# Transcontinental Race - Heads up



## steveindenmark (25 Nov 2018)

The application process for Transcontinental Race No7 starts on the 30th November.


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## ianrauk (25 Nov 2018)

Will you be applying Steve?


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## steveindenmark (26 Nov 2018)

It will depend where it is going. I think some of the riders fancy a change from Belgium to Greece. The idea of this year's route. Heading South to go way up North to head South again didnt appeal to me.

A start in Portugal or Spain would be good. 

I may just go and do Tuscany Road again.


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## steveindenmark (2 Dec 2018)

The new route has been published. 

Burgas in Bulgaria to Brest in France. Its about 3700km.


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## Proto (6 Dec 2018)

My daughter has entered.


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## steveindenmark (12 Dec 2018)

What is your daughters name Proto? I will look out for her.


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## MikeG (12 Dec 2018)

This thread would benefit from some links.


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## steveindenmark (13 Dec 2018)

https://www.transcontinental.cc/

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1m5y9Gu-DJY69DLo1fyTKpvSkbPr_WZFc/view?usp=drivesdk


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## Ming the Merciless (13 Dec 2018)

When do successful applicants get announced?


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## steveindenmark (20 Dec 2018)

January 10th.

Have you entered?


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## Proto (30 Dec 2018)

Daughter has withdrawn. Her riding partner can’t commit to the ride so they are both out. Shame.


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## frank9755 (9 Jan 2019)

I've got a place. Anyone else?


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## huwsparky (9 Jan 2019)

frank9755 said:


> I've got a place. Anyone else?


Good luck.


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## frank9755 (27 Jun 2019)

Start list is up.


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## steveindenmark (30 Jun 2019)

#43 riding my Brompton.
I have no interest in racing but will make steady progress where possible. I want to experience the atmosphere of TCR as a rider. I have been there as a spectator and volunteer.

I will be getting as far as I can, as fast as I can, in the spirit of the race. My aims are to enjoy the ride, meet some people, see some places I have never seen. I would like to get to CP1 before it closes. About 260km in 25 hours. Ride across Bulgaria. Visit Vukovar an some other places.

The Brompton was an easy decision for me. I am not a fast rider and am only a couple of km slower than on my road bike. Its got good gears for hills. My heart rate is a lot slower on the Brompton. Its easier to fix than my other bikes. Its different and fun to ride

Roger Seaton got his Brompton 1206km along the TCR route last year before the bike could not be fixed and he had to scratch. So thats a line in the sand to aim for. Its the only time a Brompton has entered the TCR. If I can encourage someone else to have a go with a Brompton. That would be great

Frank. If you wake up and I am ahead of you. You know you have big problems

For the dot watchers. I will be easy to find.


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## frank9755 (5 Jul 2019)

You are of course at liberty to do whatever you wish, Steve. But I'd challenge your assertion that the approach you describe is in the spirit of the race, as it doesn't sound like it to me! This is what Mike Hall said, which is still in the race manual FAQ:

_*Can I just ride it at my own pace? * 
There are no time limits as such so technically yes. You will be a part of all the fun and have your ride tracked and followed on the race website but the control points and finish lines are not permanent features and so may not still be there when you get there. TCR No.7 is actually a race, so if it’s a relaxed cycle tour you want this might not be for you. Places are limited on the race so spare a thought for those who might want to be in a race and be competitive._


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## Ming the Merciless (5 Jul 2019)

It's a shame you can't enter this race on a recumbent. It's hilly enough that a recumbent would offer no real speed advantage unless it was a fully faired velomobile.


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## ianrauk (29 Jul 2019)

Frank is doing really well. 593km already. Though the TCR dot watching page is not very good so can't see where he is in relation to others in the race.
Edit. Looks like he's about a 3rd down the field in relation to the othes. Not far from CP2

Steve has scratched at 147kms @steveindenmark


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## StuAff (29 Jul 2019)

ianrauk said:


> Frank is doing really well. 593km already. Though the TCR dot watching page is not very good so can't see where he is in relation to others in the race.
> Edit. Looks like he's about a 3rd down the field in relation to the othes. Not far from CP2
> 
> Steve has scratched at 147kms @steveindenmark


Bjorn Lenhard scratched as well, saddle sores. Now hoping to recover in time for PBP. Julia (quixoticgeek on YACF, #67) was unable to cope with the conditions- her body shut down in the heat & she wasn't able to eat anything. The amount of climbing early on (whereas the west-east variations 'ease' people in) was also a factor. Ingrid from my LBS (#98) is also doing well- about 30km behind Frank if I read the stats correctly. She's strong and does a lot of miles (over 5,000 this year before TCR) but this is really pushing herself. She really doesn't like gravel roads either....


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## ianrauk (29 Jul 2019)

There seems to be a whole heap of problems due to the heat over there. It looks bloody hard work.


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## Ming the Merciless (29 Jul 2019)

Surprised how many have given up so early.


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## steveindenmark (29 Jul 2019)

I got heatstoke on the first day


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## StuAff (29 Jul 2019)

steveindenmark said:


> I got heatstoke on the first day


Rotten luck Steve. But you certainly weren't the only one to be affected that badly by the heat. Great effort just to get to the start, frankly...


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## StuAff (30 Jul 2019)

Both Frank and Ingrid through CP2 in plenty of time. It closes Tuesday morning. A fair number of the field haven't made it there yet. Most certainly will, but there are a few (if tracking is accurate) that definitely won't.


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## steveindenmark (30 Jul 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> Surprised how many have given up so early.


It was the heat. If you got to the 30km climb at the wrong time it was boiling. I think there were 6 of us on the climb and we all scratched.
200 km back to back days in Denmark on the Brompton couldnt prepare me for the heat. 

On top of that I made the other silly mistake of not stopping when I should have and just taken shorter days until it cooled off. But the damage was done by then. A real rookie mistake. But I was a real rookie


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## StuAff (30 Jul 2019)

Frank's still bombing along nicely, 777 km to CP3 for him. Ingrid's at 916km, absolutely hated the CP2 gravel parcours & found it only passable by walking (even that was difficult- and I know from the FB feed she wasn't the only one who had to walk). 'Hurt everywhere and look like piece of ****'. Also dreaming of tea. But today was flat on paved roads, so she's hopefully feeling better. Julia, OTOH, is slowly riding home through Serbia. Still feeling the effects of the weekend, and rode about 150km today. Transcontinental Pootle sounds more like my kind of thing.....


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## slowmotion (30 Jul 2019)

Can people follow the riders as dots on a map, like the Aussie ride? If so, can somebody post a link?

Thanks.

Edit: I just found Frank on the map!


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## Heltor Chasca (31 Jul 2019)

Well played @steveindenmark and speedy recovery. 

Following two Audax Club Bristol riders, a Club Hackney rider and a couple of ultra ‘celebs’. They are as good at riding on their summer holidays as they are at the weekend. Impressive.

Fun fact: There are 3 riders called ‘Dennis’ this year. That’s impressive.


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## Ivo (31 Jul 2019)

It's a 3-up battle at front with Fiona in the lead at the moment. But it's too close too call, only about 30km between the 3 top runners.
I'm amazed by how many people rode straight through the worst warzone in Croatia and so few people taking the sweet run through the Sava valley.


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## StuAff (31 Jul 2019)

Jonathan Rankin, no 15, who was leading, has scratched this morning. Foot problems. He'd got to Steinfeld, Austria- 1900km in four days. Fiona Kolbringer now leading, 155km from CP3 still about 30km ahead of Ben Davies. Frank's now 607km from CP3, Ingrid 828km.


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## ianrauk (31 Jul 2019)

StuAff said:


> Jonathan Rankin, no 15, who was leading, has scratched this morning. Foot problems. He'd got to Steinfeld, Austria- 1900km in four days. Fiona Kolbringer now leading, 155km from CP3 still about 30km ahead of Ben Davies. Frank's now 607km from CP3, Ingrid 828km.




There quite a few that have now scratched due to injuries of one cause or another.


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## StuAff (31 Jul 2019)

ianrauk said:


> There quite a few that have now scratched due to injuries of one cause or another.


Indeed. I don't know how the rate of attrition compares to previous editions, but it seems high.


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## StuAff (31 Jul 2019)

Fiona and Ben (another saddle sore sufferer...) are onto the CP3 parcours. Fiona is about 90km from the control, Ben 15km behind. Frank's at 473 from the control, Ingrid at 667. She's had a big punnet of fresh rasberries-a kilo- and ate them in about five minutes. Also suffering saddle sores (rife through the field, unsurprisingly), she's got a hotel for the night which will hopefully help.


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## Ming the Merciless (31 Jul 2019)

StuAff said:


> Indeed. I don't know how the rate of attrition compares to previous editions, but it seems high.



Normally about 50% find that TCR is beyond them.


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## StuAff (31 Jul 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> Normally about 50% find that TCR is beyond them.


Yup, I found that figure for the first one after my previous post. I think this one might beat that figure, unfortunately.


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## StuAff (1 Aug 2019)

Fiona's 48km from CP3, having completed the parcours. Riding 19hours a day.....she's amazing. Ben's about 23km behind. Sam Thomas a further 19km behind. Frank's at 364km, Ingrid at 597km.


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## StuAff (1 Aug 2019)

Fiona now nearly at CP3, Ben about 55km behind. The Kolbinger's progress seems relentless....


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## slowmotion (1 Aug 2019)

I think Frank (155) might be having a mechanical. He's been in a bike shop in Portschach am Worthersee for quite some time.


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## StuAff (1 Aug 2019)

Ingrid's in Maribor, Slovenia, 411km from CP3. 'Really bad start today but great sprint finish!'. Frank is in Spittal an der Drau, Austria, 247km to CP3. Fiona remaining relentless- 300km from CP4, still 55km ahead of Ben. Ben is getting rather less sleep than she is…they both had to walk up some of the parcours, 20% gradients (I know it's supposed to be hard, but some of it is a bit too much like an Henri Desgrange route in my mind...).


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## StuAff (2 Aug 2019)

Frank has scratched- posted on FB that shermer's neck was developing, he didn't want to risk the Alpine descents or a worsening condition.


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## Dogtrousers (2 Aug 2019)

Dang. A pity, but sounds like a wise decision.


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## StuAff (2 Aug 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> Dang. A pity, but sounds like a wise decision.


On the plus side, he's going for dinner in Frankfurt!


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## ianrauk (2 Aug 2019)




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## StuAff (2 Aug 2019)

Ingrid's crossed into Austria, posted a vid on Instagram. Feeling better today than she was yesterday, enjoying the scenery.


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## StuAff (2 Aug 2019)

Ingrid now 206km from CP3, in Oberdrauburg. At the sharp end, Alpe D'Huez is about to encounter Fiona. She's 38km from CP4, and has stretched her lead over Ben to nearly 100km. Wow. Just wow.


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## Ivo (3 Aug 2019)

A surprisingly flat route through Switzerland for Fiona yesterday:


*415,84km*
*16:30:24*
*2.924m*


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## Ming the Merciless (3 Aug 2019)

Yes, she's got a good routine going with decent sleep each night.


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## StuAff (3 Aug 2019)

Fiona raced through CP4- 15 mins or so, including an impromptu rendition of The Lion Sleeps Tonight on a piano (I was unable to work out how to link to the FB video). Now 830km to the finish. Ben just about at CP4 now. Ingrid is approaching the CP3 parcours, 133km to go to CP3.


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## StuAff (3 Aug 2019)

Ben through CP4, about 115km behind. Ingrid appears to have stopped for the night- maps location is a hotel. Well, a road with a hotel either side.


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## Ivo (4 Aug 2019)

Fiona gave a small performance at CP4:

View: https://www.facebook.com/KinesisUK/videos/406366699982419/


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## StuAff (4 Aug 2019)

Lovely bit of writing from Jack Enright in his latest race report....
"TCR winners aren’t supposed to play the piano mid-race. They’re not supposed to have the time, let alone the mental reserves. And yet here was Fiona, hands dancing over the ivory keys, winning TCRNo.7. It was a moment that felt dislocated from reality, like a Wes Anderson film wrapped in an overly lucid dream.

And yet, if you could capture the mood of this race in any one moment, it would undoubtedly be this one. Fiona has spent the last eight days quietly rearranging what we might accept as realistic, and this moment feels like just more of the same."


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## StuAff (4 Aug 2019)

Fiona now with 688km to go, Ben with 810km (and closing the gap. at least at the mo). Job 6.5km from CP4. Ingrid is now just under 110km from CP3, hopefully good to make it before it closes tomorrow morning.


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## StuAff (4 Aug 2019)

Ingrid is not scratching, but has made the decision to stop racing as she needs more rest and recovery time than she was getting. Easier to keep on riding than umpteen trains and buses to get back to Pompey. She was still 83km from CP3 and the closure deadline was looming. A brilliant effort to get this far, she should be really proud of herself.

At the sharp end, the Kolbinger remains relentless. 518km to go, and the lead over Ben has stretched back out, he has 661 to go. Job another 100km back.


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## slowmotion (5 Aug 2019)

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.


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## StuAff (5 Aug 2019)

CP3 closed at 5am CET....a fair few didn't make the cut. Shame the race reports never mention the back markers much, it would be nice to read about them for a change. Fiona now 350km from the finish, Ben at 477km to go, Job at 622km to go, and David Schuster 689km to go. Looks like the win will be taken tonight...


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## StuAff (5 Aug 2019)

slowmotion said:


> 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....


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## Dogtrousers (5 Aug 2019)

Thanks for the updates @StuAff 

From someone who is too lazy to even dot-watch.


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## Crackle (5 Aug 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> Thanks for the updates @StuAff
> 
> From someone who is too lazy to even dot-watch.


And me!


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## StuAff (5 Aug 2019)

Fiona now 116km from the finish, Ben still 140km back. Job another 100km back. Ingrid has scratched, knee pain, with 2250km done. Pavel Pulawski, one of the early front-runners, has also scratched- he crashed on a bike path a few days ago.


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## r04DiE (6 Aug 2019)

Honestly, I was really excited when Fiona took the lead and I have been willing the girl to win since! Looks like she's going to do it, too. INSPIRATIONAL!


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## srw (6 Aug 2019)

A bit before 7am our time, having apparently ridden 200km or so overnight.


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## StuAff (6 Aug 2019)

I thought she'd do it that way…for all the front runners at this stage, taking a lengthy break overnight would mean potentially losing a place, or losing out on taking one. Not surprised she was finally feeling the strain, that must have been the hardest stretch of all. A remarkable achievement. Now, apparently, for PBP as a warm-down…


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## nagden (6 Aug 2019)

What an amazing performance. She is obviously a huge talent. Her strava Stats are mind blowing. A huge congratulations to her And to anyone who started the race. I have certainly found It inspirational.


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## Ivo (6 Aug 2019)

She's creating a buzz in the French press:

l'Equipe:

https://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme-sur...gYfNCYo2rXWqsPcRZlcI3Ow8p1orJD8vL5FZ7Z-NSvCI0

France Inter:

https://www.franceinter.fr/sports/f...Dtpnn7ojvRUftlKvnzMYZFutb7kIX4ID0d3_F5SrybpAw

Le Monde:

https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/articl...de-4-000-km-sans-assistance_5497013_3242.html


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## Ivo (6 Aug 2019)

I do feel a bit of friction though between the English and French cycling culture. For French cyclists it's quite normal to cycle out to meet a lone intrepid rider and acompany him/her. According to the ethics of the TCR, more based on UK point-to-point timetrials, this is frowned upon. I do have some doubts if the TCR will have another finish in France due to this.


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## steveindenmark (7 Aug 2019)

I doubt if the TCR will run from East to West again It is only my opinion. 

Having people come out and cheer the riders on is one thing. But maybe the riders want to ride alone. That is the whole premis of the TCR. Fiona must have been exhausted and it must be hard fending people off for 1500km.


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## Ming the Merciless (7 Aug 2019)

Will you enter again next year @steveindenmark having now learnt how hot it really is in the east?


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## Shadow (7 Aug 2019)

A couple of excellent pictures:










Nicked from Angus Sung © / AngusSung.co.uk for Transcontinental.cc


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## steveindenmark (7 Aug 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> Will you enter again next year @steveindenmark having now learnt how hot it really is in the east?


The rookie mistake I made was riding up a 30km mountain in the hottest part of the day. Another rider measured it at 44 degrees
I should have stopped, had something to eat and carry on late afternoon.
I dont know if I would go again as a rider. But certainly as a volunteer. 

It takes up an awful lot of time away from the family. Its also expensive. £300 entry for TCR, £380 for Pan Celtic
Then you have flights, equipment accomodation on top of that. 

I think Lejog or Camino de Santiago could be the aim for Jannie and myself next year.


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## steveindenmark (7 Aug 2019)

I have just been looking at the lists. Sorry to see that Frank Proud had scratched.


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## Ming the Merciless (7 Aug 2019)

Early onset of Shermer's neck for Frank


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## srw (8 Aug 2019)

If only someone had posted the news about Frank on the appropriate thread back on Friday morning, when it happened...

https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/transcontinental-race-heads-up.242758/page-3


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## steveindenmark (8 Aug 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> Early onset of Shermer's neck for Frank


Its a very common thing and quite difficult to get rid of, unfortunately.

My friend, Jurgen Knupe got it in TCR last year and had to scratch. He got it again in the 3 peaks race recently when he was in second place and had to scratch.

He does a lot of his training in Italy and the mileage and climbing he has done this year has been stunning. He was well prepared. But he still got effected.


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## StuAff (17 Aug 2019)

Dotwatching continues. The last riders are still making their way to the finish (even when controls close, the stamps are still there, and they'll still get counted as finishers, just not in the GC). About a dozen or so have or will reach Brest this weekend, which will leave the Belgian pair, Els and Marie-Lou, who are still steadily plugging away and have about 876km to go.


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## frank9755 (18 Aug 2019)

One of the highlights that I haven't mentioned so far was bumping into @des.o, who was volunteering at cp2. For those who don't know him, Des was an fnrttc regular about a decade ago. One of his most memorable comments, which I always recall when tempted to boast of cycling adventures and I expect is true, was that people who don't cycle aren't impressed if you say you've ridden more than about 70 miles, they just think you're weird! 

Unfortunately I rather had my racing head on and was determined to ride another 100km that evening to help me make up a few lost places, so I only stayed for 10 minutes to chat, but it was a great pleasure and I only wish I'd had an hour.


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## ianrauk (18 Aug 2019)

frank9755 said:


> One of the highlights that I haven't mentioned so far was bumping into @des.o, who was volunteering at cp2. For those who don't know him, Des was an fnrttc regular about a decade ago. One of his most memorable comments, which I always recall when tempted to boast of cycling adventures and I expect is true, was that people who don't cycle aren't impressed if you say you've ridden more than about 70 miles, they just think you're weird!
> 
> Unfortunately I rather had my racing head on and was determined to ride another 100km that evening to help me make up a few lost places, so I only stayed for 10 minutes to chat, but it was a great pleasure and I only wish I'd had an hour.


Last time I saw Des was on one of Look Mums Great Escape rides a couple of years back. Good to hear he's well.


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## frank9755 (19 Aug 2019)

ianrauk said:


> Last time I saw Des was on one of Look Mums Great Escape rides a couple of years back. Good to hear he's well.



Yes, he was on good form. 

I did bump into him last year on the way to the start of the Westerley audax in Ruislip earlier this year, but his gang jumped into a McDonalds, while I was rushing for the earlier start, so was a similarly brief meeting.


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## StuAff (19 Aug 2019)

Dotwatching news: One more finisher as I type this (well, tracker shows him 100m from the finish!), no 215 has about 57km to go, and that leaves Els & Marie-Lou out on the road, with about 560km to go.


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## des.o (19 Aug 2019)

Hey Frank very good to see you - completely understood you were in race mode and keen to get rolling. Always keep an eye on dots I've met before and was disappointed to see the Shermer's scatch - same thing happened to another rider i know. Hadn't realised that you'd had a crash as well - Doug came in later that night and was asking about you. A fantastic event and across the broad field of riders epitomises most of the things I love about cycling. Really enjoying the sterling efforts of pair 250 at the moment. I need to pluck up the courage to enter...

Good call Ian - it was the Great escape. I missed it this year for the first time, but always keep an eye out for you guys. Still keep up with the fnrttc threads and often think about popping out for a spin, but I've been organising a Saturday ride for the last few years and like to keep that regular. Not sure that I'd know anyone anymore. One day though, if i see a flurry of familiar names signing up... Given how long it takes me to get my sleep back on track after Dunwich each year I often wonder how I managed to fit in those regular Friday nighters.


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## User169 (19 Aug 2019)

frank9755 said:


> Yes, he was on good form.
> 
> I did bump into him last year on the way to the start of the Westerley audax in Ruislip earlier this year, but his gang jumped into a McDonalds, while I was rushing for the earlier start, so was a similarly brief meeting.



Hi Frank - it looked from a picture I saw of your setup that you went with flat pedals. How did that work out for you and what shoes did you wear?


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## StuAff (19 Aug 2019)

des.o said:


> Still keep up with the fnrttc threads and often think about popping out for a spin, but I've been organising a Saturday ride for the last few years and like to keep that regular. Not sure that I'd know anyone anymore. One day though, if i see a flurry of familiar names signing up...


Yes, you'd know people!  Would be good to see you back some time!


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## frank9755 (19 Aug 2019)

DP said:


> Hi Frank - it looked from a picture I saw of your setup that you went with flat pedals. How did that work out for you and what shoes did you wear?



It was great in that I didn't have the knee, ankle or achilles niggles that I'd had on previous long rides. 
Shoes were Innov-8 trail running shoes, chosen for zero heel drop. They weren't perfect, would have liked something slightly stiffer, but with specialized insoles they were stiff enough for what I needed. I'll keep using the pedals but may try some different shoes. TBH I don't think clipping in is helpful unless you are racing or doing high cadence over rough ground.


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## frank9755 (19 Aug 2019)

des.o said:


> Hey Frank very good to see you - completely understood you were in race mode and keen to get rolling. Always keep an eye on dots I've met before and was disappointed to see the Shermer's scatch - same thing happened to another rider i know. Hadn't realised that you'd had a crash as well - Doug came in later that night and was asking about you. A fantastic event and across the broad field of riders epitomises most of the things I love about cycling. Really enjoying the sterling efforts of pair 250 at the moment. I need to pluck up the courage to enter...



Yes, the crash was why I had lost a bunch of time and was right down the field. Really stupid, put my front wheel in a hole on a farm track 90 minutes in. Rushing when I didn't need to. Over the bars and hit my shoulder hard, snapped off my Di2 bar end shifters (front one completely, back one I could salvage with lots of tape). Was very lucky not to break something and / or smash up the bike. TBH probably the worst fall I've ever had off a bike; I've never had a particularly bad one. 

It meant I was down the field a bit but the upside was that I got to chat to people like Doug. I rode with him for maybe half an hour on a country lane. That was quite handy as, after you have smashed yourself up a bit, an emergency doctor is just who you want to bump in to!

I did my 100km that night by 10pm, then had a good three and a half days. Don't know where I got up to in the field but I passed the guy who had been in 60th place at CP2 so I was making some progress! Victim of my own success though, had chosen a really flat and fast route, spent all my time in the aerobars, and my neck wasn't up to it. It was early stages so I could have gone on but it would have got worse and worse, and I didn't fancy the descents in the Alps, which would have started the next morning.


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## rich p (20 Aug 2019)

frank9755 said:


> Yes, the crash was why I had lost a bunch of time and was right down the field. Really stupid, put my front wheel in a hole on a farm track 90 minutes in. Rushing when I didn't need to. Over the bars and hit my shoulder hard, snapped off my Di2 bar end shifters (front one completely, back one I could salvage with lots of tape). Was very lucky not to break something and / or smash up the bike. TBH probably the worst fall I've ever had off a bike; I've never had a particularly bad one.
> 
> It meant I was down the field a bit but the upside was that I got to chat to people like Doug. I rode with him for maybe half an hour on a country lane. That was quite handy as, after you have smashed yourself up a bit, an emergency doctor is just who you want to bump in to!
> 
> I did my 100km that night by 10pm, then had a good three and a half days. Don't know where I got up to in the field but I passed the guy who had been in 60th place at CP2 so I was making some progress! Victim of my own success though, had chosen a really flat and fast route, spent all my time in the aerobars, and my neck wasn't up to it. It was early stages so I could have gone on but it would have got worse and worse, and I didn't fancy the descents in the Alps, which would have started the next morning.


Young bloke like you, has time on your side Frank! I still fondly recall you having a brass neck problem years ago when you nicked my antique champagne flutes.
Nice to hear you're fit and well @des.o and thanks for Neil Maupay!


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## des.o (20 Aug 2019)

rich p said:


> Nice to hear you're fit and well @des.o and thanks for Neil Maupay!



Rich P as well - this is getting old school. Good to hear from you. We all knew Maupay was going, still a lot of goodwill for him at Griffin Park


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## StuAff (22 Aug 2019)

Els and Marie-Lou, the final pair, have made it to Brest. 26 days, 13h, 44m. And as great an achievement as Fiona K, IMHO...


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## theclaud (26 Aug 2019)

rich p said:


> I still fondly recall you having a brass neck problem years ago when you nicked my antique champagne flutes.


I, for one, am shocked to hear of this previously unsuspected kleptomaniac streak.


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## rich p (26 Aug 2019)

theclaud said:


> I, for one, am shocked to hear of this previously unsuspected kleptomaniac streak.


I've started to watch Antiques Roadshow expecting to see Frank on there with my dear old mother's champagne flutes one day...


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## frank9755 (27 Aug 2019)

rich p said:


> I've started to watch Antiques Roadshow expecting to see Frank on there with my dear old mother's champagne flutes one day...



Good to hear you're keeping yourself busy!


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## Beebo (7 Apr 2020)

The BBC have a report, 8 months late.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/52151401


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## StuAff (8 Apr 2020)

Beebo said:


> The BBC have a report, 8 months late.
> 
> https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cycling/52151401


Actually, they reported it at the time. Some of the HYS commenters somehow seem to have missed that as well....


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