Trans Am Bike Race / TransAm / TABR

There's a 400 and a 50 that run para to 96. I'm not sure which is race legal but the guy who gave me my reflective strips, Louis-Eric, used the alternative. His tracker would show where he went.

I don't remember resurfaced bits but there was some new surfacing work going on but this had a 'lead car' escorting traffic through it around the roadworking machines.

Must be the 50. I remember the 5s and 0s. I was reaching out to Dan & George to share the advice after TC got hit. They were worried about not following the route and couldn't reach Nathan.

I think there were quite a few alt routes taken. Tanja, the Kansas stuff, Jason and Tim avoiding flooded roads, I heard one cheeky fucker even flew from one town to another just to avoid having to drink Kansas coffee...

No way! FFS, that's outrageous.

Looks like taking the 400 then 50 in KS would avoid the western 60% of the current route in that state, basically rejoining at Newton. Interested to hear what the riders who took that option think of it.

1 Attachment

We'll have panel of racers giving a talk and taking questions at LMNH on Tuesday 31st July. Stephen Haines, Steven Pawley and ultra-distance rookie George Driscoll. Plenty of stories between us. Hippy will already be on the TCR by then but I can whinge about gooch destruction in his absence.
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/the-trans-am-bike-race-debrief-tickets-47988427679

They just didn't want everyone puking into their brews with my juicy tales (or is that tails?)

@DarrenFranks has an article in this week's Cycling Weekly.

And it is very good indeed

A positive update on Tsaichu Cheng just now:

T.C. was discharged from SCVMC inpatient rehab two days ago, Aug 28!

He had had another UTI eleven days ago while in inpatient rehab, but the doctors got on it quickly so and it was resolved in a matter of days.

His hand function has improved enough for him to hold drinks and eat with fat handled utensils. He needs minimal assistance with transfers to/from his wheelchair. He can wheel himself around some in his wheelchair. He still needs help with bladder and bowel, which means attendance every 4-5 hours. He still has not been cleared to use the swimming pool due to his graft not being completely healed. He still has not been cleared to bear weight on has pelvis. Should he fall out of his wheelchair, we currently do not have a way to get him back in it except to call 911 or the local fire department.

After discharge, he is continuing therapy with an in-home program.
He has OT, PT, neuropsych, and recreational therapy. Therapists come to the house 2-3 times a week.

Welcome home, T.C.!

Poor guy. Good that he's making progress and managed to get back home but it sounds like he still has a long and difficult struggle ahead.

Yes, 10 weeks in hospital plus the injuries and associated complications. Miserable. Getting released is quite a milestone though, and sounds like he has plenty of ongoing support. Best of luck to him.

That's difficult to read. I'm glad there's positive progress but sounds like a very long recovery ahead.

Yes, best of luck to T.C.

https://transambikerace.com/results/

8th place, well done!

Yeh, well done Hippy. Dealing with morbid obesity and Farrah Fawcett hair, having your romantic overtures spurned by Cadel, living in West London, it's not been easy.

Oh, the nights I lay awake wishing this were true...

Has anyone ever done the TABR on a fixed gear?

I think someone did it singlespeed last year. Not sure about fixed

One Gear Purity scale:-

1. Riding fixed
   
2. Riding fixed and unclipping for descents
   
3. Singlespeed
   

There's fuck all steep stuff so riding fixed would be pretty easy but the descents are great and I'd hate to miss those but if you want the bragging rights, have at it.

The first blog entry is up. State by state this time otherwise I'd never get through it all.

https://theadventurecapitalist.wordpress.com/2019/01/04/tabr-trans-am-bike-race-oregon/

Anybody racing this year? Not many Brits on the roster yet.

Nice read. Always interesting to read a singular report like this after following so many dots together. Makes you appreciate how many stories come out of an event like this. It reminded me of Max Lippe's journal from 2017.