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• #1327
David Coulon is now in Haskovo. He rode until late last night but stopped for a proper sleep and has been moving for the past hour. He is certainly putting in more hours now. He was riding around 8 hours a day on average but has increased that considerably. He appears to be avoiding the main road (understandably) but that will give him a lumpier ride to the border which is probably around 70 km away.
The straight distance to the end is 306km. If he can maintain the effort of the last day or so, he could achieve this late tomorrow although, I suspect that Thursday is more likely.
He is now on his 32 day of riding. He may have had one rest day in northern Italy but otherwise, he has been getting up each day and demolishing over 100 km. Because he has been having decent recovery between efforts (until the last few days) one would imagine that he has probably ridden himself into fitness and could well be stronger now that he was at the outset, as opposed to the fast riders who smashed themselves in their efforts without any recovery.
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• #1328
The weather for today and tomorrow is around 33 degrees and sunny. Wind at around 15 kph from the NNE which makes it a cross wind. Overnight low a decent 17 degrees.
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• #1330
Ages to plan. I won't have the chance to take that type of time out until I retire.
Titanium. Disc brakes.
By that time, solid tyres might be a reasonable option. USB dynamos and solar chargers ought to be much better as well. Might need electronic gears if the arthritis in my hands progresses.
12 or 13 years to work it out ;-)
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• #1331
solar chargers
Cheaper, lighter and easier to just buy batteries as a backup.
Probably more environmentally friendly to use batteries (as a backup) too as you have to use a PV panel an awful lot to offset what went into making it.
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• #1332
In 12 years time, technology will have moved on incredibly with portable power supplies. Could even be possible to do a whole ride like this with only one charge for lights, gps and phone. Think how far we have come in the past 12 years.
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• #1333
Can't weld Ti out on the road so may as well use carbon.
Solid tyres? They haven't been an option the first 80 times people have tried to market them. Tubeless maybe.
You'll be too old by then.. better to have a go now and get sponsored by work.
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• #1334
I've come about 15000 kilometres. Thanks Emirates! ;)
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• #1335
call it a sabbatical :-)
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• #1336
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• #1337
call it a sabbatical :-)
This - you're a big cheese, Clive. Just fuck off for a few months.
I mean, if it's really important, you can leave the keys with me and I'll make sure the reinsurance industry doesn't collapse while you're away.
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• #1338
Or 12 months...
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• #1339
The problem with sabbaticals, as one gets older, is that people see that they can function quite happily without you. It can encourage them to make the situation permanent. Too early for that.
David Coulon is at the Turkish border but appears to be looking for lunch before he makes the crossing.
Allez David
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• #1340
long lunch then clive. 20 days long. count me in for when the crowdfunding of your effort starts.
oh, and brilliant work dc
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• #1341
Jonny, 20 days would be a tad optimistic for me. DC is setting the standard. 32 days and counting.
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• #1342
David Coulon is in Turkey!
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• #1343
I met another rider from this forum the other day- he started talking to me at some traffic lights because of my TCR bag. When I told him my username, he said "oh, I know who you are, you're #fixiefamous"
And I suppose I have you to thank for that mon coeur! -
• #1344
@cliveo I am loving your following of David. I have been trying to find out if he's French but he's not a member of any of the 4 TCR fb groups (English, French, German, Dutch).
Several of the riders who came through CP4 after we'd been there a few days said they were actually feeling stronger and getting faster as time went on, and they hadn't pushed themselves too hard to start with. -
• #1345
DC has been storming today. Still riding. Not much more than 100 miles to go. Must finish tomorrow. Brilliant stuff.
I do hope that we can discover the story of his ride.
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• #1346
It is already 10am local time and David Coulon appears to have spent the night in a motorway service station. His straight line distance to the end is 171 km which is probably closer to 200 km of cycling.
He could finish this evening. If not, he is certain to finish tomorrow.
He is on his 33rd day of cycling. He doesn't appear to have missed a day, although some days have been gentler than others. He has been riding harder in the past few days than at any previous time. He has averaged well over 100 km per day, the precise distance in unclear but his straight line distance is 3735 km and he has averaged over 8 hours a day in the saddle.
No one can deny that this is an enormous feat of endurance.
To compare with others, however, it should be noted that he has taken over 7 days since CP4. This means that Josh Ibbett completed the whole course in just about a day longer than DC will have taken for the last segment. This is not to do down David's achievement but to point out the extraordinary achievement of the athletes at the front.
When I look at this event, I don't think "Could I do what Josh did?" Even in my wildest fantasies, that equates to me matching Froome in the Tour or being called up to play in the Champions League Final. No, instead, I think, "Could I do what David has done?" and the answer is that I don't know but would love to find out.
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• #1347
I don't know if it's thanks to me, but you deserve to be #fixiefamous
Getting to CP4 was one of my best highlight of the race, i remember i was looking on my GPS the remaining distance to the top of Lovcen, completely forgot i had to stop at the restaurant after the next corner. Turned and then saw you cheering me, i was feeling i won a mountain stage on the Alpes, i putted my hand in the air and enjoyed my little victory on a mountain again with my fixed gear bike.
Then you spoke to me in french, i was so glad to having an interaction in french it was like a reward for all the energy spent under the blazing sun and hard climb.
Definitely, meeting you at this CP was a turn in my race.
I hope i will see you somewhere again. -
• #1348
I hope there will be someone to meet DC at the finish. I had no family nor friend at the finish, it's, sad ? really hard ? Achieving something like that to the very end, alone, with almost no social interaction, like living another life for 14 days, paused the old one. One of the first thing you want is to be reconnected at that life, but you can't alone. I arrived at 4am, slept on the floor of the cafe hisari, got woke up by #17 Alexandre and his girlfriend at 7am. I was happy to see familiar face, then we waited our friends Sam#11 & Clem#111 for not feeling alone. We all know that it's physically hard, but it's also mentally and socially a hard race.
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• #1349
DC hasn't moved for 15 hours. Not the most salubrious rest place. He has gone hard for the past few days and possibly is getting ready for one last push.
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• #1350
maybe no more battery in tracker
Wow! The comparison column makes me feel grossly inadequate.
Given that you shaved about 300 km with the ferry, that accords, give or take 100-200 km, with the figures showing for most riders "Straight Tracking Distance covered" on the tracking site.