EVENT HORIZON

01 _ Ride the closest thing to the original 1903 Tour de France

kay, so the equipment and navigation at our disposal in 2022 are radically improved from over a century ago, but in terms of spirit, accessibility to enter and a stripping of all the bells and whistles of bike racing, Transcontinental Race, the self-supported solo bike race across the roads of Europe, is a magnificent echo of those early Tours de France. After two editions lost to the pandemic, race number eight returns on 24 July with its now traditional start in Geraardsbergen, Belgium and a finish in Burgas, Bulgaria, over 4000km away. The race, says the organisation, is “rider against rider, living by their wits alone, without caravan or entourage guided by personal integrity, mutual respect and a collective commitment to equality. At the sharp end it is a beautifully hard