TCR No9

[mattc]

This is part of the track that Robin Gemperle used to avoid a load of climbing  :  https://goo.gl/maps/Zs8Ps6YkcBTfvj5e6

It looks worse on his Instagram page.  It is buried somewhere in here but you may need a log in: https://www.instagram.com/stories/robingemperle/3154962130545936592/

That looks fairly tame, if you’ve got some tread on your tyres.  On slicks it’d be interesting but still okay.  If it saves a lot of climbing then not necessarily slower, even if some short sections need walking.

Tame? Maybe for someone with experience on high, exposed steep rock faces. I'd say not, for the likes of you and me ;-)

Rather Robin than me - not surprised that hardly any riders went that way! This is the stuff I love about TCR.

[mattc]

119 is Will Vousden - I can't remember what his YACF moniker was on here, but he was a keen UK audaxer around 2016-2018ish, then emigrated. Mark Rigby (for one) will remember him from the TINAT Mike Hall rides.
This year he's a solid top 10, after getting attention for his loooots of Croatia route coming south earlier this week. Better than the way he raised attention last year following an RTA ...

Very excited for him, nearly there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Zed43]

I guess Anna Lindén (#5) is slightly annoyed with herself at the moment 

The DNF list is already quite long, with many quitting because of knee issues. I would be quite interested in a survey of cassette / chainrings people were using and if there's a correlation with knee issues.

[quixoticgeek]

I guess Anna Lindén (#5) is slightly annoyed with herself at the moment 

The DNF list is already quite long, with many quitting because of knee issues. I would be quite interested in a survey of cassette / chainrings people were using and if there's a correlation with knee issues.

I missed something. What happened with Anna?

J

[quixoticgeek]

What on earth are 168 and 308 doing?

J

[mattc]

I guess Anna Lindén (#5) is slightly annoyed with herself at the moment 

The DNF list is already quite long, with many quitting because of knee issues. I would be quite interested in a survey of cassette / chainrings people were using and if there's a correlation with knee issues.

I missed something. What happened with Anna?

J

Unfortunate off-routr diversion.

Schadenfreude is always popular in the viewing gallery!

[Lightning Phil]

This is part of the track that Robin Gemperle used to avoid a load of climbing  :  https://goo.gl/maps/Zs8Ps6YkcBTfvj5e6

It looks worse on his Instagram page.  It is buried somewhere in here but you may need a log in: https://www.instagram.com/stories/robingemperle/3154962130545936592/

That looks fairly tame, if you’ve got some tread on your tyres.  On slicks it’d be interesting but still okay.  If it saves a lot of climbing then not necessarily slower, even if some short sections need walking.

Tame? Maybe for someone with experience on high, exposed steep rock faces. I'd say not, for the likes of you and me ;-)

I do have over 3 decades experience of high, exposed steep rock faces. So you’ll have to exclude me from that last inclusive sentence.

[Zed43]

What on earth are 168 and 308 doing?

Avoiding hills? At all cost?

I missed something. What happened with Anna?

Unfortunate off-routr diversion.

Schadenfreude is always popular in the viewing gallery!

Well, a little. But I am just very curious what happened. She rides for 2+ hours in the wrong (with hindsight) direction, stays in a lodge for 8 hours, and then continues for another 1 1/2 hours in the same, wrong, direction before turning around. Without the sleeping that's a 10 hour long navigation mistake. After just 5 minutes I would have gone mad because of the insistent beeping of my Garmin...

I think she's navigating by the seat of her pants at the moment. Is it allowed to use the tracker to see what roads other riders are using? (not that this can be proved if it's not allowed)

[mattc]

What on earth are 168 and 308 doing?

Avoiding hills? At all cost?

I missed something. What happened with Anna?

Unfortunate off-routr diversion.

Schadenfreude is always popular in the viewing gallery!

Well, a little. But I am just very curious what happened.

Isn't it funny how those two conditions can sound SOO similar?

P.s. yes, nothing to stop racers checking their predecessors' routes on the fly. It always felt against the "spirit" to me, but how on earth could they enforce it??
(I watched another TPR1 rider doing it ... definitely helpful! 

[alfapete]

#244 Mark Kowalski is an audaxer and occasionally OTP. He's putting in a storming ride and occasionally can be seen taking a very individual approach to route planning. He's the organiser of the London Lockdown night ride.
Currently around 30th, he's Canadian and lives in Lewisham, a thoroughly decent guy.

[Phil Hears A Who]

Climbing out of Pluzine on a nice quiet road. Lake Piva in evening light possibly the most beautiful place I've ever been. been able to look after myself reasonably well so far.hot meal every day but two so far, and only one night out (late finish of parcours 2)  Averaging ,4.5h a night (except 6h after day 3 in the Alps which was brutal). Seems to be enough to just about keep my wits during the day. Sometimes need a 5 mins nap in the arvo. Targeting cp3 tomorrow eve. No drama yet aside from di2 deciding it didn't want to charge last night. Sorted itself out while I had a shower thankfully. But of a heartstopper though. Pretty vanilla routing, which has meant lots of people on the road which is nice. I did take the long way round to parcours 1 to avoid descending the gotthards cobblestones in the wet. Did hear a handful of horror stories of rattle induced kit/body failure. Only one overly friendly dog so far.

Cap279

[StuAff]

Climbing out of Pluzine on a nice quiet road. Lake Piva in evening light possibly the most beautiful place I've ever been. been able to look after myself reasonably well so far.hot meal every day but two so far, and only one night out (late finish of parcours 2)  Averaging ,4.5h a night (except 6h after day 3 in the Alps which was brutal). Seems to be enough to just about keep my wits during the day. Sometimes need a 5 mins nap in the arvo. Targeting cp3 tomorrow eve. No drama yet aside from di2 deciding it didn't want to charge last night. Sorted itself out while I had a shower thankfully. But of a heartstopper though. Pretty vanilla routing, which has meant lots of people on the road which is nice. I did take the long way round to parcours 1 to avoid descending the gotthards cobblestones in the wet. Did hear a handful of horror stories of rattle induced kit/body failure. Only one overly friendly dog so far.

Cap279

Hope the good luck continues!

[mattc]

This is part of the track that Robin Gemperle used to avoid a load of climbing  :  https://goo.gl/maps/Zs8Ps6YkcBTfvj5e6

It looks worse on his Instagram page.  It is buried somewhere in here but you may need a log in: https://www.instagram.com/stories/robingemperle/3154962130545936592/

That looks fairly tame, if you’ve got some tread on your tyres.  On slicks it’d be interesting but still okay.  If it saves a lot of climbing then not necessarily slower, even if some short sections need walking.

Tame? Maybe for someone with experience on high, exposed steep rock faces. I'd say not, for the likes of you and me ;-)

I do have over 3 decades experience of high, exposed steep rock faces. So you’ll have to exclude me from that last inclusive sentence.

Even with a smiley you had to take that bait!
 

[morbihan]

Climbing out of Pluzine on a nice quiet road. Lake Piva in evening light possibly the most beautiful place I've ever been. been able to look after myself reasonably well so far.hot meal every day but two so far, and only one night out (late finish of parcours 2)  Averaging ,4.5h a night (except 6h after day 3 in the Alps which was brutal). Seems to be enough to just about keep my wits during the day. Sometimes need a 5 mins nap in the arvo. Targeting cp3 tomorrow eve. No drama yet aside from di2 deciding it didn't want to charge last night. Sorted itself out while I had a shower thankfully. But of a heartstopper though. Pretty vanilla routing, which has meant lots of people on the road which is nice. I did take the long way round to parcours 1 to avoid descending the gotthards cobblestones in the wet. Did hear a handful of horror stories of rattle induced kit/body failure. Only one overly friendly dog so far.

Cap279

Nice going Phil. Epic effort. Loved that Pluzine road back on tcrno6. The turquoise water reminded me of home after my gravelgeddon day and cheered me up. 
Best of luck with the rest of the adventure.

[quixoticgeek]

What on earth are 168 and 308 doing?

Avoiding hills? At all cost?

A policy I can wholeheartedly support.

I missed something. What happened with Anna?

Unfortunate off-routr diversion.

Schadenfreude is always popular in the viewing gallery!

Well, a little. But I am just very curious what happened. She rides for 2+ hours in the wrong (with hindsight) direction, stays in a lodge for 8 hours, and then continues for another 1 1/2 hours in the same, wrong, direction before turning around. Without the sleeping that's a 10 hour long navigation mistake. After just 5 minutes I would have gone mad because of the insistent beeping of my Garmin...

I think she's navigating by the seat of her pants at the moment. Is it allowed to use the tracker to see what roads other riders are using? (not that this can be proved if it's not allowed)

Well currently she seems to have developed the ability to fly...

J

[quixoticgeek]

Fun times at the pointy end. Robin has chosen the hike a bike, Christoph has chosen the longer cycle route. In theory it's a 20k walk vs a 70k cycle. I can't see anything on the map by way of a path for the hike a bike...

J

[quixoticgeek]

Oh my. Robin continues the hike a bike. Christoph has stopped for some sleep. There's about 5km between them as the crow flies.

Robin looks to be over turning a 100km lead. But Christoph will be better rested. Damn this is close.

J

[quixoticgeek]

After a short rest. Christoph is on the move again. With robin almost done with the hike a bike and at the top of the parcours.

I wonder if he'll need to stop for some rest too. impressive to overturn a 100km lead.

J

[mattc]

Fun times at the pointy end. Robin has chosen the hike a bike, Christoph has chosen the longer cycle route. In theory it's a 20k walk vs a 70k cycle. I can't see anything on the map by way of a path for the hike a bike...

J

Facebook peeps describe it as "goat track"!

[JonBuoy]

Fun times at the pointy end. Robin has chosen the hike a bike, Christoph has chosen the longer cycle route. In theory it's a 20k walk vs a 70k cycle. I can't see anything on the map by way of a path for the hike a bike...

J

You need to get a better map!

Brouter happily plotted a route along the 'goat track' when set to 'Trekking Bike'.  You can see the majority of it on Google's satellite view even if you turn the labels off:  https://goo.gl/maps/vpuSN5dJwxuVessz9

[JonBuoy]

Tim de Witte left the end of Parcours 4A to go the long way round by road to the start of 4B just less than 2 hours before Anatole Naimi left it to go over the hill by goat track.  Anatole is now at the start of 4B whereas Tim still has about 20k and yet another chuffing big hill to get over.

I know that it is a personal choice but reckon that Anatole will be pretty happy with the choice that he made.

ETA  Looks like Tim might have stopped for lunch - not an option for Anatole.

[quixoticgeek]

168 has a very creative route. Even Mikkos not gone that far out. I wonder what his next plan is. Through Kosovo?

J

[Zed43]

Another oddity: nr 220 (Alexander Chan). Took some seven hours rest in Ogulin then started riding again at 2am. But three hours later he does a 180, has a look at a nearby train station and is now in Trieste. Not on the scratches list, but I think that is only a formality.

[StuAff]

Marin de Saint-Exupéry scratched this morning, due to fatigue. So near, yet so far…

[StuAff]

Another oddity: nr 220 (Alexander Chan). Took some seven hours rest in Ogulin then started riding again at 2am. But three hours later he does a 180, has a look at a nearby train station and is now in Trieste. Not on the scratches list, but I think that is only a formality.

He is now…(scratch).