Post by: JonBuoy on 21 November, 2022, 08:10:02 pm
As an occasional dotwatcher they sound like new CPs to me although Meteora sounds vaguely familiar.
I get the impression that the organisers need to #BeMoreMike after some of the decisions around TCR#8.
Are any of the usual YACF suspects signing up for this?
Post by: Frank9755 on 21 November, 2022, 09:09:10 pm
Route looks interesting though. Shorter than last year but still pretty hilly. Should be a lot fewer miles on scary roads which is a good thing.
Post by: morbihan on 21 November, 2022, 09:20:55 pm
No need to bus it to the airport after you hit Meteora this time round!
After 3 years of riding loops here, my partners cancer journey and all the corresponding cancellations Ive lost my mojo to take on TCR for the foreseeable.
Its a heck of an adventure and I'd encourage others to give it a go if they feel the urge.
Gravel Tro Breizh in April, soulful riding through the Breton forests. Hopefully TPR in the late fall, and the Summer spent touring with my lovely healthy again wife.
Dotwatching of course!
Post by: Nuncio on 21 November, 2022, 09:40:19 pm
Meteora sounds vaguely familiar.The finish for the 2018 edition. As I was reminded of when I came across the 'Onboard the Transcontinental Race' documentary on Netflix earlier today.
Post by: Frank9755 on 21 November, 2022, 09:41:55 pm
They did a post rider questionnaire and one of the questions was about how to reduce carbon footprint. People riding to Thessaloniki rather than bussing helps to achieve that.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 21 November, 2022, 11:58:12 pm
I'm not. Gonna have a second stab at Ruska instead.
It's good that it's shorter. The way the last couple of editions have creeped up in distance was most urksome.
Looking forward to dotwatching.
J
Post by: Frank9755 on 22 November, 2022, 07:59:48 am
I couldn't make much sense of komoot on my phone but I did read something about an off road climb near Burrel in Albania.
If its just a gravel track it may be pretty rideable. I did a gravel mountain pass from Burrel towards Tirana about 12 years ago, on a touring bike with panniers, and I count it as one of my best ever days on a bike!
I said I wouldn't enter again but I'm getting quite heavy FOMO seeing this route. The route should address my main concern from last time which was loads of inappropriate for cycling east European main roads. There would be the busy one through Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia though.
Post by: felstedrider on 22 November, 2022, 08:54:42 am
Post by: JonBuoy on 22 November, 2022, 09:32:11 am
Start Date: 23 July 2023
Post by: felstedrider on 22 November, 2022, 02:07:22 pm
From Facebook:
Start Date: 23 July 2023
Thanks. Couldn't find that anywhere on the main website.
Post by: morbihan on 22 November, 2022, 08:12:36 pm
Post by: Frank9755 on 22 November, 2022, 09:11:16 pm
Not sure exactly where you would have to turn right to get back to Albania, but my default would be to use as much of that road as made sense, rather than the more direct but hillier routes. It may be that turning right around Tuzla would make sense, as in 2018, in which case Serbia might not be necessary.
Post by: Lightning Phil on 30 January, 2023, 02:26:47 pm
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 30 January, 2023, 02:55:46 pm
Post by: morbihan on 30 January, 2023, 03:11:37 pm
Post by: Davef on 30 January, 2023, 03:40:38 pm
Post by: Kamoshika on 31 January, 2023, 01:38:30 pm
Post by: morbihan on 31 January, 2023, 04:04:37 pm
Post by: Kamoshika on 31 January, 2023, 05:39:04 pm
Thanks for all those years of help. have a great race.You're very welcome :) I've enjoyed it, and I've not been ready to race before now (still not sure I am, we'll find out in July ;D) I always recommend it to people who are intersted in entering in the future as it's a great way to find out more about the race and what's involved as a rider. I certainly feel much more confident going into it having been at the start a couple of times, than I would if I hadn't volunteered
Post by: Frank9755 on 02 February, 2023, 12:45:44 pm
Hardly anyone ever feels they are ready for the race - that's the main reason why it's exciting!
Good luck!
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 15 February, 2023, 04:34:52 pm
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 16 February, 2023, 10:29:11 pm
I also have a place, the news of which was simultaneously devastating and exciting. Don't feel like my fitness is where it needs to be to build over the next 5 months, but what cyclist has ever been satisfied with their own fitness, I guess? I'm hoping I can make use of some of the things I learned from Trans Pyreness Race last year...it is quite a daunting event!
How was TPR? It's always looked to me as the nastier of the two!
(Did you happen to use the Giant's Tooth last year as a shakedown ride? Seem to remember meeting someone resembling your username at the start who was testing their setup before TPR. Useful shakedown?)
Post by: morbihan on 17 February, 2023, 01:58:38 am
I had TPR zeroed in for this year but have selected to do a leisurely tour in Kyoto, Japan in September with my wife instead this year.
Perhaps 2024 id=f the old body is still holding up.
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 17 February, 2023, 01:08:33 pm
How was TPR? It's always looked to me as the nastier of the two!
(Did you happen to use the Giant's Tooth last year as a shakedown ride? Seem to remember meeting someone resembling your username at the start who was testing their setup before TPR. Useful shakedown?)
Yes, that was me! Were we talking outside Will's house, and you'd got the train over from Cambridge(?) that evening? It was certainly a good shakedown ride.
TPR was fantastic, I really enjoyed it (even the horrible bits). It got progressively harder as it went, which felt quite cruel! I've not ridden TCR yet, but I guess the intensity of the climbing will be less brutal, it will be more the length and therefore the number of days I need to stop my body/mind/bike falling apart that will make it hard. That said, they have deliberately made this year's one a little shorter but with more climbing, but that's fine by me (a statement I'll no doubt regret in late July).
Post by: Lightning Phil on 17 February, 2023, 01:12:52 pm
I know Chris T who has excelled on TCR, 5th on no7 I think.( Riding a canyon aeroroad no less the lunatic) said that he found TPR harder.
I had TPR zeroed in for this year but have selected to do a leisurely tour in Kyoto, Japan in September with my wife instead this year.
Perhaps 2024 id=f the old body is still holding up.
Off road is a lot more skill based than road to cover the ground well. You’ll notice the lack of handling skills of primarily road cycling friends if you go mtn biking. Walking a lot of stuff, or doing badly on stuff you consider fairly tame.
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 17 February, 2023, 01:43:02 pm
Yes, that was me! Were we talking outside Will's house, and you'd got the train over from Cambridge(?) that evening? It was certainly a good shakedown ride.
Yep - impressive memory! See you in Geraardsbergen.
That said, they have deliberately made this year's one a little shorter but with more climbing, but that's fine by me (a statement I'll no doubt regret in late July).
After a couple of evenings with komoot it looks to me like a lot of the climbing is quite concentrated into a few sections, so hopefully will have a few flatish days in between the obvious lumpy bits. Trying to not get sucked too deep in to the route planning rabbit hole before more info on banned roads/tunnels etc gets published, but not doing very well so far...
Post by: Frank9755 on 17 February, 2023, 05:22:36 pm
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 17 February, 2023, 07:03:34 pm
Yes, that was me! Were we talking outside Will's house, and you'd got the train over from Cambridge(?) that evening? It was certainly a good shakedown ride.
Yep - impressive memory! See you in Geraardsbergen.
Ah, you have a place too? Congratulations/commiserations. See you there!
After a couple of evenings with komoot it looks to me like a lot of the climbing is quite concentrated into a few sections, so hopefully will have a few flatish days in between the obvious lumpy bits. Trying to not get sucked too deep in to the route planning rabbit hole before more info on banned roads/tunnels etc gets published, but not doing very well so far...
Yes, I think that's a fair assessment of the route, though it sounds like you've done more planning than me so far...all I've done is my very rough draft so I had some numbers for the application (i.e. I just joined the dots between the CPs). I need to make sure I plug away at the planning this year rather than leaving it to the final month like I did with TPR. There's a lot more planning and permutations with this one!
Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 17 February, 2023, 07:06:12 pm
Is there a long, rough parcours this year?As mentioned above, I haven't looked in loads of detail yet, but I think the one in Albania will be fairly "roughstuff" and possibly the one in Slovenia. As with TPR, it brings up decisions on kit choices, though I expect I'll go with similar what I did for that race.
Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 17 February, 2023, 11:51:53 pm
The 4th parcours around meteora looks super interesting though, it's split into three shorter mandatory sections but you can free route between them, which chucks up some options to take gravel roads that are way more direct/less hilly than the tarmac if youre feeling brave/lucky/flush with inner tubes
Post by: morbihan on 04 April, 2023, 11:52:23 am
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 20 April, 2023, 12:16:13 pm
I see Christope Strasser has entered again for this years edition. He's obviously caught the unsupported bug.
Where did you see this? One of the great things about these races is that nobodies like myself can get a direct comparison to people like Strasser, one of the best ultra-distance cyclists in the world. It's obviously not even a contest but it's still interesting to get that sense of perspective.
Post by: morbihan on 20 April, 2023, 12:31:27 pm
Have you started your planning and prep yet?
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 20 April, 2023, 01:02:37 pm
Prep-wise, I've been testing out some new kit, so I think I'm pretty happy with the bike which puts me way ahead of when I managed to get to that position with Trans Pyrenees. Still a few things I'm weighing up though, mainly related to sleeping kit/clothes (e.g. do I need this specific item or can I do without out it?).
Done a little bit of route planning but not much as the first issue of the race manual isn't out yet, so didn't want to get too detailed in case of changes, though I'd be surprised if there was any substantial change to control points or parcours at this point. I need to get cracking on that as it's a mammoth task to do well - weighing up which roads is the obvious one but then checking out border crossings and scouring the whole route for supply points, accommodation etc is going to be very time consuming!
Post by: morbihan on 20 April, 2023, 02:05:12 pm
Ah yes, I've checked his Instagram and seen the post. That's pretty exciting!
Prep-wise, I've been testing out some new kit, so I think I'm pretty happy with the bike which puts me way ahead of when I managed to get to that position with Trans Pyrenees. Still a few things I'm weighing up though, mainly related to sleeping kit/clothes (e.g. do I need this specific item or can I do without out it?).
Done a little bit of route planning but not much as the first issue of the race manual isn't out yet, so didn't want to get too detailed in case of changes, though I'd be surprised if there was any substantial change to control points or parcours at this point. I need to get cracking on that as it's a mammoth task to do well - weighing up which roads is the obvious one but then checking out border crossings and scouring the whole route for supply points, accommodation etc is going to be very time consuming!
Yup its quite the undertaking. Route choice the primary goal, plus legal border crossings; that was a hot ticket subject on the last TCR with penalties galore. I personally wouldn't get too bogged down in supply points; there's always something to grab en route, and there is google for a mid race drama like a bike shop.
I had a laugh at sleeping kit. One year I took a bivy but barely used it so took nothing the following year.
Im here in Brittany right now trying to fathom how to fit my massive "ultra light packable tent", sleeping bag etc onto my rig for a gravel/mtb type event here that starts a week tomorrow. The (fixed) route hasn't been released yet but apparently will be "in the next few days"
Good luck with the rest of the prep. The ride up the torch lit Mur at the start is something unforgettable.
Post by: raymondoyo on 20 April, 2023, 04:53:10 pm
Post by: morbihan on 20 April, 2023, 06:11:23 pm
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 20 April, 2023, 07:28:23 pm
Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 20 April, 2023, 07:32:48 pm
Yup its quite the undertaking. Route choice the primary goal, plus legal border crossings; that was a hot ticket subject on the last TCR with penalties galore. I personally wouldn't get too bogged down in supply points; there's always something to grab en route, and there is google for a mid race drama like a bike shop.
Yes, I have read up on last year's controversy around border crossings, so will be looking into that on my route!
Good tip on supply points.
I had a laugh at sleeping kit. One year I took a bivy but barely used it so took nothing the following year.
Im here in Brittany right now trying to fathom how to fit my massive "ultra light packable tent", sleeping bag etc onto my rig for a gravel/mtb type event here that starts a week tomorrow. The (fixed) route hasn't been released yet but apparently will be "in the next few days"
Good luck with the rest of the prep. The ride up the torch lit Mur at the start is something unforgettable.
That's leaving it pretty late to send out a route!
I'm not brave enough to go without sleeping kit, so am just trying to work out what amount to take. What I did on TPR worked pretty well, so I might be sticking with that.
Sent from my Pixel 6a using Tapatalk
Post by: Lightning Phil on 20 April, 2023, 08:34:40 pm
Ah yes, I've checked his Instagram and seen the post. That's pretty exciting!
Prep-wise, I've been testing out some new kit, so I think I'm pretty happy with the bike which puts me way ahead of when I managed to get to that position with Trans Pyrenees. Still a few things I'm weighing up though, mainly related to sleeping kit/clothes (e.g. do I need this specific item or can I do without out it?).
Done a little bit of route planning but not much as the first issue of the race manual isn't out yet, so didn't want to get too detailed in case of changes, though I'd be surprised if there was any substantial change to control points or parcours at this point. I need to get cracking on that as it's a mammoth task to do well - weighing up which roads is the obvious one but then checking out border crossings and scouring the whole route for supply points, accommodation etc is going to be very time consuming!
Strasser has also entered https://www.bhardultrarace.com/ as a warm up in June.
Post by: Frank9755 on 21 April, 2023, 11:29:41 am
with one exception I believe it's been 15 days. (TCR no6 was 16 days, as slightly longer I believe.) Frank may be able to confirm.
I think it was 16 days last year. It's all a bit of a fog now! Not many people are that fussed about the GC cut-off, though. Whether you make the party or not is a bigger deal. Getting an 'official' finish in an event that isn't recognised by any governing body doesn't mean an awful lot, IMHO. However, I suppose it could be a useful motivator for someone who was around that time.
No point in trying too hard to plan where you will sleep. You might have somewhere in mind for the first night but chances are it will be too soon or too late. After that, who knows where you will be on which night!
As Jonah says, in Europe there is generally food and drink within an hour or two of anywhere. The only exception is the long, remote parcours - worth having a resupply plan for them. Despite being well stocked from the previous night, I ran out of food and water on the one in Romania last year, and others did too.
It was great to see that Strasser had entered again. He stayed right to the end of the party last time and was very approachable. I enjoyed speaking to him. I'd actually read his book (which I'd recommend - although he needs to update it now with his TCR experience!), just before he announced he was riding, so I knew a bit about him already. I asked him if he was coming back but he said he'd have to think about it, which makes sense as a pro. I'd expect him to be a lot quicker this year as he made quite a few big navigation errors last year and will have learned a lot (as everyone does from the first one).
Post by: morbihan on 22 April, 2023, 09:19:44 pm
https://road.cc/content/news/wout-van-aert-heads-epic-post-classics-bikepacking-trip-300745?fbclid=IwAR2VZFqVlDA7zZ5sElbtM-AIoyNr50hTBBGUGjCLjGEDrGLMZU-q9NLNVYo
Thats good to hear that Strasser was so friendly and approachable after the race, ne certainly comes across in that regard in his interviews.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 22 April, 2023, 09:34:03 pm
Seems that WVA might be getting the bike packing bug too.
https://road.cc/content/news/wout-van-aert-heads-epic-post-classics-bikepacking-trip-300745?fbclid=IwAR2VZFqVlDA7zZ5sElbtM-AIoyNr50hTBBGUGjCLjGEDrGLMZU-q9NLNVYo
Thats good to hear that Strasser was so friendly and approachable after the race, ne certainly comes across in that regard in his interviews.
https://road.cc/content/news/wout-van-aert-heads-epic-post-classics-bikepacking-trip-300745?
Link without all the tracking crap.
J
Post by: morbihan on 19 July, 2023, 11:57:19 am
Post by: Davef on 19 July, 2023, 12:33:44 pm
Post by: Flâneur on 19 July, 2023, 06:54:26 pm
Thanks. Sweaty cap 226.
Good luck Davef. Think we met briefly on the Pendle 600.
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 20 July, 2023, 10:48:10 am
best of luck this coming weekend to anyone who's signed and off into the hot box.
Cheers! Cap 279. After spending a week getting progressively more nervous about all the news of heatwaves etc. its looking like the first hack across france and the alps might be wet and mild. Perhaps some sort of weather karma after the uncharacteristically dry and not-windy transatlantic way...
Post by: morbihan on 20 July, 2023, 10:50:23 am
best of luck this coming weekend to anyone who's signed and off into the hot box.
Cheers! Cap 279. After spending a week getting progressively more nervous about all the news of heatwaves etc. its looking like the first hack across france and the alps might be wet and mild. Perhaps some sort of weather karma after the uncharacteristically dry and not-windy transatlantic way...
TAW and TCR in the same year. You nutz. chapeau.
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 23 July, 2023, 06:13:20 pm
Post by: morbihan on 23 July, 2023, 06:35:23 pm
Looking to be absolutely rotten weather for the start, just praying to get up the muur in one piece
Hang off the back and take in the vibe. Thats what I did in no6.
Mind the dropped bananas/lights/gloves/etc on the way up though.
Rain will keep you cool. You got it.
Post by: StuAff on 23 July, 2023, 06:40:26 pm
Post by: quixoticgeek on 23 July, 2023, 07:15:49 pm
Ooph. Glad I'm not riding this year. Them cobbles are incredibly slippery in the wet.
Good luck all!
Post by: quixoticgeek on 24 July, 2023, 08:14:00 am
Brutal night. Already quite a few DNF. I hope they are all OK.
J
Post by: quixoticgeek on 24 July, 2023, 10:44:46 pm
Coming up in 26 hours in, first riders are already half way across Switzerland... Seriously impressive riding.
Not quite sure what Christoph Strasser is upto. But he has 0 stopped time!!!
J
Post by: Nuncio on 25 July, 2023, 08:15:29 am
Post by: Peat on 25 July, 2023, 08:31:35 am
EDIT:
Both are about 58km away from the start of the Parcours but Strasser has about 700m of climbing and lots of hairpins while Florian is largely blatting down a straight valley road. I'm also assuming that you're not allowed to ride a bike through the San Bernardino tunnel (?)
Post by: peterc on 25 July, 2023, 10:00:44 am
Any advice for a first time dot watcher?
Post by: JonBuoy on 25 July, 2023, 11:45:08 am
Post by: Nuncio on 25 July, 2023, 06:28:54 pm
Someone I know from outside cycling sent me a link (on dotwatcher.cc) with their cap number so I'm following the race for the first time.Dot watching can be fascinating and addictive, but you can't tell from a dot how tired that dot may be or what it is going through (bad weather, illness, injuries, mechanicals, accidents, ennui, euphoria etc). And if a dot hasn't moved for a long time there could be many reasons for that. Dot 44 is not lost - it has an idiosyncratic approach to routing. Oh, and dots are people.
Any advice for a first time dot watcher?
Post by: Pickled Onion on 25 July, 2023, 06:53:16 pm
And that amount of sleep is why I'd never consider entering!
Post by: alfapete on 25 July, 2023, 07:06:08 pm
Any advice for a first time dot watcher?Being a map nerd I like to transpose where my rider is onto Google Maps and then take a Streetview look at it. One of the guys I'm following was stopped on a hillside for a while and I could share the view of the lake with him.
(https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/pw/AIL4fc-qEoJukWXP4o7R2NjrJzUbuJBiDfq3113aU6gBDTOtt1_Fcc8-iH16SmUJi4gih_18wBoMjcfn9DormCTVmOXJerhKrpsdcrLW7WR2_xZYYpX1XheyJ77heSMp0bBnI7iv_H-vAgt4HiZl73I-eODMhc4K9gTl5sQ-RZjqkwq1gJCDyBGJbtqbIvMmkFEJW-OL64qvOndVTjQPy5deqNE4dj3cBgZu3kpD85L5KcJoVhrBAhK3-b5GRjnRX084vjW43cm3Fv9-V7UUpve0cDRRAmJWZ2yDJYGlrLi2Hyc1mfasKm391T4UfrSEiZb_rbOT2cTZfjrHklp42CG4uIkXt0I8HIUbOxKZZc4OuAvMI46OtsgeevTldMe0Wiflyi_dAEUk5ws_tyRnm0WAXd_V6HsyTfDoco2ol4gFyE73RFrUYphzdoc92wiVwcpISTMyl0O9hHfLqWQm567Jdy7TV8aZdsMZeBkQkTqbeftgyyP2JrQkYqQOJUBudO27V6AJ3qzeqNuVImRYrPBzr4FctWRaQ0sq_poYo5S0fPnf6CsjxuR1Rk-dXdoQTcHA2ZM4dXjzPuqr8QsZeMVvvrPqhbgrn3Jm1NPO_UuBH_ky7F0P-KI1jm_m2Ti1iHvHyzNYqCewOQyF6X5uqlmOqoAb-bmADZKj0wscQUKmdxYTpuye8linv9VnIh0uLh3TAddTsSaDSwXlVecEhDvYGGP5tbdmVpXZv1GhV3CVx-AULz8-SeXbQ1OBAEQFOnb86IIST6C8lksssd8aIddpUH5qkBD_giOzmt4DcAUqJkqUTJ054woH-40bam8_KuJWKl7p_AJxBPjLwvwgqkX4d1A2qodklYJwRZyLi9bu6Ao093dsDhQZQB3GwDzmOCnZ4DreMj0Y-zaAgb-7tTLe5gWSBLriho3qOIWlai-92vVOYDGhT0OQHg_GY7EM7Q=w1793-h891-s-no?authuser=1)
Post by: JonBuoy on 25 July, 2023, 07:32:59 pm
Any advice for a first time dot watcher?Being a map nerd I like to transpose where my rider is onto Google Maps and then take a Streetview look at it. One of the guys I'm following was stopped on a hillside for a while and I could share the view of the lake with him.
I suggest you look at the rainfall radar for the area! I don't think that your dot will have had much of a view.
Post by: peterc on 25 July, 2023, 09:40:46 pm
Dot 44 is not lost - it has an idiosyncratic approach to routing.That Finn with the characteristic approach, he was mentioned in something I read.
Oh, and dots are people.Yes, I've met mine, they are lovely, though I'm beginning to think more unhinged than I realised at the time.
It's all very impressive (or worrying depending on how you look at it.)
Post by: peterc on 25 July, 2023, 09:42:11 pm
Any advice for a first time dot watcher?Being a map nerd I like to transpose where my rider is onto Google Maps and then take a Streetview look at it. One of the guys I'm following was stopped on a hillside for a while and I could share the view of the lake with him.
I did something similar, as I watched them earlier, I think I may have got the bug.
Post by: Salvatore on 25 July, 2023, 10:17:52 pm
I see Mikko Mäkipää is ploughing his own lonely farrow again.
FUN FACT: Mäkipää means hilltop.
And here is Mikko on a Mäki called Kaunispää (at solar midnight)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/3864/14383798229_f9c2e35631_w.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/nV3J6c)
Post by: quixoticgeek on 25 July, 2023, 10:27:01 pm
Mikki, number 44 is the only rider to have ridden and finished every TCR. He's not in it to win, just to finish while having an adventure. He's ridden so much he often picks routes that are new to him rather than maybe being the fastest route. Hence his interesting choices.
And yes. Please remember that dots are people. So it is not the correct pronoun for a dot. The tracker gives you gender. Yellow is no gender recorded so no binary.
If anyone is out and looking not track riders down remember there is a lag between the dot on the map and where the rider is. So anticipate by a few km. Gas stations are great places to wait for riders.
J
Post by: JonBuoy on 26 July, 2023, 05:59:10 pm
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/
Post by: morbihan on 28 July, 2023, 07:20:19 pm
Well done fellas. Now put the phone down and get on with it :-)
Post by: JonBuoy on 29 July, 2023, 12:37:42 pm
https://hda3.dev/tcrno9/
https://minimap.dedyn.io/
Fewer features but usable!
Post by: Lightning Phil on 29 July, 2023, 01:14:11 pm
This is part of the track that Robin Gemperle used to avoid a load of climbing :o: 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.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 29 July, 2023, 01:23:06 pm
Wtf is Mikko doing?
J
Post by: JonBuoy on 29 July, 2023, 01:34:18 pm
Wtf is Mikko doing?
J
Collecting VV tiles?
Post by: quixoticgeek on 29 July, 2023, 01:39:45 pm
I does make you kinda wonder.
Looking at it, he might be a bloody genius.
Just plotted the route from where he is to the CP. and while he'll have to ride a bit of the parcour. It may just have the least amount of climbing of all the options for getting into Slovenia.
J
Post by: morbihan on 29 July, 2023, 02:11:02 pm
Post by: peterc on 29 July, 2023, 04:06:20 pm
If anyone else is getting frustrated by the official FollowMyChallenge tracker
Thank you so much, I was finding the official tracker superpoo (ended up having to use another browser and everything)
So much better...
[Edit]OOh and it has a direct link to the streetview of the road they are on as well.
Post by: mattc on 30 July, 2023, 08:07:14 am
Tame? Maybe for someone with experience on high, exposed steep rock faces. I'd say not, for the likes of you and me ;-)This is part of the track that Robin Gemperle used to avoid a load of climbing :o: 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.
Rather Robin than me - not surprised that hardly any riders went that way! This is the stuff I love about TCR.
Post by: mattc on 30 July, 2023, 08:10:27 am
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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Zed43 on 30 July, 2023, 10:09:55 am
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.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 30 July, 2023, 10:57:02 am
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
Post by: quixoticgeek on 30 July, 2023, 12:41:59 pm
What on earth are 168 and 308 doing?
J
Post by: mattc on 30 July, 2023, 05:10:45 pm
Unfortunate off-routr diversion.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
Schadenfreude is always popular in the viewing gallery!
Post by: Lightning Phil on 30 July, 2023, 05:21:16 pm
Tame? Maybe for someone with experience on high, exposed steep rock faces. I'd say not, for the likes of you and me ;-)This is part of the track that Robin Gemperle used to avoid a load of climbing :o: 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.
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.
Post by: Zed43 on 30 July, 2023, 06:01:04 pm
What on earth are 168 and 308 doing?Avoiding hills? At all cost?
Quote
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...QuoteI missed something. What happened with Anna?Unfortunate off-routr diversion.
Schadenfreude is always popular in the viewing gallery!
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)
Post by: mattc on 30 July, 2023, 06:41:03 pm
Isn't it funny how those two conditions can sound SOO similar?What on earth are 168 and 308 doing?Avoiding hills? At all cost?QuoteWell, a little. But I am just very curious what happened.QuoteI missed something. What happened with Anna?Unfortunate off-routr diversion.
Schadenfreude is always popular in the viewing gallery!
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! ;)
Post by: alfapete on 30 July, 2023, 07:29:45 pm
Currently around 30th, he's Canadian and lives in Lewisham, a thoroughly decent guy.
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 30 July, 2023, 08:12:43 pm
Cap279
Post by: StuAff on 30 July, 2023, 09:38:21 pm
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.Hope the good luck continues!
Cap279
Post by: mattc on 30 July, 2023, 09:58:10 pm
Even with a smiley you had to take that bait!Tame? Maybe for someone with experience on high, exposed steep rock faces. I'd say not, for the likes of you and me ;-)This is part of the track that Robin Gemperle used to avoid a load of climbing :o: 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.
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.
:-*
Post by: morbihan on 30 July, 2023, 10:20:53 pm
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.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 30 July, 2023, 10:46:38 pm
What on earth are 168 and 308 doing?Avoiding hills? At all cost?
A policy I can wholeheartedly support.
Quote
QuoteWell, 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...QuoteI missed something. What happened with Anna?Unfortunate off-routr diversion.
Schadenfreude is always popular in the viewing gallery!
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
Post by: quixoticgeek on 30 July, 2023, 10:52:23 pm
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
Post by: quixoticgeek on 31 July, 2023, 12:24:20 am
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
Post by: quixoticgeek on 31 July, 2023, 02:30:35 am
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
Post by: mattc on 31 July, 2023, 06:52:13 am
Facebook peeps describe it as "goat track"!
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
Post by: JonBuoy on 31 July, 2023, 07:14:31 am
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
Post by: JonBuoy on 31 July, 2023, 05:27:12 pm
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.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 31 July, 2023, 06:35:29 pm
168 has a very creative route. Even Mikkos not gone that far out. I wonder what his next plan is. Through Kosovo?
J
Post by: Zed43 on 31 July, 2023, 07:14:17 pm
Post by: StuAff on 31 July, 2023, 07:33:54 pm
Post by: StuAff on 31 July, 2023, 08:40:26 pm
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).
Post by: StuAff on 31 July, 2023, 09:11:45 pm
" scratched the Transcontinental Race.
I reached CP1 within 12 minutes of the cutoff so proud - I had lost my wallet in Chiavenna and my phone wasn't working. I pushed and pushed into the dark towards Livigno and suddenly some riders showed up and told me it was one more switchback and then downhill to the CP. We all made it, freezing from flying down the sepentines.
Then I took on the Stelvio. Sorry Stelvio you weren't worth it, too long and too many cars.
The valley ride after Stelvio to Bolzano was amazing among the orchards. I pushed on 50 km after Bolzano and had to bivvy quickly on a playground, under a picknick table, to escape the rain, along with two other riders. Had covered enough km to reach CP2 the day after.
Half way into it, my Wahoo took my route off it's menu. My phone was dead and I had to ask a hotel for a paper map. In Kranjska Gora I took the wrong climb.
I knew there would be a climb and thought it was It. Rain came as I took on the 9 km up into Triglovits national park. I powered on, dedicated to reach CP2. It rained and I stopped at the top to bivvy under a small table to escape the rain.
I went down in the morning, slowly on the wet tarmac, and realized my mistake at the sign of Bovec. Oh no. Sat down by the shining blue Soca river and put all my sleeping kit out to dry. Had some breakfast and met some gorgeous van life people.
Climbed and pushed my bike up again. My knees were hurting quite badly and I couldn't trust my Wahoo and when I had spent hours of faffing to find the way to CP2, I got a double puncture on a gravel path and realized my back skewer was broke and rode to the nearest town and that was it.
When my navigation tech wasn't working and my knees were screaming, I had to call it a day.
I had a beer. I called my boyfriend. I took a hotel. I started dreaming of the Slovenian Adriatic coast.
Thank you all at @thetranscontinental for an amazing experience and for looking after all the little dots so carefully.
This race is so much more than the actual pedaling, even though pedaling is what it all comes down to.
And don't worry - I'll be back for my revenge."
Post by: quixoticgeek on 31 July, 2023, 09:13:59 pm
Mikko is stuck trying to get into Serbia, apparently he couldn't use one border crossing so is following the border to look for another crossing.
J
Post by: mattc on 31 July, 2023, 10:03:51 pm
Anna Lindén scratched- not up on the official tracker but she posted on Instagram. I quote…Wow - that's a story! Thanks Stu
" scratched the Transcontinental Race.
.....
...
Post by: morbihan on 01 August, 2023, 12:05:07 am
thanks so much for posting that report. Im so glad to have seen it.
It wasn't possible to read that out loud without welling up.
It really encapsulated to me what the essence of what TCR is. When you sign up to race you make a contract with the organisation and with yourself.
It doesn't mean you that are going to get to the finish, but you owe to all concerned that you give it a damn good try.
Anna plainly had that spirit in spades.
Post by: morbihan on 01 August, 2023, 12:10:29 am
Post by: Zed43 on 01 August, 2023, 07:43:59 am
GPS failure. Phone dead. Dead reckoning in the pouring rain. I can relate. (but after only 300km, and I had the fortune of joining another rider after a while)
Post by: StuAff on 01 August, 2023, 11:21:05 am
While on the insta topic, I highly recommend taking a look at Jesko Werthen's reports on the site, very frank, descriptive and honest.+1. A great read. He's having a hard time, but I think that's in the rules…
Post by: StuAff on 01 August, 2023, 11:28:20 am
Post by: Flâneur on 01 August, 2023, 12:06:51 pm
Post by: morbihan on 01 August, 2023, 12:31:05 pm
Looks like a strange route choice from Will Vousden between parcours 4 and the finish parcours. There be mountains that way, Will.
Yes super curious about this one. I tried to thread a route through that way last night and it invariably ended up in cul de sacs and spindly mountain passes. maybe he's going to do a Robin and has a barely visible goat track plan.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 01 August, 2023, 12:48:09 pm
Is Christoph struggling? He seems very slow on the last few km of the finish parcour. Faster than a walk, but not by much...
J
Post by: StuAff on 01 August, 2023, 01:00:40 pm
Mechanical of some kind, at a guess. He was out of spare tubes a day or two ago ..
Is Christoph struggling? He seems very slow on the last few km of the finish parcour. Faster than a walk, but not by much...
J
Post by: StuAff on 01 August, 2023, 01:30:48 pm
Post by: JonBuoy on 01 August, 2023, 01:31:26 pm
Mechanical of some kind, at a guess. He was out of spare tubes a day or two ago ..
Is Christoph struggling? He seems very slow on the last few km of the finish parcour. Faster than a walk, but not by much...
J
He is also suffering from 'very serious saddle sores'.
Post by: Peat on 01 August, 2023, 01:35:49 pm
Strassattack!
Post by: StuAff on 01 August, 2023, 01:36:42 pm
Ouch. Had a milder one on tour a few weeks ago, that was bad enough. But he's finished now . 8 days, 16 hrs 30 mins official timeMechanical of some kind, at a guess. He was out of spare tubes a day or two ago ..
Is Christoph struggling? He seems very slow on the last few km of the finish parcour. Faster than a walk, but not by much...
J
He is also suffering from 'very serious saddle sores'.
Post by: peterc on 02 August, 2023, 09:37:12 am
With Maria Holdcroft over taking Jaimi Wilson.
I think it may be that Maria didn't stop, or stopped for less time than Jaimi in the A section of the last parcours
Sherry Cardona is still in ahead in the pairs
Post by: quixoticgeek on 02 August, 2023, 11:04:46 am
If Jaime doesn't wake up soon. She's gonna drop to 3rd...
J
Post by: JonBuoy on 02 August, 2023, 01:06:06 pm
Quote
Anatole Naimi (232) rode strongly in TCRNo9, but due to extended periods of time not riding alone has been awarded a finish outside of General Classification.
I seem to remember that the organisation has made some unpopular decisions in previous years - lets hope that this one is justified!
Post by: peterc on 02 August, 2023, 02:17:24 pm
If Jaime doesn't wake up soon. She's gonna drop to 3rd...
I'm a little worried that Jaime's dot hasn't moved for 6 hours now, and I think they had a "good" stop on the last Parcours (4a?) near a pair of hotels so should be "well rested" (for a TCR value of...)
Post by: Peat on 02 August, 2023, 02:17:38 pm
Post by: Flâneur on 02 August, 2023, 02:24:22 pm
^surely that means that someone else (in the top 10) will have to recieve a similar fate... Otherwise who did he ride with?
Maybe a non-competitor?
Post by: Peat on 02 August, 2023, 02:31:18 pm
Possible, but unlikely, I would have thought. ???
Post by: JonBuoy on 02 August, 2023, 02:41:52 pm
If Jaime doesn't wake up soon. She's gonna drop to 3rd...
I'm a little worried that Jaime's dot hasn't moved for 6 hours now, and I think they had a "good" stop on the last Parcours (4a?) near a pair of hotels so should be "well rested" (for a TCR value of...)
She has registered at CP4 so it looks like it is just tracker issues.
Post by: peterc on 02 August, 2023, 04:53:36 pm
She has registered at CP4 so it looks like it is just tracker issues.
...and after the last round of stops is about 4k ahead of Maria again
Post by: JonBuoy on 02 August, 2023, 06:09:33 pm
Post by: StuAff on 02 August, 2023, 06:35:50 pm
^surely that means that someone else (in the top 10) will have to recieve a similar fate... Otherwise who did he ride with?Sebastian Sarx, 139. Same sanction, classed as finisher.
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 02 August, 2023, 11:16:15 pm
Currently settling into the night shift on the longer flat route to finish parcours. Feel like I've been trying to beat the climbers at their own game (and losing) for most of the race so nice to just sit on the flat for a few hundred km and see if my diesel can make up and places
Post by: StuAff on 02 August, 2023, 11:47:37 pm
. I reckon the goat track between parcours 4a and b was worth anything between an hour or two over the road. That is if there's no drama. one guy I was close to got lost, another had a big sidewall cut, I had an off and needed to get 2 stitches in my elbow just round the corner from cp4. I'd almost started snoring by the time the doc had finished with the stitches ...Hope the elbow heals well. Phenomenal effort!
Currently settling into the night shift on the longer flat route to finish parcours. Feel like I've been trying to beat the climbers at their own game (and losing) for most of the race so nice to just sit on the flat for a few hundred km and see if my diesel can make up and places
Post by: quixoticgeek on 03 August, 2023, 12:05:16 am
I would very much like to know what Mikko was drinking when he planned this route.
As well as where to get it, and if he'll share...
That's a weird route to Cp3.
J
Post by: JonBuoy on 03 August, 2023, 06:43:41 am
Maria has returned to CP4(ish) and is taking the flatter route whereas Jaimi has pressed on through the hills. I guess we will have to wait a while to see who is leading.
Maria appeared to be making better progress than Jaimi until she stopped at 2am. It looked like she needed a snooze but then an hour later her tracker was doing 100+kph en route to the local hospital :o
Quote
Hit a rut in the road. Called and Picked up by ambulance
Cut to knee and bump to head
.
.
Will need stitches in knee, quite a deep cut
Head seems ok
Will try and continue in a couple of days if possible, but don't know how likely that is
Jaimi is only a couple of hours ahead of Susanne who is also doing a variation of the lumpy route out of Parcours 4C. The race is still on.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 03 August, 2023, 04:37:51 pm
Really starting to worry about Mikko. He got to CP3 with less than 8 hours in hand. Giving him about 55 hours to get to CP4. But looking at the timing noones managed that. The road surface quality just doesn support the speeds...
J
Post by: JonBuoy on 03 August, 2023, 04:49:59 pm
Really starting to worry about Mikko. He got to CP3 with less than 8 hours in hand. Giving him about 55 hours to get to CP4. But looking at the timing noones managed that. The road surface quality just doesn support the speeds...
J
Not sure where you are getting that from. By my reckoning about half of the people who have passed through CP4 managed the CP3-CP4 segment in under 55 hours. The fastest was Tobias Fuchs in 43:41.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 03 August, 2023, 05:13:55 pm
Ah. That's a relief. Interpreting the leader board on mobile is non trivial.
J
Post by: JonBuoy on 03 August, 2023, 05:22:08 pm
Post by: peterc on 03 August, 2023, 05:46:25 pm
Her tracker has moved from the hospital to in town which could be a good sign.
Given it was her that got me into the whole dot watching thing in the first place I feel I'm getting the full experience.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 03 August, 2023, 06:04:36 pm
It does mean that he hasn't got much spare time to go on one of his tile collecting missions ::-)
He posted on Mastodon that he's not gonna be posting much now so as to make the cut off. I've a suspicion he's gonna take the fastest route he can now.
I wonder if he's gonna take the hike or the bike between 4a and 4b.
Seeing conformation/updates on Maria which makes me a bit happier
Her tracker has moved from the hospital to in town which could be a good sign.
Given it was her that got me into the whole dot watching thing in the first place I feel I'm getting the full experience.
Knowing now the sense of dread I felt when I first saw her dot at the hospital I now feel even worse for those following me last year. I stopped at a hotel and being inside my tracker had no GPS, so didn't send any more updates while I slept. Which is expected. Except the last point it did send before I went into the hotel, was outside a hospital as I waited at the traffic lights. So for 6 hours it showed my position being at a hospital.
Race control have said Maria needed stitches, and hopes to rest for a day or so. Then resume her ride. I'm guessing she has to ride back to where the ambulance picked her up and continue.
J
Post by: StuAff on 04 August, 2023, 09:11:13 am
Post by: StuAff on 04 August, 2023, 11:38:05 am
Post by: quixoticgeek on 04 August, 2023, 01:22:28 pm
At the back of the race there's still riders moving through Slovenia.
ION, Slovenia is currently experiencing fuck tons of rain and the resulting flooding...
J
Post by: quixoticgeek on 04 August, 2023, 02:44:08 pm
https://mastodon.social/@mkpaa/110831582664725598
This makes me wonder, you're allowed to check the tracker and follow another riders route via that.
Are you allowed to follow tyre tracks in the dirt?
J
Post by: mattc on 05 August, 2023, 09:39:00 am
Scrolling back, he posted the best wildlife pic I've seen yet - gold eagles! (best species - maybe not a great PIC ...)
https://mastodon.social/@mkpaa/110831582664725598
This makes me wonder, you're allowed to check the tracker and follow another riders route via that.
Are you allowed to follow tyre tracks in the dirt?
J
(https://files.mastodon.social/media_attachments/files/110/814/836/100/884/647/original/c03298e3ebd7ac5a.jpeg)
Post by: quixoticgeek on 05 August, 2023, 10:22:35 am
Looks like Mikko reached CP4 at 1103. Cutting it very fine. Under an hour until it closes.
Now he's just got 2.5 days to do the final 500. Tho that final parcour looks brutal.
J
Post by: morbihan on 05 August, 2023, 04:22:28 pm
Looks like it saves a lot of up.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 05 August, 2023, 08:05:59 pm
Info is coming out now about Anatole being removed from GC. Looks like he rode for no more than 90 minutes along side another rider. They had the same pace on a parcour.
Looks like lost dot have been incredibly harsh on this one. When they said significant amount of time I thought they meant a whole day. Not 90 mins. Esp as on a climb where you can really only do one speed and stopping and restarting is hard.
Not impressed
J
Post by: JonBuoy on 05 August, 2023, 08:37:13 pm
Post by: quixoticgeek on 05 August, 2023, 08:48:43 pm
Mikko is riding back down parcours 4C. Maybe he left something at CP4. Surely he isn't going to do the Strasser flat boring route to the finish parcours when he has a couple of days to get all creative!
Was just thinking the same...
J
Post by: StuAff on 06 August, 2023, 03:43:20 pm
"#163 Laurent Leguay Rider scratched - no contact but a bus to Thessaloniki is against a rule I’m sure."
::-)
Post by: quixoticgeek on 06 August, 2023, 03:54:15 pm
I don't think anyone would disagree with Lost Dot on this one:
"#163 Laurent Leguay Rider scratched - no contact but a bus to Thessaloniki is against a rule I’m sure."
::-)
That depends. If they then goto a bike shop. Get some parts, then cycle back to where they got the bus from and continued on.
They'd be ok.
J
Post by: StuAff on 06 August, 2023, 03:57:30 pm
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 06 August, 2023, 04:30:49 pm
Info is coming out now about Anatole being removed from GC. Looks like he rode for no more than 90 minutes along side another rider. They had the same pace on a parcour.
Looks like lost dot have been incredibly harsh on this one. When they said significant amount of time I thought they meant a whole day. Not 90 mins. Esp as on a climb where you can really only do one speed and stopping and restarting is hard.
Not impressed
J
Problem that I've observed is that every person that I've spoken to at the finish/read an opinion from has a different idea of what a "significant amount of time" is - no one seems to argue the point that significant time riding with others is outside the rules, it's where the limit is. 30-40 minutes was thrown around after the similar incident last year and I was surprised that nothing on the topic was mentioned at the rider briefing to be honest
Post by: quixoticgeek on 06 August, 2023, 04:46:45 pm
Problem that I've observed is that every person that I've spoken to at the finish/read an opinion from has a different idea of what a "significant amount of time" is - no one seems to argue the point that significant time riding with others is outside the rules, it's where the limit is. 30-40 minutes was thrown around after the similar incident last year and I was surprised that nothing on the topic was mentioned at the rider briefing to be honest
Agreed. The race tries to have very simple rules do they can be printed on the back of the brevet card. In that regard I don't think with the rules as written it's fair to penalise someone for sharing a road for 90mins.
Especially on the parcours.
Personally I'd say the cut off time would be closer to 3 hours.
The related question with 30-40 minutes is if it's not ok to spend 30-40 mins chatting as you ride. What if you both end up at a pizzeria. Are you ok to invite a rider to join you at your table? If you both chat for 45 mins while eating pizza is that ok? But 45 mins while struggling up a parcour isn't ?
J
Post by: Frank9755 on 07 August, 2023, 10:43:27 am
Having said that, I think there should be / have been greater clarity on what is an important rule. And I also found the tone and wording of the announcement that they had disqualified him to be rather patronising.
Normally what they look out for is people starting and stopping together as it is the strongest indication of riding together and easiest to spot from the tracker - but on the parcours they are going to be looking at everything more closely - especially the leaders!
Post by: quixoticgeek on 07 August, 2023, 10:47:50 am
Having said that, I think there should be / have been greater clarity on what is an important rule. And I also found the announcement that they had disqualified him to be a rather patronising.
I think the one thing we all agree on is that Lost dot did not handle this well.
J
Post by: felstedrider on 07 August, 2023, 11:13:55 am
Post by: morbihan on 07 August, 2023, 12:49:09 pm
It looks like a particularly brutal edition with the wet start, the all-road parcours, and the heat.
The dog chases seem to be popping up more frequently this year too judging by all the reports.
Perhaps due to the long parcours off the main drag.
Enjoy your achievement!
Post by: Zed43 on 07 August, 2023, 02:46:55 pm
No drafting? No moral support? Both?
Post by: JonBuoy on 07 August, 2023, 02:59:08 pm
What is the idea behind "no riding along side another rider. [for significant time]"?
No drafting? No moral support? Both?
I think that no drafting is a given unless you are riding as a pair. The current fuss is about moral support.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 07 August, 2023, 03:10:14 pm
I think that no drafting is a given unless you are riding as a pair. The current fuss is about moral support.
Correct. Basically it is believed by many that riding with someone else gives you a mental boost that improves your performance.
J
Post by: JonBuoy on 07 August, 2023, 03:11:58 pm
By my reckoning that just leaves James Vernon with a chance of completing before the finish closes. He has about 80k with a fair bit of climbing so he can't afford to mess about.
Post by: StuAff on 07 August, 2023, 10:51:38 pm
It looks like Mikko has overshot the finish. I guess he has another 8 hours to kill ;)They've both made it :)
By my reckoning that just leaves James Vernon with a chance of completing before the finish closes. He has about 80k with a fair bit of climbing so he can't afford to mess about.
Post by: Frank9755 on 08 August, 2023, 09:40:00 am
What is the idea behind "no riding along side another rider. [for significant time]"?
No drafting? No moral support? Both?
If you ride together it's not possible to prove that you were not drafting, and the burden of proof is on the rider.
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 08 August, 2023, 10:20:51 am
well done Byronnius!Thanks! Only just thought to check in on this thread. Currently chilling at my hotel having finally got to enjoy a hotel breakfast that I paid for rather than leaving at 4am!
It looks like a particularly brutal edition with the wet start, the all-road parcours, and the heat.
The dog chases seem to be popping up more frequently this year too judging by all the reports.
Perhaps due to the long parcours off the main drag.
Enjoy your achievement!
That was quite an experience, and I think overall harder than I expected it to be. I found the first 4-5 days pretty tough mentally and it was only after that that I really got into my groove. Even then, I found that when I managed to get in some kind of a rhythm, the race had a habit of throwing up some new challenge to put me off - such is TCR I suppose. I think my strategy for a race this long would need a lot of work...hotels are good for keeping the body and mind in good condition but I faff too much when using them.
Lots of talk/complaints about how rough some of the parcours were afterwards. I have mixed feelings but think it would be better to let the dust settle a bit before we give feedback, as tired riders aren't likely to give a clear opinion. I felt a little for the race director on this but equally hope they do take on board some of the feedback they receive.
From a performance perspective, I don't think I had as good form as I did going into TPR last year (insert various excuses) so for most of it I didn't really ride aggressively like I was able to in the second half of that race. However, I did realise part way along that, for me, just getting a GC finish would be something I'd be proud of, even if I could find ways to improve my time, so I am pleased with that. And of course, the shared experience of doing such a thing alongside other riders that you barely know but form that bond with, is very special.
Well done any other YACFers who rode - how did you all get on? Phil - you put in one hell of a ride, congratulations...I looked at the tracker on day 2 or 3, and thought "yep, won't be seeing him until the end"
It's going to take a long time to process that one though I'm already softening my stance on definitely not doing it another time
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 08 August, 2023, 10:30:06 am
In my experience, they rarely ever mean anything and are easily scared off either by throwing a rock or pretending to. That said, I gather one rider actually got bitten (lightly).I also hadn't anticipated the difference darkness would make to handling these situations - on the second sandy track of the finish parcours, which I did at night, the pack of dogs we'd been warned about were there...I could only see one of them but I could hear them barking on both sides of the track. I'll admit that made me a little scared! I picked up a few rocks and threw them indiscriminately in the direction of the barking and hastily walked off pushing my bike!
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 08 August, 2023, 10:46:56 am
I find this is a really tricky subject. There is definitely an advantage from riding alongside and chatting with another rider and I did it a couple of times but probably 5 minutes max, with the exception of one which was a little longer where I felt a bit uncomfortable but couldn't get rid of the other rider (and too damn polite to tell him so).What is the idea behind "no riding along side another rider. [for significant time]"?
No drafting? No moral support? Both?
If you ride together it's not possible to prove that you were not drafting, and the burden of proof is on the rider.
It's a tricky line for Lostdot to get right but I do worry that they run the risk of effectively policing the race in a way that means you have to ride it as there is no race going on - i.e. act as though there are no other riders. Is that really what is wanted? I think it's possible to strike a balance between ensuring that everyone rides it solo and unsupported while still having that camaraderie of the road, which I think draws many people into the race. It's funny (and paradoxical) how something which is a solitary experience in one sense is simultaneously a deeply shared experience. I worry that Lostdot risk taking that away from people.
Post by: StuAff on 08 August, 2023, 11:19:31 am
Congratulations Byron!well done Byronnius!Thanks! Only just thought to check in on this thread. Currently chilling at my hotel having finally got to enjoy a hotel breakfast that I paid for rather than leaving at 4am!
It looks like a particularly brutal edition with the wet start, the all-road parcours, and the heat.
The dog chases seem to be popping up more frequently this year too judging by all the reports.
Perhaps due to the long parcours off the main drag.
Enjoy your achievement!
That was quite an experience, and I think overall harder than I expected it to be. I found the first 4-5 days pretty tough mentally and it was only after that that I really got into my groove. Even then, I found that when I managed to get in some kind of a rhythm, the race had a habit of throwing up some new challenge to put me off - such is TCR I suppose. I think my strategy for a race this long would need a lot of work...hotels are good for keeping the body and mind in good condition but I faff too much when using them.
Lots of talk/complaints about how rough some of the parcours were afterwards. I have mixed feelings but think it would be better to let the dust settle a bit before we give feedback, as tired riders aren't likely to give a clear opinion. I felt a little for the race director on this but equally hope they do take on board some of the feedback they receive.
From a performance perspective, I don't think I had as good form as I did going into TPR last year (insert various excuses) so for most of it I didn't really ride aggressively like I was able to in the second half of that race. However, I did realise part way along that, for me, just getting a GC finish would be something I'd be proud of, even if I could find ways to improve my time, so I am pleased with that. And of course, the shared experience of doing such a thing alongside other riders that you barely know but form that bond with, is very special.
Well done any other YACFers who rode - how did you all get on? Phil - you put in one hell of a ride, congratulations...I looked at the tracker on day 2 or 3, and thought "yep, won't be seeing him until the end"
It's going to take a long time to process that one though I'm already softening my stance on definitely not doing it another time
Post by: chrisbainbridge on 08 August, 2023, 11:31:20 am
Post by: grams on 08 August, 2023, 11:41:17 am
i.e. act as though there are no other riders. Is that really what is wanted?
One of the Lost Dot podcast episodes briefly mentioned that this was exactly what was wanted (calling it "kayfabe"), although I've not really heard it stated in such terms anywhere else. I don't remember it being emphasised in the start briefing last year.
tbh My understanding was that most people enter TCR on the assumption they won't see anyone else on the road, and it's the last event to enter if you want camaraderie.
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 08 August, 2023, 11:50:10 am
Post by: mattc on 08 August, 2023, 07:09:44 pm
The GC / not GC categories take care of this. There's no prize money, none of this matters. LostDot have no obligations here, you just accept that they'll do their best. Riders share the responsibility; make it Very Easy for them to NOT penalise you.
Want company? Ride an Audax.
Want an honesty system? Ride a different event.
<Goes into hiding>
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 09 August, 2023, 09:18:53 am
LostDot did ok.
The GC / not GC categories take care of this. There's no prize money, none of this matters. LostDot have no obligations here, you just accept that they'll do their best. Riders share the responsibility; make it Very Easy for them to NOT penalise you.
Want company? Ride an Audax.
Want an honesty system? Ride a different event.
<Goes into hiding>
I agree, ultimately it's lost Dots's decision and if you'd done your research you'd know what their likely response to something like this would be before the race, whether or not you agree with it.
One thing I think is unfortunate is that a lot of people on social media discussing this are saying things like "that's not very #bemoremike" or "Lost Dot are destroying Mike's legacy", as though his approach to running the race was based on some laissez-faire, "just don't be a dick" attitude, where it was just about th good vibes. If you watch his videos on the rules and the spirit of the race, he was incredibly serious about riding independently, and explains why he created the pairs category explicitly to stop mates just riding together in the solo category. I've only come to the sport recently, but you have to trust that Lost Dot, especially Anna, understand Mike's vision for the race the best of anyone. Sure, they can mess up the communication of various things sometimes (I agree with Frank that the statement RE anatoly was rather patronising), and could save themselves some headache by being a bit clearer on a few things covered under the self supported/equal opportunity rule, but it's their race, and they're very upfront about taking a more judicious approach to rules than some other events. At this point you kind of just need to understand and accept that if you're entering a LD event, and go elsewhere if you don't like it.
All that said, some of the absolute high points of the whole event were the brief interactions with other riders, whether that be riding together for a short period, or bumping into each other kebab shop or petrol station. Itd be really tragic if everyone ended up riding as if they were totally solo and ignoring everyone else for fear of a DQ.
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 09 August, 2023, 10:31:16 am
LostDot did ok.
The GC / not GC categories take care of this. There's no prize money, none of this matters. LostDot have no obligations here, you just accept that they'll do their best. Riders share the responsibility; make it Very Easy for them to NOT penalise you.
Want company? Ride an Audax.
Want an honesty system? Ride a different event.
<Goes into hiding>
All that said, some of the absolute high points of the whole event were the brief interactions with other riders, whether that be riding together for a short period, or bumping into each other kebab shop or petrol station. Itd be really tragic if everyone ended up riding as if they were totally solo and ignoring everyone else for fear of a DQ.
Yeah, exactly this. I agree that Lostdot got the decision basically right (though I wonder if a time penalty rather than exclusion from GC would be more fitting) and it's in keeping with how people ought to understand the "riding solo" aspect of the rules. I'm not sure the extreme of acting as though there are no other riders around is what either they or riders want though.
As Matt says, if you want a truly shared experience then there are other types of events. The small interactions you have with riders on the road are special on this precisely because you spend so much time alone dealing with the route and your own demons, it's a nice little release when you bump into someone and can exchange a few words about it all. It's also what makes the finisher's party such a good way to end it as you can exchange war stories and get to know each other better.
But anyway, this is a bit of a side issue to what is a pretty special race. I find it impressive how they put together some of the parcours and the decisions they force riders into - the route between 4a and 4b being a particular example that I was unsure of right up until I had to commit.
Looking back, I find it hard to comprehend that all that different bits (the start in Geraardsbergen, rain and cold in the Alps, crazy Bosnian drivers, the killer hear further south) were all part of the same ride. It seems a lifetime ago I was riding up the Muur between those flaming torches!
Post by: Frank9755 on 10 August, 2023, 06:59:11 am
Re interactions with other riders, it's surprising how strong a feeling of comradeship the shared experience can create, even if you only chat to someone for a couple of minutes on the road and have a beer with them at the end. Because you know what they have experienced over the fortnight, you somehow feel really connected. I agree it would be a big loss to remove this.
I agree that invoking Mike needs to be done with extreme care and ideally not at all by people who didn't know him. Certainly he was very hot on rules and creating a fair race, in particular with no drafting or use of motorways. However, it has been published that he and Anna had differences of opinion regarding the race, and it has gone in a different direction since his time. However, it would doubtlessly have changed too if he had still been running it, so it's impossible to know how different it would be.
Post by: Zed43 on 10 August, 2023, 11:31:01 am
Post by: quixoticgeek on 10 August, 2023, 11:49:26 am
Wondering, have the current organisers completed a TCR or similar themselves?
Similar events. But not the event itself iirc.
J
Post by: Frank9755 on 10 August, 2023, 12:42:33 pm
Wondering, have the current organisers completed a TCR or similar themselves?
Andrew, who was organising it this year, did last year's tcr as part of his induction, and came 10th.
Anna hasn't done any ultra races that I'm aware of. That was felt to be an issue, that she didn't really have direct personal experience.
To to 2019 Rory was involved, and he did tcr in 2016.
Post by: morbihan on 10 August, 2023, 12:58:00 pm
I concur that there is a strong brother/sisterhood formed by the emotional rollercoaster of racing the TCR.
Im a little perplexed by the back and forth regarding the road sharing penalties. Namely the suggestions that it will have to be raced in a complete bubble. Im just not getting that from the team feedback. I see nowhere that you can't share a beer at a CP, have a chat on a gas station forecourt etc. Perhaps the "no ride together" rule can be reiterated a little more concisely at the next edition?
I think the sticky issue with the two guys who got pinged and penalised wasn't just the amount of time they rode and stopped together, but that they were already great mates. Having said that I really feel for them, and perhaps an early warning could have headed off the situ.
Post by: quixoticgeek on 24 August, 2023, 10:20:23 pm
A small controversy. This year lost dot introduced a green leaderboard, for those privileged enough to live close enough to the start, or have enough time off work, to be able to do the whole event without flying.
A noble idea. Promote greener travel etc...
One of the people in the leader board will fly home tomorrow from Paris.
The rules for returning from the TCR seem to allow it to be from the Finish, to your next destination. Which doesn't have to be where you started, or your home. Which makes sense. Kinda. But feels open for abuse.
Surely someone could have defined their next destination after the TCR as a holiday with family in Athens. Cycle or get the bus there, then fly home after 3 days...
Thoughts?
J
Post by: morbihan on 25 August, 2023, 12:10:08 pm
GB divide has gone all the way "no fly" and make no bones, with an explainer on their site.
My journey would be a 2,500 mile sail over several weeks to Europe so that's me out, for example.
I get that they want people to stop and think, and hopefully act. Difficult one.
The way airports treat people and bikes these days is one of the greatest incentives of alternative travel.
Related to the topic, Jo and I are roughing in the concept of Summer bike travels from Western France which we love to do together, plus an ultra for me to have a crack at. The plan that we are homing in on would be trains via Paris to the start of the Danube. A week or so riding the Danube trail to Vienna, at which point she would head on back to Bermuda and I would enter TPBR assuming I snagged an entry.
Its not perfect but does cut some aircraft legs or driving out.
Mind you watching the Orange one and his entourage travel in a three mile long cavalcade from his over sized jet to court last night shortly after I had gathered up our recycling for the week kind of makes you want to throw your hands up.
Post by: mattc on 02 September, 2023, 09:46:15 am
Exactly. It's a move in the right direction, and they haven't excluded anyone :thumbsup:
Its not perfect but does cut some aircraft legs or driving out.
(Just saw some whiney Yank on Reddit saying he'll only look at more "inclusive" events in future ;D
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 20 September, 2023, 05:12:46 pm
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1IB6e5KzWGyYrgY7cDdnAmE1bLE7JjhA&ll=45.382508136064764%2C13.605925949999994&z=5 (https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1IB6e5KzWGyYrgY7cDdnAmE1bLE7JjhA&ll=45.382508136064764%2C13.605925949999994&z=5)
You can click on the icons on the map, or click them in the bar on the left to read a bit of text and maybe see a picture. Clicking the blue/orange tracks will show a summary of each day. The whole thing is a bit of a beast, so you can also use the tick boxes on the left to filter categories of points. Most interesting ones are probably Things that went wrong and Key race decisions.
(It's a shameless rip-off of a cool idea from a previous TCR competitor: https://cyclingtourist.com/2020/03/06/05c-tcr06-visual-race-report-interactive-map/ (https://cyclingtourist.com/2020/03/06/05c-tcr06-visual-race-report-interactive-map/))
Post by: Lightning Phil on 20 September, 2023, 06:01:55 pm
Post by: Byronius Maximus on 20 September, 2023, 07:18:50 pm
I keep meaning to get around to writing a bit of a blog about it all, as much for my own memory of the experience as anything, but also as a way of processing it all. I still have this weird feeling of the race having taken a part of me that is still out there somewhere...I don't know if that makes any sense but it's the only way I can describe it.
Overall, while I don't have regrets as such, I do feel I have slightly unfinished business with it - it feels like I was a bit too chilled out about progress with too much time off the bike, though it's very easy to say that after the fact when I know how damn hard I found it after the time. Compared to TPR last year where I felt I rode quite aggressively, certainly in the second half, and left it all out on the road. Again, it's a hard feeling to describe.
Post by: Phil Hears A Who on 21 September, 2023, 10:17:59 am
That's very cool, Phil, must have taken a lot of work. I'll spend a bit of time clicking through that as it will be interesting to compare experiences! How are you feeling about it all, now it's 2 months(!) since the start?
I keep meaning to get around to writing a bit of a blog about it all, as much for my own memory of the experience as anything, but also as a way of processing it all. I still have this weird feeling of the race having taken a part of me that is still out there somewhere...I don't know if that makes any sense but it's the only way I can describe it.
Overall, while I don't have regrets as such, I do feel I have slightly unfinished business with it - it feels like I was a bit too chilled out about progress with too much time off the bike, though it's very easy to say that after the fact when I know how damn hard I found it after the time. Compared to TPR last year where I felt I rode quite aggressively, certainly in the second half, and left it all out on the road. Again, it's a hard feeling to describe.
It did take rather a long time to put together! But like you say, I hope it will serve as a good memory aid.
My overall reflection is rather mixed to be honest. It was an absolutely incredible experience and I'm very glad that I did it, but I don't have much of a desire to do it again. I found the racing super exciting, and I'm thrilled with my result, but I do think I was very very lucky in that everything went broadly to plan and I didn't waste much time getting lost or with major mechanicals, so I feel like it was a pretty true reflection of my prep. I think if I was to do it again, I'd want to get a better result, and I think that would mostly require both a healthy dose of luck, and doing things that I don't really want to do in terms of sleep/rest/proper food. I feel like I found my limit, and for me going beyond it is just not worth it for a few extra places up the leaderboard. Things start to become pretty grim pretty quickly. That all said, the places the race took us, and the more social aspects of the whole thing were just incredible, so I think I'm keen to do some more group touring, or maybe some sort of rally event next year.