Race around The Netherlands

Probably the flattest ultrarace in existence with 5000 m of elevation for 1630 kilometers. Potentially also the windiest.
I just registered. Other forummers interested?

http://www.adventurebikeracing.com/ratn.html
Starts on May 1st 2019

Dots: https://ratn2019.legendstracking.com/

Could I do this on a shiv

Could I do this on a Diamondback

Yeah I’m 75% certain I’ll enter.

Looks like im now 100% and in.

I remember working in Coevorden in April... It's fucking cold.

Yeah, northern Holland with rain and wind will be cold, even in May.

My rapha rain jacket is somewhat less than 100% now. may investigate a replacement.

I've registered - it'll be my first attempt at anything like this, but after years of dot-watching TABR/TCR I figured it was time to saddle up.

Jasmijn Muller is competing.

I just submitted my solo entry for the Race Around the Netherlands, a 1,670 km long unsupported lap of my own country in May 2019. It made my heart beat loud and fast with excitement. What better way to start a new chapter than by doing a lap of the country where I first learned to ride a bike?

https://duracellbunnyonabike.com/2018/09/14/and-in-the-end/

http://adventurebikeracing.com/ratn.html#riders

15 spots left

Cant decide between hotels and bivvying.

14 days of rain a year on average in May suggests solid roofs.

I'll probably do hotels. Shed some weight and have a few hours of quality sleep.

Yeah ultimately i feel the same.

What i want schedule wise looks fairly good for hotels.

And the nights can still be very cold around that time of year

Hotel options seem to be very limited in the places I'd like to stop.

Also check airbnb and warmshowers

warmshowers

Contentious.

Not within the rules you think? Available to everyone, no?

No, it's a private residence and only people who are warmshowers members have access to it.
Even airbnb is a bit of a risk - depending on the specific rules about services (private residence or whatever).

Rules just state fuly self supported no word on pre booking or anything else for that matter.

I'll personally be taking the moral high ground and booking as i arrive... hopefully.

Don't think Netherlands has any weird Hi Viz laws to look out for or any other obscure laws?

You sure? http://www.adventurebikeracing.com/manual/manual-ratn-2019.pdf

Riders must be fully self-supported.
Accept no help that others couldn't also receive along the way.
Using any form of social media to broadcast requests for help is forbidden.
Riders are responsible for finding food, water, accommodation, laundry, bike store services
and anything else they may need along the way. Any service utilized must be available to all
riders.
Friends and family are welcome to visit riders during the event to offer encouragement or
take pictures, but they must not offer any material support or food of any kind.
Booking accommodation before the event is not allowed.
You are allowed to book accommodation when the event starts.

I clearly was not.

Everyone can make a warmshowers or airbnb account, I don't see how that is excluding anyone?

During the TCR, in Montenegro, I stopped at a house that rented a room. I decided not to sleep there because they only accepted cash. So if I did sleep there I was breaking the rules because it was a private residence?

Just to be clear, I'm not trying to bend the rules, I just want to make sure I'm not making any mistakes to the spirit of ultraracing. And if airbnb/warmshowers/private residence with rooms is not within the rules I won't use them in the future. :)

"All members agree to host others either now or in the future, but for some members hosting may be in years or even decades in their future."
https://www.warmshowers.org/faq

Some of us can't host guests, therefore it's not available to everyone.

Hotels doesn't require some kind of account, membership or other form of pre-authorisation.

Private homes that do ad hoc 'rental' are iffy simply because you might be attracting the attention of the dot watchers / penalty enforcers who will want to know why you've stopped at a place that's not a hotel. In practice I doubt most races would pull you up on it but there's always a level of interpretation to the rules.

If people start staying in private homes, then what's stopping them staying with a mate and then claiming it was on airbnb or for rent with cash or whatever, if they get busted? Other than their honour, of course, but then that's already seen to be lacking in some racers over the few years this malarkey has been going on.