TCRNo10 Pre-Race Report
July 16, 2024
There is less than a week to go until the start of the 10th edition of the Transcontinental Race. Starting on Sunday 21st July, 330 riders will start with a lap of the iconic Roubaix velodrome, and then begin a journey of nearly 4,000 kilometres to Istanbul, Türkiye. Each rider will need to employ every ounce of their physical and mental endurance, as they navigate the highs and lows of a transcontinental journey and aim to become the fastest person to traverse Europe by bike.
The riders will navigate between four Control Points (CPs) and associated Parcours (mandatory route sections) and must be entirely self-supported for the duration of the Race. They will cross towering mountain ranges, explore wild landscapes and rarely visited places, and push themselves to their limits, all with a view from a bicycle.
Heading out of Roubaix, riders strike out for Geraardsbergen, the spiritual home of the TCR, via a Parcours composed of well-known cobbled climbs. From Geraardsbergen, riders will set their bearings towards Slovenia to CP1 where they will tackle Mangartsko Sedlo, a road with 17% gradients and a summit over 2000m high, offering riders uninterrupted views of the stunning Julian Alps.
Onwards to CP2, southwest of Sarajevo, Bosnia, the towering mountain Bjelašnica awaits. Already seen in TCRNo6, where riders tackled Bjelašnica’s hairpins to reach the ski station at the top, for the 10th edition riders will take a different track skirting below the summit – representing the first off-road section of the Race. During the Bosnian War (1992-95), Bjelašnica was a key battleground and its summit was of major strategic importance, with a radar station and communication towers which had a pivotal role throughout the Siege of Sarajevo.
For the first time in TCR history, the Race then visits Kosovo, with the popular skiing destination Prevallë hosting CP3, the towering peaks of the Macedonian border looming large overhead.
The penultimate CP is Çanakkale in Türkiye, last seen on TCRNo4.From there riders head east before looping back to reach the finish line in Istanbul, the city that straddles the Bosporus strait where East meets West.
This will be the first time that the TCR heads fully beyond Europe and into Asia, and the first time in nine years, since TCRNo3, that the Race finishes in Istanbul. In the third edition, the Race finished on the European side of Istanbul and whilst the Race finished in Çanakkale in TCRNo4, the Race effectively ended upon reaching the ferry on the European side of the Dardanelles Strait.
Head-to-head
For the 10th anniversary of the race, there is a strong line-up, arguably the strongest ever, including last year’s podium (Christoph Strasser, Robin Gemperle, and Tim de Witte), the last rider to win in Istanbul (Josh Ibbett) and the 40 women on the start line making it the largest women’s field at a TCR ever.
Christoph Strasser (cap 001), winner of TCRs No8 and No9, and six-time Race Across America winner, is hoping to make it a TCR hattrick. Should Christoph achieve this he would become only the second rider to win the Race three times after Kristof Allegaert, and the first person to win three consecutive editions.
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“I'm definitely feeling well prepared, but of course, there is a little bit of nervousness because there are so many things that can happen and there are new countries we have to ride through, so it will be very exciting,” said Christoph.
“I've never been to Kosovo or Türkiye, with or without a bike so I will be there for the first time. I'm a little bit afraid of the number four Parcours in Türkiye, the off-road section, because I'm always a little bit afraid of the off-road section. It will be a big challenge, there is just no information at all and if you check the Strava heat map, you see that nobody has ever ridden there before.”
Also returning to the TCR is Robin Gemperle (002) from Switzerland, who has several accolades to his name from 2023 including winning the Atlas Mountain Race and Hope 1000, 2nd at Badlands, and 2nd in the TCR. This year he’s fresh from winning Taunus Bikepacking and setting a strong course record.
Throughout TCRNo9 Robin and Christoph were grappling for the lead and this year the Swiss is hoping to top the podium.
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“It's my third really big race and last year was the very first attempt in actually going for a win in a major race,” said Robin.
“I think it just makes sense that now with the third attempt, chances are way higher than they have been last year.”
Tim de Witte (003) raced TCRNo8, and won TCRNo9’s Green Leaderboard, a classification within the GC to celebratethe fastest person to complete the Race and use sustainable travel to get to and from the start and finish. In doing so, he came third overall, and this year he is feeling the pressure to perform.
“I think there might be a few contenders for the first place, so I think it will be a big battle in the beginning” said Tim.
“I think I have spent more time than the two previous years combined on making my route, maybe it’s because I feel the pressure not to screw this up. I want to do as well as I did last year, I want to be at the same level again.”
Turkish delight
It has been nine years since the Race last finished in Istanbul for TCRNo3, and it was Josh Ibbett (018) who won that edition. He returns this year to ride his fourth TCR.
“I always had it in my head that I'd like to do it again at some point”, said Josh. “I thought either 10 years since I won it, which would be next year, or 10 years since I first did it. As it happens, I had it in my head for this year anyway. Istanbul was the original route, going all the way across the whole continent pretty much.
“I first did it nine years ago when I won it and the whole sport of bikepacking has changed an awful lot since then. Ten years is a long time and I want to see where I sit now.
“I haven't got any expectations. I've been able to win the thing, not against some of the guys who are there [now], but I know how to win it because I've done it so I know it is possible, but they're a different calibre of rider. I'm going to use every single piece of experience and knowledge to do what I can.”
Josh is not the only rider who returns to the TCR because of a connection with the finish line. Sherry Cardona (295b) and Gereon Tewes (295a) won the pairs category last year and hadn’t planned on entering again but it was Türkiye’s largest city that led them to the start line again.
“Istanbul was the first trip we did as a couple” said Gereon. “Shortly after we met we went for a weekend trip to Istanbul, and that was one of the reasons why we said let’s go back and do it again. Last year’s experience made us stronger together and hopefully this year we survive again.”
The idea of trip down memory lane is also a pull for Jaimi Wilson (004), TCRNo9’s fastest woman.
“When I cycled around the world a few years ago, I went through Istanbul and stayed there for a few weeks and I absolutely loved it so I've always wanted to go back,” said Jaimi.
Since last year’s Race, Jaimi has a few more ultra experiences under her belt including Monaro Cloudride and All Points North, and with that has come an (even) more relaxed approach.
“To be honest, I don't feel super prepared, but I never do. I'm the least organised person. I think the more of these I do, the more relaxed I seem to get. It’s probably not a good thing. I mean anything can happen that can stop you from doing it because there's so many external things, but I guess I know that I'm always capable of doing it.”
Riders to watch
While there are plenty of returning riders, there are also a lot of newcomers, many of whom are new to the Race but not to ultra cycling.
Fresh from his win of the first edition of the Accursed Race, Alex Kopp (006) is preparing to take on his first TCR against this strong field.
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“I feel quite comfortable to be in unsupported bike race mode because of doing the Atlas Mountain Race in February, then in May The Accursed, but this race is completely different,” said Alex.
“I have never planned such a long route on tarmac and I’m doing it for the first time, whereas Robin and Christoph have done it for the last two or three years, so they know what they are doing.”
Another rider embarking on their first TCR is American Cynthia Carson (020) who has an impressive palmarès which includes Atlas Mountain Race, Unbound XL, Badlands, Across Andes, GranGuanche Gravel, Transcordilleras, and Memory Bike Adventure.
“I haven't spent a lot of time in the East of Europe, so I'm really looking forward to it,” said Cynthia. “I hear the hospitality is amazing and the more East you go it gets more gnarly. I have no idea what to expect but I’m ready to explore and see everything when I'm racing. When I get to Türkiye, I'll just try and take it all in. I'll probably want to be done and I'll get to the finish as fast as I can, but it'll be a culturally unique experience to finish a 10-to-11-day bike race in Istanbul.”
Cynthia takes confidence from Fiona Kolbinger’s win of TCRNo7 in 2019. “If she can do it, so can I. That's how I live my life. If somebody else is out there doing it, I can do it too.”
The 10th Transcontinental Race starts on Sunday 21st of July at 20.00 CEST. You can keep up to date by visiting the Race page, which brings together all the official coverage of the TCR: https://www.lostdot.cc/race/tcrno10. We will be posting daily content across our social media, as well as our Race Reports and Podcast.
TCRNo10 is supported by our partners Fara Cycling, PEdALED, Apidura, komoot and Peak Design.