospect? Are you allowed to just ditch stuff? Or even just post it home?! i.e. you need loads of warm weather kit at the start, and don’t want to lose it but also don’t want to lug it around the rest of the route, so can you just call in at a post office and ditch that weight?
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