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cesarepedrini · 4 years

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Training for #TCR05 at #Suviana damm #2017 | https://cesarepedrini.wordpress.com/2018/10/27/gt-meatball/ | #GT #GTMeatball #Specialized #MissGrape #HaloWheels #ThomsonBikeParts #Decathlon #DecathlonItalia #Specialized #FixedGear #ScattoFisso #TrackBike #Pista #Ultracycling #Bikepacking #Gravel #GravelBike #Adventure #AdventureBike #AdventureByBike #FromWhereIRide #OutsideIsFree #FTW #FixTheWorld | #Bologna #Valsamoggia #Bazzano (presso Lago di Suviana) https://www.instagram.com/p/B89qasloWcY/?igshid=1it5nwiusdmvv

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rideunknownroads · 6 years

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TCR05 5/5

CP4 to Finish

We reached the CP4, located right behind the pass, after 7 hours of riding, but covering only 100 km. We had to move on but the last stamp in brevet card before the finish gave us an extra energy. It was a tricky feeling though, as we had to cover still more then 1100 km and having already 2750 km in our legs. We reached our next hotel town Drăgășani after 270 km and focusing on doing the same the next day (which was, already without Lucifer, quite possible).

/ Vidraru dam in Romania

On the way to Serbia we shortly crossed Bulgaria, and as the evening approached we were already in Niš after more then 320 km from the previous night. It was probably the longest distance we covered in one day, with 26.3 km/h average speed. Not bad. Niš is interesting city, the third biggest of Serbia and one of the oldest in Balkan region. We enjoyed crossing its lively streets, as since Ljublana, we were constantly surrounded by rural areas (except couple of towns in Slovakia). We used the opportunity to find a good restaurant and have a well deserved dinner before we went to the hotel.

/ Miguel reading the dinner menu in Niš

After the same procedures (unpacking, washing the clothes, shower, short sleep, packing up, bike check, control of the route, breakfast ) we were back on the road again with the idea to enter Macedonia to have our last stop before the final stretch in Greece. Before entering Macedonia we met Norwegien riders (CAP255). But, they were going opposite direction. It was clear that something was wrong, so after a short analysis we re-routed our planned border crossing.

/ south part of Serbia before we entered Macedonia

While getting to Macedonia, we entered terrible roads and high temperatures too. In some moment we were lacking of water but fruit trees (greengages) next to the roads make their job very well. We’ve been joined by Richard Williams (CAP275) having the same need for refreshment. He just underlined that almost absurd situation typical from TCR: Forgotten Macedonian land, +3000km in your legs, friend from Venezuela you met in China, accompanied by random UK dude, eating the juicy fruits and sharing together that moment. Priceless. We continued through the vast land to Kumanovo city, trying to reach Prilep after crossing relatively minor mountain range.

/ walking with the bikes in the sandy stretch

We then made a ‘great’ decision to ‘shortcut’ a 80km planned segment by 15km. Miguel believed what I was proposing: nice roads, beautiful landscape, no cars, plenty of space for night bivy. The problem appeared when the road (although nice) continued to be less and less solid. Basically we end up trapped in the valley, where the only reasonable solution was to walk almost 15km to cross the hill. Cycling shoes off, slippers on, deep night, and pushing the bike uphill in sandy trail. After basically whole night walking we were at 7 am in Prisad, without sleep. Exhausted.

/ the early morning section after tiresome night

At that time, we found a gas station, and laid (felt down). It was already a hot day. Miguel seemed like he was having a great time sleeping on the ground. After 2 hours of rest and some coffees, we headed south. We passed by almost apocalyptic sceneries of industrial zone in northern Greece with 4 coal power plants. Not the nicest environment for cycling. We rode whole day with several stops, having difficulties to find food or even water at any gas stations. But after 15 hours, we reached the last parkour that finally lead us to the end of our TCR journey. After 14 days of riding, long 3850 km we crossed the finish line of The Transcontinental Race.

/ the finish photo

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cesarepedrini · 4 years

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Train insane for #TCR05 #2017 | https://cesarepedrini.wordpress.com/2018/10/27/gt-meatball/ | #GT #GTMeatball #Specialized #MissGrape #HaloWheels #ThomsonBikeParts #Decathlon #DecathlonItalia #Specialized #FixedGear #ScattoFisso #TrackBike #Pista #Ultracycling #Bikepacking #Gravel #GravelBike #Adventure #AdventureBike #AdventureByBike #FromWhereIRide #OutsideIsFree #FTW #FixTheWorld | #Bologna #Valsamoggia #Bazzano https://www.instagram.com/p/B89CxvCoQx1/?igshid=10anzytc4c5y

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cesarepedrini · 4 years

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Training for #TCR05 #2017 | https://cesarepedrini.wordpress.com/2018/10/27/gt-meatball/ | #GT #GTMeatball #Specialized #MissGrape #HaloWheels #ThomsonBikeParts #Decathlon #DecathlonItalia #Specialized #FixedGear #ScattoFisso #TrackBike #Pista #Ultracycling #Bikepacking #Gravel #GravelBike #Adventure #AdventureBike #AdventureByBike #FromWhereIRide #OutsideIsFree #FTW #FixTheWorld | #Bologna #Valsamoggia #Bazzano (presso Bologna, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/B88Wb6SIa7L/?igshid=o2visb80nd2s

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cesarepedrini · 4 years

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Training for #TCR05 #2017 | https://cesarepedrini.wordpress.com/2018/10/27/gt-meatball/ | #GT #GTMeatball #Specialized #MissGrape #HaloWheels #ThomsonBikeParts #Decathlon #DecathlonItalia #Specialized #FixedGear #ScattoFisso #TrackBike #Pista #Ultracycling #Bikepacking #Gravel #GravelBike #Adventure #AdventureBike #AdventureByBike #FromWhereIRide #OutsideIsFree #FTW #FixTheWorld | #Bologna #Valsamoggia #Bazzano (presso Bologna, Italy) https://www.instagram.com/p/B88IiDno2XK/?igshid=11j0vo3bl99il

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rideunknownroads · 6 years

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TCR05 3/5

CP2 to CP3

4:00 alarm, 4:30 departure and 1500m of elevation ahead of us. Sometimes is maybe better to check the profile and not just head straight to it, to avoid surprises when you think you are ‘there’, but you are far from ‘there’. It took us exactly 3 hours to get to the top, with several stops: to enjoy the sunrise, watching a family of chamois (mountain goat), and taking some photos of the early morning sceneries. (no, we were not stopping because our legs were in crazy pain :)

/ early morning view from Monte Grappa in Italy

Right afterwards we headed down, which was actually again up, Miguel got a second puncture so we stop a bit, but we continued descending (very) fast back to 200 m.a.s.l to catch the road that should lead us to Slovenia. But lead, not only us, but also many cars and heavy trucks. While having lunch at some Italian motorest, surrounded by heavy traffic, summer hot wave aka Lucifer started to play its role. We continued through the day towards Slovenia and more quiet (and closer to evening also cooler) roads.

/ random stop at grocery store in Slovenia

We crossed the borders to reach 6th country on our route and we celebrated it heavily - with pack of cokes at some local bar, while looking for some dinner. There were not many options around, so lonely fish restaurant appeared as the best option. After a huge meal and a private service (only customers in the restaurant) we continued with the darkness to reach the top of the first Slovenian climb and have a bivy somewhere around Podkraj. A chasing dog is the best thing to wake up your body in deep night, but it didn’t last long and after only 250km ( including early morning Monte Grappa) we were down on the ground inside our bivys. We took a full speed through Slovenia and its beautiful countryside (as much as we could handle the temperatures) to get to Hungary.

/ crossing Slovenian countryside

Regular stops to rest and especially to cool down were mandatory. After around 300km we dropped our bodies in small village (Püspökmolnári) somewhere near football field. Miguel stayed sleeping under some pine trees (which means on top of plenty pines cones :), I moved couple of meters to lay down directly on the football pitch. It felt good until I got woken up by sprinklers starting to water the grass early morning. I gave up trying to sleep, pack myself and look for some local ‘supermarket’. While riding around the village, I felt like from a different world, seeing all the locals staring at me in my weirdo outlook and an 18kg heavy loaded bike. Surprisingly, I found some local store, and although the offer wasn’t amazing, it was enough to find some basics (and bathroom). I waited few minutes for Miguel (I’m sure he had great sleep on top of the pine cones) and we were heading through Hungarian flats to Slovakia, with Lucifer killing us from the early morning.

/ riding with Lucifer in Hungary

Getting closer to Slovakia, my home country, gave me an extra boost, but encountering with local dicks with tuned BMWs made us be extra careful on the roads. After 8 hours and only 150km since the morning, we crossed the Danube river and entered Slovakia through Komárno.

/ crossing the Danube river and entering Slovakia

We got cheered up by my brother and his family, rest a bit and we continued up north to get as close as possible to Nízke Tatry mountain range. Lucifer was with us even in the late evening, so the only choice was again riding through deep night and stopping at a local camp site near Zvolen city for the late sleep after another flat, but hard 300km.

/ evening temperature in southern Slovakia

The campings got few cabins which porches that we used for short bivy and a comfortable shower. Paying 6 euros for that service (for two people) felt like stealing from that guy. We had an early morning breakfast, meet Italian rider Alberto Vaghi (CAP59), and we were heading out of Banská Bystrica city with some troubles to get on the route, but OK. Shit happens. After reaching Podbrezová town, we started the long climb to cross Nízke Tatry. Going up reaching the Čertovica pass, Kofola (local Coke drink) its a must.

/ getting closer to CP3 in High Tatras mountains

There was beautiful downhill following the climb, and a couple of hours later and we were entering CP3 parkour, up to Hotel Sliezsky dom in the hearth of High Tatras mountains. I met shortly with my parents which was a great encouragement from people who support me the most. We had some fun with CP3 crew (Rocky Balboa theme song was playing at the time), got poshy wellness shower, huge meals and we were back on the road.

/ stamps in brevet card and Velicke pleso in the background

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rideunknownroads · 6 years

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TCR05 2/5

CP1 to CP2

In the midnight after riding a couple of hours in wet conditions and being surrounded by lightings, a storm was coming again. Right before it caught us, we jumped under some random bus stop shelter. But, there was already a Michal Hampl (CAP123), Czech rider, that seemed that he quite accommodated himself for the night in his ‘private’ bench. Regardless, we let him to know that we were joining him in his ‘bed’. The problem was that the bench couldn’t accommodate 3 people. So Miguel and I were curled up on that 45cm-wide bench, and pretending that everything is alright – it wasn’t. After less then an hour we stand up and continued riding in the rainy night. At 4 AM, after only 230km covered the previous day, we found a cycling path tunnel to hide for a bivy. Understanding the circumstances, it was the best place for a sleep.

/ our great spot to rest

Four hours later we were pedalling in the sunny morning with the objective of reaching the Alps. Soon in the afternoon we were in Austria crossing Fernpass to enter the valley that should lead us to Innsbruck. There were some difficult climbs to overcome with heavy traffic at some point, but we have booked the night in hotel in Innsbruck so our only choice was to pedal.

/ on top of climb in rainy weather

Beautiful sceneries were surrounding us all day with crazy weather changing conditions. Luckily we didn’t have any issues with the bikes or equipment, only the routing issues caused that we had to be stopping more then we would like to. Besides, the missing google street view in Germany and Austria was not making it any better for the planning.

/ long flat stretch in valley before we got to Innsbruck city

There was a huge pizza on dinner menu, but also a super-steep climb to reach the hotel in the outskirt of Innsbruck. We had a comfortable sleep, washed clothes, charged equipment, so we focused on crossing the Alps to get closer to CP2. After we left Austria in 1400 m.a.s.l, we were flying on Italian smooth tarmac to get to windy Bolzano - Trento valley (with another pizza in the belly btw). A couple of routing problems had a set back on our pace again. We had dinner with local rider Andrea Polo (CAP31) and by midnight we were in CP2 with another stamp in our brevet card. 1150km so far. After a quick shower we went for a short bivy sleep in the area of the control point, getting ready for the brutal climb to Monte Grappa early in the morning.

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rideunknownroads · 6 years

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TCR05 1/5

Start to CP1

As two previous editions, the TCR05 started with cruising loop in the Belgian town Geraardsbergen with an incredible atmosphere thanks to the local people. The short loop finished uphill of Muur where the clock started ticking and we were on in the darkness. Soon was clear, that there were various routing options how to get to CP1 and we’ve found ourselves almost alone, riding in a fast pace the whole night through the Belgian countryside. At around 6am, after first 180km, we took a short nap in the Belgian military cemetery, where at least it was quiet there.

/ early morning riding in Belgium

We continued through the day with a couple of short breaks, minor routing issues, few bumpy roads while entering France (which didn’t make much of a change ) to enjoy moments of pure riding thanks to the nice weather and charming countryside. The positive mood though dropped with a sad news, from the morning accident. But there was no other choice than being focus and continue the journey. The night came fast and we where getting close to German border with almost 450km recorded in 26 hours. We found a cool spot to bivy - outdoor sport courts with a camping site nearby.

/ our bivy place in France

Camp sites are always a great option for bikepackers to stay over night or just for couple of hours. There are always comfortable surfaces to put your bivy bag, and bathrooms with electricity to charge the devices is all you need. So we took advantage of it and took a shower, got some breakfast, and went back on the road. After crossing the Schwarzwald national park, we had lunch in some fast food chain, we were only missing couple of kilometres before CP1.

/ crossing national park Schwarzwald

We arrived to CP1 - bottom of Schloss Lichtenstein quite late evening, but having the first stamp in the brevet was a great feeling. We got a beer, chitchat with some control point members, and were on the bikes again with a mandatory parkour to pass. It was basically short, +250m climb, that wouldn’t be a problem if a massive storm wouldn’t catch us right in the middle. In the top, we hide for a few minutes into a tiny wooden cabin full of trash cans. Looking at the arriving completely wet riders, from a lonely covered place, was hmm, a bit satisfactory. We had to leave though the comfort zone of garbage spot, and focus on upcoming kilometres of riding in the stormy night.

/ castle Lichtenstein near CP1 in Germany

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rideunknownroads · 6 years

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Weekend Ride / 490KM

A loop ride in Catalunya as part of the training for the TCR05

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