TCRNo11 Day 13 // Going Deep

Words by Jake Thorpe

Photos by Chiara Redaschi, Matt Grayson, Sam Dugon, and Tomás Montes

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Breaking New Ground 

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Blending seamlessly into the typical soundscape of a Romanian beach bar in the early hours of Saturday morning, the creak and pop of a prosecco cork, and the foaming hiss of the reward within, welcomed Cynthia Carson (137) to Constanța’s finish line. Concluding her continental traverse in 11th place, Cynthia was the second woman across the line, exactly 4 hours behind Jana Kesenheimer (001). More than three times the distance and twice the duration of her next longest race, the American broke new ground with her first TCR. 

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Animating the women’s field throughout, not to mention the race’s sharp end as a whole, Cynthia displayed immense grit to maintain such pressure on the leading riders, even in the face of mounting mechanicals. In the words of Jana, who had relished the opportunity to compete amidst such a strong field of women, “it was so cool to have [Cynthia] kicking my ass throughout.” 

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And kick, Cynthia had. For a brief while through Bulgaria, the American had gained a lead over Jana. It was only slight nuances at the race’s margins – sleep, stoppage, and the occasional puncture – that eventually split the difference. 

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Having been unable to compete in TCRNo10 following a collision with a car just weeks before the race, Cynthia has made substantial strides to reach the finish line of her first TCR only a year later. We know her journey to Constanța, which began long before Santiago’s start line, will go on to inspire a multitude of riders treading the long and lonely road to recovery. 

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In Sync, Both On the Bike and Off

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Tailing Cynthia by 4 hours to the finish, Steven Davis (330) arrived at Zoom Beach with the sunrise. Having pipped his partner to the post at the first control, and then extended that lead to almost 12 hours by the second, Steven had left a message with CP2’s volunteers for Cynthia, hoping to spur her on. “Keep doing what you do best.” 

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The encouragement had its intended effect. By the third control, Cynthia had edged ahead, and arrived 20 mins before Steven. For the rest of the race they traded places, switching positions at alternate controls, never more than half an hour apart. 

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It’s no surprise that the couple found themselves so evenly matched. Having met on course at the Traka last spring, they fell in sync on the bike long before the finish line, where they discovered that connection extended beyond the bike too.

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Riding a race of this intensity without your closest emotional ballast to steady you through its waves, however, is a tricky task. Cynthia acknowledged that, should the couple continue to compete on the same stage, they might have to consider extending their relationship into a new realm: a racing partnership. We’ve no doubt they’d make a formidable pair.

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Saddle-bound Sukhasana

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As riders reach the finish line and the tide of their personal journeys seep into that of the Black Sea, the motivations for attempting such a challenge bubble, once more, to the surface. For some, these are the same undercurrents that have sustained them throughout; for others, the reasons for their race have been recast.

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Markus Zimmermann (153) reflected on his own journey across Europe as being far more than just a race. Instead, it was a meditation. He compared his ride to the practice of Vipassana – a contemplative technique that involves sitting in silence for prolonged periods in a particular position, typically over the course of 10 days. In Markus’ case, that position was on a saddle, elbows resting on raised pads, fingers curled around the skis of his aerobars.

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Vipassana is supposed to be uncomfortable. Accordingly, it offers practitioners the opportunity to recognise the impermanent nature of experience. In much the same way, crossing a continent in little more than 10 days, almost entirely under one’s own steam is – to put it lightly – uncomfortable. But, to Markus, the discomfort was what appealed. It’s no accident that he chose to try his hand at the TCR’s longest route to date.

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Mulling over his inward journey, Markus felt grateful to have had time “to reflect on the past, on the things that have happened”, acknowledging that, in the end, he has emerged from the experience a little wiser. “Proud is a big word”, he demurred, “there are so many more impressive things than riding your bike from point A to point B.” Perhaps there are. In fact, much the same could be said about sitting rigidly in silence for 10 days. What’s impressive, however, is being able to use such simple pursuits to decode some of life’s greater complexities, and learn a little more about oneself in the process.

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Sweetening the Deal

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For others crossing the finish line on Saturday, their motivations had not remained so resolute.

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Justinas Leveika (023) has long been the first to admit that his preparation for races leaves something to be desired. This propensity was the very reason he chose to enter the TCR. As a master of fixed-route, off-road courses, Justinas had sought the challenge of a free-routed road race to push him beyond the bounds of his comfort zone. This happened only too quickly when wayward routing choices in Southern France saw him rapidly lose ground on the leading pack. It must be strange for a competitive rider who’s used to directing the pace of a race, to find themself instead slipping back through its ranks. In times like these, the why becomes an aquifer of vital importance. Through this stress-test, however, his drive quickly gave way, leaving, in its place, a motivational vacuum. “The whys I had were too weak,” Justinas admitted, “I just couldn’t find a reason to move.”

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But interestingly enough, reason or not, Justinas continued to make forward progress. Despite having to rouse himself each morning with the help of three coffees – a trio he christened the Triple Crown: an espresso, a cappuccino, and a latte – and bribing himself between towns with the promise of gelato, Justinas persisted, taking routing mishaps and countless suboptimal bivvies in his typical jocular stride. Lacking the excuse of a major mechanical to end his effort early, he was forced to push on, recognising the importance of finishing what he’d started – “not wanting to” simply wasn’t a good enough reason.

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Crossing the line to round off the top 20, Justinas was uninterested in his final position. For him, as for many still strung out across the continent, hoping to reach the shores of the Black Sea over the coming days, “the achievement is the finish, and the experience that comes with it.”

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Scratch Report

Angus Holland (222) – Rider scratched 15:00 CEST 10/8 via email due to a combination of mechanicals and knee pain.

Nicole Farrier (301) – Rider scratched 14:00 CEST 10/8 via phone call due to time constraints.

Elke Maier (306) – Rider scratched 8:03 CEST 10/8 via email - no reason given.

Falk Döring (390a) – Rider scratched 18:13 CEST 9/8 via email due to illness.

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