This is certainly the most unorthodox Bikes of feature we’ve ever released. There are no high resolution photos of glamorous bicycles propped up in front of beautiful landscapes here, instead things are a little different and you can take that as a precursor for the event itself. By design and execution, this event throws the status quo to the wind; from inception to finish very little resembled a mainstream bikepacking event.

The four stage event started on Saturday 28th of September in the Highlands with many peculiarities which you can learn more about at the race page. At the registration in the Inverness Youth Hostel on Friday afternoon, riders were challenged with filling in their own rider top trump which would later be used to calculate their privilege tax. Riders needed to fill in some simple details about themselves, draw their bike from memory and answer some more nuanced questions about a range of topics from their family’s sporting background, their method of travel to the event, and details about their bike’s quality, age and value, amongst many other things on which they would later be judged.

Enjoy browsing below to see some standout drawing skills from a handful of bikepackers and an insight into the first of the quirks of the Tour de Farce.