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Well, it's not mtb but the riding is epic and the current top five are stealing a march on everyone else.
http://trackleaders.com/transam16
Lael Wilcox and Sarah Hammond (despite a wrong turn yesterday) are in the top 5 group and both started very strongly. Trans Am facebook page has daily updates, Lael's partner is posting interesting updates here: https://gypsybytrade.wordpress.com/ Apparently Lael never sleeps in a room on the route and pretty much only eats while on the move, oh, and is not carrying a sleeping bag.
They started on June 4th and the leaders are already approching 1100miles covered! It's better than the TdF.
Is this the road race one? I saw a red bull doc on some German guy doing it. It looks like the worst thing imaginable. Zero sleep for days on end. The guy was basically asleep on the bike and turning the pedals in his sleep at a painfully slow rate.
No, that's the RAAM - the Trans Am is unsupported, bikepacking style like a road version of the Tour Divide. There's a really good film about it called "Inspired to Ride" that came out a while ago, worth a watch.
It is the road one, but has the same self-supported rules as the tour divide and trans continental. It is super-tough at about 4400 miles, and Mike Hall won the first outing in 2014, completing it in just 17 days!
There's a good film about it called Inspired to Ride (i think available on Amazon prime), and Mike looks pretty destroyed at the end of it, understandably!
EDIT: ah, beaten to it!
See Lee Fancourt is doing well, local UK rider supported by LBS. I like his training loops Gloucester - Bristol repeatedly until he hits 300miles its mental
In July, Lee smashed three world records for cycling the most miles off-road on a mountain bike over 12, 24 and 48 hours, along the family trail at the Pedalway Cycle Centre in The Forest of Dean.
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No, that's the RAAM
Ah, that's the one
F
that
See Lee Fancourt is doing well,
he's actually MIA, his spot hasn't updated for over 30 hours, nobody knows where he is and he's not made contact with anyone
his FB page is here and its being update by slam69
Oof sorry to hear that, not a FB user so missed it. Fingers crossed he's fine
Hope he's fine too. Seems to have had some bad luck with the Jogle and now this if it's more than his tracker failing.
Lee was having problems with his dynamo which wasn't charging GPS or lights properly, but concern is that SPOT tracker is still Active, but hasn't moved since Tuesday morning and he hasn't called home to either his fiancee or Graham at Slam 69 bike shop who sponsor him.
They are concerned enough that they have contacted race organisers and the state police to search for him.
I'm still alive! TABR day 6
FROM FB PAGE
And doing alright by the look of the now-working tracker...
Looks like he *wasn't* alright. Collapsed and was lying under a tree for 40 hours. Holy moly.
Blimey, that sounds bad
Been trying to keep track of this despite being on holiday...looks like Sarah Hammond had to have a long rest and has lost her second place for now. Label Wilcot doing very well
Lael is amazing. Well worth a dig through the gypsybytrade archives for a peek at everything else she's been doing.
Broken mech hanger for lee fancourt - no spare
Lee Fancourt's luck isn't changing, trouble is he is riding a high end Colnago and no local bike shops stock mech hanger, did message him to see if he could get hold of emergency mech hanger in short term at least to keep hm moving and get colnago sent ahead?? Doesn't seem to have tried to single speed it either?
He did cobble together a single speed to get himself to a bike shop. I must say I am surprised Lee didn't have a spare mech hanger with him. Maybe he did and had already used it? He has had a shocker this race. But he will never give up! I have never met a man with such dogged determination! He is a great guy and a real inspiration!
All of a sudden the leaders are only 1400miles or less to the finish, and the dots went so quickly across the plains!
There is a ton of climbing through Missouri, Kentucky and Virginia. Much harder to read and ride than the long easier gradients over the Rockies.
I'm curious as to the 'poor' showing from Jay Petervary. He's been a consistently high finisher on the Tour Divide, I thought the TransAm would be an easier proposition, but he's been miles off the pace from the start. Has ultra endurance road riding developed some superhuman athletes that make exception ones look ordinary?
Who knows? Mike hall and Lael are both TD vets and are clearly capable at both. I'm not sure it's necessarily all about being mega fit, but getting your strategies right with pace and sleep patterns - and adapting it for different types of riding
It's turning into a fascinating finish, with just over 500 miles left for the top 3. Stefan Streich, who has been in the lead be 80-90miles nearly the whole time, is pushing himself to the absolute limit and may be cracking as his resting patterns are apparently all over the place. Lael Wilcox is now on a mission to finish first, and has made up a huge chunk of the gap between her and stefan, leaving Evan behind. She is reportedly in very good spirits and feeling good - racing to meet up with her partner Nick in Yorktown.
Phenomenal stuff, although it looks like Mike will keep his record.
It's worth remembering that there is more climbing in Virginia than in any other state on the route. Heat and humidity will be crushing too.
Has been a great event to watch and follow on Facebook and Trackleaders.
I think Sarah Hammond will be one to watch for the future, she seems to have gone off a bit too qucikly at the start and paid the price in the altitude and heat. But for a first timer who will have gained a lot of experience from her first Trans-Am, it has been a great ride. Between her and Lael, it certainly shows that the ladies can really hold there own in these ultra-distance events.
Feel sorry for Lee Fancourt, what a plucky ride, i'm sure after all he has been through, thoughts of jacking it in really must have crossed his mind, yet he is still cranking out the miles.
Well, drama strikes! Stefan has run out of tubes and has a flat tyre, 15miles from town. Lael is catching him and not sure if she can help?
I got caught up in the drama but then thought, surely you'd carry a couple of packs of self adhesive patches?! You could make one of the tubes work...
At this stage of the race would she really want to? 😀Lael is catching him and not sure if she can help?
I know, it's a test of character..I think she probably would. But looks like he has made it into town now..
Can't Stefan hitch a ride to town, pick up a new tube, get a ride back to where he was picked up from and continue?
Looks like he's moving again, so hopefully he has it sorted. Shame Lael's tracker isn't updating, I want to she how close she got!
There are only five miles separating Lael from Stefan, this could end up in a sprint finish 😯
She's ahead now! Although both their trackers seem to be a bit spotty.
Wow, Lael 5 miles in the lead and 109 miles to go! By all accounts they are both rested, I think Stefan might ride faster than Lael on average, and it's a pretty flat run-in now - what a finish!
I'm glad I'm not the only one who is excited about this finish.
The trackers aren't updating that frequently, and stefan in now showing 1 mile ahead of lael but hers hasn't updated in 25mins. I think that'll happen all the way to the finish.
Less than 80 miles to go and Lael now has an 8 mile lead. Neither Lael or Stefan will stop for sleep now...epic ending!
Lael seems to have 17 mile lead now according to her FB page, stunning ride from her, paced to perfection!
Indeed, according to the gypsybytrade blog, Stefan woke up from a sleep and went back up the road the wrong way for a while! And is also experiencing gps issues..didn't stock up on tubes either after lots of puntctures. Seems like some tired decisions (understandably!) but that's part of the game. This afternoon's dot watching will be good!
The dots aren't refreshing often enough! I'm on tenterhooks!
I've got a report to finish for a customer but I'm too busy to watch a dot not move quickly enough. Do you think the customer would understand if I told them the real reason they're getting the report tomorrow?
My work place allowed people 2 hours off last week for football, but apparently won't allow me a few hours to drink tea and watch dots, gits.....
As you say i think physically you just turn into a machine, but i think it is the mental tiredness that really gets to them now with wrong turns and losing bearings and making simple mistakes.
23 miles to go and Lael is 25 miles ahead! Shaggy is right, they're not refreshing quick enough though
She's only going to blinkin do it! That is a stunning ride and when you see her on vids taken by people spectating on FB she seems to somehow still be raising a smile. Crazy how a race of this length can come down to such a tight finish a perhaps a single wrong turn or puncture.
I don't want to say anything until it's in the bag!
It's not done until the bubble starts bouncing!
Dot finally updated - 4 miles to go!!
4.2 miles to go!
🙂
Watching live an facebook...quite exciting, except the lugubrious commentary!
She's only done it!
she's there! superb!
She doesn't even look that tired!
Amazing!
That is pure class, i think she has pretty much taken 18 days dead on or thereabouts? Mike Halls time was 17 days 16 hours, so only 8 hours difference.
Incredible - love her!
What a finish 😯
I think it would be hard to establish a definitive record as there are so many variables weather wise along the route.
We experienced headwinds that lasted a week which stunted our speeds to sub 10mph on the flats across Kansas. I recall a couple of days in Colorado and Wyoming where when we were giving it everything 7mph was all we could muster.
Huge respect to those that attempt and complete these races. Their mental fortitude is mesmerising.