The start

The Transcontinental Race is an annual, self-supported bike race across Europe, founded by the long-distance cyclist Mike Hall in 2013. It covers about 3,500-4,000km (2,200 – 2,400 miles) and has started in Geraardsbergen, Belgium, for the last three years. Here, riders assemble, meet, compare kit and prepare for the race ahead. Participants are free to choose their own route between mandatory control points – a test as much of orienteering and route-planning as of physical and mental endurance.

Kip

In Geraardsbergen, many racers grab a precious few minutes of rest before the long days of riding and sleep-deprivation begin. This year, 283 people are taking part: 225 in the solo category, and 29 pairs. In its conception, Hall set out 10 rules to which racers must adhere. Commands include: a ban on all third-party support; all kit must be carried by the riders themselves; a complete ban on drafting passing cars; a helmet must be worn; and crucially, that ‘riders must act in the spirit of self-sufficiency and equal opportunity for all riders’.

Trackers

All riders are issued with a GPS tracker so friends, family and “dot-watchers” can follow their progress across the continent, a feature that makes the race particularly compelling for fans at home. This year, the first checkpoint was positioned at Lichtenstein Castle in Germany, around 480km from the start. The opening and closing of manned checkpoints is based on riders completing about 250km per day of riding. Rider locations are broadcast on maps such as TrackLeaders and Free Route and can be accessed through transcontinental.cc.

Prep

Preparation is one of the biggest tests of the race. Many riders bring bivvy bags and inflatable mats to allow them to sleep in hedges, ditches or on roadsides along the way – a key skill of the race. Others choose an occasional hotel room along the way, to rest and reset, wash kit, though they are prohibited from booking anything more than 24 hours in advance. Each year, riders arrive with new levels of ingenuity to save precious grammes and ensure their bikes are as light as possible – from sawn-off toothbrushes to just one pair of shorts. Here, Eleanor Jaskowska poses before the start.

The Muur

The event officially starts at 10pm with a parade starting in the marketplace in Geraardsbergen. Spectators crowd the pavements and light torches as the riders set off up the infamous Muur, a steep cobbled climb that has gained legendary status in cycling for its pivotal role in the annual Tour of Flanders. Once riders reach the Kapel at the top of the climb, the race begins and riders are free to start following their own routes.

Nightriders

Some choose to bed down in a ditch and get some sleep soon after the start. Others ride into the night, sustained on the rush of adrenaline of the start. Within the first 12 hours, the front group usually becomes clear, with riders sometimes covering up to 800km in one sleepless stretch.

Brevet

Riders carry with them a “brevet card” that must be stamped at each checkpoint as proof of their arrival. This year, checkpoint two was on Monte Grappa in Italy – a 1,775m summit in the Venetian pre-alps, home to a giant monument to soldiers of the two world wars.

Laundry

“I slept about three hours each night, got up and got cycling,” the 2015 race winner, Josh Ibbett, told the Telegraph soon after his victory. “The hour when the sun is coming up is really cool. Then you just have a lunch stop, evening stop and then it’s night time again. I usually finished riding around half 12 or 1am – when I could feel my brain starting to turn off. Because the last thing you want is to ride into a car, or break your bike in a pothole. You have to finish – that’s the most important thing.”

Bivvy

As the days stretch on and the kilometres build up, exhausted bodies take refuge in cafes and roadside restaurants, catching moments of rest in whatever kit they allowed themselves the luxury to pack.

Lucifer

This year, extreme heat hampered many of the riders. In early August authorities in 11 European countries were forced to warn residents and tourists to take precautions against the heatwave – nicknamed Lucifer – the most intense seen in the region since 2003. The Ride Far blog, which has been posting regular race updates, said on Thursday – the 13th day of the race – that around 120 of the 280 or so starters had “scratched”, or quit, many due to the heat.

Cooling off

Rider Melissa Pritchard, who is likely to be the first woman to finish the race this year. The first woman across the line in 2016 was Emily Chappell, who finished in 13 days, 10 hours and 28 minutes. Speaking to Total Women’s Cycling after her win, she said: “I was so wrecked when I arrived that I didn’t feel like a triumphant hero – more like an exhausted, filthy, broken-down old woman. It was only over the next couple of days that it began to sink in. It’s been life-affirming, because really it was just more of what I love: riding my bike, seeing new places, meeting new people.”

Rugged

Photographer Camille McMillan, who has followed the race for the past three years, witnesses the physical and mental deterioration of racers along the way. Of this rider, Nelson Trees, he said: “My favourite rugged face. I keep bumping into him in the race … he gets more rugged each day.”

The victor

James Hayden, the eventual race winner, rode into the finish in Greece on Sunday 6 August after covering 3,733km at an average speed of 26.8kph. He completed it in eight days, 23 hours and 14 minutes. Here he is pictured somewhere in Romania outside a shop, stocking up on provisions.

In memoriam

Rider safety has been a major focus of this year’s race. The race founder, Mike Hall, was killed earlier this year while racing across Australia. Hall, 35, was a loved and respected rider within the ultra-distance cycling community. In 2012, he won the inaugural World Cycle Race, and in 2013 and 2016 he won the Tour Divide ultra-endurance mountain bike race across the Rocky Mountains. At this edition of the Transcontinental, Dutch rider Frank Simons was hit by a car driver in southern Belgium and died during the first night of the race.

Friends of the road

Over the years, many riders have described the incredible generosity and warmth shown from often bewildered strangers along the way. Pre-arranged third-party support is not allowed, but the kindness of fellow human beings is part of what the race is all about ... A bottle of cold water or a front lawn to sleep on can be the difference between pushing on or abandoning the race altogether.

The finish

Hayden was the first to reach the finish-line in Meteora in central Greece, the first time the race has not finished in Turkey. Hayden dedicated his win to Mike Hall. Writing shortly before race began, he said: “For all Transcontinental racers and followers, this year’s race will be a bittersweet experience. I love and live to race my bicycle. The only way I can think to honour his vision is to race my best and enjoy every moment, to make it a celebration of his extraordinary life.”