TCRNo10 Day 9: Deliverance and Divergence on the Bosphorus 

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Words by Emma Cole

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Deliverance and divergence on the Bosporus 

After just under nine days of racing, Robin Gemperle (002) is the winner of the 10^th edition of the Transcontinental Race, riding from Roubaix to Istanbul in 8 days 23 hours 59 minutes. 

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Throughout the Race, Robin held a commanding lead and, amidst the mental and physical challenges which come from riding across the European continent and beyond, he produced a ride of phenomenal strength and relentless endurance. 

In a changing of the guard, two time TCR winner Christoph Strasser (001) arrived in second place after 9 days 4 hours and 32 minutes. 

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Behind him was Tim de Witte (003), winner of the Green Leaderboard and third overall, after 9 days, 13 hours, and 11 minutes, and half an hour later was Abdullah Zeinab (021) after 9 days 13 hours and 43 minutes. 

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While the podium spots have been taken, the Race is far from over. 

The next cohort of riders hoping to place in the top 15 are closely packed and determined to catch those ahead of them. Andre Bachmann (005) and David Tschan (050) are currently weaving their way along the shores of the Black Sea, with Andre looking to have cemented fifth place, while behind Ben Chadourne (060), Lucas Strittmatter (197), Florian Moreau (067), and Mikko Kainu (043) are pushing north all vying for a spot in the top 10. 

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Hoping to gain ground behind them are Pawel Pulawski (008) and Adrien Liechti (007), and in 13^th position is the first woman Jana Kesenheimer (010) who is ~500 km from the Finish.

Further back, a host of riders are on Parcours 4, including leading Pair Gereon Tewes (295a) and Sherry Cardona (295b), while for others, the focus shifts to CP3 in Kosovo which closes at 18:00CEST today.

Sprint for third 

The Race for third came down to the wire. Heading to the final Parcours, Abdullah Zeinab (021) was 40 km ahead of Tim de Witte (003), but his lead soon dwindled as he suffered multiple mechanicals including a seized brake calliper and more punctures.

As Abdullah reached the Bosporus Strait, Tim was 15 km behind, but the third podium spot still looked to be Abdullah’s for the taking. 

Riding on the mandatory Parcours towards the Finish and along the shores of the Marmara Sea, Abdullah took a left turn believing that the free route section started earlier than it did and bypassed the last 1.5 km of the Parcours. This last minute route mistake saw Abdullah slip into fourth. 

Knowing he was close, Tim rode with pace along the Strait, sprinted up the stairs with his bike to the Finish to claim third spot and the win for the Green Leaderboard. Breathless, overwhelmed and in disbelief to have reclaimed his third spot from last year. Meanwhile, Abdullah returned to where he left the Parcours, showing composure when he realised, after all that effort, that he would need to turn around to finish the Race once and for all.

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Varied routes 

Further back, riders headed north in pursuit of the Final Parcours and cooler coastal temperatures. Wrestling with strong headwinds, riders had to navigate the Yalova Peninsula and circumvent Lake İznik which produced a variety of route choices. 

Stretching 32 km in length and 10 km in width, Lake İznik is an imposing feature on the landscape, not least because it hides a special archaeological secret under its surface – a Byzantine Basilica of Saint Neophytos. 

Many riders chose terrain which played to their strengths hoping to gain any sort of advantage over those ahead. 

Ex-mountain biker Lukas Strittmatter (197) chose a rough track north of the lake choosing off-road climbs which played to his strength while Andre Bachmann (005) chose a spectacular gravel section heading east onto the Yalova Peninsula skirting around the west side of the lake.

Also among the pack, Ben Chadourne (060) and Florian Moreau (067) rode south of the lake before heading up towards the town of Iznik and across the Peninsula. 

Heading through Karacabey, Pawel Pulawski (008), Tobias Fuchs (132) and Mikko Kainu (043) were close together and trying to take 10th position, by morning Mikko had pushed onwards ahead, and Tobias had scratched due to Shermer’s Neck. Pawel and Adrien Liechti (007) are now making their way around the lake, Pawel looks to be heading east, and Adrien west no doubt in search of more gravel. However Adrien appears to be without a GPS unit, so it will be interesting to see how his route pans out.

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Closing in on Kosovo 

For those still carving inroads through the Balkans, attention turned towards CP3 which closes at 18:00CEST today.

So far, over 150 riders have passed through CP3, riding through the beautiful plains of Kosovo and climbing the 7.7 km route to the CP at Prevallë. 

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Early this morning, multiple riders arrived at the CP, including Mike Hall Bursary rider Fran Scott (290), Carlotta Schumacher (034), Bambang Anggoro Jati (118) and Peak Design ambassador Hanna de Sousa (009). 

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The top four riders are in, but it remains to be seen who will complete the top 10. Will Andre Bachmann hold off David Tschan Could Adrien Liechti’s off-road route help him leapfrog ahead? The warm breeze of the Bosporus awaits. 

Scratch report 

Several riders have scratched due to illness, injury and fatigue. 

014 Regan Arendse

104 Steven Lane

132 Tobias Fuchs

142 Daniel Gottschalk

201 Denis Callanan

234 Ranulph Steiger

237 Alexandre Bourgeonnier 

241 Nick Duggan

279 Wouter Oosterveld

287 Jens Volkersdorfer

288 James Giblett

306b Osman Kıtay

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