Transcontinental Race (London - Istanbul) - #TCRNo4

Pro is a guy that does cycling for a living... this guy is a secondary school physics teacher that does cycling as a hobby, a very serious hobby. TDF is another kind of race, with support and sleep and teammates...

He fits quite well in the ultracycling and unsupported field, in fact he's one of the best along with Mike Hall and some others if you look at what he has done in the last 4 years. Look at the numbers, he didn't win by speed or strength, but by moving ratio.. that's what he's talking about, but maybe you can't get pass the image you have formed about him to really hear the advices he's giving.

But yeah, he doesn't seem like a party guy :D

A little late to the party but well done @skinny! Impressive comeback, hope you'll be back next year!

It might be worth noting that hippy and others are currently going along the historic Via Egnatia (or Ἐγνατία Ὁδός):

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Via_Egnatia

There is now a modern motorway of that name, but the old alignment is still discernible.

Hippy looked set for a top ten till that Kebab did him in.

Sterling effort though, especially since his cock was minced and gooch bruised. Hopefully next year he won't cycle through any French midget bondage festivals!

Skinny's done amazingly well to come back from being ill to storming through the field like that. Chapeau!

Muehlethaler and Wacker were the guys I was using to judge Hippy's route round the Alps. They have been nip and tuck since CP2, great to see them coming in together. So many excellent races within the race, I'm also keeping on the all forum tussle between @Keiway#152 and @Samuli

Michael Wacker is a good guy, he had a nightmare with knee problems on TABR this year and had scratched last year after falling off his bike in Kentucky (pissed!)

GO
HIPPY !

Hippy has 100km to go. Looks like a top 20 finish. Amazing.

I wonder what his barse actually looks like?

Respect to Hippy, cracking on with your undercrackers in that state would destroy most mortals.

G'wan hippy.

G'wan Shane!

He's stopping for moar food and beer before he leaves Greece ...

That's 100k as the crow flies. At the mo it looks more like 180k.

I love the idea of Hippy tucked into the aero position with a crate of beer on the saddle bag.

They'd be empties in that heat.

nice video of @neilp post-race:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fU2nn-O7_9A&feature=youtu.be

Is he there yet?

@bananaskid not far behind him.

Go Joe!

Hippy having to loop back to a petrol station less than 15km after his food stop, that kebab must have gone through him fast. Go hippy!

Looks like he got lost and is taking another route now.

Nearly at Turkish border control ...

Negotiating his exit from the EU.

Looked like to avoid a dual carriageway, taking a road that runs directly alongside instead.

And he's over the border! Go Hippy!