Rider Preview

Rider Profile: Matt Falconer

Rider Profile: Marin de Saint-Exupéry

Rider Profile: Wendy Ellis

Rider Profile: Meaghan Hackinen

Rider Profile: Ulrich “Uba” Bartholmoes

Rider Profile: Ben Davies

Rider Profile: Piko (Pawel) Pulawski

Rider Profile: Christoph Strasser

Rider Profile: Fiona Kolbinger

Christoph Strasser

Krystian Jakubek

Adam Bialek

Marin de Saint-Exupéry

Pawel Pulawski

Ulrich Bartholmoes

Robin Gemperle

Fiona Kolbinger

Andrew Phillips

Krisjanis Ratiniks

David Mixell

Lombard Stéphane

Colin Smith

Brendan Cassidy

Martin Haubold

Juhani Saario

Laurens Van Gucht

Joseph Dorsett

Amrei Kuhne

Alexander Otterbach

Michael Broadwith

Bruno Ferraro

Tim De Witte

Leandro Sanz

Max Riese

Dennis Fröse

Robert Webb

Antoine Gary

Pawel Milkowski

Jair Hoogland

Aidan Allcock

Meaghan Hackinen

Henry Compson

Joshua Reid

Daniele Fonelli

Pierre-yves Robert

Matthew Falconer

Neil Henderson

Warègne Sébastien

Rodrigue Lombard

Charles Thibault

Douglas Hull

Zeno Bonduelle

Julian Klose

Alex Turner

Kim Roelants

Paul Hesen

Michel Font

Niel Copeland

Tiago Falcone

Raymond Dulieu

Ralph Schwörer

Andrew Yates

Wout Jacobs

Gernot Stenz

Krzysztof Wolanski

Christine Kammerer

Tim Hull-bailey

Mikko Kainu

Andrew Dumbill

Dragomir Titei

James Oliver

Joss Ridley

Adrian Reynolds

Sami Martiskainen

Malte Hager

Andrew Brunton

Jake Mccreedy-evans

Mikko Mäkipää

Paolo Laureti

Guillaume Taramini

Matthew Harris

Jesko Von Werthern

Paul Alderson

Kirsten Cluley

Karl Somers

Noel Mcnamara

Paul Williams

Paul Ashman

Georg Herdt

Zane Jakobsone

Flavien Scordel

David Tribe

Frank Proud

Juris Skrebels

Marko Wagner

Sebastien Nolens

Kim Heikkinen

Lizzie Jenkins

Amy Lippe

Thomas Chateau

Ayoub Sahli

Matthieu Lifschitz

Jens Becker

Jiri Balousek

Oscar Shortt

Magdalena Fellinger

Claire Wheeler

Jean-Baptiste Catté

Caroline Prigent

Théo Daniel

Stephane Ouaja

Jonathan Mccarthy

Christopher Dunand

Richard Gate

Samuel Gate

Gabriel Bercolano

Arthur Proust

Charlie Peake

Richard Rose

Joseph Thomas

Katie Moss

Simona Iuliana Grigore

Radu Cristian

Ron Ten Boer

Robert Haaijema

Marc Bisaillon

Olivier Caty

Lionel Bobb

Hanna Lutz

Robin Schelling

Paul Redbarnes

Greg Larter

Maxime Bizouerne

Rodolph Rainteau

Gary Cunnington

Car 1

Car 2

Ahead of the start next week in Geraardsbergen, we’ve spent some time with a handful of this year’s riders to start building some excitement for what’s certain to be a very interesting race. After a two year hiatus, there are many riders who find themselves finally lining up for the start after many many months of training and others who will start this year afresh. Over the coming days we'll be releasing Rider Profiles with a handful of the fastest contenders and those from elsewhere in the sport.

There are 248 solo riders lined up with two caps not being featured this year. Cap number 172 has been retired from the race as it was the cap of Frank Simons who was fatally hit by a driver in the 2017 edition. Cap number 13 doesn’t feature, because who needs that bad juju anyway?! The pairs contingent boasts 28 riders including the father-son pair of Sam and Richard Gate who finished first pair at TransIbérica in 2021.

Cap number 1, [Fiona Kolbinger](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Fiona%20Kolbinger), returns to defend her crown after her indomitable performance all those moons ago in 2019. With more experience and more media attention, it’ll be interesting to see how Fiona goes compared to her rookie year at TCRNo7. It’s hard to tell exactly where Fiona excelled in 2019; following Björn Lenhard and Jonathon Rankin’s scratches she donned the leader’s cap in Serbia and never looked back. Perhaps, instead, it’s a case of being hard to tell what Fiona’s weaknesses are. A definitive all-rounder, maybe.

[Ben Davies](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Ben%20Davies) starts with cap number 2 after his second place in the last edition at TCRNo7. He’s fresh off his second place at the TransAm a few months ago and will be looking to go one better next weekend. An excellent climber with a steady head, he’s a typical diesel engine who’s likely to make some moves once the gradients steepen.

[Björn Lenhard](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Bj%C3%B6rn%20Lenhard) is a name many will know from his TCR endeavours, although one who’s never stepped atop the metaphorical podium having taken the remaining spots in his TCR career. He has taken back to back wins on the TransAtlantic Way and it’s hard to talk about TCR without talking about Bjorn.

One rider whose dot is sure to cause much a stir is [Christoph Strasser](https://www.christophstrasser.at/) ; a seasoned ultra racer who’s making his first pedal strokes into unsupported racing. Arguably the fastest rider here with a palmares that includes six wins and a record time at the Race Across America as well as the 24 hour record last year, we are very much looking forward to seeing how Christoph performs in an unsupported race.

[Ulrich Bartholmös](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Ulrich%20Bartholm%C3%B6s) is a clear favourite for this year’s Transcontinental. Once quick glimpse at his rider profile and it’s easy to see how dominant a rider he is. With two wins at TransIbérica and just about every other race he’s lined up at, Ulrich brings a vast amount of experience on road free-route ultras such as Three Peaks Bike Race and TransIbérica. It’s hard to ignore quite how relevant these races are to the demands of TCR and with a win at B-HARD he’ll be well versed in riding through Bosnia and the unique demands of Eastern Europe.

[Meaghan Hackinen](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Meaghan%20Hackinen) has been based in Europe ahead of TCR this year and has a wealth of experience at 24 hour time trials. Placing fifth at the NorthCape4000 in 2019 proves she can go well when doing a length of Europe, it’s time to turn that on its axis a few degrees! Her win overall at the BC Epic last year in record high temperatures proves she’ll know how to excel in the heat.

Riding in cap number 42 for the third time, [Marin de Saint-Exupéry](https://dotwatcher.cc/profile/Marin%20de%20Saint-Exup%C3%A9ry) is a rider we’re earmarking as something of an underdog. He’s certainly one of the younger racers who lines up with two TCRs under his belt, a record ride at the HOPE 1000 in 2021 and a top ten Silk Road. He also rode to the start of SRMR from his home in Europe, an admirable warm up indeed!

Other riders who we believe will be contending the hot spots are Adam Bialek, Pawel Pulawski and Simon de Schutter. As well as every other dot making its journey across Europe. If you’re racing, then please tag us in your Instagram stories and posts so we can share the many tales from the road.

# But don’t forget, very few people knew Fiona’s name until her pink dot was sitting atop the leaderboard early in the race in 2019. There’s nothing we love more than to be proven wrong with our favourites and see an unknown rider take the win. Especially if it’s a woman.

Here’s the full [TCRNo8 Rider List](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HdGQxD6q8QT9rY6mFsp6KPO4bGUdlLVN/view).


I started cycling in 2011 after selling my car, and fell in love with travelling places by bike. I was fascinated by stories from the TCR and got myself a place starting the TCR No. 4 in 2016 and discovered just how much I enjoyed travelling across Europe, and caught the ultra cycling bug. Since then I've completed 3 further TCR's (every one since then), as well as 3x Italy Divide and Badlands off-road events, having completed Badlands and Italy Divide in the past 12 months. 

Since the pandemic shut down the world, I am just happy to be able to ride the race and looking forward to seeing new and old parts of the world again! A lot of time has passed since TCR No. 7 so not sure what to expect, but I'm going to have a good go, respect the race and enjoy it as much as possible... Let the eating competition begin!

[#TCRNo8Cap5](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tcrno8cap5/)

![293326321 140149658647969 4306884545194014568 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2VRIgAFFR918SZS03Uosi8/d4b3413b466fbd90bbaaa6c376f2c43c/293326321_140149658647969_4306884545194014568_n.jpg)

Hey, I am Marin de Saint-Exupéry, a 25 year old Frenchie living in Switzerland for a while now. I work as a cycle messenger in Lausanne and when I am not shredding the city on a bike I can usually be found on bike-packing tour or race. I have been doing so since I first heard about the Transcontinental Race at age 17. I raced it for the first time at 20, it was edition N°5 and I managed to complete it a few hours before the finishers’ party. As I was hooked I returned the following year and slightly improved by finishing it in a little more than 11 days.

Since then I went to discover some new horizons, mostly riding off-road. In 2019 I travelled to Kyrgyzstan to race the Silk Road. I haven’t done much in 2020 but in 2021 I managed to win and set a new record on the Hope 1000, followed in the same summer with a win in Further Pyrenees.

The goal for this year’s TCR is to translate the progress I made off road back onto the tarmac and to see if I can play with the best, or at least to tickle them.

[#TCRNo8Cap42](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tcrno8cap42/)

![MG 8560 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/TIgMQfNqkPjpIOwhFUjna/75b96b3706be506f9eb161933bb91365/_MG_8560_2.jpeg)

![MG 8570 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5OXUbZJIBC9FF6Z3rsC6Yz/beb0613998906ca7a7bbeb7399a613e7/_MG_8570_2.jpeg)

Header image: Mathilde Widmann

I am Wendy, a 41 year old Rookie who is originally from the North of England, but now living in eastern France via Scotland, Canada and Spain. Bikes have been part of my life from the  folding bike I was given as a 8 year old (that would fold-open while riding) up until now where it is rare to see sans bike. When not riding bikes, I also like to cover some of the races on dotwatcher too, because you can never have too much bike in your life.

Riding far started in 2011 when I moved to Montreal and couldn't get on my MTB as easily. I invested in a local steel touring bike that took me around eastern Canada and eastern USA, Morocco, Spain, Eastern Europe and across France. Then the pandemic hit, things got serious, and I got my hands on a Specialized Roubaix Comp, which I named Space. 

Space is spec’d almost as I bought it, except a few tweaks post bike fit, making it the most comfortable bike I have ever ridden. To make it over the infamous CP4 parcours (and some creative route planning I have included in Serbia that I may regret later,) I chose Vitorria Rubino 30mm tubeless. Not the lightest or fastest, but they have been very durable and I would like to spend the least amount of time sewing tyres or plugging holes over the next couple of weeks. Also, supply chain issues help make your choice for you.

Up front on the bike are my 2 faithful mascots: Wolli the swiss sheep (chief Snack Security Officer), and Elmo (apprentice). Snacks they will be guarding will definitely include bananas, salted peanuts and crisps to make a sandwich with (maybe all 3 in the sandwich at the same time - who can say?). Most of all, we are very much looking forward to getting to the balkans for some burek. 

I aim to make it to the Black Sea in time for the finishers’ party - anything extra for a rookie like me would be a dream.

[#TCRNo8Cap9](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tcrno8cap9/)

![IMG 0731](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7pgc7f6nZZt4Mm1EDEhtxW/1b60b25d60e5c444d1b431ec5a0af535/IMG_0731.jpg)

My name is Meaghan Hackinen and I’m stoked to be competing in the Transcontinental!

I fell in love with cycling in university when I was on the waitlist for ACL replacement knee surgery, and suddenly unable to participate in contact sports. After graduation, I traded my used department store bike for a touring bike and set out down the Pacific Coast with my sister to celebrate. After touring across Canada and down the Sierra Cascades into Mexico, I made the leap into ultra-distance cycling—getting my toes wet in audax cycling first—shortly after my second knee surgery when I signed up for the 2017 Trans Am Bike Race. 

Since then, I’ve completed the 2019 NorthCape4000 (5th overall), 2019 24 Hour World Time Trial Championships (5th overall; female winner and new women's course record), 2021 Alberta Rockies 700 (3rd overall), and the 2021 BC Epic 1000 (first overall and new women’s course record). I’m also a four-time Everester.

I feel like the entirety of my experience in bikepacking has contributed to my preparation for the Transcontinental: from learning how to read digital maps and route plan, to becoming more confident in stealth camping, to embracing the steep climbs. Most recently, getting off the pavement has taught me a lot: before I got my Salsa Cutthroat there was no way I’d push my bike over a rough pass, posthole through snow, or wade through a stream that had replaced the road. Off-road cycling has helped me accept challenging circumstances as part of the adventure and pivot toward problem-solving—a mindset that will surely come in handy during the race.

This year, I’ve had some incredible travel and training opportunities, including a stint as a ride guide in Mallorca and a few weeks of cat sitting in Switzerland's Bernese Alps. I’m grateful that I work remotely, and that pandemic-related restrictions have eased. When things get tough during the race, I need to remind myself of these things and remember how lucky I am just to be riding my bike across Europe in the first place.

[#TCRNo8Cap48](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tcrno8cap48/)

![TCR Meaghan Hackinen](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6UNXqWjn5ay4uXYDAfbWyE/c96694f0a1b8256c40bf42b45eb72f93/TCR_Meaghan_Hackinen.jpeg)

My name is Ulrich “Uba” Bartholmoes, 36 years old, I live in Girona (Spain) and Munich (Germany). I started racing Grand-Fondo-like events in 2014 and discovered that the longer the races are, the more altitude they have and the harder they are, the more I liked them. In 2018 I came 4th on the Tour du Mont Blanc in France. Researching even longer races, I discovered bike packing and the world of unsupported ultra races. So I bought bikepacking equipment and in June 2019 I entered my first ultra cycling race. I am the overall winner of several ultracycling races e.g. the Transpyrenees, Transiberica, Two Volcano Sprint, Three Peaks Bike Race, B-Hard Ultrarace, Gran Guanche Road & PedAlma Madrid, Barcelona, during which I managed to gain some good experience on racing unsupported.

Well - the Transcontinental is something very special. You could say I've been preparing for 3 years. Thanks to Covid, we had a little more time. Hahaha! The TCR this year will be a bit longer than the longest race (3,600km) I've done so far - the TCR might well be 4,000km across Europe. That makes the whole thing even more special: border crossings, weather changes, ferries across the Danube - these are additional challenges for the planning, which will certainly also provide a lot of entertainment during the dot-watching.

I think I've prepared myself quite well in terms of training, planning and set-up, so I'm ready to go. Let's have a good trip, a lot of fun, put on a good show and, above all, arrive safe & fast in Bulgaria. Can't wait to put my feet in the Black Sea and finally relax :)

[#TCRNo8Cap50](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tcrno8cap50/)

![Ulrch bike pre-TCR](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3tkDsbBYi6rsZtE0XH55WL/33af94de9ec0787c3b4a1edd68b58422/Ulrch_bike_pre-TCR.jpeg)

My name is Ben Davies and I live in Bristol, UK. I've raced the previous three iterations of the Transcontinental Race and am very glad to see the race back on the calendar after the 2 year hiatus. I am going into this year's Transcontinental with no expectations; I am 4 weeks post a second place at the TransAm Bike Race so I am unsure how I will be going. It is an experiment, I'll either have good legs or not!

[#TCRNo8Cap2](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tcrno8cap2/)

![223675856 1101470813592570 4797610067558415271 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2ddxUIJaIlroElgbwx0ED6/ea147725e9247876726db2e98aaf9e8e/223675856_1101470813592570_4797610067558415271_n.jpg)

Nearly everything that happens in my life is bike related because for many years now I work in the biking industry and running a cycle logistics organization. My cycling background was built from riding a BMX as a kid, being a bicycle messenger for work,  and finally my first bikepacking race, the Transcontinental, where I got hooked into long-distance racing. Since then I have accomplished some epic rides like Indian Pacific Wheel Race, Atlas Mountain Race, Transiberica, All Points North and many more. I also created the Race Through Poland, where I'm being on the other side of the story and making riders challenge themselves.

This Transcontinental Race will be my third one. After getting a finisher status in 2017 (surprisingly with the Maglia Nera award), and scratching the 2019 edition (crashed and fractured my femoral neck) this year is looking to be the "three times a charm" one.

Nearly everything is different. My bike, my gear and I also believe that my mindset is as well.

After a pretty busy cycling season already, my preparation is rather strange. Actually, I'm finishing my route and building my new bike as I write this, so you can imagine how crazy these last few days are looking. But the hunger for adventure and excitement for another TCR is huge, and it blends all the bad things and worries.

My goal for the race is to make it to the finish for my wife's, Magdalena, birthday. (3.08. 😛) She will be waiting for me in Burgas with my two daughters and I can tell you that for me, this will be the best thing that could ever happen. Can't wait to be there with them!

[#TCRNo8Cap160](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tcrno8cap160/)

![IMG-20220708-WA0013](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4sLe2blsPNQ1xjvXlZOFsd/b5bcd1397aa5f0a47f8fdee33ac4f0da/IMG-20220708-WA0013.jpg)

![IMG-20220720-WA0020](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6gPEPZFFGp1WBkAPK7QIGH/a687b4221343500949305c7438e69fa2/IMG-20220720-WA0020.jpg)

Photos 1 & 2: [Widen Production](https://www.instagram.com/widenprod/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D) / [Assos Switzerland](https://www.instagram.com/assosofswitzerland/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y%3D)

Photo 3: [Tadek Ciechanowski](https://www.instagram.com/tadekciechanowski/)

My name is Christoph Strasser, I live in Austria and I’m 39 years old.

I have been doing long distance cycling since 2002, when I did my first 24h race. Very bad and poor equipment in that year, but this was when I discovered my passion to ride and test my limits. In the years to come I began serious training, did more competitions, 24h races and ultracycling events. My dream was to become a professional rider and make a living from cycling.

Originally my dream was to ride some big adventures all over the planet, but then racing came into my life and especially Race Across America became my big goal.
After DNF in my first attempt in 2009, I could come back and win in 2011. Since then, everything changed: I found sponsors, I could turn pro, I could win RAAM six times including a course record of the first and only ever to finish the 5000km race under 8 days.

Besides many achievements like winning Race Around Austria, Race Around Ireland, Race Across Italy several times, I managed to improve the 24h World Record on the road to 1026km in 2021, when I averaged 42,7kph by pushing 275 Watts average on my time trial bike.

And now, I am motivated to enter my first ever unsupported race. It is a completely new challenge for me. I am used to doing races with a support crew, we are a great team, managing problems, ups and downs together, experiencing the races as a group of best friends and a professional crew at the same time.
In my first TCR I will face many challenges and have to handle them alone: Bike repairs, nutrition along the way, route planning, handling weather conditions with a minimum of gear, staying in good spirits without motivating talks to my fellas. I am really excited about it and I hope that I am ready for this completely new and unknown challenge!

I expect that (from today's point of view before the start), that a supported race like RAAM requires more fitness and is physically harder, because you really have to push to the absolute limit and exhaust yourself by riding over 600km every day while only sleeping 30 to 60 minutes per day. In TCR I expect much more organisational challenges, you have to look ahead, make decisions and solve all the problems alone. It will be much more complex and complicated and fast riding will be impossible, since I have to manage my energy levels on limited calorie intake and I will sleep much more to stay focused and clear in my mind.

I tried to learn as much as possible from books, podcasts and blogs from TCR finishers. But it is my first bikepacking tour, I know how to ride long distances, but doing it unsupported is completely new for me. I am looking forward to this!

[#TCRNo8Cap100](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tcrno8cap100/)

![20220623 111418](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3RPCpDqL2Hs3Ox5nMYlTIk/5e9fb88beb604ce0c35aee8c5f977bb2/20220623_111418.jpg)

I’m Fiona, I’m 27 years old and my cycling story started in 2014 when I did my first long tour with a very heavy touring bike from Heidelberg to Stockholm in 12 days navigating with paper maps and staying in hostels. After a few years of this I eventually started doing triathlon and I bought a road bike at some point. The discovery of riding long distances took a few years and I loved seeing the landscape change around me which culminated in discovering the TCR at some point. I learnt about TCR on my first brevet, London-Edinburgh-London.

I immediately liked the TCR and followed it for a year in 2018, I applied in 2019. It was my first competitive bike event, I came first and received a lot of attention which was not something I particularly liked about the experience. I really enjoyed being out there on a bike, discovering new places in Europe and this whole journey. It was kind of cool that I surprised everyone and myself.

Two months before TCR I finished medical school in Germany and moved from Heidelberg to Dresden which allowed me a lot of time I could focus on cycling. After TCR I started professional training as an abdominal surgeon and have since been rotating through a couple of departments, including an intensive care unit and an emergency department.

The difference with 2022 is that this year I have been very busy with research and clinical work which hasn’t left me with as much time for training. Mileage wise I haven’t done much less than 2019 (~6km) but this year it’s been shorter rides and one big race: Race Through Poland in May. It went really well and I had a lot of fun, which I didn’t expect and that’s what I’m hoping for on the TCR. I don’t have an ambition to finish in a certain position and just want to do my best. My mindset is the same as 2019 and I have a plan for what mileage I would like to do each day but there’s no certain ambition.

I’m just really looking forward to getting back to the TCR and meeting everybody at the start and the finish line but will probably need to leave before the finisher’s party because I need to go to work!

[#TCRNo8Cap1](https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/tcrno8cap1/)

Photo: [Mateusz Birecki](https://www.instagram.com/birecki.photos/)

Europe's most iconic bikepacking race is back for its eighth edition. Between the start in Geraardsbergen, Belgium and finish in Burgas, Bulgaria.

Transcontinental No8

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