Pippa Handley has just completed and won the gruelling 3300km adventure on her NeilPryde Zephyr named Zac.
Cycling from London to Istanbul, completely unsupported, the Transcontinental Race is one of the most challenging cycling events in Europe. Running from the streets of London, to the tip of Asia via Parisian suburbs, the Eastern Alps and the rugged Dalmatian coast, the Transcontinental is part Brevet, part Ultra Marathon and part Bikepacking Race. Call it what you will, it fills a need for those who want to see a distance race of a magnitude and difficulty that would rival the so called toughest races on earth but without the ecological footprint of vehicle support and a cost of entry that would exclude Desgrange’s tourist routiers.
Riders can take any route they want, as long as they pass through three mandatory check points. Track Pippa's race here.
Handley had everything thrown at her: taking the wrong route and climbing the same mountain numerous times, a dog stealing her sock... At one point she was ~100km ahead of the nearest female racer, but she lost the lead when they both took a different route. Handley then regained the lead after Croatia and the final check point and stayed in the lead up until the end.
Pippa Handley comes from Oban in the north of Scotland but now resides in Edinburgh. She works as a nurse and fits her riding in around working. She has been doing training rides of 180 miles a day at weekends and days off running up to the race. Handley raced in Europe for four years as a pro road rider based in the Netherlands, taking part in many women’s one day classic and stage races all over Europe. She went to the 2010 Commonwealth Games for Scotland finishing 16th in the TT. Pippa says she was an overweight Nurse who loved to drink, until she found her first bike and started to ride.
A massive congratulations to Pippa Handley!
Follow Pippa on Twitter @pipster_h.
