CP1 during the Transcontinental Race No.6
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„They are fast this year!“ - so reads Juliana’s message, letting our crew of volunteers at Control Point 1 know that we need to move our first shift forward by a few hours. If the riders keep going at their current pace the first one might actually get here by 3 am. And so Adrian grabs a pillow and sets up in the lobby, the trackleaders website on constant „refresh“ and stamp at the ready. But by 2 am it becomes clear that the leading riders have decided to get some rest and start on their ride-eat-sleep-repeat routine - probably a sensible thing to do with some 3000 km still ahead of them and having ridden through the first night without any sleep at all…
This is not a Tour...
Finally a little before 7 am, just shy of 1 Day & 9 hours of race time and having ridden more than 800 (!) kilometers the first rider reaches CP1: Bernd Paul had gained the lead overnight and was the first to collect his stamp. After being interviewed and having multiple pictures taken of course. And just when the second rider was about to arrive (Stephane Ouaja) he got back on his bike and started pedaling up the mountain…
In quick succession we now had a couple of the fast ones coming through. Most of them looking quite fresh after having slept last night, most open for a quick chat, but also quite business like. Pictures and interview, brevet card stamped, fill up the bottles and head back out, start climbing. Of this first wave only very few stuck around a little longer to have breakfast or rest a little - you could clearly tell that they were racing this and were very focused. Rightfully so, because like Mike once said: „This is not a tour.“
Bring on the Crowd
As they day goes on the frequency of riders slowly increases, but day 1 stays relatively quiet. Day 2 brings the crowds, with a constant stream of riders basically all day long. And the ones coming in now are actually more fun for us volunteers because they tend to stick around longer, stopping for food and drinks and rest - and telling stories of their race. Some of them are also clearly a little less organized, and let’s be honest: sometimes mistakes make the best stories. Like the one rider whizzing past the checkpoint, right into the climb - to find out 2 hours of hard climbing later that he has to return to the bottom of the mountain to pick up his stamp… He was in a surprisingly good mood and after having two pizzas jump back onto the bike to tackle the climb a second time, riding of into the night. Kudos to you, #61!
The day ends in a huge thunderstorm - forcing some riders of the road into hotels even before they reach us or heading straight to the hotel’s reception even before they collect their stamp to see if there is still a room available to spend the night. Only a few brave ones set out, climbing the parcours in the rain. Up won’t be a problem as it is still very warm - but down, in the dark and on wet roads? Again, kudos to them!
At the End of the Race - Some Start Touring
Day 3 finally brings the slower end of the race - a small trickle, people sometimes a little concerned about making the cutoff time, but mainly people in it for the ride. Enjoying themselves, having time for chats and coffee and ice cream. We also see some people scratch, with 3 days of hard riding in searing temperatures being too much for their achilles tendon, their knee or their backside. But the vibe is still pretty good, there is plenty of laughter and if these riders might miss the official times they will still ride on, not having the adventure cut short by something like a deadline. Which to me just perfectly embodies the spirit of the race…
When I volunteered 2 years ago I only got to see the first 6 riders come in, with me only being there for the first 2 days and the course being a lot harder than Mike had expected. This year I got to see it all, from potential winners to the ones barely (or not) making the cutoff times. And I am unable to make up my mind what I found more fascinating, the almost unbelievable kilometers the likes of James and Bjorn are riding. Or the ones in it for the adventure, sometimes on their first long distance event ever - and clearly struggling. They must have known signing up that it would be a very long shot finishing the race - but taking the leap non the less and rising up to the challenge…
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Tags , Bikepacking, longdistance, Randonneur, Rennrad, TCRno6, Tour, transcontinental
gepostet von Christopher J. am 3. August 2018
„They are fast this year!“ - so reads Juliana’s message, letting our crew of volunteers at Control Point 1 know that we need to move our first shift forward by a few hours. If the riders keep going at their current pace the first one might actually get here by 3 am. And so Adrian grabs a pillow and sets up in the lobby, the trackleaders website on constant „refresh“ and stamp at the ready. But by 2 am it becomes clear that the leading riders have decided to get some rest and start on their ride-eat-sleep-repeat routine - probably a sensible thing to do with some 3000 km still ahead of them and having ridden through the first night without any sleep at all…
This is not a Tour...
Finally a little before 7 am, just shy of 1 Day & 9 hours of race time and having ridden more than 800 (!) kilometers the first rider reaches CP1: Bernd Paul had gained the lead overnight and was the first to collect his stamp. After being interviewed and having multiple pictures taken of course. And just when the second rider was about to arrive (Stephane Ouaja) he got back on his bike and started pedaling up the mountain…
In quick succession we now had a couple of the fast ones coming through. Most of them looking quite fresh after having slept last night, most open for a quick chat, but also quite business like. Pictures and interview, brevet card stamped, fill up the bottles and head back out, start climbing. Of this first wave only very few stuck around a little longer to have breakfast or rest a little - you could clearly tell that they were racing this and were very focused. Rightfully so, because like Mike once said: „This is not a tour.“
Bring on the Crowd
As they day goes on the frequency of riders slowly increases, but day 1 stays relatively quiet. Day 2 brings the crowds, with a constant stream of riders basically all day long. And the ones coming in now are actually more fun for us volunteers because they tend to stick around longer, stopping for food and drinks and rest - and telling stories of their race. Some of them are also clearly a little less organized, and let’s be honest: sometimes mistakes make the best stories. Like the one rider whizzing past the checkpoint, right into the climb - to find out 2 hours of hard climbing later that he has to return to the bottom of the mountain to pick up his stamp… He was in a surprisingly good mood and after having two pizzas jump back onto the bike to tackle the climb a second time, riding of into the night. Kudos to you, #61!
The day ends in a huge thunderstorm - forcing some riders of the road into hotels even before they reach us or heading straight to the hotel’s reception even before they collect their stamp to see if there is still a room available to spend the night. Only a few brave ones set out, climbing the parcours in the rain. Up won’t be a problem as it is still very warm - but down, in the dark and on wet roads? Again, kudos to them!
At the End of the Race - Some Start Touring
Day 3 finally brings the slower end of the race - a small trickle, people sometimes a little concerned about making the cutoff time, but mainly people in it for the ride. Enjoying themselves, having time for chats and coffee and ice cream. We also see some people scratch, with 3 days of hard riding in searing temperatures being too much for their achilles tendon, their knee or their backside. But the vibe is still pretty good, there is plenty of laughter and if these riders might miss the official times they will still ride on, not having the adventure cut short by something like a deadline. Which to me just perfectly embodies the spirit of the race…
When I volunteered 2 years ago I only got to see the first 6 riders come in, with me only being there for the first 2 days and the course being a lot harder than Mike had expected. This year I got to see it all, from potential winners to the ones barely (or not) making the cutoff times. And I am unable to make up my mind what I found more fascinating, the almost unbelievable kilometers the likes of James and Bjorn are riding. Or the ones in it for the adventure, sometimes on their first long distance event ever - and clearly struggling. They must have known signing up that it would be a very long shot finishing the race - but taking the leap non the less and rising up to the challenge…
Tags , Bikepacking, longdistance, Randonneur, Rennrad, TCRno6, Tour, transcontinental
gepostet von Christopher J. am 3. August 2018