The world's toughest bike race: 9200km across Siberia

Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme

(Image credit: Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme)

published 27 May 2015

A new cycling stage race has been introduced for 2015 that makes the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia and Vuelta a Espana look positively puny in comparison. The Red Bull Trans-Siberian Extreme in Russia is a 9200-kilometre race featuring 15 stages and a total of 58 kilometres of climbing.

The inaugural event takes place over July 14-August 6, starting in Russian capital city Moscow and then broadly following the route of the famous Trans-Siberian railway finishing in Vladivostok, on the Pacific Ocean.

Road conditions vary wildly along the route, from smooth tarmac to unmade tracks as the riders travel through Siberia and its mountains, lake Baikal and Baikal Mountains. The route passes the border with Kazakhstan, Mongolia and China, and riders will pass through seven different time zones on their arduous journey. Participants will also have to deal with temperature fluctuations of up to 40 degrees.

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Nigel Wynn worked as associate editor on CyclingWeekly.com, he worked almost single-handedly on the Cycling Weekly website in its early days. His passion for cycling, his writing and his creativity, as well as his hard work and dedication, were the original driving force behind the website’s success. Without him, CyclingWeekly.com would certainly not exist on the size and scale that it enjoys today. Nigel sadly passed away, following a brave battle with a cancer-related illness, in 2018. He was a highly valued colleague, and more importantly, an exceptional person to work with - his presence is sorely missed.

The world's toughest bike race: 9200km across Siberia

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