Transcontinental Race organisers launch new 'no-fly' race

Lost Dot are the organisation behind the Transcontinental Race (TCR), a non-stop ultra-cycling race from one end of Europe to another, and the Trans Pyrenees, an unsupported ultra race through the Pyrenees mountains. At Rouleur Live 2023, they have announced the advent of a new race, called The Accursed Race.

Crucially, the new event is a 'no-fly' event, meaning that all participants need to get to and from the event without using air travel. This is, of course, to reduce the carbon footprint of their event. Lost Dot said that a report they commissioned last year showed that 70% of their carbon footprint was a result of rider travel to and from races, most of which is from aviation.

They've tried a softer approach with the TCR, in which there is both the main leaderboard and a 'green' leaderboard, for riders who got to the event without flying. They have even introduced a Low-Carbon Travel Fund for the TCR, which supports 10 riders to take flight-free travel to and from the event. These measures seem to be working. Lost Dot says that post-race surveys revealed that 33% of riders were flight-free in 2023, up from just 18% in 2022.

This statistic was all the reassurance the organisers needed that they could successfully launch a no-fly race.

As TCR Race Coordinator Hannah Larbalestier said at the launch, "It shows us that the appetite is there for low-carbon modes of travel and that hosting a no-fly event is now a viable option."

For The Accursed Race, however, 100% of the riders must arrive by land or sea. Of course, logistically and financially, this presents challenges to many of the further-flung participants. The organisers will provide as much advice and guidance as possible to help riders get to the start, and plan to expand their Low-Carbon Travel Fund to the new event.

The course itself is a 1,600km fixed off-road route through Albania, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. As with the TCR, the race will be self-supported and will cover 37,000m climbing. Upon announcing the route, race director Andrew Philips said:

“The Balkans are the heartlands of the Transcontinental. This race gives us the opportunity to explore the region in minute detail – taking riders away from the road and into the rugged and hugely diverse landscapes on offer there.”

Applications for the race open later this month, but many will have difficulty getting to the start line in Shkodër, Albania. Even so, Philips seems confident that people will support what Lost Dot are doing:

"As awareness of the climate crisis grows, more and more riders are going to be looking to partake in events that they can travel to overland," says Phillips.

"We want to show the community, and the wider industry, that this is what sustainable bike racing can look like."

Follow The Accursed Race on social media for entry details.