GC Winner // Victor Bosoni (232)

Words by Jake Thorpe

Photos by Sam Dugon and Tomás Montes

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We Have A Victor

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It’s official. Victor Bosoni (232) is the winner of the 11th edition of the Transcontinental Race. The next decade of the TCR has brought with it the first of a fresh crop of champions. The race’s youngest winner by 5 years, at just 23 years old, Victor has opened our eyes to the future of self-supported ultra-cycling. And the future looks fast. 

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While age is no guarantee of wisdom, Victor’s pacing – a combination of prudent restraint and strategic attack – displayed a maturity redolent of a veteran racer. Coming to such realisations so early on about what it takes to succeed in the world of self-supported ultra, particularly in a race as multifaceted as the TCR, spells a bright future for the Boy Wonder.

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A Circuitous Trip Down Memory Lane

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These lessons have not come easy. In a tale that saw Victor instantly embedded in the annals of TCR history, a mistake last year tested the tenacity of the young rider. Having reached the cusp of TCRNo10’s first parcours hot on the heels of race leader Robin Gemperle, it dawned on the debutant that his passport had failed to accompany him on his transalpine traverse. 

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The passport had, instead, remained firmly planted in a petrol station – a petrol station that, rather inconveniently, sat just the other side of Austria’s highest paved road. Without a moment’s hesitation, however, Victor abandoned his position in the leading pack, and ventured back on a 540 km detour to retrieve the document, crossing the Alps twice more in the process. 

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Many would have scratched, others would have absolved themselves of all competitive intentions, softening the focus on their objective from race to ride. But not Victor. Instead, stoked only by his own conscience – an unwavering desire to do justice to his racing spirit – he pushed on, and he pushed hard. From CP4 to the Finish in Istanbul, the then-22-year-old beat the time of GC Winner Robin by 13 hours, tackling the final section of riding within the confines of a typical working week. The most striking thing about it all was the young Frenchman’s humility. For Victor, this was not a tale to dine out on, but instead just business as usual.

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His effort, the ride of a lifetime – or so he thought – earned him 27th place in TCRNo10’s General Classification; hardly the glittering reward many of those targeting the race’s sharp end might hope for, given the circumstances. But Victor was rightly proud of his performance. It resonated with the very essence of self-supported ultra racing; a contest with no reward besides that which one learns along the way.

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Zen and the Art of Unsupported Bicycle Racing

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Having demonstrated such integrity on the undercard, Victor returned this year ready to contest the main event. And he arrived in style. Once again opting to travel to and from the race overland, Victor threw his hat into the ring of the Green Leaderboard – a closely contested category this year. When we spoke at rider registration, he extolled the benefits of overland travel on his pre-race mindset. “It’s a more chill way to reach the race”, he said, “I prefer to take my time, and to mentally process the journey.” 

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The strategy clearly worked. Even in the toughest moments – from lost brevet cards to banned bridges – Victor remained composed, rarely caught off guard. He raced with heart, as we knew he would, but didn’t lose touch with his head in the process. Off the bike, he stayed focussed and efficient. Always affable, but never loquacious, Victor knew the task at hand and wasted no time in getting on with it.

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A Well-Loved Dot Has Many Names

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Getting on with it quite nicely sums up Victor’s performance on the bike as well. Looking at his average moving speed over the ~4,800 km of his race, he blows all competition out the water. Two kilometres per hour faster than the next quickest rider – his closest rival, Martin Moritz (297) – whenever speed mattered, Victor could deliver. The dash to the ferry, and its subsequent Balkan sprint, wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. It’s unsurprising Victor the Pocket Rocket accumulates epithets with such ease.

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A Titular Tryptych

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And now he has another, Victor the Treble. Winner of the GC, the Green Leaderboard and now, almost certainly, the inaugural points classification, the Maglia Arancia, Victor is the first rider in TCR history to take the clean sweep.

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But our victor is far more than just a speed demon, hoovering up classification wins with functional efficiency. In the saddle, the young rider oozes souplesse. He is a pleasure to watch. When he climbs, rivals shudder; upon descending, photographers swoon. Perhaps by virtue of the gift of youth, he looks uncannily fresh, however exhausted; an unsettling sight for riders hoping to keep pace. 

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But beneath it all, from Victor there comes a pure effervescence; a deep gratitude that he can spend his time riding a bike across a continent. It’s no wonder that his trademark refrain is, “I’m just so happy to be here.”

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Well, Victor, rest assured, we’re happy you are too.

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