Everything I Used on the Transcontinental Race #11
The Transcontinental Race (TCR) is one of the toughest ultras out there. A self-routed jaunt across an entire continent, with a field of the strongest riders on the planet. Self-routed and self-supported, there’s A LOT to think about. Not least, dialling in the perfect setup that’s going to get you through the distance safely and efficiently without any extras. So what does the perfect TCR kit list look like?
In 2025, I finished TCR #11 as a pair within General Classification (GC). Here is everything I took, from the bike, to the bags, to the clothes and spares, along with my take on what worked and what didn’t.
The complete setup for the TCR no.11: A Mason Resolution steel all road bike complete with deep dish carbon wheels and aero bars, with fresh parts and components cleaned, lubed and ready to go.
Between completing my application in December 2024 and rolling over the finish line in Constanta in August 2025, barely a moment passed without my kit list and the potential gaps in it entering my brain.
Riding 5000kms with urgency on a mix of surfaces comes with an awful lot of opportunity for things to go wrong. And I was riddled with anxiety about it, certain that at some point it would all fall apart thanks to my misjudgement. I’d be stuck on the side of the road somewhere, far from help, my race coming to an underwhelming premature end haunted by my poor decision making. Even worse, it could mean the end of my pair Ben’s ride too.
Fortunately that didn’t happen. Far from it. In fact, we finished as 5th pair without as much as a puncture between us. 5000kms in the bag and not a single mechanical to speak of. So here’s everything I took for TCR #11. In most cases, you’ll also find what I thought of the item, links to the specific product and in some cases, a link to my own more detailed review.
I should note, that in riding as a pair, it meant we could share the load particularly for spares and repairs and of course help each other solve any issues should they arrive, meaning the pressure was shared. It’s also worth remembering that setups are highly personal, and should be tailored to the requirements of the race and the conditions.
This is not an attempt to claim this as THE ultimate TCR setup or the only way to pack. I run hot, we had great weather and we rode defensively, nevertheless, for our race, this setup worked. We didn’t win, but we finished within the cut off, which was exactly what we set out to do. And, at the time of writing this, several months after finishing, I still haven’t even serviced my bike or replaced any worn parts, though admittedly I’ve not been riding with any intensity since finishing.
Nervous energy at race registration. Riders and bikes checked over and checked in, almost ready to go.
No looking back. The start line in Santiago de Compostela
Bike
MASON Resolution: A steel all road bike designed specifically for going far, fast. I’ve ridden tens of thousands of kilometres on this bike which has never let me down but it has had a few upgrades and replacement parts over the years.
Fizik Terra Argo X1 Saddle: This is the saddle that came as standard on the bike, but it’s been excellent for me. Absolutely zero sores or discomfort over countless hours of riding.
Ultegra compact Groupset: Mechanical or electronic groupsets are the point of much discussion for events like TCR but I stuck to what I had already on the bike, that I knew how to fix if it went wrong and didn’t rely on another battery to charge. 52/36 chainset with a 11/34 cassette providing an extra couple of gears for weary legs.
Venn 45/25 rims on DT Swiss 350 hubs: A conversation with a local wheel builder put me onto Venn, an OEM producing wheels for a number of brands. Buying direct I could chose a pretty customised wheelset, built up on whatever hubs I wanted at a great price. I wanted something, fast, aero and bullet-proof and these perfectly fitted the bill.
Muc Off Tubeless Valves: I’ve had a few sets of these and find them easy to use and available in a range of sizes, they’re suitable for deep rims too.
Continental GP5000 TR AS 35mm tyres: I’ve had a couple of sets of these tyres in different widths and am always amazed at their speed and durability. Set up tubeless, they came up really wide on the Venn rims offering loads of confidence of rough roads and ran super fast across the distance. I love these tyres.
Orange Endurance Sealant: This stuff has been my go-to for my road and mountain bike for a number of years and has hands down been the option I’ve had the least issue with.
Shimano Deore XT Pedals: SPD pedals so I could walk around when I needed to, in shops, potential rough gravel sections and up and down stairs to hotel rooms etc. I’ve had a couple of sets of these and they just seem to last forever without complaining.
2x Restrap Side Release Bottle Cages: I was disappointed by these. The plastic is super soft meaning I damaged the cages just fitting them, compromising their attachment to the bike and riding in Ireland before the race, they came completely off. I was in contact with Restrap about it who sent me some new ones free of charge but again it the plastic was so soft they weren’t super stable. A small issue that could cause much bigger problems on a race of this size.
4.5mm Lizard skin bar tape: It’s amazing how much you compress bar tape with your weight constantly on the bars for so much time. These was the thickest most I could find and it did a great job and surviving the distance, still stuck perfectly in place, though thin in places.
Deda Parabolica Aero Bar Extensions: Comfortable over the distance with a pretty good amount of spacers available to dial in the fit. I had these as high as they’d go for maximum back relief and found I rode in them for many hours each day.
Navigation & Safety
Garmin 1040 Solar: This is a fantastic computer for ultras with an impressive battery life, solar top up and a detailed map featuring bike shops, water fountains, grocery stores and much more. I reviewed this unit for BASE several years ago and the same device is still going strong.
Lezyne 1400+ Macro Drive: I’m always really impressed by Lezyne when it comes to lights. Powerful units, impressive battery life and a really reasonable price. In the end I decided on having a couple of sets of mid tier lights in rotation rather than spending out on an expensive unit. The 1400 Macro Drive I’ve found to punch above its weight in battery life and to be a really sturdy light with versatile mounting options and easy USB-C charging.
Lezyne Strip Drive Pro 400+: Similarly with this rear light, powerful output, and easy to use with plenty of battery life to see you through the night.
Knog Blinder 1300 Set: There’s a lot to like about these lights but their battery life isn’t really up to a full night or multiple days of riding as you might need on an ultra so they became my backup set of lights. You can see my review here.
Nebo Transcend 1500 Headtorch: A versatile powerful lamp with a really intuitive dial to control the strength and a detachable sturdy head strap mount.
Reflective Sticker: One of the requirements from Lost Dot (race organisers)is a rear reflector. Once I had the bike bags fitted though, I found it tricky to mount a reflector on the back of the bike. In Santiago I found an Asian supermarket that sold a roll of reflective tape and cut two small sections of about 5cm each which I stuck along the seat stays.
BBB Noisy Bell: Another requirement for entry is that all bikes have a working bell, I just got one I knew I could mount discreetly under my stem so not to take up valuable cockpit space.
1l and 750ml bottles: I wanted to fit as much water carrying capacity as possible, and found this was the best I could do with a frame bag.
Bags
Apidura Expedition 9l Saddle Bag: I’ve had this saddle pack for a number of years so am confident with what I can fit in and also that it remains stable over the distance. Running the smallest size limited what I could bring which meant I was a little more meticulous with my packing.
Tailfin 2.7l Wedge Frame Bag:I got this especially for the TCR and was really impressed with its stability and carrying capacity considering its size. Read my full review here.
Restrap 1.5l Top Tube Bag: I appreciated the extra capacity but in hindsight I’m not sure why I didn’t go for the bigger full length option.
Apidura 3l Expedition Cargo Fork Bag: Having spent hours looking at different aero bag options, reluctant to drop another hundred pound, I realised many of them are just dry bags with straps or quite over engineered complicated products. With two Voile straps a cargo fork bag makes an excellent aero bag with plenty of carrying capacity for a few extra clothing items.
Clothing
On Bike
POC Ventral Air Spin Helmet: Super light and really breezy with so many vents, there’s a lot to like about this helmet. But, having lost glasses on ultras before, the thing I really like so much about the Ventral design is the sunglasses garage. There’s loads of space for any design and with the grippy pads, glasses stay in there really securely.
Alba Delta Sunglasses: These sunglasses are fine. Definitely not the lens quality of some brands out there – I found light refracts strangely through the lens sometimes making little red dots across my vision. But they do have great face coverage which considering we’d be exposed to the sun for so many hours every day for so man days in a row, I figured this was a win. I also assumed they'd get battered or perhaps even lost so was reluctant to spend out on a new set.
Lake MX239 Shoes: After a last minute bike fit revealed I have one particularly wide foot, I was convinced to give these MX239’s a go. Without much time to get used to them before the race,I found myself still adjusting cleat position in the first few days but did settle into them. By the last few days though, I noticed I had burst a perfect circle of blood vessels on both feet above the cleat. Hard to say how the shoes may or may not have impacted this though having never ridden so far so consistently.
Rapha Pro Team Jersey: Picked up cheap at a sample sale, this is perhaps the jersey purchase I gave the least thought to but has become my favourite. It’s simple, fits well and pale in colour, it reflects light keeping you marginally cooler.
Rapha Pro Team 3 Bibs: Probably the best bibs I’ve ever owned but with a price tag to match. They were definitely a little warm on the hottest days, but for me the chamois is the most comfortable well fitting pad I’ve ever worn. The short felt really snug the entire ride and still look brand new even now.
Albion Cargo Bibs: For a race this long I wanted a second pair to have in rotation to make sure I could wash them both regularly. I’ve owned these for a few years now so they were pretty battered by the end of the race but a little cooler and looser fitting than the Rapha Pro Team’s they provided some respite on cooler days.
Pas Normal Essential Insulated Jacket: This has been a great jacket, it’s light and packs down small but with fleece lined insulation provides plenty of warmth.
Albion All Road Shield Rain Jacket: Great fit with enough room for layers beneath without feeling flappy in the wind. In Tandem with the insulated jacket above, this made for a really warm system for cold descents and late night riding.
Albion Burner: I didn’t really use it on the TCR and actually managed to loose it somewhere in the Alps about half way, but in the past, this has been a great backup on the coldest descents.
Specialized riding mitts – I don’t tend to ride in mitts often, but knew I’d need the extra padding on something so long. I had these very old Specialized mitts lying around and figured they’d be fine. Unfortunately I lost them somewhere in the Balkans meaning the last few days were quite painful for my palms.
Rab Powerstretch Gloves – I managed to loose my normal riding gloves in training for TCR so in the end I just took what I had available to me. I barely needed these besides a couple of morning descents in the mountains but was very grateful for them when I did.
Albion Visibility Cargo Vest: Ideal for extra storage on the move, including extra liquids, without adding bulk and great for added visibility in the day. Suprisingly ineffective reflective strips compared to alternatives though. Read my full review here.
Off Bike
Running Shorts: Nothing special about these, but on races I find it really useful to have something I could change out of my bibs into, something light that and packable allowing plenty of breathing room while not riding.
Le Col Arc Merino T Shirt: Similarly I wanted something that I could wear to sleep in and use off the bike and either side of the race.
Sleep System
Outdoor Research Helium Bivy: This has been my bivy of choice for a number of years now and I love it. It’s waterproof and breathable and I’ve used it in some really low temperatures. And it’ll continue to be my go-to, but on the TCR, for me I think it was a little overkill. Although I left the poles at home, I still think I could have gotten away with something more lightweight and saved some space in my saddle bag.
Mountain Equipment Helium Solo Sleeping Bag: This is one of the smallest and lightest down bags available so a great option for some added comfort on warm nights across Europe.
Thermarest Neo Air XLite: I’ve used Thermarest’s Neo Air range for about a decade and loved them. Despite packing down so small they pack a punch when it comes to warmth and comfort. And props to Thermarest, I’ve sent three back for repair and had them replaced with no quibble.
Spares and Repairs
Lezyne Multi Tool: I managed to lose my go-to multi-tool just days before leaving for TCR so ended up with an older Lezyne one with really soft keys. Not ideal for a race like this with the risk of rounding off parts.
2 inner tubes and a patch set: Although I ran a tubeless setup which held up the full distance meaning they were never needed, these provided some peace of mind.
2 Park Tool Tyre Levers: Small but very robust, reliable tyre levers which fit together neatly.
Super Glue: Useful for all sorts, but particularly fixing punctures, tubeless or otherwise, though never needed.
Lezyne Clik Drive HV Pump: A fine emergency pump, I knew would get me out of a tight spot if I had a puncture, but not a great pump for topping up to higher pressures, which is really the only time I needed it on TCR.
Set of spare pads: I never needed them, but you can’t be doing a three week ride without spare pads.
Four cable ties
Squirt Lube: About 400ml worth decanted into a couple of smaller vessels which I could bin along the way once empty.
Tailfin Cargo Strap: This just gave me a bit more carrying capacity alongside my bags, which I used to carry a spare tube on the top tube.
Spare Mech Hanger: Vital for any tour or race. Fortunately I never needed to use it.
Spare Muc Off Tubeless Valve: Just in case.
Spare Cleats: In reality, I probably could have left these behind. New cleats before the race lasted the duration and I could have easily picked some up if they had started to wear. Perhaps just the bolts would have been enough of a backup.
Chain links: Just in case.
Electrical Tape: Useful for all sorts of temporary field repairs.
Nutrition
Styrkr MIX60 Dual-Carb Energy Drink Mix
Styrkr SLT07 hydration Tablets
Toiletries
Mini toothpaste
Cut down toothbrush: Compete with a brush protector
Wetwipes: We’d bivy most nights so this was often as close to a shower as we could get.
Sudocream: To protect against saddle sores
Suncream: Several types of suncream, general coverage, a zinc stick for nose and ears and a UV protected chapstick for lips.
Bum Butter Chamois Cream
Admin
Passport
Brevet Card
Bank Card
European Health Insurance Card
Phone - with bank cards loaded on for Apple Pay
Earphones, plus spares
2 pin 4 Port USB charging station
3x UBS-C, 2X mini-USB cables, 1X Iphone lightning cable
Arriving on the beach in Romania.
Completed brevet cards in hand, with almost 5000kms in the legs.
Hopefully the list above is useful for you if you’re preparing for your own TCR adventure or perhaps another ultra endurance race. If you’re after more kit advice, check out The Pinch Flat Guide to Bikepacking Bags here, or for more gear and reviews, click here.
