Transcontinental 2019

[quixoticgeek]

I held a QOM for one of the Strava segments on the TCR route. Purely because I uploaded my track first... I held the QOM for about 24 hours, tho in reality, I never held it because I did it after the person who currently holds it...

I have a few QOMs from being the first (and only woman) to do a segment, but I'm most proud of the ones where I have some actual competition...

J

[S2L]

I've recently been dethroned from my only KOM... it is a 21 seconds segment, prone to GPS signal error, which is probably the reason I was leading in the first place... 

[S2L]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/49248126

[Phil W]

Cracking effort, so she pushed on through the last night in the end.  I can see they'd always be that worry that you were going to be overtaken that last night

Was looking at her kit photo, and the bivvy looks like a Yeti Next to Nothing down sleeping bag but can't see which model.

[Bobby]

Wow.  I’m in awe of all those that even got to the start line, my first year as a dot watcher on this event has been a good one. 

Chapeau Fiona, quite an inspirational ride   

Good luck to all those still on the road 

[Tim Hall]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/49248126

She got mentioned in the news on Radio 4 at one o'clock and on 6 Music at half past too.

[S2L]

Thrashing a field of men and in doing so rewriting the rules about gender and sport is hopefully something that will inspire women.

I hope that one day this will become normal...

[paddyirish]

"I hope that one day this will become normal..."

Lael Wilcox, Sarah Hammond, Jasmin Parks in Ultrarunning.  I would say it already is.

[Phil W]

Ben looking to roll into finish in next hour or so.

[mrcharly-YHT]

"I hope that one day this will become normal..."

Lael Wilcox, Sarah Hammond, Jasmin Parks in Ultrarunning.  I would say it already is.

Amanda Coker

[Phil W]

Ben now finished

[S2L]

Amanda Coker

irrelevant, as it's not a race

[mrcharly-YHT]

Amanda Coker

irrelevant, as it's not a race

Yawn - go and break the record, then come back and tell me it isn't a competition.

[morbihan]

Ju Ju and a host of other top shelf female riders..
Mike Hall titled  the first rider of a different gender crossing the line after the winner  as the "opposite Sex award" recognising the inevitability of what has just happened  and the parity of men and women in ultra events.  Women have been under represented in ultra racing compared to men to date so its not surprising that this is the first on TCR. It is one of the mandates of the TCR  to get more women racing hence the automatic qualification for entry to date.
 Compare, if you will,  this forward thinking and egalitarian approach with the likes of the TDF.

[quixoticgeek]

Cracking effort, so she pushed on through the last night in the end.  I can see they'd always be that worry that you were going to be overtaken that last night

Was looking at her kit photo, and the bivvy looks like a Yeti Next to Nothing down sleeping bag but can't see which model.

Is it a bivvi? Or a down jacket? I thought she took the approach of using hotels throughout?

J

[Phil W]

Cracking effort, so she pushed on through the last night in the end.  I can see they'd always be that worry that you were going to be overtaken that last night

Was looking at her kit photo, and the bivvy looks like a Yeti Next to Nothing down sleeping bag but can't see which model.

Is it a bivvi? Or a down jacket? I thought she took the approach of using hotels throughout?

J

Not sure, given its packed size it could be a jacket. The TCR reports mention her bivvying down is all, so I don't know. But interested to find out what it is.

[Exit Stage Left]

I wondered what footage I had of Fiona on LEL. I'd just been talking to a Japanese rider who'd compared the Fens to the Nullarbor Plain, hence the reference.

[Ivo]

Quite some issues on the French forum with the attitude of the TCR organisation regarding local cyclists. There's a clear clash of cycling culture between the French (and especially Breton) culture where the 'stars' are very approachable and the classic point to point timetrial culture in the UK where it's half hidden.
I wonder if the TCR will finish in France again due to this cultureclash.

[mattc]

Interesting to me that she's packed a spare tyre.

I suggested this strategy - in view of the gravel early on - but it wasn't popular on YACF!

Then again, I'd pack a lot differently (and probably still will), so what do *I* know ...

I'm still trying to find photos of her front-light setup (which presumably runs off her dynamo, but I don't see a fork-crown bracket)

[orraloon]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/49248126

She got mentioned in the news on Radio 4 at one o'clock and on 6 Music at half past too.

And BBC R2 news at 5pm.  Even if they classed the race as 'professional'...unless I misheard...

[Jurek]

Thrashing a field of men and in doing so rewriting the rules about gender and sport is hopefully something that will inspire women.

I hope that one day this will become normal...

^
This.

[S2L]

Yawn - go and break the record, then come back and tell me it isn't a competition.

Race and competition are different things... you can have a competition for the biggest cake and that might even result in a record, but it's not a race.

In a race there is a line to cross and the first to cross it is the winner, typically there are no records in bicycle races as race conditions are very different depending on the field, among other things.

What Amanda Coker did was to set a record, but she didn't win a race.

For a woman to win a bicycle race in a largely male field is something truly special

[Jurek]

Yawn - go and break the record, then come back and tell me it isn't a competition.

Race and competition are different things... you can have a competition for the biggest cake and that might even result in a record, but it's not a race.

In a race there is a line to cross and the first to cross it is the winner, typically there are no records in bicycle races as race conditions are very different depending on the field, among other things.

What Amanda Coker did was to set a record, but she didn't win a race.

For a woman to win a bicycle race in a largely male field is something truly special

^
And this.

[Wowbagger]

Thrashing a field of men and in doing so rewriting the rules about gender and sport is hopefully something that will inspire women.

I hope that one day this will become normal...

^
This.

That Emily Chappell wrote quite a bit about this sort of thing. Her website is still broken. I hesitate to say "deliberately so" but Emily is competent, and I'm sure she is aware, and it's been broken a long time.

[grams]

Quite some issues on the French forum with the attitude of the TCR organisation regarding local cyclists. There's a clear clash of cycling culture between the French (and especially Breton) culture where the 'stars' are very approachable

I don't think dickheads wanting to crowbar themselves into her story are unique to any particular culture. Well, not a geographical one anyway.

I hope she doesn't get too much unwanted attention at PBP.

I'm still trying to find photos of her front-light setup (which presumably runs off her dynamo, but I don't see a fork-crown bracket)

Supernova E3 Triple on a handlebar mount.