TCRNo10 Day 11: Enduring Dynamism

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Words by Emma Cole

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Enduring dynamism 

Jana Kesenheimer (010) is the fastest woman to ride from Roubaix to Istanbul, after 11 days, 3 hours and 57 minutes. Jana came 13^th overall, the fourth woman in TCR history to place within the top 20. 

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The first woman to every Control Point, Jana consistently displayed impressive resolve in her first TCR, while also remaining upbeat and positive despite several challenges, including an unruly cat in the final 2 km.

“I feel like I can do this tomorrow again, I just need some sleep maybe,” said Jana. 

“I was positively surprised because in other races, something always started to hurt, but this time my body did its job and it was much easier to enjoy the race.”

Behind her Rémi Mejean (099) rolled in after 11 days 4 hours and 49 minutes, followed by Tom Mundy (269) and Riccardo Kuhar (247). 

Amidst the warm morning breeze, the first pair Gereon Tewes (295a) and Sherry Cardona (295b) arrived after 11 days 12 hours and 56 minutes. The Pair improved on last year’s overall positioning by one place, moving up from 18th to 17th in the overall field, and arrived in Istanbul relaxed and content with their performance. 

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Next came Benjamin Puiseux (268), the 20-year-old finishing his first TCR in the top 20, followed by Accursed Race finisher Rory Anderson (170). 

At the back of the Race, riders are making their way towards the penultimate Control Point at Çanakkale which closes tomorrow at 23:59CEST. 

Dynamic duo

Before taking on the Finish Parcours, Gereon Tewes (295a) and Sherry Cardona (295b) took a two hour nap so they could tackle the route feeling prepared and enjoy the sweeping views out to the Black Sea.

“Last year we got carried away and this year we stuck to our strategy,” said Sherry. “Resting every night made a difference, and we didn’t do a lot of mistakes like switching routes. The suspension stem was also a game changer, it really paid off.”

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But it wasn’t all plain sailing, struggling with saddle sores and a headwind, the Pair considered scratching in Türkiye. 

“I sat in a gas station thinking I’m not going to continue, and we wondered how do we scratch, we are in the middle of nowhere,” said Sherry. “We found a hotel, slept for four hours and then said ok how do we get home? Gelibolu to Istanbul! So we thought let’s follow the Parcours, and see how we feel and then we felt good.” 

The next Pair, brothers Louison Muller (313a) and Augustin Muller (313b), are ~50 km from the start of the Finish Parcours. 

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One last gear

Late afternoon, Julian Klose (138) was riding towards the Yalova Peninsula after completing the Parcours, ~400 km from the Finish, when his rear mech hanger broke. 

Having damaged his original in Croatia, Julian was already using his spare and to add insult to injury his shifters also broke.

Undeterred, he returned to Bandırma by public transport and found a bike mechanic who managed to salvage the situation to an extent. Julian is now riding single speed. 

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“I’m totally happy to be back on the road,” he said. “It feels like freedom because I am not in race mode anymore, the only thing I want to achieve now is to reach the Finish Line in time without having to look at the tracking map.”

Julian is wearing normal road shoes and is expecting a lot of hike-a-bike. Pray for his cleats.

Home straight

Late evening, Victor Bosoni (232) rode through the coastal town of Mudanya, ~450 km from the Finish.

“I learnt a lot this TCR and I come back home with a huge suitcase of experience,” said Victor. “I want to go to the Finish Line as fast as possible. Tonight I don’t know if I will sleep, I think I will not sleep because there is no wind.” 

By morning Victor was crossing the Yalova Peninsula and heading towards Kocaeli Province, his estimated distance covered just over 4,400 km. 

Jaimi Wilson (004) was also channelling her remaining energy into reaching the Finish Line. 

“I’ve been struggling to eat with the heat, and I’m finding it really hard to get vegan food,” said Jaimi. “If you’ve got time you can get stuff but in a garage it’s super hard. Get me some watermelon and get me out of this chamois.”

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Behind Jaimi, Anna Carlqvist (223) is currently third woman and has just finished Parcours 4. 

Mike Hall Bursary rider Aiperi Bakirova (293) arrived in Türkiye yesterday, excited to be able to experience a taste of the TCR. She headed to CP4 in Çanakkale to begin her ride and is currently completing the Parcours. 

Before arriving, Aiperi had been wondering whether she needed slick tyres on her bike, but after seeing pictures of the Parcours she was content with her hardtail mountain bike setup. 

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After over 11 days on the bike, riders must contend with balancing mental and physical fatigue and their desire to reach the Finish. There is still plenty of time to reach CP4 but there are also many more kilometres to go. May they feel the rewards of each pedal stroke, and may their enduring resilience take them closer to Istanbul. 

Scratch report 

Several riders have scratched due to mechanical issues, illness and injury.

011 Laura Tovar Castro 

026 Benjamin Schreiber

055 Felix Turian 

056 Gary Davis

066 Eirik Benjaminsen

082 Stuart Gillett

083 Christian Morf

090 Evelyn Weiss

094 Frederic Gielissen

105 David Lacey

136 Gerald Radinger

178 Mikke Luostarinen

192 Dirk Hermans

212 Adrien Ponteville

231 Tim Lamb

272 Isaac Kuehnle-Nelson 

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