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81-407: It is not a stage race , the clock never stops from the moment the riders leave the start to the moment that they reach the finish, so it is a long individual time trial . Riders must therefore strategically choose how much time to devote to riding, resting, and refuelling each day. Being self-supported or unsupported means that drafting is not allowed, receiving any form of support from other racers

162-617: A handicap ) and race to a set finish point; and time trials , where individual riders or teams race a course alone against the clock. Stage races or "tours" take multiple days, and consist of several mass-start or time-trial stages ridden consecutively. Professional racing originated in Western Europe, centred in France, Spain, Italy and the Low Countries . Since the mid-1980s, the sport has diversified, with races held at

243-562: A European based ultra on a similar scale to Race Across America , and also an unsupported alternative to the race". Hall also organised Valleycat rides. These were small events near his home in Wales where people, primarily from the Transcontinental Race community, met, went bikepacking and rode an ultra-distance (200–400 km) Alleycat-style race . The first Valleycat took place in autumn 2015 and helped to raise money for

324-428: A competitor's wheel, forcing the other person to do a greater share of the work in maintaining the pace and to potentially tire earlier. Drafting is not permitted in individual time trials. A group of riders that "breaks away" (a "break") from the peloton has more space and freedom, and can therefore be at an advantage in certain situations. Working together smoothly and efficiently, a small group can potentially maintain

405-467: A distinctive jersey (yellow in the Tour de France ) and generally maintains a position near the head of the main mass of riders (the peloton), surrounded by team members, whose job it is to protect the leader. Contenders for the general lead may stage "attacks" to distance themselves from the leader in "breakaways". The general leader's vulnerability to breakaways is higher when the escaping rider(s) trail by

486-649: A farm bike that weighed 35 kg. The only woman to finish within 24 hours was the self-styled Miss America , in reality an unknown English woman who, like several in the field, had preferred not to compete under her real name. The increase in organised cycle racing led to the development of national administrative bodies, in Great Britain in 1878, France 1881, the Netherlands 1883, Germany 1884 and Sweden 1900. Sometimes, as in Great Britain, cycling

567-449: A film directed by Mike Dion. Hall died after being struck by a car, just south of Canberra, during the inaugural Indian Pacific Wheel Race across Australia, on 31 March 2017, after covering just over 5,000 km of the 5,500 km distance. Hall started racing mountain bikes as a teenager, but became more serious in 2009 (aged 28) when he started competing in 24 hour mountain bike races . His first ultra-distance self-supported race

648-403: A good spectacle for spectators at the finish). Races over short circuits, often in town or city centres, are known as criteriums . Some races, known as handicaps, are designed to match riders of different abilities and/or ages; groups of slower riders start first, with the fastest riders starting last and so having to race harder and faster to catch other competitors. Individual time trial (ITT)

729-405: A higher speed than the peloton, in which the remaining riders may not be as motivated or organized to chase effectively. Usually a rider or group of riders will try to break from the peloton by attacking and riding ahead to reduce the number of contenders for the win. If the break does not succeed and the body of cyclists comes back together, a sprinter will often win by overpowering competitors in

810-578: A major event on the Olympic programme ... Like many other sports it has undergone several changes over the years. Just as there used to be track and field events such as the standing high jump or throwing the javelin with both hands, cyclists, too, used to compete for medals in events which today have been forgotten; for example in Athens in 1896, they attempted a 12-hour race, and in London, in 1908, one of

891-512: A place in the general classification, riders must adhere to the principles of being self-supported and also pass each of the checkpoints before it officially closes, which requires riding approximately 250 km per day. Full results from all editions can be found on DotWatcher.cc. The race was founded by the English cyclist Mike Hall , who won several similar events: In 2012 he set the Around

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972-436: A small time difference in the general ranking, and as number of remaining stages diminishes. Riders, who finish in the stage ranking behind the general leader, increase their cumulative time disadvantage. Whereas those who finish ahead of the general leader decrease their time disadvantage and may even gain sufficient time to unseat the general leader. After each stage, the racer with the lowest cumulative time becomes (or remains)

1053-444: A specified percentage of the winner's finishing time, to be permitted to start the next day's stage. Often, riders in this situation band together to minimize the effort required to finish within the time limit; this group of riders is known as the gruppetto or autobus . In one-day racing, professionals who no longer have any chance to affect the race outcome will routinely withdraw, even if they are uninjured and capable of riding to

1134-414: A strong domestique in a breakaway (rather than the designated team leader). If the domestique is a good chance to win if the breakaway is not brought back, it places the onus on other teams with favoured riders to expend energy chasing the breakaway, impeding their efforts to assist their leader in the final stages of the race. For instance, in the 2012 London Olympics men's road race the outright favourite

1215-959: A three-week stage race principally through France and ending in Paris, the Giro d'Italia in Italy, and the Vuelta a España in Spain. Each of these races is considered a " Grand Tour ". Professional racing is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale . In 2005 it instituted the UCI ProTour (renamed UCI World Tour in 2011) to replace the UCI Road World Cup series. While the World Cup contained only one-day races,

1296-510: A white jersey with colored bands (often called "rainbow bands") around the chest. In Australia, due to the relatively mild winters and hot summers, the amateur road racing season runs from autumn to spring, through the winter months, while criterium races are held in the mornings or late afternoons during the summer. Some professional events, including the Tour Down Under , are held in the southern summer, mainly to avoid clashing with

1377-489: Is allowed in those and the race organizers may provide support at the control points. Road bicycle racing#Stage races Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling , held primarily on paved roads . Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common competition formats are mass start events, where riders start simultaneously (though sometimes with

1458-461: Is an event in which cyclists race alone against the clock on flat or rolling terrain, or up a mountain road. A team time trial (TTT), including two-man team time trial, is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock. In both team and individual time trials, the cyclists start the race at different times so that each start is fair and equal. Unlike individual time trials where competitors are not permitted to 'draft' (ride in

1539-580: Is commonplace for amateur cyclists to own bicycles that are identical to those used to win major races. Clothing worn for road racing is designed to improve aerodynamics and improve rider comfort. The rider's shorts contain padding to improve comfort, and materials are chosen to manage rider temperature, manage sweat, and keep the rider as warm and dry as feasible in wet conditions. Cycling jerseys were originally made of wool; modern jerseys are made of synthetic fabrics such as lycra . Bicycle helmets were made mandatory for professional road racing in 2003, after

1620-490: Is not allowed, nor is it from friends or family; all food, accommodation, repairs, etc., must be purchased from commercial sources. Despite being an individual time trial, there is a mass start , which has most often been in northwestern Europe, two to four intermediate control points must then be reached, and the finish has most often been around southeastern Europe. The 2019 edition went from east to west. Apart from some sections of "parcours" or route that must be ridden near

1701-505: Is not long enough to let the drafting effect (which is then working at full power again) make the bunch catch up, making a climb escape even more attractive. Wind conditions can also make otherwise routine sections of a course potentially selective. Crosswinds, particularly, alter the position of the "shadow" when drafting a rider, usually placing it diagonally behind the lead rider, forming a line of riders called an echelon . To take advantage of this, an attacking rider rides at high speed at

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1782-450: Is riding somewhat similar equipment, recumbent bicycles are not allowed and neither are tandem bicycles . The main results are summarized in the table below: Many people who are not competing to win tend to have the goal of arriving before the finish party at the end of the 15th or 16th day. Since 2016, a distinction has been made between people finishing in the "general classification" and those that are simply "finishers". To be awarded

1863-448: Is the first person to cross the finish line that day or the time trial rider (or team) with the lowest time on the course. The overall winner of a stage race is the rider who takes the lowest aggregate time to complete all stages (accordingly, a rider does not have to win all or any of the individual stages to win overall). Three-week stage races are called Grand Tours. The professional road bicycle racing calendar includes three Grand Tours –

1944-622: Is then posted on the Follow My Challenge website for racers and followers to view. Many participants also update followers on their progress using social media websites. During the race, volunteers are stationed at each control point to register the passage of each rider. Volunteer "dot watchers" remotely follow the progress of each racer's tracker position and inform the organizers of possible rule violations (e.g., individual riders appearing to ride together for extended periods or people riding on prohibited roads). Rules are listed on

2025-581: The Netherlands , Portugal , Spain and Switzerland after World War II . However, as the sport grows in popularity through globalization, countries such as Kazakhstan , Australia, Russia, Slovakia , South Africa , Ecuador , New Zealand, Norway, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Poland and the United States continue to produce world-class cyclists. The first women's road championships were held in France in 1951 . A women's road race discipline

2106-748: The Race Through Poland , all established in 2018, are major free-route unsupported races, covering distances from 1,500 up to 3,000 km. The self-supported nature of the TCR makes it very different from supported ultra-distance events like the Race Across America (RAAM), in which each racer has a large support crew with multiple vehicles. All such support is prohibited in the TCR and similar races that are described as self-supported or unsupported. Ultra-distance audax and randonneuring cycling events are somewhat similar, except that drafting

2187-782: The Rocky Mountains in Canada and the United States. In 2014, he won the inaugural Trans Am Bike Race , a road-based event from the Pacific coast to the Atlantic coast in the United States. From 2013, he was the principal organiser of the Transcontinental Race , an event similar to the TransAm Bicycle Race, but that traverses Europe. Michael Hall was also featured in the cycling film Inspired to Ride

2268-528: The Tour of Flanders (1913). They provided a template for other races around the world. Cycling has been part of the Summer Olympic Games since the modern sequence started in Athens in 1896 . Historically, the most competitive and devoted countries since the beginning of 20th century were Belgium, France and Italy, then road cycling spread in Colombia , Denmark, Germany, Luxembourg ,

2349-670: The Transcontinental Race and the Indian Pacific Wheel Race . The related activity of randonneuring is not strictly a form of racing, but involves cycling a pre-determined course within a specified time limit. The most commonly used bicycle in road races are simply known as racing bicycles . Their design is strictly regulated by the UCI, the sport's governing body. Specialist time trial bicycles are used for time trial events. Bicycles approved for use under UCI regulations must be made available for commercial sale and it

2430-498: The degree of difficulty is high, that some riders may not have prepared sufficiently for this type of race, and that so many different things can go wrong in an event of this length. In 2017, Frank Simons was killed in a hit and run collision 5 hours after starting the race in Belgium. Other serious accidents have occurred leading to participants receiving hospital treatment. The frequency of such incidents should be contrasted with

2511-512: The slipstream of the rider in front. Riding in the main field, or peloton , can save as much as 40% of the energy employed in forward motion when compared to riding alone. Some teams designate a leader, whom the rest of the team is charged with keeping out of the wind and in good position until a critical section of the race. This can be used as a strength or a weakness by competitors; riders can cooperate and draft each other to ride at high speed (a paceline or echelon ), or one rider can sit on

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2592-443: The 2016 season. Within the discipline of road racing, from young age different cyclists have different (relative) strengths and weaknesses. Depending on these, riders tend to prefer different events over particular courses, and perform different tactical roles within a team. The main specialities in road bicycle racing are: In a stage race a stage ranking is drawn up at the end of each stage, showing for each participating rider

2673-562: The Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España. Ultra-distance cycling races are very long single stage events where the race clock continuously runs from start to finish. Their sanctioning bodies are usually independent of the UCI. They usually last several days and the riders take breaks on their own schedules, with the winner being the first one to cross the finish line. Among

2754-955: The Mexican border in New Mexico . The Trans Am Bike Race started in 2014 is more similar because it is primarily on paved roads, but it uses the TransAmerica Trail as a fixed route from the Pacific coast in Oregon , USA, to the Atlantic Coast in Virginia . Following the success of these events, many others were launched in subsequent years. In Europe, the Transiberica , the Three Peaks Bike Race , and

2835-596: The Newborns Vietnam charity. A feature-length documentary, called Inspired to Ride was made about the 2014 Trans Am Bike Race , which Hall won. In addition to several interviews during the race, the documentary included a section where Hall was interviewed and filmed riding around where he lived in South Wales , UK. Hall helped to raise money for the charity Newborns Vietnam, a UK-based charity that aims to "improve access to and quality of newborn care in

2916-728: The Parc de St-Cloud inspired the Compagnie Parisienne and the magazine Le Vélocipède Illustré to run a race from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris to the cathedral in Rouen on 7 November 1869. It was the world's first long-distance road race and also won by Moore, who took 10 hours and 25 minutes to cover 134 km. The runners-up were the Count André Castéra, who had come second to Moore at St-Cloud, and Jean Bobillier, riding

2997-687: The World Tour includes the Grand Tours and other large stage races such as Critérium du Dauphiné , Paris–Nice , Tour de Suisse and the Volta a Catalunya . The former UCI Road World Cup one-day classic cycle races – which include all five " Monuments " – were also part of the ProTour: Milan–San Remo (Italy), Tour of Flanders (Belgium), Paris–Roubaix (France), Liège–Bastogne–Liège (Belgium) and Amstel Gold Race (Netherlands) in

3078-534: The best-known ultramarathons is the Race Across America (RAAM), a coast-to-coast non-stop, single-stage race in which riders cover approximately 3,000 miles (4,800 km) in about a week. The race is sanctioned by the UltraMarathon Cycling Association (UMCA). RAAM and similar events allow (and often require) racers to be supported by a team of staff; there are also ultra-distance bicycle races that prohibit all external support, such as

3159-415: The completion time of the stage. The one with the lowest completion time wins the stage. At the same time a general ranking shows the cumulative finishing times of all prior stages for each participating rider. A rider who does not complete any of the stages within its respective time limit is disqualified. The one with the lowest total cumulative time is the general leader. The general leader typically wears

3240-544: The continent on different routes approximately between the English Channel and the Mediterranean/Black Sea. The race has grown rapidly from having 30 people start the first edition in 2013 to receiving more than 1,000 applications for the 350 places available for the fourth edition in 2016. When Hall was asked about his motivation for setting up the TCR he said "there was a demand growing for both

3321-506: The control points for 2016 were chosen to keep riders away from areas that have been found to be particularly dangerous in the past. This form of ultra-distance, unsupported bike racing first became popular with the Tour Divide mountain bike race, which was first held as a mass-start event in 2008 and goes over the Rocky Mountains from Alberta , Canada , through the USA and finishes at

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3402-436: The death of cyclist Andrey Kivilev . A number of tactics are employed to reach the objective of a race. This objective is being the first to cross the finish line in the case of a single-stage race, and clocking the least aggregate finish time in the case of a multi-stage race. Tactics are based on the aerodynamic benefit of drafting , whereby a rider can significantly reduce the required pedal effort by closely following in

3483-406: The descent, as going downhill alone allows for more maneuvering space and therefore higher speeds than when in a bunch. In addition, because the bunch riders are keeping more space between them for safety reasons, their drafting benefits are again reduced. If this action takes place relatively close to the target (e.g. another bunch ahead, or the finish), the ride over flatter terrain after the descent

3564-412: The distances ridden, with an estimated 2,000,000 km being ridden in total by participants during the first six editions of the race. The organizers have addressed safety issues by being more explicit about which roads are allowable and attributing penalties to participants who rode on sections of roads forbidden to cyclists. For 2016, the finish was moved away from Istanbul due to safety concerns. also,

3645-557: The equivalent of about sixteen months' pay for a French manual worker. The first international body was the International Cycling Association (ICA), established by an English schoolteacher named Henry Sturmey , the founder of Sturmey-Archer . It opened in 1893 and held its first world championship in Chicago, United States, the same year. A new organisation, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI),

3726-411: The events was a sprint for 603.49 metres (659.98 yards)." The Olympic Games has never been as important in road cycling as in other sports. Until the distinction ended, the best riders were professionals rather than amateurs and so did not take part. Law enforcement always escort the athletes to ensure they are kept safe during the cycling events, especially the road races. The success of the races in

3807-408: The final sprint to the finish line. Across a long stage race, such as a Grand Tour, the winner's average speed is usually near 40 km/h. In more organized races, a SAG wagon ("support and gear") or broom wagon follows the race to pick up stragglers. In professional stage racing riders who are not in a position to win the race or assist a teammate, will usually attempt to ride to the finish within

3888-555: The final stretch. Teamwork between riders, both pre-arranged and ad hoc, is important in many aspects: in preventing or helping a successful break, and sometimes in delivering a sprinter to the front of the field. To make the course more selective, races often feature difficult sections such as tough climbs, fast descents, and sometimes technical surfaces (such as the cobbled pavé used in the Paris–Roubaix race). The effects of drafting are reduced in these difficult sections, allowing

3969-425: The finish. While the principle remains that the winner is the first to cross the line, many riders are grouped together in teams, usually with commercial sponsors. On professional and semi-professional teams, team names are typically synonymous with the primary sponsors. As an example, some prominent professional teams of the last 30 years have been Team Telekom , Rabobank , ONCE , Mapei and Lampre . The size of

4050-665: The front of the peloton, on the opposite side of the road from which the crosswind is blowing. Following riders are unable to fully shelter from the wind. If such tactics are maintained for long enough, a weaker rider somewhere in the line will be unable to keep contact with the rider directly ahead, causing the peloton to split up. As well as exceptional fitness, successful riders must develop excellent bike handling skills to ride at high speeds in close quarters with other riders. Individual riders can reach speeds of 110 km/h (68 mph) while descending winding mountain roads and may reach 60–80 km/h (37–50 mph) level speeds during

4131-408: The general leader. The general leader does not generally react to breakaways by riders who trail substantially in cumulative time. Such escapes usually achieve other goals, such as winning the stage, collecting sprinting or mountain points, or just creating air time for their team sponsors as a dedicated camera bike typically accompanies the escape. Notable cycling races include the Tour de France ,

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4212-465: The governing body of pro cycling, voted to phase in a ban on the use of team radios in men's elite road racing. However, after protests from teams, the ban introduced in 2011 excluded races on the top-level men's and women's circuits (the UCI World Tour and UCI Women's Road World Cup ) and in 2015 the UCI reversed its stance, allowing race radios to be used in class HC and class 1 events from

4293-427: The lack of monitoring, including the use of performance-enhancing substances. The organizers hope that an honor system is sufficient to curb violations, and in 2015 an online form was created for people to submit reports of rule-breaking. It is impossible to know how big a problem cheating actually is, but it is hoped that it is low since winning has no monetary value. Organizers have given a thorough explanation about

4374-412: The leader's chances, taking turns in the wind for him, refusing to chase with the peloton when he or she escapes, and so on. The goal is usually to allow the leader to have enough energy to take off at the critical point of the race and go on to victory. However, there can be many alternative scenarios depending on the strength of teams and the race situation. One example of team tactics involves placing

4455-511: The lowest cumulative time to complete all stages is declared the overall, or general classification (GC), winner. Stage races may also have other classifications and awards, such as individual stage winners, the points classification winner, and the " King of the Mountains " (or mountains classification) winner. A stage race can also be a series of road races and individual time trials (some events include team time trials ). The stage winner

4536-412: The major northern hemisphere races and allowing top professionals to compete. Mike Hall (cyclist) Michael Richard Hall (4 June 1981 – 31 March 2017) was a British cyclist and race organiser who specialised in self-supported ultra-distance cycling races. In 2012, he won the inaugural World Cycle Race. In 2013 and 2016, he won the Tour Divide ultra-endurance mountain bike race across

4617-557: The official website and in the Race Manual. The idea of self-supported or unsupported bicycle racing is a key component. Drafting is not allowed, receiving any form of support from other racers is not allowed (which includes sharing food and equipment), and neither is receiving support from friends, family, etc. (again including food and equipment). Social/emotional support is allowed, but information should not be shared between different racers or between racers and their supporters once

4698-415: The organizers and participants is minimal outside of the checkpoints (although an emergency number is provided to all riders) and not all checkpoints are staffed 24 hours per day. Riders' satellite trackers can also fail, which is typically due to the tracker's batteries going flat despite riders being encouraged to carry spares and to change them at certain intervals. Many forms of cheating are possible due to

4779-519: The poorest rural areas" of Vietnam. Hall asked people to donate to the charity in honor of him doing the 2012 World Cycle Race. In 2013 and 2015 he led a group of cyclists (with Juliana Buhring in 2015) in the Vietnam Challenge Ride organised by Cycle A Difference that also raised money for Newborns Vietnam. Hall died after being struck by a car during the Indian Pacific Wheel Race from Fremantle to Sydney, on 31 March 2017. At

4860-459: The process used for selecting which applicants are awarded a place. Previous volunteers are given preference, followed by applicants who improve the demographic diversity. The remainder who display sufficient understanding of the requirements and risk in their application are entered into a simple lottery. Up to half of the riders who start the race may not reach the finish for various reasons, but this proportion varies every year. This indicates that

4941-446: The professional, semi-professional and amateur levels, worldwide. The sport is governed by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). As well as the UCI's annual World Championships for men and women, the biggest event is the Tour de France , a three-week race that can attract over 500,000 roadside supporters a day. Road racing in its modern form originated in the late 19th century. It began as an organized sport in 1868. The sport

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5022-464: The race has begun. All supplies, accommodation, repairs, etc., must be purchased from commercial sources that are equally available to all participants. Since the 2015 edition, in addition to the solo race category, a pairs category has existed in which riders may draft the other person in the pair and they may share equipment. The rules concerning the type of bicycle that can be used and the equipment that must be carried are minimal. To ensure that everyone

5103-428: The riders and the team director, who travels in a team car behind the race and monitors the overall situation. The influence of radios on race tactics is a topic of discussion among the cycling community, with some arguing that the introduction of radios in the 1990s has devalued the tactical knowledge of individual riders and has led to less exciting racing. In September 2009, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI),

5184-414: The sake of time and efficiency, nearly all participants ride solely on paved, public roads, and so nearly all use road bikes . However, due to routing errors, adventurous planning, or more challenging parcours being chosen by the organizers, some off-road sections are occasionally used. During the first 7 editions of the race, the most-often used country for the location of a start, control point, or finish

5265-565: The season depend on the hemisphere. A racing year is divided between lesser races, single-day classics and stage races. The classics include the Tour of Flanders , Paris–Roubaix and Milan–San Remo . The other important one-day race is the World Championships . Unlike other classics, the World Championships is held on a different course each year and ridden by national rather than sponsored teams. The winner wears

5346-572: The slipstream) behind each other, in team time trials, riders in each team employ this as their main tactic, each member taking a turn at the front while teammates 'sit in' behind. Race distances vary from a few km (typically a prologue, an individual time trial of usually less than 5 miles (8.0 km) before a stage race, used to determine which rider wears the leader's jersey on the first stage) to between approximately 20 miles (32 km) and 60 miles (97 km). Stage races consist of several races, or stages , ridden consecutively. The competitor with

5427-423: The spring, and Clásica de San Sebastián (Spain), HEW Cyclassics (Germany), Züri-Metzgete (Switzerland, until 2006), Paris–Tours (France, until 2007) and Giro di Lombardia (Italy) in the autumn season. Cycling has been a discipline in the summer Olympics ever since the birth of the modern Olympic movement. Cycling activist, co-organizer of Peace Race , Włodzimierz Gołębiewski said: "Cycling has become

5508-405: The start, some control points, and the finish, participants are mostly free to choose their own route that they have independently planned. Even so, many riders use the same roads as each other, particularly when choices are limited. All local laws must be adhered to regarding which roads cyclists are allowed to use and the organizers may ban additional roads that they believe are too dangerous. For

5589-449: The strongest riders in the conditions to drop weaker riders, reducing the number of direct competitors able to take the win. Weather, particularly wind, is also an important discriminating factor. Climbs are excellent places for a single rider to try to break away from a bunch, as the lower riding speeds in a climb seriously reduce the drafting advantage of the bunch. The escaping rider can then further capitalize on that rider's position in

5670-401: The team varies, from three in an amateur event for club riders to eight in professional races. Team riders decide between themselves, before and during the race, who has the best chance of winning. The choice will depend on hills, the chances that the whole field will finish together in a sprint, and other factors. The other riders on the team, or domestiques , will devote themselves to promoting

5751-565: The time he was placed second in the race and had covered 5,024 km. He was killed just before dawn on the Monaro Highway , at the intersection of the Monaro Highway and Williamsdale Road, on the outskirts of Canberra at approximately 6:20 a.m. By 3 April a fund raising page, set up after his death, had raised over £70,000 for Hall's family. His death was ruled avoidable by the coroner, and road safety improvements in

5832-521: The world cycling record , in 2013 and 2016 he won the Tour Divide, and in 2014 he won the TransAm Bicycle Race. Mike Hall was the main organizer from 2013 until 2016, with The Adventurists helping to organize the first edition. After Mike Hall's death in early 2017, the remaining members of the Transcontinental Race team created the Lost Dot organization to administer the race. Contact between

5913-761: Was Italy, which featured in 6 editions. Tied for the second-most often visited country are Belgium and France, each with 5 visits, followed by Turkey with 4 and Montenegro with 3. The race visited Asia just twice, with the finish line being on the Asian side of the Dardanelles strait in Turkey for the 2016 edition and on the Asian side of Istanbul for the 2024 edition -- which also used the 2016 finish point as CP4. Racer positions are monitored using GPS satellite-based tracker devices mounted on all participants' bikes that upload their positions every 5 minutes. This information

5994-553: Was added to the UCI Road World Championships at the 31st edition of the World Championships in 1958 in Reims . Professional single-day race distances may be as long as 180 miles (290 km). Courses may run from place to place or comprise one or more laps of a circuit; some courses combine both, i.e., taking the riders from a starting place and then finishing with several laps of a circuit (usually to ensure

6075-554: Was killed while riding in second place in the 2017 Indian Pacific Wheel Race, having completed more than 5,000 km of the almost 5,500 km race. In 2013, Hall founded the Transcontinental Race (TCR) and was the main organiser until he died in 2017. The TCR is an annual, self-supported, ultra-distance bicycle race across Europe . The TCR has no set route except that the riders must pass several intermediate checkpoints at iconic locations, which vary every year. The distance has varied between 3,200 and 4,200 km, and has crossed

6156-503: Was never ratified by Guinness. He completed the 2013 Tour Divide in a time faster than the current record, but did not qualify for the record due to the route being altered that year to avoid forest fires. In the 2016 Tour Divide , he beat the record and rode the complete, official route. After three editions of the Trans Am Bike Race , the time that Hall set in the inaugural edition was broken by Evan Deutsch in 2017. Hall

6237-704: Was originally administered as part of athletics , since cyclists often used the tracks used by runners . This, according to historian James McGurn, led to disputes within countries and internationally. The Bicycle Union [of Britain], having quarrelled with the Amateur Athletic Association over cycle race jurisdiction on AAA premises, took issue with the Union Vélocipèdique de France over the French body's willingness to allow its " amateurs " to compete for prizes of up to 2,000 francs,

6318-465: Was popular in the western European countries of France, Spain, Belgium, and Italy, and some of those earliest road bicycle races remain among the sport's biggest events. These early races include Liège–Bastogne–Liège (established 1892), Paris–Roubaix (1896), the Tour de France (1903), the Milan–San Remo and Giro di Lombardia (1905), the Giro d'Italia (1909), the Volta a Catalunya (1911), and

6399-588: Was set up on 15 April 1900 during the Olympic Games in Paris, by several European countries and the United States. Great Britain was not initially a member, but joined in 1903. The UCI, based in Switzerland, has run the sport ever since. In its home in Europe and in the United States, cycle racing on the road is a summer sport, although the season can start in early spring and end in autumn. The months of

6480-541: Was sprinter Mark Cavendish riding for the team of Great Britain. Another favoured rider was Matthew Goss riding for the Australian team. By placing Stuart O'Grady in the breakaway, the Australian team was able to force the British team to take primary responsibility for the chase and absolve themselves of the responsibility. In professional races, team coordination is often performed by radio communication between

6561-435: Was the Tour Divide in 2011. While riding in the top 10, he acquired a knee injury, but still finished the race. He then won a major ultra-distance event in 4 of the next 5 years: The 91 days and 18 hours for the 2012 World Cycle Race does not include transfer and flight times, which is how Guinness World Records measured it at the time, and this was faster than the current around the world cycling record , but his attempt

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