Transcontinental Race
Discussion
It looks like I've negotiated a pass to enter this in 2016. I suspect I'll be siring a sprog shortly afterwards so this may be my last opportunity for a while. Thoughts now turn to n+1 because as much as I'd like to ride my Aeroad I think the task requires something a bit more durable and capable of taking larger tyres.
As it stands I think budget will be limited (no idea where to start though), but if I have a good winter that may change. My plan is to travel light, maintain a good average speed aiming for 300-400 km a day and work on making stops as efficient as possible. I will almost certainly have to cross the Alps and there may also be trails. Dynamo hub is essential. Guard mounts also a big plus as while I may not use them for the TCR they're likely to be used afterwards for urban/winter/audax duties.
The Croix de Fer seems like an obvious starting point, but I read that it's a bit heavy? What else should I be looking at?
As it stands I think budget will be limited (no idea where to start though), but if I have a good winter that may change. My plan is to travel light, maintain a good average speed aiming for 300-400 km a day and work on making stops as efficient as possible. I will almost certainly have to cross the Alps and there may also be trails. Dynamo hub is essential. Guard mounts also a big plus as while I may not use them for the TCR they're likely to be used afterwards for urban/winter/audax duties.
The Croix de Fer seems like an obvious starting point, but I read that it's a bit heavy? What else should I be looking at?
Edited by Gruffy on Monday 27th July 23:53
TwistingMyMelon said:
Have you done many 200 mile rides back to back? That would be my first worry, not so much the fitness, more the punishment from being on a bike so long.
I haven't done any yet. Longest rides to date have been a few 200km rides, with some of those back to back. I coped perfectly well on those and I plan to up the distances over the next 12 months to fine tune position etc. I may be a bit bullish but I'm hoping I can manage several 400km days during the ride.
The mental part is not entirely new to me. I also ski-tour and have had multi-day routes in the very worst kind of weather. The Tour de PH in May was in atrocious weather too. 24 hour kart racing etc. Mentally I think I'm the sort of odd personality that does OK. The hard part will be pacing. I don't need to rest much, even at fast speeds, and I've learnt in my other endeavours that endurance events are mostly about the moments in between racing. It will take serious discipline to wind the effort level back to a sustainable level for the TCR though.
I've no delusions about winning. As it stands I think I'd be targeting a 10-day time, but we'll see what the 2016 route looks like when it's published.
The mental part is not entirely new to me. I also ski-tour and have had multi-day routes in the very worst kind of weather. The Tour de PH in May was in atrocious weather too. 24 hour kart racing etc. Mentally I think I'm the sort of odd personality that does OK. The hard part will be pacing. I don't need to rest much, even at fast speeds, and I've learnt in my other endeavours that endurance events are mostly about the moments in between racing. It will take serious discipline to wind the effort level back to a sustainable level for the TCR though.
I've no delusions about winning. As it stands I think I'd be targeting a 10-day time, but we'll see what the 2016 route looks like when it's published.
richardxjr said:
The training will be a bit time consuming, hope your pass covers that!
Shhh, I'll deal with that later. A bigger problem is she doesn't realise it means another bike.richardxjr said:
And you'll have to eat TONNES.
It's a chore but I've been there before so it's at least a chore I'm familiar with. I may need to regain the iron stomach of my youth though as you can't afford the time to be too choosy on the race.richardxjr said:
I agree with the pace thing for you Gruffy 
Expect you're planning riding a few meaty audaxes, that's where you'll learn that sort of discipline.
I was originally targeting LEL in 2017 and TCR in 2018 but I recognise that looming fatherhood means I need to accelerate things. 200s feel quite comfortable already. Quite fancy a 300 and 400 as soon as possible - I reckon there are some lessons to be learned at that distance. I suspect 600s will be the point where the Aeroad is no longer suitable and will teach me what I should pack and what I can afford to leave. I can extrapolate from there. Expect you're planning riding a few meaty audaxes, that's where you'll learn that sort of discipline.
This may be my downfall. At best I can probably only squeeze in a 3-day weekend audax before the race. Day passes are rare enough. Multi-day passes are like hen's teeth. I'm frankly amazed she's agreed to the TCR, but I think it's a bargaining tool in the quest for kids.
With luck I'll be able to get the frame as winter arrives. I don't fancy subjecting the Canyon to a full winter anyway.
With luck I'll be able to get the frame as winter arrives. I don't fancy subjecting the Canyon to a full winter anyway.
It kicked off over the weekend and I've been following their tracking dots again. http://trackleaders.com/transconrace15f It's fascinating seeing just how little non-pedalling time some of these guys are capable of.
As for bike choice, I was stunned to see Ultan Coyle rocking a full TT bike https://instagram.com/p/5jS4ZtnDWV/ First thought was that it's a brave choice when the route includes a mandatory pass over the 'gravel' Colle della Finestre. Turns out he's paying the price for it now as he basically walked the descent and lost serious ground on the leaders. I don't think a TT bike is going to make enough difference on the remaining route to pay back that debt.
Josh Ibbet seems to be sporting barely any luggage at all. Fast and light, taken to extremes. In fairness, he doesn't seem to do 'stopping' so probably no spare clothes, no sleeping kit and the bare bare minimum of tools, spares and fuel.
The first challenges for my entry are n+1 (or more accurately: s-1) and fitting in appropriate training/preparatory rides. I'm trying to wangle a pass for two or three 3-day weekends over the next year to try audax distances, but I doubt I'll get any more than that. I'm hoping that I'll learn 90% of what I need to know about kit and how my body reacts by doing 400/600/800km rides.
If it wasn't for the inclusion of the gravel pass I'd simply soften the fit on the Canyon, perhaps swapping the wheels for something more suitable. I'll see what they're proposing for 2016 before making any bike decisions.
As for bike choice, I was stunned to see Ultan Coyle rocking a full TT bike https://instagram.com/p/5jS4ZtnDWV/ First thought was that it's a brave choice when the route includes a mandatory pass over the 'gravel' Colle della Finestre. Turns out he's paying the price for it now as he basically walked the descent and lost serious ground on the leaders. I don't think a TT bike is going to make enough difference on the remaining route to pay back that debt.
Josh Ibbet seems to be sporting barely any luggage at all. Fast and light, taken to extremes. In fairness, he doesn't seem to do 'stopping' so probably no spare clothes, no sleeping kit and the bare bare minimum of tools, spares and fuel.
The first challenges for my entry are n+1 (or more accurately: s-1) and fitting in appropriate training/preparatory rides. I'm trying to wangle a pass for two or three 3-day weekends over the next year to try audax distances, but I doubt I'll get any more than that. I'm hoping that I'll learn 90% of what I need to know about kit and how my body reacts by doing 400/600/800km rides.
If it wasn't for the inclusion of the gravel pass I'd simply soften the fit on the Canyon, perhaps swapping the wheels for something more suitable. I'll see what they're proposing for 2016 before making any bike decisions.
It's seriously impressive. There's a long way to go but he's looking very strong for the win so far. I wouldn't have believed you could sustain that pace for a week or more if Allagaert hadn't shown it to be possible twice already.
Somebody has coded this up to illustrate riders' rest patterns http://45.55.173.141/transconrace15 Personally, I'd be happy to be among the fastest of the riders who are sleeping a few hours every night. Partly because I don't think I could sustain the leaders' strategies but mostly because my pass won't extend to a week's recovery after the race.
Somebody has coded this up to illustrate riders' rest patterns http://45.55.173.141/transconrace15 Personally, I'd be happy to be among the fastest of the riders who are sleeping a few hours every night. Partly because I don't think I could sustain the leaders' strategies but mostly because my pass won't extend to a week's recovery after the race.
Yes, ferries are allowed but they're not considered to be a particularly quick option. That was last year, when they were headed straight for Lovcen. Now that they have to pass Vukovar too I'm sure it'll be much slower but it does give people the opportunity to rest and recover so for those that need it that might be a decent option.
Unless it was quicker and working towards a faster overall pace I think I'd stick to dry land myself.
Unless it was quicker and working towards a faster overall pace I think I'd stick to dry land myself.
I have, thanks. I'm looking at it and thinking he's travelling about as light as any rider on the race, but I'm not sure what else you'd actually need in your kit list. Hopefully I'll figure this stuff out over the next year because I suspect I will want/need a little more than somebody of Josh's experience.
SWMBO has already started to drop my entry of TCR16 into conversation with her friends (with accompanying 
) which means the pass is confirmed.
First task is to identify the right bike ahead of the winter, to spare the Canyon. Having done a little more research the criteria are:
) which means the pass is confirmed. First task is to identify the right bike ahead of the winter, to spare the Canyon. Having done a little more research the criteria are:
- Hydraulic disc brakes
- Clearance for 25-28mm tyres
- Durable wheels and dynamo hub
- Di2 would be a big advantage (and I could move it to the Canyon after the race)
- It would double as a winter bike so guards and durability would be good
Entries for TCR No.4 open tomorrow, along with the announcement of the finish line location. Some veteran racers are making noises about returning if it goes somewhere new but probably not bothering if it's Istanbul again. I can see pros and cons either way. I'm in regardless.
I've also begun a blog to journal my build up and participation, for those that might be interested in following my story. The Adventure Capitalist.
I've also begun a blog to journal my build up and participation, for those that might be interested in following my story. The Adventure Capitalist.
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