Ultracycling

part of it is being out there, away from all that fanfare. Each to their own I guess. For me this is the reason I haven't joined TCR etc.

Unless you're at the very front, you're very unlikely to notice any TCR presence whatsoever.

Instagram ruined ultra racing.

Instagram launched before the TCR even started

I joined too late again didn't I?

Personally I love the race reporting. TCR is far more interesting to me then Tour Divide because of the stories that come out of it.

I thought the podcasts this year were great too

Instagram launched before the TCR even started

Ultra racing started before the TCR

Cordillera books, published every year.

Is that so?

Haha, I knew my opinion would wind people up. I'm not saying other people shouldn't want to do it with all the fanfare, and I understand that it's more interesting for the dot watchers. I personally quite like the lack of coverage from tour divide, and really just watching dots, and having to guess/speculate what happens when someone goes off route or scratches, until they call in or there's a local that posts. I like the mystery and suspense, not the instant info fix. I guess I also like TD because I have ridden it, so it's closer to my heart, I'm sure you guys who've done TCR/TABR feel the same about those routes too.

@hippy, yeah, don't need it to be a race to ride fast, and I haven't finished a race since TD, and not entered any for 18 months. I do prefer riding my own routes, untracked. Maybe I just don't enjoy racing (neither do you judging by your twitter, lol)

There's no instant info fix. Look at the TCR thread for all the guessing that goes into people's navigation choices.

I don't do much actual dot watching, maybe each day to see where leaders and people I know are but I don't drill down into it more than that. I rely on other info for fleshing out the race. Without that info, I'm not nearly as interested.

I love racing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_in_Furs).

I have too many books to read as it is and there's too many races to be waiting for hard copy ages after a race.

Yeah, I barely follow the threads these days. I followed you and skinny on TCR and a friend of a friend on instagram, that was it. Once skinny finished, I switched off :p

What we really need is a goochcam

As I've said to many a dot watcher, the gooch pics are available to Premium subscribers. PM me your credit card details. There's a 10% discount for LFGSS users.

I do like these both sides of the ultra races. The better coverage makes it more like a bike race and interesting to watch, when you can see the places and difficulties in pictures. The leaders walking up a climb and the weird little village bars they stop in. But out on the road, you're indeed pretty much alone in those too and I like that. I've seen a media car once or twice during the races.

The Ruska didn't have a car or anything, the checkpoints were stamps from thehotel staff or just selfies in front of a closed hotel and the finish was in the middle of nowhere, 60km from the closest town, and there was no-one waiting. It's was kind of beautiful too.

I finished TABR this year at 2:30 with no one around. Just have a flakey SPOT tracker so no fucker knows where you are half the time.

Another lejog record underway...

https://mobile.twitter.com/Elliott_LEJOG

https://mobile.twitter.com/Elliott_LEJOG/status/1029073881443823616

Ha! What a dude.

Once again, if you choose to ride the course, that's your business and
not my problem. It will be your own personal decision. Do your own due
diligence on the course. It is dangerous, remote and requires serious
preparation and experience to complete unsupported. There are
extremely long sections without any food or water. There will be
extended stretches of sand and if the weather turns ugly some roads
will be impassable. You may have to wait to get through. Unless you
have organised it, no one will assist you. You will be completely and
totally ALONE. I repeat - there will be no support car to bail you
out, no supported checkpoints, nothing! This is not Beach Road and it
is not the Silk Road.

Not that elegant way to put it, but nice that they have their own thing.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bm68-zHBrW7/

https://gps.blackblox.si/race/41

RAI tracker.

Cutting all the corners! No Achil island, Connor pass, etc.
I guess it would be challenging to get the camper vans up those roads...

They'll do the whole island though, not like those lazy unsupported wankers. :)

I see Donncha is riding. Will be interesting to see how he does (and if he finishes...)

Yeah they keep well in from the coast, where the hills are, though!

Not entirely true they do do the Wicklow mountains and a few lumps in Kerry / Cork, and probably Donegal is a bit hilly

I love racing (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venus_in_F­urs).

We should have one of the more thespian forumungers record an audio version for your next race.

I have now a whole year... again... to prepare for this next year and I can't ******* wait. Gutted im missing this year as this in my mind is the best of these races around.

All personal opinion and useless in reality i'm aware.

Yeah, I've ridden with him and Joe Barr so there's a bit more personal interest in this edition.
Also, Michael Wacker is on Donncha's crew this year.