The Women’s Battle at the Front Is Getting Tense!

🇮🇹 Into Italy!

To post or not to post...

Still Time: What Idle Time Tells Us

Women’s Race Update: CP2, Strategy, and Speed

Speed vs Recovery: What the Data Says at 2,000 km

Nicolas Chatelet Builds A Gap, Strasser Cuts In

🎙️ Rider Update – Justinas Leveika: “The Pyrenees were fun, but...”

Midpack insights and the front riders are in the South of France

Women’s Top 3: Different Setups, Different Routes

Nicolas Chatelet

Martin Moritz

Christoph Strasser

Victor Bosoni

David Tschan

Justinas Leveika

Rudaz Manuel

Jocelyn Roth

Pawel Pulawski

Peter Kronberger

Samuele Tonello

Jana Kesenheimer

Christoph Pernsteiner

Markus Zimmermann

Riccardo Mosconi

Nicholas Hulse

Cynthia Carson

Steven Davis

André Bachmann

Jacob Bysted

Lucas Strittmatter

Henning Fach

Jakob Schultz

Paul Niehoff

Pablo Villar Arribi

Florian Kraschitzer

Oliver Schumann

Ricard Sörman

Etienne Hamon

Florian Moreau

Julian Klose

Lael Wilcox

Mark Kowalski

Sebi Lehmann

Mike Fawcett

Alexis Arthaud

Nico Schleippmann

Danny Green

Ahmet Karaoğlan

Ulf Bannick

Cristian Batista

Jackson Long

Jaimi Wilson

Anna Richter

Sarah Bosslet

Mathias Ulrich

Laurent Garbolino

Joost van Roosmalen

Jake Turner

Edgar Haldimann

Riccardo Kuhar

Raymond Dulieu

David Sanchez

Geert Bonnema

Erik Price

Thomas Ceyrowsky

Juergen Eckmann

Esther Lloyd

Christoph Tapken

Claude Binchet

Pierre-Yves Robert

David Mixell

Hallvard Kolltveit

Michael Ganz

Francis Marielle

Michal Wolff

Jonathan Good

Calum Harrington-Vogt

Gwennaël Maffei

Omar Martinello

Manuel Feldbaumer

Viggo Vea

Valentin Godrie

Kazuhiro Eguchi

Kristian Buljan

Joel Struchen

David Sjogren

Andrew Brunton

Guillaume Raulhac

Russell Kesley

Stephen Haines

Tarbo Fukazawa

David Audebrand

Matthew Spooner

Grzegorz Oszast

Sofie Mangertseder

Christian Höra

Thomas Manke

Ciaran Codling

Antoine Cessac

Andrea De Gruttola

Andras C. Dombi

Ella Brown

Alexander Stojkovic

Mikke Luostarinen

Bernhard Kämmerer

Guillaume Rouquette

Dragomir Titei

Bennie Black

Antoine Meunier

Matthew Garthwaite

Oliver Hayward

Juan Pedro Moreno

Salvador Palomo

Simon Taulelle

Julien Gravaud

Manuel Dixken

Falk Döring

Marguerite Muhlhaus

Rémi Mejean

Christian Dupraz

Dina Byland

James Vernon

Peter Murphy

Devin Solleveld

Jarco de Jong

Ben Wormald

Chris Hunt

Barbara Willener

Francis Codron

Ewa Krawiec

Petro Albota

Lora Patteeuw

Klaus Demeire

Roberto Rubio Montalvo

Oscar Arias

Marta Gryczko

Rafał Mianowski

Elisabeth Gardner

Mylene Vicente

Bastien Sentubery

Sladana Friedl

Raphael Karrer

Cindy Hertach

Mariana Pazos

G Towers

Tom Butcher

Claus Knorz

Katja Werner

Lili Delannoy

Clémence Vandergheynst

Lawrence Cairns-Smith

Rob Dalby

Claire Sharpe

Jur de Koning

Andries Van Leeuwen

Emily Lamson

Bradley Lamson

Control Car 1

Control Car 2

Jana reached the town of Sestriere, just before the start of the parcours, at 22:51. Cynthia arrived at 2:37.

Jana, after a 5-hour sleep, hit the parcours at 4:15, and reached Col Basset by 5:06.
Cynthia got back on the road and started the parcours at 5:30, reaching the Col at 6:14. That means she was stopped for less than 3 hours.

At CP3, Jana arrived at 9:27, in 12th place overall.
Cynthia arrived at 10:49, currently in 17th.

So the question is - will that short sleep catch up with Cynthia?
Or has she done the maths and decided to push now to reach the earliest ferry, then rest there?
The tactic of going all in because you know rest is coming makes a lot of sense to me.
Let’s just hope the fatigue doesn’t hit her too soon, it's still a long way to the ferry. 

She’s been one to take more sleep so far, so this definitely feels like a shift in strategy.

Jana stays consistent, as always. She told me yesterday she’s stayed in Airbnbs each night, and that she’s stretched and had clean kit each day, which has made her more efficient during the day, and she’s experienced no pain or discomfort. She says, “The body is doing the thing and I’m grateful for that.”

I’m VERY curious to see what sleep strategies tonight will bring.

I'm Millie, and I'm bringing you updates from the Women's field throughout the Race. [@milliegibbons](https://www.instagram.com/milliegibbons/?hl=en)

All six lead riders have now entered Italy, with four having already passed Control Point 3 and completed Parcours 3 – a major milestone in this year’s edition.

At the front, it’s a familiar quartet: Nicolas Chatelet, Martin Moritz, Christoph Strasser and Victor Bosini, all through Control Point 3. David Tschan is currently riding the parcoura, while Justinas Leveika, who opted for a northern detour via Grenoble, is yet to reach its start – a gamble that appears to have cost him hours.

### Chasing Pack Forms
Justinas now finds himself leading a strong chasing group, including:

- Pawel Pulawski – a TCR veteran on his fifth edition, and a 2022 podium finisher

- Manuel Rudaz and Jocelyn Roth – both top-4 finishers at last year's Trans Pyrenees, TCR’s mountainous sister race

They may be behind, but these riders know how to pace deep into the race – and they've been riding a strong race. They're not out of it yet.

### Strategic Shifts in the Lead Group
Christoph made a move last night, cutting rest time and waking early to reel in Martin and Nicolas. It worked – briefly. But by this afternoon, he’d slipped again behind the front two, although still managing to edge ahead of Victor, who took a longer break last night.

We're seeing a strategic divergence: those riding hard and sleeping short, and those who’ve banked rest with the steep Tuscan terrain and the ferry to Albania still looming large.

### Route Choice: Hills or Highways?
The road from CP3 to Parcours 4 – the white gravel roads near Siena – offers two main options:

- Cutting south earlier, through the rugged hills inland from Genoa – shorter, but punchier, with a harsh elevation profile.

- Or continue eastwards on flatter roads toward Bologna, keeping the average speed before swinging south on faster terrain – a longer route which may pay dividends.

With wind levels currently low for the rest of today and through the night, the latter option could look mighty tempting.

This decision will shape their progress to Tuscany – and crucially, how they arrive at the next ferry terminal. Because from here on out, the ferry begins to matter.

### The Ferry to Albania – Hours That Could Decide the Race
We’re not quite at full ferry focus yet, but whoever makes the first crossing will have a colossal advantage.

With razor tight margins up to this point, that sort of difference could prove insurmountable. Closing it is nearly impossible on tired legs with 1,500 km still to go. It will make or break many riders' races.

What happens in the next 48 hours may decide who sails ahead – and who watches as the ferry disappears into the horizon, their hopes drifting with it.

---

We’re seeing new names in the mix, and signs of movement behind the front. Riders who’ve conserved energy are beginning to surface. Those who’ve ridden too hard, too soon, may begin to fade.

It's clear that the race is far from over. But it’s about to get a lot harder to come back.

__Written by:__ [Conor McKenzie](https://www.instagram.com/conormckenzie/)

*Image generated with AI to not implicate any specific riders*

Riders have been posting provisions ahead for collection throughout the race. This begs the question, is it within the rules? Will we hear from Lost Dot? 

Scenario 1: *Ah dang, I've broken my mech hanger for my niche bike, I'll make do and order one to a post office for two days from now*

Seems pretty straightforward and sensible, within the rules? 

Scenario 2: *I'll send key kit, nutrition and supplies to post offices along the route for collection throughout the race.*

Is this ok? Only Lost Dot can decide for their own race. We haven't heard from Lost Dot yet, we'd love to know how they will choose to deal with this scenario. However we have a few things to consider:

Like with all sports, as self-supported ultracycling becomes more mainstream we're going to see more and more riders pushing the spirit of the event for a win. Be it spending sponsor money to spend and hour sleeping in a hotel, sending care packages to multiple locations knowing you may not collect them all, having a team coordinating for you at home sorting out road closures and your night's stay.

All of these scenarios are real-life examples of the grey area being prodded and pushed. Some races have specific rules about these - earlier in the year a rider was DQed from a race after having a Virtual Basecamp at home sorting everything out for them. 

Do we want to see bikepacking becoming another sport of affluence, all about who can spend the most money and time on races? This makes it exciting, pushes the limits of human endurance as riders no longer need to worry about the minutia. Or, do we want to see a world where the rules put everyone on an even playing field, strip out the spending and see what the world throws at the riders?

We'll keep an eye out, but let us know what you think via our Instagram DMs or the info@dotwatcher.cc.

The Lost Dot rule:

*__Sending myself a package to a hotel__
In many unsupported races sending yourself an equipment drop is seen to be OK, but the condition is usually that you should only send it to an official post office. Sending a package to a hotel means you must have already pre-arranged accommodation, or at least an arrangement to pick it up, even if you weren't going to stay there. Forward booking of such services is generally frowned upon as, if a racer were to have an inexhaustible budget, then they could send many packages to many hotels and have the pick and choose of what they pick up. This would change the landscape of the challenge significantly and be the preserve of the very well financed. As we puts the accessibility of the race as one of its priorities it is important to us that there is not a means by which the race can become a war of resources. Also the Transcontinental/Trans Pyrenees is not the longest or remotest race out there, you should be able to find what you need most places. If you have a bespoke 'thingy-ma-bob' that needs special parts, maybe think about if you really need it or can you make do with what everyone else has access to. If you can't live without it, is the race really for you? Most bike related things are readily available until you leave Italy and sending packages to any places further East can be a bit hit and miss in terms of delivery and often incur large duties. Race organisers makes the judgement that shipping of supplies is not within the rules. Temporary storage or jettison of major equipment and supplies is also prohibited. Any exceptions to this are at the express permission of the race director.*

- Kitty

In TCR, speed alone doesn’t win. Sure, average moving speed matters – but what often separates the top riders from the rest is the time they spend not moving.

Every time you pull into a roadside patisserie or lay your head on a pillow. Every minute spent sorting your bags, hesitating over food, fixing a mechanical, changing socks, or just staring into space trying to remember what country you’re in – it all adds up. And that’s idle time.

At the sharp end of ultra-distance racing, success often comes down to who manages stoppage time best. And not necessarily who has the least of it.

### What’s Normal?
Looking at last year’s edition, most of the top riders finished with idle times between 13% and 20%. These are racers who, over the course of 8 to 11 days, spent anywhere from 30 to 50 hours off the bike.

A few outliers dipped as low as 11%, while others pushed up to 22–23% without losing too much ground.

And of course, idle time tends to increase as the race wears on. Fatigue creeps in. Stop durations grow. Focus slips. Experienced racers know this all too well – they front-load efficiency, banking time early before the mind and body start to wear down.

### What We’re Seeing in TCRNo.11
This year, the front of the race is showing two clear trends.

Most of the lead riders are pacing within that familiar zone: around 13–15% idle time after three days – solid numbers, especially if they can hold it.

But a few are trending well below that – most notably Martin Moritz, currently sitting at just 7% idle time. That’s hyper-efficient, but he may be burning matches too early.

If history is any guide, riders who open with ultra-low stoppage time tend to pay for it later – with longer breaks and slower average speeds. Some may be trying to hold out until the ferry to Albania, but we’re days away from that yet. If they don’t build in recovery soon, we might see those gaps start to close or extend the opposite way entirely.

### Idle Time Isn’t Just Stopping – It’s Strategy
This isn’t about never stopping. It’s about stopping with purpose. The best ultra racers don’t just move fast – they’re ruthless about what every minute off the bike is doing for them.

Fuel. Fix. Rest. Go again.

There’s no single strategy that works for everyone – it’s all about what your body, mind, and pacing can handle. Last year’s winner, Robin Gemperle, is very much a hare: he rides fast, rests well, and then rides fast again. His stop time was relatively high at 18%, but it let him recover and keep his speed high – and he still finished with almost a five-hour lead. It's a strategy that works for him, and he uses it to win.

Speed is flashy. But sometimes, the winner is the one who also closes their eyes the longest.

### So What Does This Mean?
Frankly, not much – yet. But it’s worth keeping an eye on.

Deficits need to be paid back eventually. If someone’s riding with barely any rest now, that bill will come due – whether in the Alps, the Tuscan Roads, or on some desolate Balkan climb.

And with such a long way still to go, the race remains wide open. What matters isn’t just who’s leading now – it’s who still has something left when the road turns steep, the heat cranks up, and the ferry to Albania is still a day too far.

Idle time isn’t the whole story. But it’s always part of the plot.

__Written by:__ [Conor McKenzie](https://www.instagram.com/conormckenzie/)

Jana is storming across France, she is somewhere near the middle now, close to Montpellier. She reached CP2 at 11 last night in 22nd place overall. 

Cynthia climbed the Aubisque last night as the sun was setting, but couldn’t find a hotel open on the Tourmalet, so had to backtrack to find somewhere to sleep.
Even though she set herself loads of alarms, she somehow managed to mute them all and overslept by an hour, but she’s staying positive. She’s making the most of the extra rest and says she feels incredible today. She climbed the Tourmalet as the sun was rising and said it was “really cool.” and rolled into CP2 at 8 this morning.
Cynthia’s happy to be in France, she reckons the food’s better here.

As for Lael, that eyebrow-raising route she took earlier?
Turned out to be nowhere near as wild as people thought. When people were questioning it, I had full faith she knew what she was doing, there’s a reason she holds the record for riding around the world!
She reached CP2 at 9:27.

Lael posted on Instagram saying “It’s going great”. She waited for a bakery to open and shared the morning with an older man, two German hikers, and a local woman - who she let go ahead of her in the queue, even though she’d been there first.

A good reminder to all of us: even in a race like this, it’s the human moments that matter most.

[Lael’s post](https://www.instagram.com/p/DMxQkQrAq8u/)

Although CP2 is a good gauge of race positions, it does cross a night - so a better indicator might actually be when riders entered the parcours. Thanks to Rob at Follow My Challenge for this one. 

![4db772a0-b9be-4182-be3b-913be09642a7](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3kT1CQ3Qr6h6tu7ULMQw0o/0ad3010b18ad18d00fa99d5cfbb60e67/4db772a0-b9be-4182-be3b-913be09642a7.JPG)

Inspired by Conor's speed vs strategy post - here’s a look at their moving speed and average speed:

Jana – moving: 18.9 km/h | average: 17.6 km/h

Cynthia – moving: 19.1 km/h | average: 16.4 km/h

Lael – moving: 20.9 km/h | average: 16.3 km/h

Jana although at the front, has the slowest moving speed. That tells us she’s stopping the least and riding efficiently. 

Cynthia’s moving speed is just slightly faster, but her lower average speed shows she’s taken more rest - which we know some was slightly unplanned. It will be interesting to see if that changes over the days if can wake up for her alarm.

Lael is moving the fastest on the bike, but with the lowest average. So it’s clear she’s taking more breaks which lines up with what we’ve seen - that she's making time to enjoy the small moments along the way.  Also in today’s post, she said this is the best she’s ever felt this far into a race - and that’s because she’s been sleeping a lot. 

This doesn’t take into account route choices, but it gives us a good glimpse into their different strategies. 

And some good news - Jaimi’s tracker is back on!
In fact, she now has two trackers, so we should be able to keep tabs on her properly now.
She arrived at CP2 at 11:50.

I'm Millie and I'm bringing you updates from the Women's field throughout the Race. [@milliegibbons](https://www.instagram.com/milliegibbons/?hl=en)

As the front of the race pushes through the 2,000 km mark, let's take a closer key metrics and what they reveal about the race dynamics.

High speed isn't everything. And longer stops doesn't necessarily mean falling behind.

Here’s what the data shows, and what it suggests about who’s over-performing, who’s efficiency-driven, and who might be leaving time on the table.

## Patient Predator: Christoph Strasser
Despite relatively long stops, [Christoph Strasser](https://www.instagram.com/straps_377) is over-performing his position.

His moving speed is very similar to Nicolas Chatelet’s, and higher than every other rider. The distance deficit he faces is not from riding speed – it’s from recovery time. In a race this long, this extra recovery could prove critical. He’s climbing fast and executing a smart risk/reward strategy.

__Possible strategy:__ Rest-heavy. Move fast.

## Most Efficient: Nicolas Chatelet
[Nicolas Chatelet](https://www.instagram.com/nicolas.chatelet) is combining top-tier riding speed with low downtime, which is why he has a full 100 km lead. He’s not riding dramatically faster than others – he’s just doing everything a bit quicker, all the time.

He took a long rest after CP1, although has since stopped very little. It appears he likes to build a cushion to the riders behind before stopping, so as to maintain a constant lead.

Will this low-downtime strategy last the test of time though, or will it come back to bite him later on?

__Possible strategy:__ Ride fast. Stop less. Hold the gap.

## Climbing With Heart: Victor Bosoni
[Victor Bosoni](https://www.instagram.com/victorbozo)’s stoppage time is almost identical to Nicolas Chatelet’s, yet he’s 100 km behind mostly due to a moving time that's 1km/h slower.

Is he riding closer to his limit, something which may help him down the road? Regardless, the underlying numbers suggest he’s delivering an excellent ride. If he can continue at this pace while others fade or take risks, he could gain ground.

Although there was been only one relevant Parcour so far, Victor is leading the Points Classification by an incredible 41 minutes – on a parcour that only took 294 minutes to complete. Is he just climbing extraordinarily fast – something that could serve him well as we get into the Alps – or has he got duel ambitions in mind?

__Possible strategy:__ Climb fast. Ride steady. Stop little.

## Powerful, But Near The Ceiling? Martin Moritz
[Martin Moritz](https://www.instagram.com/_martin.mo) looks outstanding – fast, low idle time, high mileage. But he’s losing time to Nicolas Chatelet. That suggests a potential pacing ceiling: he may be close to maxing out his current strategy, whereas others (like Strasser or Bosoni) have more left in the tank. He’s delivering consistency, but gains may get harder from here.

The data suggests a slow-down, but he could just be managing his effort better than Nicolas Chatalet. Time will tell.

__Possible strategy:__ Start fast and settle in.

## Fatigue Catching Up? Justinas Leveika
[Justinas Leveika](https://www.instagram.com/justin.and.bikes/) has a strong moving speed, but is suffering from significant stoppage time – and now finds himself at the back of this lead riders in both distance and average pace. Whether this is tactical pacing or fatigue catching up is unclear, but the data suggests he’s leaving a lot of time out on the road.

__Possible strategy:__ Ride to feel, don't chase arbitrary numbers. Experience will win out in the end.

## Split The Difference: David Tschan
[David Tschan](https://www.instagram.com/t_s_d) is the most "average" performer in this set – but that is far from being a criticism. He's consistent, effective, and steadily maintaining position.

His ride isn’t particularly flashy, but he’s not bleeding time either. If others falter, his steadiness could pay off. Afterall, there is a long way to go and we've only just got started.

__Possible strategy:__ No fireworks, just dogged determination and ruthless consistency. He's been here before, he knows what it takes.

---

This phase of the race is where efficiency and endurance wins out. The ones riding just under their limit may be the ones climbing into the lead.

__Written by:__ [Conor McKenzie](https://www.instagram.com/conormckenzie/)

Nicolas Chatelet has just passed Gap, forging ahead towards the rugged gravel spine of Strada dell’Assietta in the Piemonte Alps – and the start of Parcour 3.

He currently leads the race with a commanding ~100 km gap over second-placed Martin Moritz, having covered 1,987 km at an average speed of 22.09 km/h.

He’s been relentlessly consistent, riding faster and stopping less than nearly anyone else. But with the Alps looming and multiple challengers closing in, the big question is, can he hold this pace all the way to the finish?

### Tactical Split: Strasser’s Alpine Shortcut
While Maritn Moritz, Victor Bosoni, and David Tschan are sticking to a longer but flatter route through Manosque and Sisteron – as Nicolas did – Christoph Strasser is taking a risk. He’s veered northwards, choosing a shorter, more mountainous line into the Alps north of Mont Ventoux.

It’s bold. But it might work.

Strasser has one of the highest moving speeds (23.91 km/h) among the front group which made up 10 positions between CP1 and CP2. If his climbing form holds, he could not only pull clear of Bosoni – but start eating into Nicolas’s lead too.

### Nicolas Chatelet: The Quiet Master of Suffering
Nicolas Chatelet isn’t new to long, brutal efforts. In 2020, the Parisian maths teacher rode 11 reps of Plateau de Beille, climbing 21,165 metres in 24 hours – the highest known vertical gain. He fuelled himself with quiche, Coca-Cola, cookies, and banana bread, battling through the night. An effort that undoubtably laid the foundations for this incredible Transcontinental feat so far.

“I have always been a fan of long distances… I wanted to see if I was able – in addition to the length of the effort – to add a performance,” he told VeloNews.

That mindset is showing now: controlled, precise, and quietly ruthless.

---

As the riders converge on Assietta, everything changes. The gradients bite harder. The altitude creeps higher. And the cushion Nicolas has built could melt away fast if fatigue sets in.

He’s raced nearly 2,000 km with minimal downtime – but with challengers like Strasser climbing aggressively and Bosoni and Leveika looking solid, his grip on the lead is far from secure.

Can he maintain this pace – or will the Alps decide otherwise?

__Written by:__ [Conor McKenzie](https://www.instagram.com/conormckenzie/)

Amid the beeping soundtrack of a McDonald’s somewhere in France, __[Justinas Leveika](https://www.instagram.com/justin.and.bikes)__ has checked in – 1,500 km into the race, legs battered but spirits intact. Sitting in 4th place at CP2, he’s been riding consistently and climbing the leaderboard without drawing too much attention.

“The Pyrenees were fun, but now it sucks,” he says with the affable laugh anyone who's seen him will know. “700 km of transition on flats, crossing France to the Alps, where it’s going to be fun again.”

Justinas’ ultra-style has always been a bit unorthodox. Self-dubbed the “King of Chaos”, he pieced together his route in just two days before the start, and true to form, it’s been adventurous – and not always smooth.

“I’ve had some funny detours… pushing and walking with my bike. Everything that I could and should expect from the route I made in two days.”

Still, the results speak for themselves: up from 8th at CP1 to 4th at CP2, riding steady and seeing [__Christoph Strasser__](https://www.instagram.com/straps_377/) often on the same roads – a clear marker that he’s in the mix and his route is a good one.

Not perfect. But deeply effective. The chaos is working.

And what’s on his mind now? “Road, road, road. Fast road, boring road. It is how it is.”

__Written by:__ [Conor McKenzie](https://www.instagram.com/conormckenzie/)

*Photo credit: [Sami Sauri](https://www.instagram.com/samisauri/)* 

Whilst some riders in the midpack have cracked rims on the way to CP1, others have had their lights stolen by food delivery riders! It has all been happening, with such a high number of race starters the stories are starting to eek out.

Nicolas Chatelet continues to lead with Martin Moritz just behind and Victor Bosoni, the underdog of TCRNo10 in third. This year we're seeing a lot of the supported ultra-cycling riders hitting up the front. Conor will dive deeper into all of this, but keep an eye out as these riders tackle some more tecchy riding throughout.

Jana Kesenheimer is the first woman on Parcours 2, with Cynthia Carson snapping at her heels. Both are currently riding along this extensive and brutal parcours.

![Screenshot 2025-07-30 at 21.24.00](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7hQisZdQXBcOGnIoYMZwzZ/d30d1616d86762fa0de28b81e9b6718f/Screenshot_2025-07-30_at_21.24.00.png)

Krystian Jakubek, AKA Ultratigger has been sharing the sights that have unfolded throughout the race. If you're ever looking for a new way to see Europe this is definitely the one for you! Incredible views and every type of European culture you can imagine.

![Screenshot 2025-07-30 at 21.32.54](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5cSb1o8yWOBkVHcFSeJlbH/5fbeb7bf590d9b9f1513c7529c877677/Screenshot_2025-07-30_at_21.32.54.png)

Charlie van Waes has just passed Parcours 1, she's taking the slightly more inland route to Southern France compared to other riders. Her story shows the reality of sleeping on the TCR, often a bivvy just by the road is heaven for these riders!

![Screenshot 2025-07-30 at 21.34.46](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6U7Icoa5UvxCfw1lwSXbIb/8922dab9adce9f2f755e0379c892c522/Screenshot_2025-07-30_at_21.34.46.png)

Mathias Gottet is a bike messenger currently in 118th. He suffered a complete failure of his tyre, luckily found a bike mechanic who assured him his tyre would make it to Romania!

Please give us a tag to share your stories from the road - Kitty 

Jana’s reached Parcours 2.
Lael’s gone a very unique route.
Cynthia is climbing the Portalet.

![IMG 2425](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/EWdkFmmuZQL61j3l8vhXQ/bcb671b045fa0206602b81146cc3b7ac/IMG_2425.jpg)

__THIS IS SO EXCITING__ — our three leading women are making the dotwatching so good… and we’re not even three days in!

Three very different setups: Jana on a climbing setup, Cynthia going aero, and Lael off-road.
It would seem they’re each playing to their strengths so far, with Lael opting for some off-road and a unique route to cross the Pyrenees, a route that’s definitely raised some curiosity among us dotwatchers.

__Will it pay off?__

Jana is already on the parcours, climbing the Soulor. This section features three iconic Pyrenean climbs: the Soulor, the Aubisque, and the Tourmalet, up to CP2.

With Cynthia already climbing the Portalet, it won’t be long before she’s on the parcours. As we know, Cynthia spent time in this area before the race. Will that local knowledge (especially knowing where the good food stops are) give her an edge?
Lael, it seems, will ride backwards along the parcours and retrace her route, maybe she’ll cross paths with Cynthia again?

Jaimi is having tracker issues - and it’s not the first time. The team’s starting to think there might be something on her bike interfering with the signal. But we believe she’s all fine, and hopefully closing in on the parcours too.

Anna Richter and Sarah Bosslet are following the Jana/Cynthia route and are now not far from Sabiñánigo and will then climb the Portalet. 

Vedangi, after losing her passport, has sadly scratched - but has since discovered where it is… at a gas station. And it seems, thanks to some kindness, she’ll be reunited with it.

![IMG 2424](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4z1FAm50itlCOap5r6sXvm/25a3015844cd6ac1587670c4b9b30f06/IMG_2424.jpg)

Conor McKenzie

Millie Gibbons

Beccy Waters

Kitty Dennis

Amanda Wishart

Robin Gemperle

The eleventh edition of the race marks a new chapter in TCR history with five control points, an approximate 5,000km route and a new start location in Northern Spain. Lost Dot's 100 Women campaign has attracted a record 92 to the startline.

Transcontinental Race No11 2025 Tracking and Commentary

The eleventh edition of the race marks a new chapter in TCR history with five control points and parcours, a ~5,000km route and a new start location in North Spain. Lost Dot's 100Women campaign has attracted a record 79 to the startline.

Transcontinental Race No11 2025

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Transcontinental Race No11 2025

Total Racers

Distance — Elevation

Website

Last Year's Male Winner

Last Year's Female Winner

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