Transcontinental Race No. 7 - TCR7 - #TCRN07 - 2019

Katriina has scratched at CP2.

Such a pity.

Pawel has gone over the Maloja pass and is making good progress down the other side towards Como.

Meanwhile Chris Thomas appears to be heading for Bellinzona and Sam Thomas has chosen a route right up the middle of the Alps. Could be tough going that way.

Apropos of nothing except #egglolz

My day wasn’t entirely wasted.

Yeah the neck thing came out of nowhere. @scherrit had given me a really comfortable aerobar position so that I was able to stay on them for hours on end. But maybe that was the problem, neck not up to it.

At some point yesterday afternoon I found it got kind of boring riding along for a few hours and realising the only things I had seen lately were a white line at the side of the road, two hands and my garmin. Where did all the scenery go?

I guess you were on cp1 first climb a bit earlier than me! It was dark when I got to the top.

Was wondering how cp2 compared to Sarajevo last year. When up there I was thinking 'this isn't so bad, but I'm glad I'm not doing it at night'

I couldn't imagine even functioning in that sort of heat.

It sounds as if those extreme weather events took their toll on many. The route is hard enough (I could never do so much climbing), but the conditions evidently make it ridiculous.

Basically, fuck this, I should stick to my drinking.

You can always go back to being a world champion.

Wait, who's become drinking world champion in the meantime?

In third place now is Job Hendrickx (#240).

If your are going to be pedantic with me, I need to take you to task for this appalling syntax.

There was nothing wrong with that sentence. If you want to stress 'in third place', as I did, it requires the inversion.

And the 'your' is just trolling, right? :)

Scherrit is clearly too good at giving people comfortable positions. :)

Fiona shows no signs of stopping and really seems to intend to do the parcours in the dark.

Edit: Ah no, she seems to have stopped at the Hôtel du Galibier in Saint-Michel-Valloire (or near there).

Ben Davies just coming into Geneva, by the looks of it.

Getting 39.5 on a garmin in the sun doesn't mean that was the air temp. Likely to be a bit of sun radiation inflating that.

I've ridden in 40 degrees plus twice, Greece in 2016 and the nullarbor in 2017, and this year was not nearly as hot as those days were. Above 40 water was horrible to drink after half an hour as it was above body temp, and a real effort to plod on, having to back off effort, etc. I didn't do tcr last year or the year before but, with lucifer, etc, both were much hotter. This year has just been normal seasonal temps. Summer in Bulgaria is always going to be hot!

Also the hot part of the day is about 4 hours from 1-5. The other 20 hours are much more comfortable, even pleasant!

Hippy is near the top of passo rombo now, good effort!

She had to throw up again on the way up the cp2 parcours so the stomach bug wasn't over yet. Such pity as she looked quite determined to keep riding.

Lulu has stopped for 12h, does anyone know why?

-must be the tracker, her IG shows she is moving

Just met Chris Thomas at the top of the Splügenpass, looking fresh (him, not me).

Fiona's at CP4.

Ben Davies is at the start of parcour nr4 and pawel is making good progress thru italy

Pawel's route could be interesting. Unless I'm mistaken, his only real option is to go over Mont Cenis and up the Telegraphe, or do the Galibier in reverse from the Lauteret then double back on himself.

Yeah, i guess he will go over mont cenis. iam also looking forward to see wich route sam thomas #20 is taking thru the alps. looks like he is going over chamonix

I've only descended that side of Mont Cenis, but it was a really long descent, i.e. it'll be a very long climb for Pawel. Susa is 200 metres above sea level, so 1800 metres elevation I think.

Edit: Wrong, Susa is 500 metres above sea level, so 1600 metres give or take of elevation to the summit of Mont Cenis.

ufff, lets see what he is up to. god damn is dotwatching exciting haha

aaand Fiona just finished parcour 4

Lovely hill. Climbed the scenic route on the Saturday morning after breaking my rib crashing the Whitedown offcamber lefthand on the Tuesday evening.

Only did 10 metres of Finestre gravel in the evening.