TCRNo10 Day 2: Looming Peaks and Decisions

Words by Emma Cole

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As riders descended into southern Germany, towering rocky peaks covered in verdant pine forests began to emerge. A mountainous playground awaited them. 

While the majority of the field took one of two general directions — Luxembourg or Germany — after Roubaix, three main options lay before them to tackle the Austrian Alps. 

The most popular route appeared to be heading to Salzburg to ride over the Radstädter Tauern Pass in Obertauern, followed by the Katschberg Pass. Other riders have taken on the higher and rather formidable Grossglockner Pass while some chose to enter the Alps via Innsbruck and head over the Brenner Pass, the lowest in altitude of the three choices. 

Looming peaks and decisions

With little sign of slowing, by early afternoon Robin Gemperle (002) rode past Salzburg and weaved his way towards the Radstädter Tauern Pass, over 50km ahead of Andre Bachmann (005). Christoph Strasser (001), Abdullah Zeinab (021), Florian Moreau (067) and Omar di Felice (016) were 70km behind in pursuit of the Swiss rider. 

Behind them, Tim de Witte (003) and Ben Chadourne (060) passed lake Chiemsee just west of Salzburg, with Lucas Strittmatter (197), Alexandre Bourgeonnier (237) and Daniel Gottschalk (142) also pushing towards Salzburg. 

Having taken a westerly route through France, Adrien Charlot (215) rode through Basel and along Lake Zurich, while Peak Design ambassador Hannah de Sousa (009) crossed into Switzerland, her first time in the country, with Lizzie Jenkins (033) about 30 km in front of her. 

By mid-afternoon, more riders were encroaching on the Alps, and some had ridden deeper into the mountains. With such a wide range of routing variations to choose from through these regions, dot-watchers have had a lot to chew on, and the Media Team have had to be strategic, and lucky, to link up with riders on their journeys. 

While Jens Volkersdorf (287) and Adrien Liechti (007) were at the foothills, current fastest woman Jana Keseinheimer (010) rode into Innsbruck, the Austrian alpine town renowned as a popular hub for winter sports, and also where the German rider happens to live. Riding through her own training ground, and being so familiar with the region, Jana is likely feeling right at home at this point in the Race, and it shows. 

By 17:00CEST Tobias Fuchs (132) reached the top of the Brenner Pass, and leading rider Robin Gemperle (002) passed Obertauern and began tackling the 15% gradients of the Katschberg Pass. 

Dancing in the dark

As the light began to dwindle, the chasing riders took on the Radstädter Tauern Pass which leads to the Katschberg Pass. 

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Leading the charge was Andre Bachmann (005), Omar di Felice (016) and Abdullah Zeinab (021) who leapfrogged each other up the climb. 

“We are in the Alps, my favourite part, so I’m trying to do my best as I’m a climber,” said Omar. “Maybe I will reach Villach or Tarvisio, have just a little break and then let’s go for the Parcours.”

True to his word, Omar took charge and seemingly danced on his pedals towards the top of the climb.

Rain clouds

As evening set in, there was a stream of riders heading to Munich, while some headed via Basel, including Alice Grindheim (258) and Pairs riders Osman Kitay (306b) and Can Kaniöz (306a). Behind them, Gitta Vernooj (112) and TCRNo9 CP4 volunteer Norman Lomax (229) passed Mönseim. 

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Strong winds and heavy rain near Ingolstadt and Waldkraiburg forced some riders indoors. Mark Kowalski (243) and Sarah Ruggins (303b) both wrote on social media that they were resting due to the weather. 

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Mikko Kainu (043) rode over the Grossglockner Pass before taking a short rest and then carrying on to Kötschach. TARNo1 runner up Adrien Liechti (007) arrived at the bottom of the Pass at 23:00CEST to find he had missed the entrance cut off and was forced to stop. Behind him was Kristian Buljan (195) and Christophe Aucan (130). 

Further ahead Pawel Pulawski (008) put in a strong night shift, catching the chasing pack resting at Tarvisio. 

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At the head of the Race, Robin Gemperle (002) started the Parcours at 22:30CEST, riding up the Mangartsko Sedlo, a 12 km road which climbs 980 metres and winds its way through five tunnels carved out of the rock. 

Some rest, Robin rides. 

After 2 days, 5 hours and 59 minutes of riding, and 1370 km covered, Robin arrived at CP1 in the Triglav National Park in Slovenia, with a significant lead of about 80 km over the chasing pack.

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Morning miles

As morning broke, Matthew Falconer (253), Fredi Maeder (155), Jean-François Badias (059) and Jan Brunner (254) arrived at the foothills of the Alps, heading in the direction of the Brenner Pass. 

Jaimi Wilson (004) was already at the Pass, after a 4 hour 20 minute rest at Innsbruck, alongside riders Geert Bonnema (264), and Nicholas Hulse (250).  

At the back of the pack, Race veteran Lionel Bobb (143) rode through Mainz alongside Ahmet Ozturk (267) and Onder Ayan (111), while 200 km ahead of them riders made their way down through Pforzheim, the gateway to the Black Forest and through northern Bavaria. 

Passport to nowhere

In the Gail Valley of the Austrian Alps, a low mist hugged the mountainsides and rain drummed down.  

Undeterred, Ben Chadourne (060) looked strong heading towards Parcours 1 to take on the Mangartsko Sedlo climb, and not far behind him was Jana Kesenheimer (010), who is still holding fastest woman at the time of writing, and in the top 20 riders, despite having some power issues. 

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Abdullah Zeinab (021), Omar di Felice (016), Pavel Pulawski (008) Andre Bachmann (005), David Tschan (050) and Christoph Strasser (001) have now all reached CP1, while lead rider Robin Gemperle (002), who is yet to show signs of slowing, is closing in on the Croatian border.  

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However, it has not been all forward motion. 

Victor Bosoni (232) who had been at the front of the Race was 50 km away from Parcours 1 when he realised he had left his passport and wallet behind at a petrol station in Innsbruck, 270 km away. A deflated Victor headed back to the town via the Brenner Pass, his Race now very up in the air as he is faced with a daunting extra 550km. 

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For the rest of the riders continuing to ride towards the Alps, they are preparing for cool mountain air and steep inclines as they make their way to Parcours 1. Whichever mountain pass they take, the rugged wilderness and majestic massifs of Slovenia await. 

As for Robin, his relentless attack on the Race heads into Croatia, to the country’s capital of Zagreb. After finishing second last year, is this his redemption ride?

Scratch Report 

A few riders have scratched for reasons ranging from injury, tech issues and family commitments. 

Jesper Avén (274) suffered injuries due to an accident with a vehicle. He is safe and being cared for in hospital. Race Coordinator Andrew Phillips has been to see him and we wish him well. TARNo1 winner Alex Kopp (006) and TCR veteran Josh Ibbett (018) have both stated knee pain as the cause of their unfortunate DNF status.

006 Alexander Kopp 

012 Harmke Westervelt

018 Josh Ibbett 

045 Helen Weatherall

072 Maxim Isaev 

123 David Herranz Perez

163 Rob McRitchie 

179 Axel Restrup

218 Clément Clisson 

220 Otto Büchler

224 Jelmer Vernooij 

233 Andrea De Gruttola 

245 Rene Weichselbaum

274 Jesper Avén 

286 Philip Tellen

303a Mark Anderson

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