TCRNo10 Day 8: Putting it to Bed

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Putting it to bed

Fields of sunflowers and the smells of fresh melon greet riders as they head through the rolling hills, dense forests, and farmlands of rural Türkiye. The Finish in Istanbul is now in sight, the city’s enchanting blend of Eastern and Western culture drawing ever closer. 

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Robin Gemperle (002) remains the front rider, as he has done for the entirety of the Race and is making his way towards the Finish Parcours. A 118 km route skirting the Black Sea is all that stands between him and the recognition of being the fastest rider to ride from Roubaix to Istanbul, unsupported. 

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Christoph Strasser (001) is currently in second place, followed by Abdullah Zeinab (021) and Tim de Witte (003). Behind them are Andre Bachmann (005), Ben Chadourne (060), David Tschan (050), Lucas Strittmatter (197), and Florian Moreau (067), while Tobias Fuchs (132), Pawel Pulawski (008) and Mikko Kainu (043) are further back and fresh off of Parcours 4.

Jana Kesenheimer (010) remains the fastest woman and is heading towards Çanakkale, while leading Pair Gereon Tewes (295a) and Sherry Cardona (295b) are also making their way across the Greek–Turkish border.

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Overnight Control Point 2 (CP2) closed and a total of over 220 riders made the CP2 cut off.

A stroke of bad luck

While Robin Gemperle (002) pressed ahead north, his wheels turned towards the start of the Finish Parcours at Çayırbaşı, behind him, the chasing pack were suffering. 

Abdullah Zeinab (021) had suffered with five flats on the Parcours, while Christoph Strasser (001) went one further, and found himself with six. 

“I’m really lucky I had enough spares to fix everything, and enough to eat and drink,” said Christoph. “But nothing must happen anymore because otherwise I have a big problem, I need a shop soon.”

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The winding road littered with rocks and gravel offers little forgiveness, and riding through the sparsely inhabited rural outskirts of Çanakkale means little chance of finding spares. It also turns out it’s not just the riders who need to watch out, as Control Car 1 punctured just south of the Parcours.

Pushing on to Biga, the road was no easier as riders headed into a buffeting wind which made for uncomfortable riding. 

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Once in the town, Abdullah finally took some rest, but by doing so, Christoph rode ahead into second place. The tale of last year’s Race, with Robin chasing Christoph, now turned on its head. 

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By evening, Tim de Witte (003) briefly overtook a resting Abdullah before also taking a three hour rest in Biga; the chasing trio are now just ~40 km apart.  

Further behind, Daniel Gottschalk (142) had 10 punctures between the Gelibolu-Lapseki ferry and CP4. Visibly frustrated, he slept for ~5 hours overnight, and is now heading to the Parcours. 

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However out in front, one rider was a lot cheerier. Robin Gemperle (002) was chuffed after he found some new sunglasses, his original pair having been run over by a car. “I am starting to smell Istanbul, but let’s not curse it,” he said. 

Heading towards the Black Sea coastline, Robin chose to ride through the Yalova Peninsula, a very challenging territory characterised by relentlessly testing hills and narrow roads. It appeared not to be the quickest route as by morning his lead had reduced to ~60 km. Despite this, Robin is now beyond Kocaeli Province, inching towards the Finish Parcours, and the chances of the chasing pack catching him look slim. 

Unpacking fears 

Chas Christiansen (169) rode through Durmitor National Park in Montenegro, remarking that it was his favourite country so far, but it wasn’t just the sights which roused his spirits, it was in fact, his own packing choices.

Most afraid of getting soaking wet on the top of a mountain, Chas packed his rain pants. Unused since Roubaix, until a freezing cold mountain descent out of Montenegro meant they came in handy. 

“I packed my fears, everybody packs their fears on this Race, you pack all the things you are the most afraid of,” he said. “It saved me, and I feel great about myself.” 

Alvin Escajeda (077) also rode through Durmitor National Park in Montenegro, enjoying the stunning road to the summit, and the opportunity to see the local wildlife, earnestly writing on social media that he was having “the best day”. 

Self-belief

Dominating fastest woman Jana Kesenheimer (010) crossed into Turkey in the early hours of this morning, heading towards the ferry crossings to Çanakkale. She has led the women's field for all of the Race, producing a strong ride from the outset in Roubaix. Jana attributes her success to goal setting, as well as wanting to push herself without compromise. 

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“I want to do it as good as I can without destroying myself,” said Jana. “I know it is going to be hard, and it is hard, but I should have been a little bit more optimistic.” 

Jana nearly signed up to do last year’s TCR but didn’t have the confidence. When Jana saw the sea for the first time in Greece, the reality of her achievement so far hit home. 

“I just rode my bike here, how crazy is this. It feels insane that it actually happened.” 

Keeping up

At the back of the Race, riders made the final push towards CP2 before it closed at 23:59CEST. After the testing Parcours, and despite riders feeling increasingly fatigued, the final hours of the Bosnian CP saw over 50 riders validated and stamped. The last rider Vincent Fisson (177) made the cut at 23:30CEST. 

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Further ahead, Victor Bosoni is heading towards Greece from North Macedonia. The 22-year-old has the same daily average kilometres of ~385 km as Adrien Liechti (007), who is now on Parcours 4. Were it not for the passport blunder, Victor would likely be in the top 20 riders. 

As the front pack heads towards the Black Sea, the Finish Parcours is yet to be tackled. Its undulating tarmac coupled with segments of gravel will be the final effort for Robin leading him to the thriving city of Istanbul. 

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This is Robin’s third TCR, his body and mind are no doubt feeling the effects of crossing the European continent and his tyre tracks are edging towards 4,000 km, can he take his first TCR win? 

Scratch report 

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Several riders have scratched due to injury and fatigue. 

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114 Marius Schada 

143 Lionel Bobb 

190 Daniel Boulton

307a Lukas Gerhard 

307b Oliver Neumann 

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