TCRNo10 wrap up!

The Black Dots and the First NB Rider

The women's podium is complete!

The Talk of the TCR

Jana Kesenheimer is on the Home Stretch

Tim De Witte Takes Third in an Extraordinary Turn Of Events

We have a winner!

The night before the first finish...?

One week in!

The Ride to Parcours Four

Robin Gemperle

Christoph Strasser

Tim De Witte

Abdullah Zeinab

Andre Bachmann

David Tschan

Ben Chadourne

Lucas Strittmatter

Florian Moreau

Mikko Kainu

Pawel Pulawski

Adrien Liechti

Jana Kesenheimer

Rémi Mejean

Tom Mundy

Riccardo Kuhar

Benjamin Puiseux

Rory Anderson

Matthew Garthwaite

Danny Green

Jacob Tippelt

Christophe Aucan

Nicholas Hulse

Davis Pazars

Adam Wolley

Florian Thiessen

Victor Bosoni

Kilian Urwyler

Kristian Buljan

Thomas Downes

Jaimi Wilson

Mark Kowalski

Michael Schmalz

Taneli Myllykoski

Robin Reinsch

Hugo Pottier

Miles Clemson

Bernhard Kämmerer

Julian Klose

Matthew Spooner

Sami Martiskainen

Samuel Weidtmann

Mike Fawcett

Timo Rusteberg

Laurent Garbolino

Jonas Weisbach

Jakob Schultz

Frederic De Pizzol

Daniel Brayson

Lars Orth

Pat Coyle

Wim Verheyen

Tim Wijnants

Arne Vandekerckhove

Tim Zimmer

Ahmet Karaoğlan

Christopher Murkin

Anna Carlqvist

Bram van Engelen

Radoslaw Rogoz

Ryan Clamp

Pierre-Yves Robert

Julian Manrique Trujillo

Dragomir Titei

Chas Christiansen

Sinan Kargi

Erik Schiller

Joschka Völkel

Mathew Lay

Bennie Black

Jesko von Werthern

Heike Otten

Adrien Charlot

Jessica Wood

Alessandro Gober

Alvin Escajeda

Bambang Anggoro Jati

Bas Vlaskamp

Adrian Lai

Auri Teinilä

Fredi Maeder

Nod Nelson

Francesca Scott

Hans-Udo Vieten

Oliver Glen

Kim Heikkinen

Dennis Hubert

Valérie Dumangin

Niels Jeanty

Benoit le Roux

Jan Brunner

Jetske van den Berg

Adrian Marc Michel

Lizzie Jenkins

Yiqun Fu

Mikko Mäkipää

Mohit Kohli

Hanna de Sousa

Steffen Munzert

Tobias Gustafsson

Gereon Tewes

Sherry Cardona

Augustin Muller

Louison Muller

Jim Visschers

Machiel Telling

Sarah Ruggins

Rodolph Rainteau

Allan Bercq

Thomas Kemetmüller

Gerald Stampfel

Bartek Waś

Wojtek Was

Stef Jacobs

Stien Van der Eycken

Oliver Neumann

Lukas Gerhard

Nico Coetzee

Sandrine Faivre

Herve Faivre

Katja Werner

Claus Knorz

Christiaan van Zyl

Telbert James

Dulce Pedroso

Ruby Beardsall

Santiago Roig Dinares

Johannes Thoß

Ulrich Strauch

Witold Winiarczyk

Kinga Perzyńska

Mark Anderson

Osman Kıtay

Can Kaniöz

Michele Stellatelli

Luca Mari

Hans van Delft

Annelies van der Zwart

Aiperi Bakirova

Anna Linden

Kees van Dijk

Tom Dockal

Petra Scherer

Alicia Köster

Evgeny Shvyryaev

Patrick Cassidy

Mersedeh Chegini

Boris Reyher

Nathan ONeill

Christian Trenkle

Damjan Manojlovic

Michal Tokarz

Frédéric Rudant

Wouter Van der Hallen

Sean Kevin Feddersen

Gerold Lehmann

Barry Topham

Andrew Cribb

Ian Lyons

Tom Zhai

Douglas Migden

Gitta Vernooij

Norman Lomax

Romy Berntsen

Frederic Laforge

Simone Riveruzzi

Magnus Forsblom

Staffan Öberg

The finish of this year’s TCR closed a minute before midnight on Tuesday and saw 123 solo riders finish within the time cut alongside 7 pairs. There remain 18 riders still out on the course battling their way to Istanbul and while their results will be out of the GC due to missing the time cut, their rides are equally as admirable as the riders who finished before Tuesday night, they’re out there for longer and will likely feel much more alone now the bright lights of the racers and Lost Dot team are making their way back home across Europe.

The build up to the tenth edition of the race was packed with routing conundrums, a stellar start list and the return of some iconic TCR locations. The important routing decisions for this year’s event came after the second control point and were balancing acts between terrain, elevation and distance. Oftentimes there were shorter gravel options but with many of the competitive riders having fierce road backgrounds and handful with strong off-road backgrounds, we saw some exciting diverges and converges between control points.

For anyone looking to delve deeper into the dots whose movements resemble an accordian in motion, check out the [Follow My Challenge Heatmap here](https://www.followmychallenge.com/live/tcrno10/heatmap/). This map is packed with data and will only work if you have enough RAM and good internet, but for those with the tech to match it, enjoy the visualisation of such an iconic freeroute!

# Notable rides!

While the podiums are always worthy of note, any experienced ultra racer will know that the best stories often come from further back in the pack, so I’ll start this final update with some moments that I’ll remember from this tenth edition of the TCR.

A moment which I felt fully encapsulated racing ultras and the spirit of the TCR was Victor Bosoni’s U-turn to retrieve a lost passport. This 540km round-trip in Austria and Germany cost him a top five position but, nevertheless, he persisted, and finished a remarkable 27th in a time of 12D 1H 44M and a total distance of 4,687km, whilst few others exceeded 4,250km.

In many ultras, rides culminate in a romantic and loving moment when riders meet their partners after an arduous and defining effort. This year we saw a proposal in Istanbul! Mark Kowalski finished his TCR only to drop down on one knee to ask his girlfriend to marry him. She said yes to him and her new makeshift cable tie engagement ring, which we can only hope is temporary.

# The Leaders

This year saw Robin Gemperle take the win on his third attempt having raced for the first time in 2022 where he took eighth position and second in 2023, both editions were won by Christoph Strasser who finished one place behind and almost five hours later than Robin this year. Christoph’s metronomic approach appeared unbeatable but Robin was able to trump this with a cool head, a robust plan and a shorter gravelly route which ultimately allowed him to eke out an advantage.

Robin reached every control point first and but he was closely trailed by Abdullah Zeinab, it was never dull dotwatching! With an indomitable background in road ultras as well as the Rhino Run, the South African/Namibian gravel race, Abdullah continuously posed a threat to Robin’s dominance. His good fortune ran out on parcours four in Türkiye when the ultra gods dealt him five punctures and a morale hit to match. His time spent recovering and rehydrating in a cafe allowed Christoph to overtake and take second spot. Abdullah spent the rest of the day riding in third position until the end of the final parcours into Istanbul where a routing error meant he missed a section of the parcours and needed to retrace the parcours for an official finish, during which time Tim de Witte passed him and took third, leaving Abdullah in fourth.

# The Women’s

The women’s race was won by TCR rookie Jana Kesenheimer who also finished thirteenth overall making her only the fifth woman in TCR history to finish in the top twenty. Last year’s first female, Jaimi Wilson and Anna Carlqvist completed the women’s podium. Jaimi faced some navigation woes early in the race due to the absence of base maps on her Garmin which cost her time and energy and ultimately caused her to slip further behind Jana and made any chance of catching her again much more difficult. Anna was delighted at her result and how far she exceeded her expectations. We love to see it, Anna!

# The Pairs

In the pairs race, Sherry Cordona and Gereon Tewes cemented their dominance from last year. They repeated last year’s spectacular result of winning the pairs category whilst also obtaining a finish time which would have put them in the top 20 overall. Last year, Sherry and Gereon arrived to Thessaloniki as 16th overall pre-time penalties however they ranked 21st in the final results. This year, their arrival time puts them in 18th overall but the official results may move that position. Sherry was also the second woman to cross the finish line. Brothers and TCR rookies Augustin and Louison Muller took second place in the pairs category while Jim Visschers and Machiel Telling took the third spot.

While we all decompress after a thrillingly exciting tenth edition of the TCR, we look forward to  the release of the control points for 2025 later this year!

- Beccy

__The First Non-Binary rider, Valerie Dumangin is in, they finished in 14d 22h and 07m. Congrats Valerie, a great race!__

## Black Dots 

As we look back at the Black Dots across Europe we realise quite how much this race can take from riders. To traverse an entire continent in such a short window is not a feat to be scoffed at, whether you're first or the Lanterne Rouge!

The black dots also show a shadow of the race, giving an idea of where our riders tackled roads, trails and climbs and how they each stopped in these places and left their own mark on the route.

![Screenshot 2024](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/FVBBlVpJjODIBN00mlhzl/b98accd71887d6fdd203fb33578fe1b9/IMG_1443.jpg)

## The Brevet

The funny thing about ultra racing is there's often no reward. There's no winnings and not a single thing to keep riders on the road but their passion! However, one priceless item is the classic brevet card showing a timeless journey. Jana Kesenheimer, the first woman at this edition of the TCR has managed to keep her brevet rather pristine over her 4000km race. 

With so many memories on such a fragile bit of card, there's often varying degrees of decay! With many sleep deprived riders shoving it in a pocket or at the bottom of a pack. Maybe brevet conservation is a sport in itself!

![IMG 1444](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/61rYsgb45IOJ4BJRbdlzXs/22f4a432325c2671451a36a769089564/IMG_1444.png)
## Women's Race Commentator - Kirsten

We've got a great story (above) from Kirsten summing up the women's race as they all party at the finish with a well desevered drink and snack.

As we wind down the commentary, please send any stories to our Instagram and we'll catch everyone up!

-Kitty


*Header image: [Beatrice Berlander](https://www.instagram.com/beatriceberla/)*

Riders have been coming in thick and fast over the past few days! The race is now over a fortnight into the race and we’ve been witnessing the heart of the midpack coming in since our last update.

# The women’s podium is set!

Jaimi Wilson takes the second place on the women’s podium in a time of 12D 14H 16M finishing 31st overall. Jaimi is no stranger to riding and racing long distances and now adds another respectable result to her palmares. Almost a day and a half behind her, Anna Carlqvist completed the women’s podium finishing 58th overall and exceeded her own expectations she had when she set off from Roubaix all those kilometres ago. Congratulations to Jaimi and Anna!

![454202012 1477879459787522 270417103110525939 n](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/70MdbNCMasf5uMMLnnG2SO/c76fbeb3fa742f98907aa1282691a98b/454202012_1477879459787522_270417103110525939_n.jpg)

# Green Leaderboard

Jaimi, Anna and first female Jana are all Green Leaderboard riders which means they travelled overland to the start and will return home overland as well, a slightly more challenging journey from Istanbul to their respective homes! However, Lost Dot have organised a bus from Istanbul to Igoumenitsa in Greece from where riders can take boats to varying ports whose train stations are on Europe’s high speed rail network.

Jana, Jaimi and Anna sat in 3rd, 10th and 16th on the Green Leaderboard respectively while third place overall Tim De Witte took the top spot on the Green Leaderboard and Ben Chadourne took the second place.

The Green Leaderboard was started in 2023 and was released as one of the race’s three ways to decarbonise the race. The remaining two methods are a Low-Carbon Travel Fund and a commitment for all race staff and partners to use low-carbon travel to and from the race. For 2024, the organisers extended the 10 Low-Carbon Travel Fund grants from 10 to 15 riders.

# The Pairs

Sherry Cardona and Gereon Tewes repeated last year’s spectacular result of winning the pairs category whilst also obtaining a finish time which would have put them in the top 20 overall. Last year, Sherry and Gereon arrived to Thessaloniki as 16th overall pre-time penalties however they ranked 21st in the final official results. This year, their arrival time puts them in 18th overall but the official results may move that position. Sherry is also the second woman to cross the finish line.

![TomGibbs Bjelasnica CP2 capsno 295a+295b Sherry Cardona Gereon Tewes TG 077](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5e04BBpSInV22akdyGdksY/9553d9b0f11523320e45db4d1f1c38e0/TomGibbs_Bjelasnica__CP2_capsno_295a_295b_Sherry_Cardona_Gereon_Tewes_TG_077.jpg)

*Sherry and Gereon on a parcours hike-a-bike. Photo credit: [Tom Gibbs](https://www.instagram.com/bicycle_factory/)*


Mark Kowalski finished the TCR yesterday after a tough 302 hrs 45 mins on the road to his partner who had been a great support throughout the race. Having shared that she was instrumental in getting Mark through the past two TCRs he said that's when he knew! So on the finish line, he popped the question!

This got us wondering, how often has this happened before? Melissa Pritchard's now husband proposed to her at the start in Geraardsbergen and we think based on Rory McCarron's comment that he may have done something similar. Has anyone else seen a TCR or Ultra-proposal? Let us know via Instagram.

Anna Carlqvist has cemented her spot as 3rd woman. She's been pushing extremely hard this past few days putting quite a large gap between herself and the rest of the women's bunch.

A correction on Aiperi - she wasn't denied a visa just wasn't able to get it through on time.

Sarah Ruggins (pair 303) has finished the course outside of the GC, well done Sarah!

We'll have more from the DotWatching team soon!

- Kitty

[Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vGDN66Fm2SY)

A Quick Update on the Women's and Pair's First to Finish

Kirsten Clulely has been helping out in the TCR DotWatching Panel and her time difference (she's currently in NZ) means she's able to analyse those overnight changes. She raced TCRNo8 and recently came fourth in the 2024 Tour Divide. Head to her profile up top to learn more.

## Istanbul is in their sights!

Jana Kesenheimer (10) becomes the first woman to finish TCRno10 in a time of 11 days 3 hours and 57 minutes. Jana maintained her position throughout the race being first woman to reach each control point. Jana also finishes in the top 20 overall, an impressive ride. Jana is only the fifth woman in TCR history to place in the top 20!

Jaimi Wilson (4), last years woman’s winner maintains a strong 2nd position as she makes her way towards the final Parcours.

![WhatsApp Image 2024-08-02 at 12.27.45](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/lMe71GoBfEzWyM8FbLiH2/f961710085eef6dc60c2622081366cc6/WhatsApp_Image_2024-08-02_at_12.27.45.jpeg)

Anna Carlqvist (223) holds on to third position, having completed Parcours 4. She reports on her instagram a welcome breeze and multiple ice creams making riding slightly more bearable of late! Third position has been hotly contested over the last few days with strong Women’s field all closing in and sights set on Turkey and the finishers party in Istanbul. At time of writing both Auri (22) and Heike (225) are a stones throw from CP4. Auri looks like she may have had to visit a bike shop but thankfully got everything sorted.

![WhatsApp Image 2024-08-02 at 12.27.28](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4qavVorhmSm4QI8NB688n5/ee2d88694fa2ef4ac998805d6149437a/WhatsApp_Image_2024-08-02_at_12.27.28.jpeg)

Keen Dotwatchers may have spotted Aiperi (293.) who looks to have appeared out of nowhere and is currently tackling Parcours 4. Reviewing her tracker you wouldn’t have been wrong to think she hopped on a ferry from Kavala, Greece, stopping off briefly at this island of Samothraki, before reaching the shores of Turkey and hitting up the Parcours! However, I am led to believe she is a TCR bursary rider who was sadly denied a Schengen visa and therefore can only take part in the race from Turkey onwards. Word on the street is she's riding a MTB and will be ripping up the gravel/off road sections.

![WhatsApp Image 2024-08-02 at 12.28.03](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3hT2nApzo8ZfvIyYlsGKlK/565ed1b171849956688f628b28080e07/WhatsApp_Image_2024-08-02_at_12.28.03.jpeg)

Slightly further back about 8 female riders are all within a days ride of CP4 and cycling consistently. Jessica (113) has boarded the ferry across the Dardanelles Straits, could she catch Auri and Heike at CP4? British rider Lizzie (33) nears the border, reporting a huge morale boost from seeing her first signpost to Turkey! With less than 1000km to go it will be interesting to see how rest strategies (I’m sure everyone just wants to have a lie down right now!) and route choices affect the final chapter of the race. After all, if the top 10 is anything to go by, anything can happen!! Best of luck ladies.

Women's Race Analysis by Kirsten Cluley TCR Vet and Tour Divide 4th Place Rider

After what has been an extremely hard edition of the TCR, off-road Parcours, extreme heat and plenty of logistical challenges, Jana Kesenheimer has remained strong and collected. Remaining in the top spot in the women's field from the word go, she is currently about to finish this edition of the TCR.

It has been one of the most intense women's fields the TCR has seen, with Jana racing against last year's first woman, Jaimi Wilson, as well as the incredibly strong Sherry Cardona in the current first pair. Jana is going to be the first woman across the line this year. Well done Jana! She'll be 15th overall in an incredibly competitive year.

![Screenshot 2024-08-01 at 22.38.25](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1q6FvSG3oXCoDf0Eje8xCR/e5b65cc3ee2e2188730f99757b146aba/Screenshot_2024-08-01_at_22.38.25.png)
## Sherry and Gereon
Sherry and Gereon are on the Finish Parcours also looking like they may finish early tomorrow morning. The Parcours is long and undulating and will take longer than may meet the eye! They too will be coming in in the top 20 after staying as front pair for each checkpoint.

That means this year it is three for three, each category leader has lead through every checkpoint showing just how important a consistent ride is even over such a mammoth distance.

Well done to all, we'll have more tomorrow and a video update.

Abdullah Zeinab and Tim De Witte - some more info!

Abdullah's devices died just prior to the finish, he thought he'd reached the final free route kilometre closing into the finish just off the Parcours. Meanwhile, Tim had eyes on the tracking and pushed HARD as he saw he was gaining time on Abdullah. He actually caught Abdullah prior to the turnaround and would've beaten him even without the error. Chapeau Tim.

Tim also takes the GREEN LEADERBOARD top spot after this 3rd place which is a great victory for the rider!

An age old question that gets asked at these races, is do the riders watch the tracking? Often many riders will ride their own raec and avoid the mental games coming along with the tracking. However, it's really paid off here and I think many of the riders vying for certain spots (overall, category or personal goals) will tend to look at the tracking!

![Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 18.56.43](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6wEy21HhFyX9rKW2UsTTFe/567f8b2e6ebc42a2c0694ac5c9a95205/Screenshot_2024-07-31_at_18.56.43.png)
## The women's race is heating up!

Kirsten Cluley, TCR vet and recent 4th woman at this year's Tour Divide, is keeping a close eye on the frontrunners of the women's race. Her report last night shows Jaimi in a strong position and Jana continuing on in top spot after Parcours 4. 

Currently, Jaimi is just about to hit Parcours 4 whilst Jana is heading up through Bursa and about to turn round into the finish Parcours. But, as we learnt from Robin's finish - the length of this final section is deceiving, the Parcours is BIG!

![Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 18.59.26](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/xgmfzYF2C5NltheLc93HR/2b3d6616de40459b2895fde8fc50ae30/Screenshot_2024-07-31_at_18.59.26.png)

The third spot is becoming even MORE exciting! Since Kirsten's update last night, Heike Otten is now closing in on Auri and Anna respectively as they head for Parcours 4. We've been really enjoying following this chase for the women's 3rd spot as it's all within a (relatively) small area so resting, routing and refueling are going to be really important factors.

![Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 19.04.11](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2VLphKTVfjUEQIfxV6tryT/3896c24f370da9e425640e25d36c8837/Screenshot_2024-07-31_at_19.04.11.png)
## The Pairs

Sherry and Gereon continue to dominate the pairs race as they did last year, with Sherry providing some daly updates that are giving a look behind the curtain at racing the TCR. They spent the day on gravel and are into Turkey now just heading towards the final Parcours just below Lake Kus.

Elsewhere, the next pair, 313 - Louison and Augustin Muller, are just on Parcours 4 having pushed through and gaining some great ground.

![Screenshot 2024-07-31 at 19.08.43](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1rXHqgNrAtBiOlUqOr4oL3/8a8b55a255bba391d31c186efc1cf7f5/Screenshot_2024-07-31_at_19.08.43.png)

Victor Bosoni has had another calamity, recently having to take a  bus trip to get tubes for his bike. As is within the rules, if the bike is unrideable you may use transport to fix it. Despite this, Victor is on the ferry from Gelibolu to Lapseki in high spirits as he finds his way towards Parcours 4. 

Evening Update and Clarification!

Christoph Strasser took second place in an expected breeze, he wasn't far behnid Robin and had made up such an impressive amount of time, it was touch and go as to whether or not he may overtake Robin!

However, the real story here is the battle for third. Tim De Witte had been the dark horse of this race, quietly and consistently riding within the top 5 no one took too much of a deep dive into his race. There were of course people noting his great progress, but it seemed a shooin for Abdullah in third.

Abdullah MISSED some of the last parcours and had to turn back on himself just as he reached the finish to complete it. This gave Tim a window of opportunity and he swung past, beating Abdullah to the finish by 30 minutes. 

Well done Tim and well done to Abdullah!

Just proves that it's worth pushing until the very last moment in ultra-cycling, if the rider ahead has an issue then the spot is open!

# Third time's a charm 🏆

Robin Gemperle wins the Transcontinental Race No10 in an astonishing time of 8D 23H 59M. Needless to say, he was racing the clock until the very end.

Robin arrived at all four control points first and never looked back. While Abdullah and Christoph did catch him at certain control points, Robin was always the first to leave. A ride based on discipline and learnings from his two previous editions, Robin appeared to execute his TCR to perfection; beating a rider like Christoph Strasser is no small feat. Only four and half hours after Robin, Christoph arrived in Istanbul making this a relatively close finish in the context of TCR. Their differing approaches to route planning allowed Robin to pull away. Robin’s route suited his strength as an experienced off-road rider and he tended for the gravel shortcuts, whereas Christoph’s many kilometres on the Ride Across America have developed him into a tarmac Pac-Man.

We send a massive well done to Robin on a result he’s been working towards over the past three years. Congratulations!

Beccy Waters

Kitty Dennis

Apidura

Thomas Chateau

Kirsten Cluley

Transcontinental Race No10 Tracking + Commentary: Considered by many as the halo event of the European season, the TCR is back for its tenth edition; a decade in the making. The tenth edition starts in the iconic city of Roubaix and will finish in Istanbul, Türkiye, marking the first time the race crosses Europe's border.

Transcontinental Race No10 Tracking

Considered by many as the halo event of the European season, the TCR is back for its tenth edition; a decade in the making. The tenth edition starts in the iconic city of Roubaix and will finish in Istanbul, Türkiye, marking the first time the race crosses Europe's border.


Transcontinental Race No10

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