Mike Hall (cyclist) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mike Hall
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Hall before the 2015 Transcontinental Race at Geraardsbergen, Belgium
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| Born | 4 June 1981 Harrogate, United Kingdom
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| Died | 31 March 2017 (aged 35) |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation | Bicycle race organiser and engineer |
| Known for | Winner of multiple ultra-distance, self-supported bicycle races and organiser of the Transcontinental Race |
Michael Richard Hall (born 4 June 1981 – died 31 March 2017) was a British cyclist. He was known for riding very long distances on his bike without much help. These are called self-supported ultra-distance races.
Mike Hall won many big races. In 2012, he won the first ever World Cycle Race. He also won the Tour Divide twice, in 2013 and 2016. This is a tough mountain bike race across the Rocky Mountains. In 2014, he won the first Trans Am Bike Race. This race goes all the way across the United States.
From 2013, Mike also helped create and run the Transcontinental Race. This race is like the TransAm, but it crosses Europe. Mike Hall was even in a cycling movie called Inspired to Ride.
Sadly, Mike Hall died in 2017. He was hit by a car near Canberra, Australia. This happened during the Indian Pacific Wheel Race. He had ridden over 5,000 km of the 5,500 km race.
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Mike Hall's Amazing Race Wins
Mike Hall started racing mountain bikes when he was a teenager. He became more serious about it around age 28. His first really long, self-supported race was the Tour Divide in 2011. He finished that race even with a knee injury.
After that, he won a major ultra-distance event in four of the next five years. He was an incredible rider!
| Year | Event | Position | Time |
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| 2011 | Tour Divide | 11th | 19 days 8 hours 47 mins |
| 2012 | World Cycle Race | 1st | 91 days 18 hours |
| 2013 | Tour Divide | 1st | 14 days 11 hours 55 mins |
| 2014 | TransAm Bicycle Race | 1st | 17 days 16 hours 17 mins |
| 2016 | Tour Divide | 1st | 13 days 22 hours 51 mins |
In 2012, Mike's time for the World Cycle Race was very fast. It was even faster than the world record at the time. However, it was not officially recognized by Guinness World Records.
In 2013, he rode the Tour Divide faster than the record. But the route was changed that year because of forest fires. So, it didn't count as a new record. In 2016, he finally beat the record on the official route.
Mike was in second place in the 2017 Indian Pacific Wheel Race when he died. He had almost finished the race.
Organizing Epic Bicycle Races
In 2013, Mike Hall started the Transcontinental Race (TCR). He was the main person organizing it until he died in 2017. The TCR is a yearly, self-supported, super long bicycle race across Europe.
Riders in the TCR don't have a set path. They just have to pass through a few special checkpoints. These checkpoints change every year. The race is usually between 3,200 and 4,200 km long. It crosses Europe from the English Channel to the Mediterranean or Black Sea.
The race became very popular quickly. Only 30 people started the first race in 2013. By 2016, over 1,000 people wanted to join, but only 350 spots were available.
Mike said he started the TCR because many cyclists wanted a big, unsupported race in Europe. It was like a European version of the Race Across America.
Mike also organized smaller events called Valleycat rides. These were near his home in Wales. People from the Transcontinental Race community would meet up. They would go bikepacking and ride a long, informal race. The first Valleycat helped raise money for a charity called Newborns Vietnam.
Other Ways Mike Made a Difference
A full-length movie called Inspired to Ride was made about the 2014 Trans Am Bike Race. Mike Hall won that race. The movie showed interviews with Mike during the race. It also showed him riding his bike near his home in South Wales, UK.
Mike Hall helped raise money for Newborns Vietnam. This charity helps babies in poor areas of Vietnam. Mike asked people to donate to the charity when he rode the 2012 World Cycle Race. In 2013 and 2015, he led groups of cyclists in the Vietnam Challenge Ride. This event also raised money for Newborns Vietnam.
Mike Hall's Legacy
Mike Hall died in a bicycle accident on 31 March 2017. This happened during the Indian Pacific Wheel Race in Australia. He was in second place and had ridden over 5,000 km. The accident happened early in the morning near Canberra.
After his death, a fundraising page was set up for his family. It raised a lot of money. Officials looked into the accident and said it could have been avoided. They suggested making roads safer in that area.
A special service was held in Harrogate on 2 May 2017 to remember Mike. Since 2018, cycling events called "This is not a tour" have been held in Mid Wales. These events honor Mike Hall's memory.
