I don't understand much Dutch, but here's an article I stumbled on that shows the kind of kit that TCR riders might carry.
https://www.fiets.nl/2019/08/02/deze-vrouw-gaat-aan-kop-in-een-van-de-zwaarste-races-ter-wereld/
Fiona is incredible.
Courtesy of Mr Google,
"This woman leads the way in one of the toughest races in the world
In the Transcontinental, the most famous non-stop race in the world, a woman has been leading for days: Fiona Kolbinger. She is on the bike for 19 hours a day, beats (almost) all QOMs and leaves the competition far behind. It looks like she's going to win this monster race of 4000km, while this is her first ultra-endurance race ever!
The Transcontinental Race
The Transcontinental Race is an annual, self-supporting, ultra-distance race throughout Europe. With a distance of 4000km, it is one of the world's toughest ultra-endurance races. It is a single-stage race where the clock never stops. The participants of this bizarre race do everything themselves. From planning the race, researching to navigating, repairing the bike and looking for places to rest and sleep. There are no followers, no food station, nothing. As a racer you only take what you can wear, food and drink you arrange along the way.
Yesterday she drove in Austria, today in France
Everyone cycles his or her own route, the only thing that is certain is the start in Burgas, (Bulgaria), 4 checkpoints en route and the finish in Brest (France). How you drive the part in between and which roads you follow is up to you. The four mandatory checkpoints are set up in such a way that every participant, regardless of your chosen route, receives a considerable amount of altitude meters. In total, the participants cover at least 4000 km to reach the finish line.
In charge: Fiona Kolbinger
And then about this great power woman: Fiona Kolbinger. This 24-year-old doctor is training a bizarre performance. Yesterday she drove in Austria, today in France. She cycles so fast and so much that she has been at the forefront for days, breaking all QOMs and driving everyone out.
On the map on the right (the race runs from right to left, you can see that Fiona leaves everyone behind with number 66. She spends 19 hours a day cycling and then cycles at least 400km with thousands of meters of altitude. she uses the rest of the hour to rest in between, and because of this extreme daily routine, she knows how to hold her head very tightly, while almost all male toppers fail or give up.
And if you are wondering, why would you even want to participate? The Transcontinental is the best known non-stop race in the world. Being allowed to participate is already an honor. Every year so many racers want to take part in the draw. If you are one of the "lucky few", then you must also complete the race. Something that is high at the top of the bucket list with these bikkels. And so it looks like Fiona Kolbinger can get this out of her list faster than expected!
The longer the distance, the smaller the physical differences between men and women become
She is already cycling in France, even though the race only started last weekend. And if this is not enough, she plans to start at Paris-Brest-Paris after this monster tour. You can regard this as the "mother" of all ultraraces.
Male vs female
The interesting thing about these extreme multi-day races is that the physical differences between men and women become smaller as the race progresses. This is because at a given moment mental power takes the upper hand. After hundreds of kilometers of cycling, the mental aspect of the race is particularly tough, so maintaining is the only thing that counts.
This could also be seen last weekend during the Alpe D’Huez triathlon. Here Daniela Ryf overtook the leader of the men during the climb of the Alp. And in the past there was also a woman on stage at the Race Across America and this year at the Offroad version from north to south."
And from Fiona's Strava post....