TCR No9

[JonBuoy]

Just been announced as Geraardsbergen to Thessaloniki via Passo dello Spluga, Zgornje Jezersko, Peshkopi and Meteora.

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?

[Frank9755]

Not me this year!

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.

[morbihan]

Nice looking route.
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!

[Nuncio]

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.

[Frank9755]

Good point: Thessaloniki finish makes sense from the point of view of simplifying logistics.

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.

[quixoticgeek]

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

[Frank9755]

Is there another crazy parcours? Or have they listened to feedback from riders?

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.

[felstedrider]

Is there any more detail on dates other than 'July 2023'.   Not like anyone would need to book annual leave or anything.

[JonBuoy]

From Facebook:

Start Date: 23 July 2023

[felstedrider]

From Facebook:

Start Date: 23 July 2023

Thanks.   Couldn't find that anywhere on the main website.

[morbihan]

Sorry that this has to come from #routemuppet Frank, but how on earth do you figure riding through Serbia with those CP's?

[Frank9755]

It would be the 2019 route in reverse. The fast,  flat road from Slovenia that goes through Croatia and in to Serbia via  Vradzhin, Osiek, etc.
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.

[Lightning Phil]

A friend has got a place, anyone else?

[Phil Hears A Who]

Yep, I've got one. Fully expected to not get on (and given TCR's instagram says there was almost 900 applications, that should have been a good guess), and it's thrown a spanner at PBP this year. Good problems to have though...

[morbihan]

Wonderful. let us know your cap# come the day.

[Davef]

Me too. Interesting combination of events this year for me.

[Kamoshika]

I'm a fairly infrequent poster on YACF, but I'm another with a place for TCR. I've volunteered on the last 4 so would have been a bit miffed if they hadn't given me a place!

[morbihan]

Thanks for all those years of help. have a great race.

[Kamoshika]

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 ) 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

[Frank9755]

Absolutely - you learn things by being there, or by dotwatching, that you can never learn otherwise.

Hardly anyone ever feels they are ready for the race - that's the main reason why it's exciting! 

Good luck!

[Byronius Maximus]

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!

[Phil Hears A Who]

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?)

[morbihan]

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.

 

[Byronius Maximus]

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).

[Lightning Phil]

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.