Le Tour de Farce 2026
a 5-day off-road ODYsSEY across the BEST OF THE North West Highlands of Scotland
Rider registration will be at Inverness Youth Hostel on 11 October 2026. The event will begin on Monday 12 October and finish in the ‘rough bounds’ of Knoydart in Inverie on Friday 16 October for plenty of merriment at the famous Old Forge Inn, Inverie. We’ll then head home on Saturday 17 October (unless you decide to extend your holiday)
Like in the lesser known race, Le Tour de France, Le Tour de Farce is 4 challenges within a single event. Each day, riders will be timed between hostels and the lowest accumulated time holds the Yellow Jersey. But a series of penalties and bonuses make sure the timing isn’t as simple as speed.
There will be decorated eggs.
There will be a daily Monarch of the Mountain stage, and daily award for Young (at heart) Rider. The Green ‘sprint stage’ jersey will take place on day 3 which will entail a mystery points-based off-road orienteering challenge.
We know you’ll want to remain hyper focused on the task at hand, so as well as having a bed each night, we will also provide breakfast each morning and a simple, hearty, plentiful vegan dinner each evening. We won’t tuck you in but we’ve got almost everything else covered.
The event will cost £500. At the bottom of this page you’ll see why that’s a bargain.
Sounds good right?
To enter this esteemed event, you’ll need to email letourdefarce25@gmail.com by 31st March 2026
If you could tell us:
Name, age, location and gender identity (this event will be 50% women, trans and non-binary as an absolute minimum)
Your riding experience which is suited to the event: self-supported multi-day rides, off-road experience and races.
Why do you want to take part in le Tour de Farce 2026?
We will assess applications and respond by mid April.
Is it for me?
This event balances competition with community and camerarderie. In our first edition we had highly experienced ultra racers alongside people on gravel bikes who had never entered a race before. The event is designed to be challenging, while also feeling inclusive and accessible to people who are up for a BIG challenge with a bit of silliness. Unlike ultra races, we regroup every night, with the option of departing with fellow farcers the following day. However, this is not a group guided ride, or an introduction to bikepacking. You’ll need to know how to fix your standard mechanicals (punctures/ snapped chain/ changing brake pads), navigate from a gpx using a gps device and look after yourself in the remote Scottish Highlands in autumn. However, there will be an Adventure Syndicate sweeper out on course for peace of mind, so you’ll never be ‘bringing up the rear’.
All we ask is that you are prepared to be riding for 10-15 hours a day with upto +2000m elevation, with no support vehicle. We deliberately have not indicated distances as we believe in Scotland this can be misleading! The event is designed as such that each day there are bail out road options, or even the odd bit of public or waterborne transport if you’re in need of an easier day or more cafe stops!
What exactly does ‘off road’ mean?
This is true Scottish off-road riding. Often technical, committing, with sections of ‘hike-a-bike’ where you will be pushing or carrying your bike. There will be river crossings. Your feet will get wet. If you haven’t already, please watch the film above as this gives the best impression of the type of riding and terrain to expect. You don’t need to be a technical whizz on a bike, just come with a mindset that sometimes progress will be slow and that pushing your bike over terrain you don’t feel comfortable riding is totally ok. We believe this is a small price to pay for the places you will get to pass through :-) We always recommend a mtb, however last years winner was on a gravel bike (although we should note she spent her youth fell running and riding horses in the Yorkshire Dales, so we suspect is used to being thrown about a bit!)
Still not sure?
If you’re on the fence, best to just throw in an application ;-) Tell us your hopes, dreams and fears and we can go from there.
It’s also worth reading last year's attendees post event write ups -
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPvj9RDDM0O/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPzBHD4iFXVIX1awA1TZTFEUPq8LRdGeF6Yjr40/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPtcpolCKhD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
https://www.instagram.com/p/DPuJkrlir4l/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==
To be absolutely clear, this event is open to all people. Trans and non-binary people are welcome across all of our events and this is no exception. We will be sleeping in shared dorms and all hostels have gender-neutral toilets. You can email us if you would like clarification on any aspect of this.
What does my entry fee get me?
£500 is no small entry fee, we completely get that. But you get ever so much bang for your buck:
a 5-day stage event across the best off-road riding in the highlands, as well as across some lesser known spots including a day of MTB orienteering
6 nights accommodation
6 breakfasts
6 dinners (The final night we’ll be at the pub!)
Mystery boat rides.
An egg
We hope you see this as the finest way to spend your autumn break and look forward to receiving your application.
2025 Testimonials
“I chose this event as an antidote to the world of bike racing - a space I find irresistible yet morally conflicting at times. I’ve come away with more useful reflections on racing than I imagined, as well as new friends and a serious temptation to race the Highland Trail in 2026…”
“It’s actually not about winning, [but] I still managed to push myself further than I thought possible… It turns out nurturing a lovingly hand painted egg for 5 days, making sure to swim everyday and staying in a hostel(?!?) is the recipe for one of the best weeks I’ve had this year, and that’s saying something!!”
"I’ve come away brimming with techy bike handling confidence, buoyant with encouragement from the most wonderful people and lots of grand plans for next year 👀”
2024 Testimonials
What was your favourite bit about 2024 Tour De Farce?
“The community of it. This was hands down the most welcoming experience I’ve had at an event, and have formed some great new friends out of it. I think the coming together each night and the ability to ride with others / chose your own style / adventure was particularly great.”
“Aside from Fisherfield, it was the incredible atmosphere you created. Being able to ride with so many different people, have so much time to socialise, and to see such incredible parts of Scotland in only 4 days.”
“Socials, lovely peeps, new pals, old pals, regrouping each night and morning and occasionally during the day to share bants, food and tales”
What was the most valuable thing you took away from 2024 Tour de Farce?
“I can go to super remote places and it will be ok.”
“That a little bit of chaos is quite fun. Generally I work quite hard to avoid making mistakes...but I made loads and still had a really great time and had a richer experience for it.”
“The sense of community and camaraderie that was created around it. The sheer silliness of it all. A feeling of empowerment meeting so many incredible people, and that I too can be a badass ultra distance cyclist.”
“I arrived feeling like a complete outlier/wild card and came out feeling totally inspired by everyone I met. It was a really special weekend, and I'm so grateful to have been invited. More like this, please!”