After 61 days, 16 hours and 30 minutes on the road, the final rider of the 2026 NorthCape-Tarifa has reached the finish in Tarifa.
Cap 83 – Rui Faria crossed the finish line on 20 August 2026 at 16:30, completing one of Europe’s longest and toughest unsupported bikepacking adventures.
Born 1965, Rui brought with him around 15 years of cycling experience and a collection of bikepacking adventures through Japan, Iceland, Mallorca, Argentina and the Azores.
And with his finish, Rui also made history: he is the first Portuguese rider to complete the NorthCape-Tarifa.
But NorthCape-Tarifa is a different level of challenge.
For more than two months, Rui travelled south from the North Cape, facing thousands of kilometres, mountains, heat, fatigue, changing conditions and everything else the road had in store. He never gave up.
As the final rider on the course, Rui carried the traditional title of the Lantern Rouge – the rider bringing up the rear of the field.
But there is nothing “behind” about what Rui achieved.
He started at the North Cape. He crossed Europe. And he made it all the way to Tarifa.
And for Rui, even Tarifa was not quite the end.
His plan after completing the NorthCape-Tarifa was to continue west across the Iberian Peninsula to Sagres, Portugal, turning his finish into an even bigger Epic Plus adventure.
The last rider to arrive is still a NorthCape-Tarifa finisher — and sometimes the Lantern Rouge is simply the rider who keeps going when everyone else has already stopped.
Congratulations, Rui!
Well done, Lantern Rouge!
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