Transcontinental Race No. 5 - TCR5 - #TCRN05 - 2017

Loving the dotwatching this year, in response to @tommmmmmm - I would love to do something like TCR but I think I'd work better in a pair, I'd go crazy on my own.

After loving dot watching last year, my plan was LEL this year and TCR next year if all went to plan

This was exactly my plan too... however I found my early attempts at building up to longer distances far more challenging than I had expected and wimped out of entering LEL which I now regret. I'm still captivated by the idea but I think it'll be a few years till I feel I could make a reasonable attempt at finishing.

I'd like to ride tcr in the next few years but it's a hard sell to the missus unfortunately, even more so when you hear of the tragic fatalities.

Done lejog leh manali in india across and around israel plus Ireland tours and as much as i have the travel bug doing transalp saw me off . The costa ricans wupped me . Tinqa suarez was very complimentary when i asked him how he could finish 8 hours ahead of me . Break it down into chunks but its still mega effin hard .
So trans again probable not .

Now you've enlightened me about LEL I think I'm inclined to have a go next year

Cap 19 Robert Ferri and 195 Ben Davies are way off-course through the mountains to CP2.

@tommmmmmm @Cazakstan for winning pair #tcr06

Sadly it only runs once every 4 years so you'll have yo wait until 2021. I think PBP is also every 4 years but that means next one will be 2019.

Same, I've stopped telling my own partner about the near misses from training and races. I was doing myself no favours. Should have done it for my 40th tbh... Plan on doing Germany next year and most of the prep will be in convincing partner it'll be cool.

you are dreaming matey boy :)

Now what were those other two little rides we had planned?

I reckon we tap them out unscathed and we can pop in fresh bids.....

After skinny's observations on sleep from TABR I would think that he'll try and remain consistent until close to the end.

Agree, skinny not likely to go for the big strategic move, and it is still early days so probably the sensible approach. If the finish was where cp3 is then it would be different.

If it was me I would be tempted, even so, the chance to put 100km into my rival....
I would be looking in detail at weather forecasts for storms and wind directions.
In IPWR I did an all-nighter because I spotted that the headwind was going to drop to still air overnight. The following day was painful but it was worth it

I am looking forward to your Instagram posts already.

The two leading women are still Melissa Pritchard and Karen Tostee. Emily doesn't seem to be going as well as last year, or Melissa and Karen are just much faster than her rivals last year. It's probably a bit of both.

Agree, bit of both. Stronger field this year for both women and men.
Last year I was close to Emily and two other guys who are also riding this year: Urs (@Swissy) and Max. They are 60th and 37th, while she is back in 98th.

Ah. In that case, LFGSS train?

hippy's gooch is acting up. He implies he's only done bivvies so far on this ride but now considers a comfort stop at a hostelry. He also requests that we call him Moses, could be paracetamol side effects.

He's going well despite sore arse and severe delusions! Back up to 15th

He also requests that we call him Moses, could be paracetamol side effects.

Why? Is it something to do with parting the Red Seat?

Very good.

I see Ian To has carried on up past Graz, does that not negate the benefit of the Southern route? Think skinny looks a better way

I really doubt people are spending much time watching others routes and being influenced by them, they'll have spent hours planning routes and will for the most part stick with them, I certainly wouldn't trust myself to make good decisions when that tired, and they wont have shared their routes with each other before the start, its part of the race!

I see Ian To has carried on up past Graz, does that not negate the benefit of the Southern route? Think skinny looks a better way

Some people were trying to avoid Hungary because there are loads of roads which are banned for cyclists. He might be trying to stay in Austria because of that. But I agree, it looks like a bit of a sharp turn.
I expect Skinny will have done his homework on his route so should be able to navigate across Hungary, but there can still be surprises on the ground, roads that you thought were OK turn out to be cars only.

Dot watching for the first time, it actually requires quite a bit of time! on the "Would we actually do it " @tommmmmmm question, I love the idea of it but the scale and time consumption seems unfeasible. I reckon cherry picking some of the routes taken would make for an awesome small tour but that'd take the competitive fun out of it.

After a horrible start, @modan has finally finished the first climb of CP1 and hopefully is back on track for CP2! Keep it up mate!

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Congrats 252ab. They have had a tough job.

Going backwards today

Keep pushing @hippy if you can, rest if not. You are in the top 15 which is amazing.