# Fiona Kolbinger wins Transcontinental Race



## steveindenmark (6 Aug 2019)

Fiona Kolbinger has won the TCR. The first woman to win the event and about 180km in front of the second rider.

She won it in style. Always looking relaxed. Smiling and chatting with people who came out to meet her. She even stopped and swapped one set of pedals for another. Giving a rendition of The lion sleeps tonight on the piano.

A superb cycling performance. Carried out with apparent ease. 

https://road.cc/content/feature/265...udent-currently-overall-lead-transcontinental


----------



## raleighnut (6 Aug 2019)

steveindenmark said:


> Fiona Kolbinger has won the TCR. The first woman to win the event and about 180km in front of the second rider.
> 
> She won it in style. Always looking relaxed. Smiling and chatting with people who came out to meet her. She even stopped and swapped one set of pedals for another. Giving a rendition of The lion sleeps tonight on the piano.
> 
> ...


----------



## twentysix by twentyfive (6 Aug 2019)

Huge. Big Congrats to her and indeed all the others taking part. Epic stuff


----------



## Beebo (6 Aug 2019)

It’s being reported on BBC, which is good. 

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


----------



## AuroraSaab (6 Aug 2019)

An amazing achievement. What a shame this and Jasmine Paris's breaking of both the male and female records in the Spine Race didn't get bigger mainstream coverage.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.th...ling-286-mile-montane-spice-race-ultrarunning

Edit: I didn't see your post, Beebo, must have been typing at the same time, but good to see the BBC have picked it up.


----------



## ColinJ (6 Aug 2019)

It IS an amazing achievement!

Of course, we don't actually need a new thread to be told about it though because those of us interested have already been following Steve's original thread on the race...


----------



## Racing roadkill (6 Aug 2019)

An unknown, inexperienced ( in terms of ultra endurance cycling) wins the outright transcon, 124 miles ahead of a highly experienced well known ultra endurance rider, and the winner is a ‘medical student’. Okay whatever. The duck test has been failed.


----------



## StuAff (6 Aug 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> An unknown, inexperienced ( in terms of ultra endurance cycling) wins the outright transcon, 124 miles ahead of a highly experienced well known ultra endurance rider, and the winner is a ‘medical student’. Okay whatever. The duck test has been failed.


Stop being silly. She's been doing audaxes up to and including LEL for a few years. Anything but dodgy. Check out her Strava ...


----------



## nickyboy (6 Aug 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> An unknown, inexperienced ( in terms of ultra endurance cycling) wins the outright transcon, 124 miles ahead of a highly experienced well known ultra endurance rider, and the winner is a ‘medical student’. Okay whatever. The duck test has been failed.



So having been ejected from the CC procycling thread for being a knob, you're replicating your behavior here. Give it a rest


----------



## AuroraSaab (6 Aug 2019)

Women are good at endurance events. It doesn't mean they are on drugs. Here's a great site that celebrates remarkable women athletes:

http://lessonsinbadassery.com/tag/endurance/


----------



## steveindenmark (6 Aug 2019)

I think Fiona has qualified for PBP this year. I dont know is she will ride but Bjorn Leonard is.

Fiona trains with Bjorn as they are both from Dresden. He said during TCR that Fiona is stronger in the mountains than he is.


----------



## Racing roadkill (6 Aug 2019)

AuroraSaab said:


> Women are good at endurance events. It doesn't mean they are on drugs. Here's a great site that celebrates remarkable women athletes:
> 
> http://lessonsinbadassery.com/tag/endurance/



She will come under serious scrutiny now, the truth ( whatever it is ) will out.


----------



## steveindenmark (6 Aug 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> An unknown, inexperienced ( in terms of ultra endurance cycling) wins the outright transcon, 124 miles ahead of a highly experienced well known ultra endurance rider, and the winner is a ‘medical student’. Okay whatever. The duck test has been failed.



Actually, she is a recently qualified doctor. I have no idea what the duck test is. But she has gone out and beat a lot of the top european male ultra distance riders. She did it with class and style. Whats to knock?


----------



## Crackle (6 Aug 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> An unknown, inexperienced ( in terms of ultra endurance cycling) wins the outright transcon, 124 miles ahead of a highly experienced well known ultra endurance rider, and the winner is a ‘medical student’. Okay whatever. The duck test has been failed.


You weren't a witch finder general in a previous life were you Roadkill? I suppose if you point at enough people you'll eventually get one right. I'm not entirely dismissing your general gist, cheating in amateur sport has become more of a problem and as the profile of these kind of events rises and perhaps comes with some rewards then people might be tempted but you really need something more to go on than the fact she won.


----------



## AuroraSaab (6 Aug 2019)

I suspect the truth is that she is an accomplished and experienced cyclist who hasn't entered many notable events. In endurance events there is far more to it, physically and mentally, than simply being the fastest runner/cyclist/swimmer over a short distance so I would think they are more likely to have unpredictable outcomes.


----------



## srw (6 Aug 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> She will come under serious scrutiny now, the truth ( whatever it is ) will out.


Perhaps you would like to spell out exactly what your suspicions are? Or are you not brave enough?

There is a subtext to your snide digging that either she is on drugs or has had mechanical assistance. If it's drugs - how exactly would a drug help with an event that is about long-term endurance rather than quick recovery or short-term power? If it's mechanical assistance, how exactly could she cheat when she's in the lead in an event where the organisers are beetling backwards and forwards past you at unpredictable periods and your position is being logged by GPS every couple of minutes?


----------



## Ming the Merciless (6 Aug 2019)

What a bloody fantastic achievement. I understand she'll be riding PBP like Bjorn. Not sure what her start time is. Just over a week till I ride out to the PBP start. Time has flown since the qualifiers.


----------



## steveindenmark (6 Aug 2019)

Ive just been talking to someone in Brest. Fiona will be riding PBP. She will be riding the 600km to the start as a leg loosener


----------



## Ming the Merciless (6 Aug 2019)

Oh yes in a real bed with crisp sheets, the sleep of the dead. The first proper sleep after many night of short uncomfortable ones, is the best.


----------



## uphillstruggler (6 Aug 2019)

She’s German 

It was all down to planning and discipline 

Two comments from different sources but more apt than the crazy drug rumour the fella upthread was banding about 

Great achievement whether female or male, all credit to her


----------



## Seevio (6 Aug 2019)

steveindenmark said:


> I have no idea what the duck test is.


Basically, if she weighs the same as a duck, it means she's a witch.


----------



## Ivo (6 Aug 2019)

This thread is BTW quite late, here's the thread discussing the TCR from the start: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/transcontinental-race-heads-up.242758/


----------



## Rusty Nails (6 Aug 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> She will come under serious scrutiny now, the truth ( whatever it is ) will out.



The truth is out there now..... until someone who actually knows anything proves otherwise, and not just an internet forum conspiracy theorist.


----------



## ColinJ (7 Aug 2019)

Ivo said:


> This thread is BTW quite late, here's the thread discussing the TCR from the start: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/transcontinental-race-heads-up.242758/


** cough ** 

I think Steve knows that, because he started the other thread too!


----------



## slowmotion (7 Aug 2019)

What a brilliant cyclist. Relentless, and she smiles too.....


----------



## steveindenmark (7 Aug 2019)

Racing roadkill said:


> An unknown, inexperienced ( in terms of ultra endurance cycling) wins the outright transcon, 124 miles ahead of a highly experienced well known ultra endurance rider, and the winner is a ‘medical student’. Okay whatever. The duck test has been failed.


I see what you are trying to incinuate now.
Well I am all ears. I would like to know how you came to this conclusion. Maybe you know something we dont know.

On the other hand maybe your just a misogynist and cannot stand the thought of women getting the upper hand.

Either way you should put up or shut and we know you cant put up.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (7 Aug 2019)

This is really important for women’s sport. Sponsorship and professional salaries particularly. I’ve tried explaining this to my 9 year old daughter but she is just stoked Fiona beat about 200 boys


----------



## steveindenmark (7 Aug 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> This is really important for women’s sport. Sponsorship and professional salaries particularly. I’ve tried explaining this to my 9 year old daughter but she is just stoked Fiona beat about 200 boys


So she is thinking just the same as every ultra distance woman rider in the world right now. The business aspects will click in, in a few days.


----------



## Bonefish Blues (7 Aug 2019)

She's on R4 now


----------



## StuAff (7 Aug 2019)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0007bvr Fiona at 2:42
It annoys me that a lot of the media reports suggest the whole thing is done, if inadvertently! Fiona put that right here though.


----------



## steveindenmark (7 Aug 2019)

It has been reported all round the world. Even Saudi Arabia


----------



## Ming the Merciless (7 Aug 2019)

This from the TCR site

"*The Transcontinental Race* was created for the riders, and for the riders alone. They do not race for our entertainment or our gratification. The TCR is designed to be a personal journey, completed solo, to give riders a taste of true adventure that would otherwise not be available. The more that spectators impose themselves on the riders – no matter how good their intentions – the less possible that adventure becomes."

This isn't strictly true. If it was meant to be a race entirely for the riders then the live tracking would be private. There would be no visibility of where they were, other than race reports telling us where they'd been. It has always been a race for dot watchers, and some of those dot watchers will head out to intercept a rider.


----------



## steveindenmark (7 Aug 2019)

I have never known dot watchers be a problem. But the race has always been run from West to East. This year it has been run from East to West. I would not be suprised if it reverts for next year.

Dot watching and publicity is important for the TCR. Many of todays dot watchers become tomorrows riders.

I am sure TCR will look at this closely for next year and come up with solution. But it is not the norm to be hassled by dot watchers. But it only takes one or two individuals.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (7 Aug 2019)

_"As early on in the race as *Switzerland"
*_
Well that is about halfway, so not that early really.


----------



## srw (7 Aug 2019)

Dogtrousers said:


> Quite how people "crossed a line" isn't clear.





Dogtrousers said:


> she was stopped or approached



That implies not just standing by the side of the road and cheering, but actually flagging her down or trying to ride with her - which is thoughtless at best (it's an unpaced race, and the key to success seems to be to know your own limits and ride within them rather than expend useless effort trying to escape from someone who is trying to ride with you) and extremely dangerous at worst. 

I would _never_ ride with someone who I didn't absolutely know was happy to be ridden with. It's just basic courtesy.



YukonBoy said:


> _"As early on in the race as *Switzerland"
> *_
> Well that is about halfway, so not that early really.



It's four or five days of riding. 40 times a day when you're riding for 20 hours a day is roughly every half an hour. That must have been utterly draining, given that every encounter takes emotional energy, possibly physical energy if you need to adjust your speed, and increases your risk of crashing.


----------



## StuAff (7 Aug 2019)

Identical libel-worthy codswallop as seen in this thread (same offender, plus a fellow traveller or two) has been posted in comments on the road.cc article on Fiona. I rather liked this reply to the line about her medical student status:
"Yes, that means she's used to working hundred + hour weeks, is able to prioritise brilliantly, still function at any time of day or night on a couple of hours kip in the doctors room, make life & death decisions efficiently, is completely used to eating at random intervals without any set pattern and can stay 100% focused.

We all look forward to seeing your efforts in next year's Trans Con."
He would of course, be the first competitor in TCR history that people would will to fail, preferably in a humiliatingly amusing fashion.


----------



## StuAff (7 Aug 2019)

In other news, Ingrid has returned home safely. Impressive/terrifying stats on Strava.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (7 Aug 2019)

What an utter dick that prat Judge Dreadful on road.cc is.


----------



## steveindenmark (8 Aug 2019)

StuAff said:


> Identical libel-worthy codswallop as seen in this thread (same offender, plus a fellow traveller or two) has been posted in comments on the road.cc article on Fiona. I rather liked this reply to the line about her medical student status:
> "Yes, that means she's used to working hundred + hour weeks, is able to prioritise brilliantly, still function at any time of day or night on a couple of hours kip in the doctors room, make life & death decisions efficiently, is completely used to eating at random intervals without any set pattern and can stay 100% focused.
> 
> We all look forward to seeing your efforts in next year's Trans Con."
> He would of course, be the first competitor in TCR history that people would will to fail, preferably in a humiliatingly amusing fashion.



Its ok trying to defend Fiona against idiots. But not at the expense of appearing silly yourself. Fiona is a medical researcher, she is researching cancer. The idea that she is in an ER scenario, dripping with blood on the dog watch, is a bit far fetched


----------



## StuAff (8 Aug 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> What an utter dick that prat Judge Dreadful on road.cc is.


Same prat as on here.....


----------



## StuAff (8 Aug 2019)

steveindenmark said:


> Its ok trying to defend Fiona against idiots. But not at the expense of appearing silly yourself. Fiona is a medical researcher, she is researching cancer. The idea that she is in an ER scenario, dripping with blood on the dog watch, is a bit far fetched


True...but pretty sure the long hours are there, the need for focus is there, and she is almost certainly being trained in making those kinds of decisions. Overstated, yes, but more than a grain of truth.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (8 Aug 2019)

StuAff said:


> Same prat as on here.....



He does sound like someone who has no clue when it comes to ultra endurance riding. Probably done Ride London and that is the pinnacle of what he thinks you can achieve in distance, rather than the very bottom rung of a very tall ladder.


----------



## StuAff (8 Aug 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> He does sound like someone who has no clue when it comes to ultra endurance riding. Probably done Ride London and that is the pinnacle of what he thinks you can achieve in distance, rather than the very bottom rung of a very tall ladder.


Funnily enough, yes he's done RL....


----------



## StuAff (14 Aug 2019)

https://www.transcontinental.cc/podcast
Full interview with Fiona. On the question of her medical training: she qualified as a doctor in May, she's starting work as a cancer surgeon in September. During her training, she did indeed work as a cancer researcher.


----------



## frank9755 (14 Aug 2019)

Well done to Fiona. 

There are three reasons why I was less than completely surprised she won. 

One is that she is a friend and regular riding companion of @redfalo and he has been telling me how good she is for the last couple of years.
The second is that, having recently moved to Dresden she has ridden a lot with Bjorn Lenhard, and he has reported her dropping him on climbs.
Finally, women have a very good record in winning ultra-races with Lael Wilcox in TABR 2016 and Sarah Hammond winning Race to the Rock on all three occasions it has been run. 
I've not done the maths but it may well be that, given there are far fewer female entrants, women may have a better success rate than men across the top half dozen ultra-races. This ties in with men having an advantage in events where explosive power is helpful, but, as the benefit of this tends to zero with longer events, it appears that the male advantage also tends to zero. It was noticeable to me riding this year how the women's field is so much stronger than in 2016. I regularly met and was passed by women riders, and this just didn't happen three years ago where only Emily Chappel was in the front half of the race.

FWIW Fiona was the first person to win TCR on a carbon bike and the first German winner.


----------



## StuAff (14 Aug 2019)

frank9755 said:


> Well done to Fiona.
> 
> There are three reasons why I was less than completely surprised she won.
> 
> ...


I knew her name, courtesy of Olaf, I knew they were riding buddies, but nothing else…until, obviously, those first few days, the rockstar comment from James Hayden, checking out her Strava history…and it was clear that her performance wasn't just luck, she had a remarkable aptitude for this kind of riding and she'd put the work in to get to this extraordinary level. I think even if Bjorn and Jonathan had been fully fit, 
she'd have given them a run for their money, at least. Whatever she does in future on the cycling front is going to be worth watching…


----------



## Ivo (15 Aug 2019)

In LEL her strength was already visible, especially her mental strength.


----------



## StuAff (16 Aug 2019)

…and she rode into Paris ready for the start of PBP yesterday. Set off on Monday. She's been slightly more 'touristy'. Detoured to Mont St Michel on Wednesday, did the Champs Elysees on her run through Paris, slightly more faffage…that said, Wednesday: 136.08 miles, 8,484m climbing, moving average 16.9 mph, elapsed time 10:40. Thursday: 97.55 miles, 2,923ft, 18.6 mph average, 10:09 elapsed. Blimey.


----------

