At just thirty years old, Swiss ultra-cyclist Robin Gemperle is perfectly on track to claim victory at the famed and grueling Transcontinental Race. As of writing, Gemperle is already pushing through the southern border of Montenegro and rapidly closing in on the finish line in Greece. Meanwhile, his closest rivals are trailing well behind near Montenegro’s northern border.
Now in its twelfth edition, this year’s Transcontinental Race kicked off last Sunday, July 19, in Trondheim, Norway. From there, competitors must navigate a punishing 4,000-kilometer route packed with tens of thousands of meters of elevation gain. While the start and finish points – Trondheim and Kalamata, Greece – are fixed, riders are free to plot their own paths between required mandatory checkpoints. For 2026, those checkpoints feature Flåm (Norway), the Tatra Mountains (Slovakia), Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina), and Leskovik (Albania).
The race is strictly self-supported, meaning frontrunners ride on minimal to no sleep while managing their own logistics, leading to high attrition rates every year.
If Gemperle holds his lead, it won’t be his first taste of glory at the event. He placed eighth in 2022 and second in 2023 before securing his first victory in 2024.
You can follow all the action live via the dot-watch tracker here, where you can monitor the growing gaps between riders and keep up with the latest scratches.
