Ultracycling

You just need to be able to write stuff like

Bringing people together, creating lasting friendships and memories. Ride the road to greatness.

I had to double-check Chat GPT didn't write that

Word

All the superlatives, but not a single name to find who's behind the thing and not really any other info.
Seeing how hard it is to make a not shit route of 200k I definitely agree. Also they have a post about which tool you use to plan your route, but nothing more than start and endpoint from their side?

Ah so there's an insta post mentioning checkpoints with a nice smooth line.
And someone asking who's behind the thing.

Also this in the about:
"Seeing many riders being treated unfairly and disrespectfully, we were inspired to right these wrongs and created VIA to bring the biggest ultracycling race back to ultracyclists, for ultracyclists."

So whoever has the biggest grudge with TCR Orga is putting this one up?

Looks like it is set up by Ian To? https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/15254779/persons-with-significant-control

And trans men are men and trans women are women, so this reads really badly, or is it just me?

"Introducing our categories:
Solo: women, men, open (eg: transgender women, transgender men, non-binary individuals) Pairs: Mixed, Women, Men
Tandem: Mixed (including paracyclist), Women, Men, Paracyclists: we need more paracyclists..."

Ah interesting. The marketing blurb mentioned 'run by ultracyclists', but didn't mention which ones - which would definitely be a consideration before I parted with any cash.
I think it was him riding the aero tandem on APN.

.

Ah did not see that. He does have a grudge with TCR tough, doesn't he?

Didn’t he get disqualified for using a banned section of road?

I agree with this and think it is important.

When I think about entering an event my first question is 'who is organising it and are they credible?' I decided not to enter an event last year because the organiser didn't provide any info on themselves.

IT has a decent amount of experience so I naming himself as the org should be a positive. It would certainly make me feel more comfortable to enter than a random / no name org. Similarly, it is a negative if he is not willing to put his name behind it.

Not exactly - he reacted badly and so lost credibility when he was told that the bit of road that he was about to go on had just been banned. He then decided that he wouldn't race as it wasn't fair.

TBH I did sympathise with him a bit as, in my experience, it is not easy to deal with unexpected big challenges when you have ridden hard for multiple days. But the top riders need to be able to do that, and the best have demonstrated that they can.

He lost a bit more credibility when he rode again in 2022 and essentially DNF'd because of a puncture.

Looks like it is set up by Ian To?

Good detective work! The other Director is his wife.

"Introducing our categories:
Solo: women, men, open (eg: transgender women, transgender men, non-binary individuals) Pairs: Mixed, Women, Men
Tandem: Mixed (including paracyclist), Women, Men, Paracyclists: we need more paracyclists..."

That's a bit yuck

As much as 'ultracyclist' riders and organisers love to differentiate (and elevate) themselves from the world of professional road cycling, they often just recreate all its problems with a different marketing language... one with more pockets or something.

Surely all just part of the ‘reveal’ no? Seems to be giving a bit of info with each post so will probably just be revealed who’s behind it shortly.

I guess more and more players will enter the space as these events become more commercially viable, trackers become cheaper and so on - more potential riders, more entries, more 'endurance' bikes and kit sold etc, more mapping apps and kit brands sponsoring/subsidising

All the while striving for more sustainable less impactful events.

This from Lost Dot suggests last years winner won’t be getting a place without jumping through a few hoops…

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Overland travel back from Istanbul.
I mean, I am pretty non flight, but surely that's quite hard to achieve. And not really feasible for people with normal annual leave?

I agree I flew one way when I did TCR and ferry then train home.

Given TCR is oversubscribed if the above is true it’s going to significantly and almost entirely cut out representation from anywhere out side of Europe.

3 days getting back overland from Istanbul is not ideal for riders who are parents either.

And reports I've read suggest there are non-zero personal safety risks taking a bike on the overnight trains through Romania.

In principle I'm all for reducing flying but the event design has to give a bit to make it practical and - something LD is not too hot on - safe for the rider.

I was robbed while asleep a long time ago in a night train in Germany. Still wondering if drugs were involved.

It's just that everything but riding from your doorstep isn't exactly sustainable. But then a lot of doorsteps aren't in the best riding areas.

It somehow feels a bit like "we give preference to non flying participants" is green washing for an event that's basically not green because people have to travel.
If you want to organise sustainable cycling events, organise them where you live, and get people that live nearby to ride, no?

They’ll give you a template letter to ask for more leave…

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Yeah that’s kinda of what I said on LD’s recent post maybe not very succinctly

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Succinct enough I guess.

Just strikes me as lacking imagination. There’s definitely scope for a race from your front door and back type thing with checkpoints. Shooting the breeze but could go to them in any order maybe get points akin to your visitor number mix things up.