Ultracycling

Dotwatching link for Three Peaks:

https://tpbr-2020.legendstracking.com/

Greetings. Newbie here
Badlands looks amazing; I wonder about Spain though
I have a gravel race next week in Catalunya and its not looking get from a restrictions perspective; French govt advising nationals not to travel there.

Is it? The Apidura looks quite a lot bigger in their photos

It's the musette, not the backpack.

Fairy muff. It does look very similar, but it is a side-on shot I guess.

I got confused with musette <> backpack

That'll be why it looks a lot smaller then :)

#hippyisalwaysright

Hope all these riders stay safe regarding Covid. Not sure of the regulations, but am surprised it's possible to do this kind of ride currently? Don't see anything on Wacker's site about Covid.

That's one of the reasons Cycliste and I aren't racing in it this year. They have taken Covid19 measures with small groups of starters rather than the mass start of last year.

Same for me. I was going to race it but bailed because of covid.

Yeah, it's a pity because the parcour looks excellent, and a significant chunk of the riders seem to be taking the southern route that Cycliste and I took last year, which very few people did. Still, the nerves in my left hand still haven't fully recovered from last year's efforts, so it's probably not such a bad thing. And my fitness and endurance at the moment is pretty much non-existent, unlike my body weight...

Looks like the first group, with all the faster riders, have opted for the northern route. First few are up and over CP1, the Großglockner. Ulrich in front with Bjorn, Sofiane and Stephane close.

Some people taking the long way around in the north.

This was going to be my route (until I stopped working on it)

Good to see that Stéphane Ouaja is in there at the sharp end. I don't suppose he's fixed any more? :)

He's been geared for while now, no? Always a good character to follow though, in and around top places. Never caught up with his insta too much, but apparently he's active there during races too?

@Brommers, yes in fact I'm feeling a little icky about getting back into dotwatching at the moment. Not sure why as things are slowly returning to normal, but it is still unknown and would hate for something bad covid-wise during one of these events for the riders or those they come into contact with. However have missed following dots and personalities.

This is my gripe with non fixed routes now. They do add spice, but riders also end up in shit places. Riding the northern edge of tbe Po valley will be one to forget, if you dont get run over by an italian.

I am not sure I'll ever go back to them.

I have only done fixed routes; I would be terrible at choose your own (literally terrible)
I can see why Some consider it the purest form as it’s also strategy and planning
But there is something nice and simple about everyone doing the same course from the same starting point and may the best man or woman get to the finish first...

I get the sentiment but isn’t it just other road users? Parts of TABR seem pretty bad.

I don't understand your comment.

It's not just road users, you're trying to get from A to B the fastest way, so you pick boring and shit roads. Not the beautiful scenic ones.

Sorry. I was wondering if it’s just on road racing more generally, and citing TABR has having boring/ dangerous bits and that it’s fixed route.
Has the off-road or predominantly off road races made that all less appealing?

TABR is funny in that the route was planned in the seventies and is largely unchanged even though the amount of traffic has significantly increased. There are tricky flashpoints and shitty stretches, but it is more a cultural reason why it feels dangerous occasionally. The cars/trucks are so big and people just aren't used to seeing a bicycle out there or dealing with one when they do. The most/worst accidents have come recently on the large barren stretches of Kansas where the locals say you can "see a cat licking his ass from 50 miles." I think the collisions were mostly in the night time several days into the race. Having toured the route, the locals look at you like you are legitimately crazy for being on a bicycle out there, but I reckon there are a multitude of reasons for that. Can't remember too much of it being close to an A road in the UK in terms of danger. You often get a nice wide shoulder. One traffic heavy section is the coast road from Astoria, but I think the riders do that early morning and fresh. @Hippy will hopefully chime in. I don't think he thought it was too unsafe overall, may be remembering incorrectly?

There were some busy sections and some truck routes but it mostly seemed ok to me. I think I had a close call during one edition where someone wasn't looking where they were going on some country lane but the same shit happens in London. To be honest, now it's hard to remember any other specific incidents. You'd have to dig through all the tweets.

Yez 100%

Why deal with that shit? I've used several of my 9 lives.

This was going to be my route (until I stopped working on it)

Interesting - bears very little resemblance to the one I'd got a good way into planning! I'd planned to go south from Vienna and go through Bruck and Lienz, like we did last year. Then Grossglockener south-north, and up through Sankt Jakob and along to Lichtenstein before cutting across Switzerland across the Furkapass. Pretty much the route that Adam Bialek (number 2) appears to be taking.

I was wondering where Ulrich was off to, looks like he's doing the Albulapass. Strong choice. That's a big climb.

Good from that side too.

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I've only done it once, when Cycliste and I did the Engadin Radmarathon, but I think we did it in the opposite direction. That was where some Italian tit in a sportscar gave me a close pass with negative clearance and hit my hand with his wing mirror.