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

253b is just about to descent off a mountain but it's getting darker by the minute here. 146 will have to spend a night in the mountains but he's just about to reach a town there. 148 is about to run out of road in a couple of minutes but at least he's reaching a small town as the night sets in (he said he'd planned to ride until 10 PM but that would be a suicide given the conditions).

148 last three updates have been 14.4kph, 1.2kph and 4.8kph (5 minute updates, route speed not track speed).

4.8kph sounds like walking speed to me. 1.2kph would be walking speed after a few minutes stopped to (re)assess things.

Was just going to say it looks slow going. He's got a little further than Bjorn however, but not much.

and if you look at google satellite view it looks like that road is essentially a goat track for miles and miles... doesn't look like a lot of fun.

Can't believe Stephan and Bjorn still is riding within few km between each other.

While Bielašnica was testing our leader, Bjorn was crossing the border into Bosnia. At Banja Luka he chose a road via Celinac, what began as poor asphalt soon turned into a stony track finally dwindling into singletrack. Evidently deciding the route was impassable on his set-up it looks like he decided to double back and rest.

I believe 148's setup is a liiitle bit more offroad-friendly than Bjorn's. And considering they all have to take a horrible rocky service-road above ski-resort to reach the summit of Bjelašnica - and that there's an off-road section between Bosnia & Montenegro too - I think he'll survive the section he's currently on as well.

Surely time is close for some armchair DS’ing.
If you are in the mix for a podium position as rider x what do you do to give yourself best chance to beat rider Y. You can pick whoever you like in the top 2-10 shall we say.

148 looks like he's stopped for the night, at a house a few hundred yards off route if you believe the dot positions and google satellite photos.

Erhmergehrd this, nearly dieded from this comment. Just gold.

Tailwind and slight downhill for miles on end does wonders to the morale. Fully back in the game. Without route failures there's 1690km to be ridden. (I'm not going to check the remaining elevation ;))

1690km

basically nothing, mate. Go get it.

Good stuff. Smash it.

This is great - after just under 3,000km we get:

1 Attachment

FML For the Motherf*cking Loss

FFS For Fucks Sake

(or so I’ve been told by some youts)

Anyone got any idea whether Skinny has stopped to get a new tyre, or if he's just gonna push on through?

You'll bang that out in no time! Nice one.

Guess it's who's feeling the 'least worst', as skinny might say, out of that gang in CP4. I wonder if someone wants to rest hard at the checkpoint then shoot for the finish in one go and I'd wonder if it is possible too. I know that TABR riders often do a huge day to finish, not sure if that is doable here? If not shoot for the finish then at least do enough consecutive miles to break the spirit of the other riders with a big lead. Bjorn is capable of this obviously, but he's now bought a ticket into this race after having a comfortable lead and, mentally, surely Stephane and Thomas will be feeling in a better place and quite lucky to now have a great chance for second place present itself. It's fascinating to me anyway what happens from now. Edit: there are more riders arriving shortly too...

146's (and most other people's) choice of route has proved to be a much better one. Everybody should warn people they know not to use the road that Bjorn and 148 had chosen. Or to wait a few years as there are plans in place for an extension of that road :-D.

That’s not really in the spirit of the race

There will certainly be some interesting calculations going on! I think it might get a bit cat and mouse. If I was anyone but Bjorn I think I’d try mixing it up, also knowing he’s had route issues not terrible to have him in front and yourself on a faster average speed if that makes sense.
Will be interesting to see how it unfolds

Skinny tweets:-

"
Few hours sleep in hotel then crack on. No rush, just going to enjoy it. Unless shit hits the fan in the final 350km! #anythingcanhappen
"

I was thinking he might do that - given Tirana has probably got a lot of accommodation.

Hopefully he’ll get to enjoy his last day, relatively well rested.

Bjorn already 50km down the road.

Assuming no more major routing fails - and the route for the last stage is very straightforward with hardly any variations - he will be second. He is the faster rider and Stephane and the others will know that only too well. While you can jump someone in a sprint, the faster rider should always win out over 500km.

Who will get third? I'd go for Stephane as I don't know the others, he's done it before, and he was first to CP4 so should be freshest.

Edit - Rene and Stephane both left CP4. Rene was slightly ahead but seems to be on rough / small roads. Stephane has made it onto the main road so should go quicker from now. It's a big descent from CP4 so best to do it on longer but smoother roads.

I know that TABR riders often do a huge day to finish, not sure if that is doable here?

Absolutely it is - I'd expect people who are racing hard to aim to close it out from CP4, if they slept there. They may not quite manage it, but an hour or two bivvy should be enough.

Last section through Montenegro / Albania is not too hard (although I don't know the Greek section, it is probably harder).

That’s not really in the spirit of the race

Agreed - route planning is a major part of this! People must be given the freedom to make, and to solve, their own mistakes! Very unfair to people like Skinny, who routed on clean roads, and Bjorn, who suffered a big time loss from being first, to warn others from going that way.