TCRNo10 Day 12: Broken Parts and Stolen Hearts 

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Words by Emma Cole

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Broken parts and stolen hearts 

A mixture of relief, delight and disbelief filled the air as more riders rolled into the Finish. Some bonded over their shared experiences, swapping route details, mechanical issues and favourite sleeping locations while others simply tried to process what they had just accomplished.

The top 20 Solo rider leaderboard is now complete, with Matthew Garthwaite (172) and Danny Green (070) taking the remaining two spots. 

As evening fell, a flurry of riders appeared in quick succession. Adam Wolley (110) rolled in at 20:01CEST followed by a beaming and relaxed Florian Thiessen (235) who remarked that his second TCR was more enjoyable than his first. 

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Shortly after, the second fastest Pair, brothers Augustin Muller (313a) and Louison Muller (313b) arrived in their matching floral jerseys, and minutes later, an exhausted Victor Bosoni (232) relieved it was over.

Jaimi Wilson (004) arrived this morning after 12 days 14 hours and 16 minutes taking 31st overall. Jaimi was the fastest woman at TCRNo9 and the second woman we’ve seen complete their ride in Istanbul.

After 12 days 14 hours and 56 minutes Mark Kowalski (243) dropped to his knee and proposed to his girlfriend Myrna at the Finish Line. A zip-tie ring, an elated Mark, and a very memorable way to commemorate his second TCR.  

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For the rider’s further back, the focus is on making CP4 in Çanakkale which closes at 23:59CEST tonight. So far 160 riders remain in General Classification, and this is the penultimate push before the Finisher’s Party on Tuesday. 

Plugging it

Mechanical issues are part and parcel of riding across the continent, and for those who powered through the problems, the Finish line marks the culmination of their tenacity to continue. 

Kristian Buljan (195) broke part of his handlebar in the first few days of his ride, so he had to adapt his way of riding in order to carry on, while Thomas Downes (117) broke a wheel, and was elated to finish his ride on a second hand replacement. 

While Jaimi Wilson’s (004) ride didn’t go as smoothly as she had hoped, she was still happy to finish as second fastest woman and relieved to finally reach the Finish Line.

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Yesterday Jaimi suffered a massive tear in her rear tyre which needed ten plugs, and a puncture in the front which needed two. On arrival she was in good spirits, her first request was a strawberry and banana smoothie; her second, a cider.

“I normally suffer with hallucinations and tiredness a lot, but I must have been sleeping a lot as I feel alright,” she said. “It’s nice to not feel mentally exhausted. I can’t wait to find some nice vegan food.”

Jaimi rode from Roubaix to Istanbul without tri bars, one of just a handful of riders to do so and her hands were red from the constant pressure. 

“They are so sore, they are like heels, they’ve turned into the bottom of a foot,” she said.”

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Reflections 

Davis Pazars (257) volunteered for the past two years gathering as much insight as possible before he took to the start line which paid off. He finished his first TCR after 11 days 22 hours and 17 minutes and thoroughly enjoyed the last few kilometres.

“It’s really breathtaking to finish,” he said. “The idea of TCR is something I’ve been building upon for the last three years, almost everything I’ve done on my bike was for this event. After rolling through Türkiye where road is rocks glued together, today was perfect. It was so joyful.” 

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For Victor Bosoni (232), who was in the front pack until he had to take a 540 km round trip to retrieve his passport, the relief of finishing was profoundly palpable. 

The 22-year-old’s first TCR, he crossed the Alps three times, and covered ~4600 km, more than any finisher so far. To top things off, Victor rode with such gusto down the Finish Parcours that he currently claims the fastest ride from CP4 to the Finish of 40 hours and 21 minutes.  

“It’s incredible to be here, it was a magical adventure, and it was very, very difficult,” he said. “Compared to all the events I have done, it was the most challenging and the most difficult. North Cape 4000 was a holiday compared to this. I am so happy to arrive and I am proud of what I have done, despite my mistake.”

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Basking in the sunshine

As the sun continued to beat down on Çanakkale and Parcours 4, the heat appeared to get to one rider as there was yet another passport slipup.

Mohit Kohli (128) left his passport behind at CP4. Fortunately for Mohit, he was not far away, so quickly turned around and found the escapade rather amusing. He has now finished the Parcours and is making his way towards the Yalova Peninsula. 

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Ahead of him, Mike Hall Bursary rider Joschka Völkel (291) has just passed Biga and is ~350 km from the Finish Line. Joschka has not had the smoothest few days but seems to be taking the setbacks in his stride. He had several flat tyres on the Parcours and discovered he was a popular snack for the local mosquitoes. 

“There were a lot of ups and downs in the last few days, especially in the last 48 hours,” he said. “My new goal is to come to the Finish Line on Sunday and that’s what motivates me. 

“In the day I eat a lot of ice cream, maybe 10 a day, and that keeps me cool. The heat doesn’t affect me as much as I thought it would.”

As riders at the back weave their way towards Çanakkale, their remaining willpower and desire must be channelled to reach the cut-off in time and remain in GC. For those closing in on the Finish Parcours, the turquoise blue water of the Black Sea and the bustling Bosphorus Strait are getting ever closer. Their efforts are so close to bearing fruit. 

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Scratch report 

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

023 Tim McInnes 

082 Stuart Gillett

094 Frederic Gielissen

109 Adam Harrison

153 Johan Kooistra 

151 Philip Renders

184 Stephen Turner

193 Tomáš Křováček

258 Alice Grindheim

272 Isaac Kuehnle-Nelson

289 Tom Humphrey

294a Nico Coetzee

294b Christiaan van Zyl

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