18,000 miles is a long way! It is too far to think about and plan as a single cycle race and so has been divided into seven legs, which roughly coincide with the different land masses covered. Each of the seven legs throws up its own challenges, whether climatically, politically or to do with the infrastructure available for good roads and supplies, both nutritional and mechanically. The start date of August 5^th has been chosen as the optimal window climatically to cycle through the 21 countries on the route.