N.B. cyclist preps for self-led ultra-distance race in Europe

A New Brunswick man is getting ready to embark on a European ultra-distance race where bikers plan their own route. 

Luis Cardoso of Fredericton will be starting the Transcontinental Race on Sunday.

The race begins in Trondheim, Norway, with checkpoints in Flåm, Norway, the Tatrus Mountains in Slovakia, Sarajevo in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Leskovik, Albania. The finish line is in Kalamata, Greece. With some restrictions, how each cyclist navigates that route is up to them.

Cardoso said his route as it stands is around 5,000 kilometres but he's managed to shave several hundred kilometres off of that route by making changes. 

"[I've] really been working on it for months really — the route part of it," he said.

"When I started, I was going down through Norway, Sweden, to Denmark, down Germany, and then I decided that was quite long, so I went straight into Poland from Sweden and cut about 300 kilometers."

Cardoso used an app called Ride with GPS to plot his route. But there's a lot of thought that goes into the route he wants to take. For example, he has to make sure he doesn't take any banned roads or tunnels in a particular country and he has to decide if he wants to stick to pavement or gravel.

5,000 kilometers. 15 days. No support team

Cardoso also has to look at the elevation and decide if the distance saved is outweighed by the amount of climbing. 

"Some of them would be, you know, like 3,000 … metres of climbing in about 100 kilometres, which is enormous, so back to the drawing board on those."

The race does require riders to go through certain sections to ensure there is at least some climbing and some gravel. 

All of the racers wear trackers, Cardoso said, and volunteers will monitor each rider to ensure they