Transcontinental Race (London - Istanbul) - #TCRNo4

Given nearly 100 people dropped out prior to the start, if you really wanted to participate and had badgered Mike enough then a last minute place would have surely been available.

But is it really so simple? Private individuals who aren't pros and have jobs besides this need some certainty well in advance to be able to plan. Obviously, places that come up with sufficient notice could have been taken up, but if people dropped out with only days to go I doubt most would-be riders were able to still make arrangements.