Transcontinental Race No. 5 - TCR5 - #TCRN05 - 2017

It's great to see people dispersing in all sorts of different directions.

Hipster diaspora?

Pffft, one lot going north around the Ardennes, the other lot going south. :)

I've also only just realised that CP1 isn't in Liechtenstein but in Lichtenstein, south of Reutlingen. I used to go riding around that area when I lived in Tübingen. /csb

Wow, a real swarm. Well the opposite of a swarm. Would be fascinating to see the intended routes but obviously that's not feasible.

(Polite plug for the chrome extension made for TABR to show a streetview snapshot on the rider page - will probably fail in some countries (Germany?) though)

Some people seem to be so intent on avoiding hills that they're even going way north of Brussels.

In the south, there seem to be three main columns, the biggest one going SSE (almost due S), one SE, and one ESE, plus a small column going SSW into Mons.

Some people are going to pick up the Rhine valley, some are going to stay in France then go through Luxembourg, some through the Belgian Ardennes. Will be interesting to see how the big picture has spread out tomorrow morning

Whats the deal with pairs?

Combined average time or?

Pairs ride together and cross the line together.

Indeed. From Cerfontaine to Habay was certainly vey hilly last year and Leuwen to Neuwied you can hammer it.

Mind you the good cafe is in Nideggen.

What are Skinny & Hippy's numbers?

Skinny - 75
Hippy - 142

@skinny already cracking on.

Between following this and the Dalston riots I'm having a whale of a night.

What is the best way to dot watch on mobile?

http://trackleaders.com/transconrace17f.php

Im using this. Rider 25 matthjis is in france

Ian To seems to be taking a very interesting route, one on which no-one else has followed him.

It's so funny how they're all separating out on what seem like all available roads.

Strangely, hippy doesn't appear to have got lost yet.

Is there a riot? I saw all that about the blockade earlier but is it still going on?

Between following this and the Dalston riots I'm having a whale of a night.

Is there a site on which one can watch the riot dots?

hippy on De Muur

First racers really raced up the hill, lot of other racers had to walk but the atmosphere was cheerful.

Stephane, Michael and Nelson are already in Rheinbach!

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Meanwhile Martian Ciona is heading the scenic route to Nideggen.

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skinny is caning it along. Only 250km to CP1

Trying to work out where the riders on the northern variation will make up what looks like lost ground on the more southerly routed folks? By caning it down the Rhine? Or are there more gentle routes to chekpoint1 that way?

Fair play to the riders simply smashing it through the Ardennes though...