The North Cape-Tarifa
About the Race
Starting on June 20th, World's longest bike race, the North Cape-Tarifa, commenced. The race starts in North Cape, the northernmost point in Europe, and ends in Tarifa, the southernmost point in the Iberian Peninsula.
The route is extremely challenging, as it covers 7460 kilometers and includes 80,000 meters of climbing. Benoit
Credit: Benoit Merchez
About Benoit and Patrick
Benoit Merchez and Patrick Gilles and are experienced French ultracyclists. Benoit won Bikingman Portugal 2021, and placed 5th and 6th in the Bikingman Portugal 2023 and Corsica 2022 respectively. He also got 14th on the Tran Siberian Extreme Bike Race in 2024 as well as 1st at the Three Peaks Bike Race in 2025.
Patrick is the co-founder of the "7 Majors" ultra-cycling challenge and initiator of Team Cycloportissimo. He placed 2nd in the Race Across France 1000 in 2022, 3rd in the l’Ardèchoise Ultra 2022, and 2nd in Bikingman France 2022.
The Ride So Far
They and have so far maintained a very high speed through the race, covering 360 kilometers per day. While Benoit and Patrick were initially riding as a pair, however Patrick has decided to head straight to Nice, France. Benoit will continue to ride all the way to Tarifa. Benoit is an accomplished ultra cyclist, having won Bikingman Portugal 2021 as well as getting excellent results in other editions and races.
Benoit is racing on the GCX40/45 Ultralight with 4th generation carbon spokes and SR1 hubs.
Follow the Race
Benoit's journey can be tracked using this live tracker. You can also follow him on Instagram at @benoit_merchez
Credit: Benoit Merchez
Feedback
Since before the race, we have been communicating with Benoit. During the race, he has been providing us with pictures and feedback.
June 25th
CP1 locked in! 🚀 1,800 km in less than 6 days, averaging 360 km in the saddle every single day. Safe to say your gear is being put through the ultimate test, and these wheels are absolutely phenomenal.
I think we’ve set an absolute mileage record for one of your wheelsets in under 6 days! The endurance test continues all the way to Nice, but confidence is sky-high. 😉
June 26th
Quick update on the North Cape-Tarifa. For personal reasons, Patrick is heading straight to Nice while I'm continuing on the classic route. Because of this separation, we won't be ranked. Despite that, we managed to validate CP2 in 6 days and 14 hours together!
A huge shoutout to the Particle teams for their gear. Their wheels are absolutely amazing for ultra-distance and held up perfectly against the gravel sections and impacts, all while staying super lightweight."
June 28th
Hi Patrick
The wheels arrived successfully at CP3, it was painful because it's 45 degrees outside, but they made it. I passed the checkpoint on June 28th at 2:10 PM, which is 8 days after the start on Saturday, June 20th at midnight.
I have covered 2,960 km and I am in 4th position. Also, CP3 is in front of the statue of Nicolaus Copernicus.
