Transcontinental Race No. 6 - TCR6 - #TCRN06 - 2018

Thought about it for TABR.

TCR I'd die

I think I already posted why I don't use it in this thread or TABR one

Just been checking out Björn's Facebook page. Did he stop at the same hotel as Hippy?

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Ha! Beaten at my own game

I am riding up a mountain though

Not in a fun place right now. Czech roads and drivers are not really made for cyclists it seems.

I’d love to do tcr on my little wheeler

How is it on gravel / off-road?

I am riding up a mountain though

Best time to catch up with emails, Twitter and forums!

I can only imagine how sketchy some of these roads are. Even without the heat and exhaustion. Stay safe. Chapeau!

Not in a fun place right now. Czech roads and drivers are not really made for cyclists it seems.

Wondered what it would be like out there. It will get better. I remember rural Croatia was totally dead after dark, virtually zero cars.

First half hour in this country: close pass with the passenger shouting something and waving his middlefinger.

Regularly head down the canal on it with kojaks no problem, have also ridden a few mtb trails including steepish stuff!

Does there have to be a trade off between racing hard and having fun?

Mike said it best:

"...By now this question has come to me in numerous forms, more often than not as “wouldn’t you enjoy it more if you slowed down a bit?” Over the years I have ruminated on a more detailed response, perhaps introspectively on the odd long ride, but largely the answer comes down to the same; “not really, no”.

I wonder if anyone asked Stirling Moss after he won the Mille Miglia in 1955 whether he wouldn’t have enjoyed it a bit more had he slowed down to appreciate the Tuscan hills, or stop by at the Campo in Siena to watch the world go by with a few slices of Pecorino and a glass of Chianti? Likewise did anyone suggest to Juan Manuel Fangio on his way to victory at the 1950 Monaco Grand prix that maybe he could park up at Cassino and play a few games of roulette and chat to the locals? Probably not.

I would not like to draw personal comparisons with such illustrious figures of history. I mean more to illustrate how we are influenced to perceive sport and how what counts as legitimate sport is closely coupled to our cliched perception of what success is, one that is only read at the bottom line.

I also wish to counter the premise that one cannot enjoy intensely one’s surroundings adequately whilst expending ones self. Indeed I’ll go further and assert that the effort of climbing a mountain or crossing a continent serves only to enhance its delights and majesty in a manner no leisurely wanderings can approach.

Racing the divide has been a transformative experience for me in so many ways and in some way has touched almost everything I have done since. The trail might take the body to the physical place; covering vast distances through wild open and desolate landscapes alive with wildlife and changing before your eyes. The race however, the thrill of the chase, the potent cocktail of adrenaline, endorphins, fatigue, sleep deprivation, stress and finally relief takes the mind to quite another. The personal satisfaction, confidence and empowerment from the achievement lasts a lifetime. For me this combination is untouchable.

This is why, for now at least, you can keep your nice, your leisurely and your convenience and if it comes to it, you can also keep your professional sports. This is not a tour and no, I do not want to slow down because I really don’t think I could possibly enjoy any more than I do."

http://tinat.cymru/tinat/

First half hour in this country: close pass with the passenger shouting something and waving his middlefinger.

Unpleasant but you can get those anywhere. Small consolation but if they shout abuse at least they've seen you!

I’m pretty 50/50 on this I can see it both ways. To me he is clearly racing despite what his equipment might suggest. He seems reasonably prepared as well.

There are others who haven’t got as far as he has, I don’t think this belittles their attempts. Some of these through misfortune but others through lack of preparation I’d suggest. What are your thoughts on these people, are they showing due respect to the race?

Yeah, that's it right there.

Crucially, everyone can race at their own race pace, and it won't devalue the race experience one bit. That is the magic of the TCR. You go as hard as you can.

If people are giving it their best shot that is great.

It's not meant to be an elite event so there are some inexperienced people. Some make bad decisions both before and during the race (as do experienced people as well) and they learn loads from that.

I'm not so keen on people like the Italian pair who did it in 2016. They were experienced cyclists. They went to the muur at the start, then went out and got drunk and went straight to bed. Then they rode at leisurely pace over the next month. They had a great time but, for me, I thought they were taking a place that others who wanted to race and challenge themselves to do something amazing, life-changing, or at least life-enhancing, could have made better use of.

Agreed - it is a race and for people to treat it like that (without them being injured or ill) is to disrespect the race.

Based on their positions 5 minutes ago and google maps shortest walking distance:-

Bjorn: 467km to CP4. 4857m up, 2956m down.
James: 312km to CP4. 4233m up, 2294m down.

Forumengers positions:
Cap#1: skinny 1st
Cap#253 b: rj 11th
Cap#46: Jürgen Knupe + 14th
Cap#142: hippy 26th
Cap#62: gregory 27th
Cap#147: DiscoPotato 52nd
Cap#90: MisterTomTom 54th
Cap#21: Anisa Aubin + 82nd
Cap#177: 7ven 83rd
Cap#219: Paul Alderson + 94th
Cap#60: Alan Parkinson + 135th
Cap#208: PBoynton 191st
Cap #34: Roger Seaton (Brompton) + 216th

[+] = non-forum rider, but of interest.

Updated;
Forumengers positions:
Cap#1: skinny 1st
Cap#253 b: rj 12th
Cap#62: gregory 20th
Cap#46: Jürgen Knupe + 22nd
Cap#142: hippy 23rd
Cap#90: MisterTomTom 60th
Cap#177: 7ven 68th
Cap#147: DiscoPotato 70th
Cap#21: Anisa Aubin + 75th
Cap#219: Paul Alderson + 79th
Cap#60: Alan Parkinson + 132nd
Cap#208: PBoynton 177th
Cap #34: Roger Seaton (Brompton) + 210th

[+] = non-forum rider, but of interest.

Then they rode at leisurely pace over the next month.

Didn’t they sack it off 2/3 of the way round and get a bollocking on Instagram?

Interesting to see positions changing. RJ is riding on without his partner I read somewhere.

Watching the replay shows well that Skinny and Bjorn developed a good gap from Stephane immediately from the CP2 turnaround, then Bjorn's struggles before CP3 of course, yet he may be looking stronger again now? James has a slightly higher moving Av speed. Their sleep patterns, Bjorn is top, I'll add Stephane's in too at the bottom:

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Even the Taiwanese girl (Min?) who did it on a Decathlon bike she bought, got pissed off with them.
She of course, then carried on after the finish back to Taiwan IIRC.

Does there have to be a trade off between racing hard and having fun?

Nope, not at all. Definitely a potential for trade-off between having fun and taking yourself, and the race you're participating in, way too seriously though. It's cycling. It's supposed to be fun.

Bingo

You should do an AMA