"cross-continental Cycling: Bike Tour Travel Insurance For European Routes"

"cross-continental Cycling: Bike Tour Travel Insurance For European Routes" - I first heard about the Transcontinental Race in March 2015. It had only been a few months since my first long cycling trip and I was living in the Czech Republic as I criss-crossed Europe. The ride would culminate in a three-year round-the-world cycle, but I had no idea at the time that things would escalate to this point. My Couchsurfing host in Prague, Thomas, was training for a third TCR and the other day he went out of town with me. The race felt mental. Here is a quote from my fifth blog post on this site:

"He thought it would be a good opportunity to train for his next challenge this summer - 'The Transcontinental Race' - a crazy cycling race from Flanders, Belgium to Istanbul, Turkey. I asked him how soon he could do it . Expected to cover the distance, waited for a response for a few weeks, but his response took about 10 days! He aimed to cover over 300 km per day, 3 times my average. Suddenly my The "big trip" it seemed pathetic in comparison.

"cross-continental Cycling: Bike Tour Travel Insurance For European Routes"

The world of cycling seemed foreign to me. Speed, Lycra, training – none of it was something I had dealt with and although the TCR captured my imagination, I quickly dismissed it as a lunatic event and all. Thomas finished third that summer.

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Fast forward about two years and I'm in Australia. I had traveled through Europe, from the Caucasus and the Middle East, through the "stans" of Central Asia to China and Southeast Asia. I cycled across Australia, from Darwin to Melbourne, ending up on an island in the Indonesian archipelago. I had 35,000km under my belt and leather. I worked on a farm in Queensland, saving up to travel the world.

Mike Hall was killed in a car accident during the 2017 Indian Pacific Wheel Race. Mike Hall was a legend on the scene; He has won prestigious bikepacking races like Trans-Am and Tour Divide and holds the world record for the fastest bicycle. In 2013 he founded the Transcontinental Race which has become one of the most popular ultra-endurance events on the calendar.

The Indian Pacific Wheel Race is essentially the Australian equivalent of the TCR. It is a 5,500km stage race from Fremantle to Sydney. When Mike was killed, he was less than 500 kilometers from the finish line. The news made headlines that spread far beyond the ultra-remote scene and I remember reading about it on the Australian news. I still didn't care much or particularly for these races, but at this point I felt like I was overlapping with the endurance riders.

In America I have met many people interested in hypervisualization. I felt that I was treated as part of that community, which I always felt was a bit unfair. I was fit, yes, but I wasn't as athletic as these guys. I cycled slowly, stopped often, took several days off and always got enough sleep. On the duller terrain of the US and Australia I often averaged 8 hours between 100 and 150km, but it still wasn't like the 300km Thomas planned to average in the TCR.

Chris Herbert's Transcontinental Race Kit List

That summer, I rode sections of the Trans America Trail in the United States shortly after the Trans Am Bike Race. This race is even longer: 6,800km. I remember seeing notes about it in a coffee shop or bike shop somewhere in Kansas.

When I crossed into the UK that winter to wrap up my journey, I met a lot of riders who liked the light weight of the bike. I stayed with Andy via Warmsworth near Sheffield and had dinner with some of his long distance cycling friends. He features a dude riding London-Edinburgh-London and Angie Walker who took part in last year's TCR (she will also return in another blog). I still thought all this ultra-tolerance talk was silly, but I was a lot more interested than I had been a few years ago.

After returning to London I started working as a bike courier. I can think of a handful of runners who have competed (and done well) in long distance races. I continued to use the Steel Dawes Super Galaxy that I have toured the world with, but it broke. Instead of spending the money to fix it, I let it rust in the garden and bought a carbon road bike. I got a Boardman Team Carbon, which is my commuter bike, from Gumtree for £450. I had never ridden a carbon bike before and it was fast. Suddenly I was dropping several parcels a day, zipping through central London with ease.

A few months later I started working on the epidural. Epidura manufactures lightweight, rackless bicycle packing accessories. They sponsor TCR and support many athletes at the top end of the ultra-distance cycling scene (including the late Mike Hall). It was a slippery slope. I started dating "real" cyclists, bought clip-on shoes, wore lycra, and actually started cycling for fun and fitness, not just to ride around on the cheap or deliver packages to make money.

Slovakian Peter Sagan Of Cannondale Pro Cycling Wearing The Green Jersey Of Leader In The Sprint Ranking, French Romain Bardet Of Ag2r La Mondiale Wearing The White Jersey For Best Young Rider

Three of my teammates attended the TCR last year. I still thought the race was stupid and wondered why anyone would want to use their entire vacation on such an innocent trip. I've heard so many amazing stories about endurance racing: people struggling with fatigue and falling asleep while riding their bikes, unable to pedal due to bleeding injuries in the saddle, and even being able to hold on to their necks. However, curiosity was growing in the mind.

In May I covered my first 300km, an Audax from Rennes Park in South West London. The longest cycle I did in one day was 185km. I rode with my colleague Greg who was training for TCR. I couldn't keep up with it, but I finished it in 16 hours. I was devastated. My legs ached and I could barely climb the stairs at home. Day after day the thought of covering that distance seemed impossible.

I knew some people were competing that summer and dot watching was addictive. I similarly started following other bikepacking competitions and wondered if I could do it myself. I was interested in both physical strength - being fit enough to ride for hours a day, but also mental strength - being disciplined and motivated enough to keep walking every morning. Neither is easy and I have a lot of respect for the people who complete these events.

Long story short, curiosity got the best of me and a few months later I applied to participate in TCR #7. It felt a bit like the universe was pulling me in and now seemed like the time to give it a try. I will not do that anymore. I had support from work, a network of people around me who could give me advice and for the first time the race ran from east to west. We end up in Brest, so it will be easy to go home.

Iron Horse Bicycle Classic Pro Road Race

After traveling around the world I have always had a basic level of fitness. While I don't drive much in the winter, my commute is 25km which is better than nothing. I didn't bother training until spring and started racking up miles 4 months before the race.

As I got closer to the race, I started riding longer and more regularly. I'd never exercised at all before and didn't have a real routine for my efforts, but for about 3 months this is generally what I've been able to do:

The journey is approximately 125 km per week. This is the absolute minimum. I have flexible Wednesday mornings at work, so I get a punchy ride every week. I usually did a 70km loop around Westerham in Kent which included a 1,000m climb. Then, on the weekends I usually covered at least 100 miles. I was aiming for longer rides between 200km and 300km and the more I did, the more I got. I can go out 200km and still go to the pub in the evening. I couldn't hold on for long after drinking but I was recovering and my legs would still work the next day.

Over the last few months I've tried to do a few extra weekends. These were great exercises, but it was hard to make time for them. To walk the 350 miles to Land's End I did 50 miles after work on Friday, 180 miles on Saturday and 110 miles on Sunday, camping along the way and catching the 6pm train from Penzance. Monday morning around one o'clock at home

Transcontinetal Race 2015 Pt1 — Josh Ibbett

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