- It's the morning of the transcontinental race
and here we are at sign on.
We're gonna have a little chat with the riders
about their builds
and exactly why they are the way they are.
(gentle music)
So if you could start with your name,
your cap number and where you're from?
- Yeah, my name is Bjorn Lenhard, my cap number,
obviously, number two,
because of second place last year
and I'm coming from Dresden in Germany.
- You were second last year,
just won the Transatlantic Way Race as well,
a hot favorite, I think,
certainly from what we've seen here.
What's your strategy going into the race this evening?
- [Bjorn] Well, I just ride as fast as I can,
and as long as I can.
(chuckles)
No, there's no real strategy, I mean,
it depends on the wind and the weather,
or how far I can go till tomorrow evening,
and then I will see how I feel,
maybe what the weather says,
I mean if you have nice tail wind
maybe you cycle one or two hours more
if you have head wind maybe you stop earlier,
or if you have rain you stop.
You cannot really, really make out a strategy
in the beginning.
- And in terms of the races that you've done here before,
do you have any distinct memory that's your favorite?
- Oh well, there are too many memories, to be honest.
There are too many stories I could tell,
things I have experienced, it's just amazing.
And it's every time, you know, you have new experience,
new adventure, meet new peoples, it's just fantastic.
- [Interviewer] And obviously, you're a very seasoned
ultra-endurance rider,
for the people at home that might be watching this
and thinking, oh, that's maybe something
I could give it a go,
what's your piece of advise to a beginner?
- That's a good question.
Maybe you should start with shorter race,
not just straight away with the Transatlantic,
or the Transcontinental,
and to finish such a race, I mean,
you always have to keep in mind, you have to keep moving.
Every minute you stop somewhere,
it doesn't get you to the finish line.
(gentle music)
- Okay guys, so if we could start off with your names,
where you've come from, and your cap numbers.
- Uh, I'm Nico Departago-Cabrera,
I'm from Chicago, and I'm cap number 256B.
- [Charles] My name's Charles Christiansen,
I'm from San Francisco, California, and I'm 256A.
- So these guys are riding as a pair,
and it's not your first time at the Transcontinental,
is that right guys?
- No, this is our second time around.
- [Interviewer] So what happened last year?
- Well, last year we had a little bit
of a problem with our scheduling
and we committed to the Cycler Messenger World Championships
in Montreal, Canada,
and this was our first endurance race ever,
so we got a little behind schedule
with some routing mishaps,
and got to the fourth checkpoint
and realized we were not gonna be able to make our flights
to compete in the Worlds.
We didn't have the budget to reschedule,
so we scratched to checkpoint four
to make World Championships happen for us,
which was very bittersweet,
because we got a taste of the greatness
of this type of race,
but then had to scratch with one checkpoint to go,
so we vowed before we even left checkpoint four
that we would be back again.
- And here you are, fantastic.
So what are you doing this year,
having done the race last year,
is there anythings that you've changed in terms
of your setup, or your strategy with the route or anything?
- Definitely, so last year, we kind of routed ourselves
as if it was an alley cat race.
Like, alright, what's the straightest line to get
to the checkpoint and we'll go there,
'cause that's where we come from.
And in doing so, we wound up cutting a lot of mileage,
but adding a whole lot of elevation.
Which doesn't seem as stressful on paper,
but then when you get out there in the field, it's like,
oh, this is why you ride a little longer to go
around the mountains.
So we definitely were smarter with our routing this year,
but one of the big things we did this year
that we didn't have last year,
was having a dynamo hub.
- [Interviewer] Yup.
- [Nico] To power our lights,
and also be able to charge stuff while we're moving.
We wound up having to carry so much extra gear last year,
extra battery packs, wall plugs, everything.
We would have to stop so much more often,
so we could charge things
and this set up this year will help keep us moving,
we'll be able to ride longer into the night
and spend more time in the saddle.
- Yeah, for sure, nice one.
And Chaz, just about your bike,
can you just talk us a little bit
through your frame?
'Cause it's something quite special you've got there.
- [Chaz] Yeah, definitely.
This is a low frame, it's hand built in San Francisco
by a friend of mine, Andrew Lowe,
he started out building track frames,
and he's gone on to, some say, real bikes,
but gravel and road bikes,
so this is special to me because it was built
six blocks from my house by a friend of mine.
And it's all set up with Sram Etap Hydro,
which is nice because we can charge our etap shifter
batteries with our dyno hubs.
- Nice.
- So we're kind of like a weird, closed ecosystem
of cycling, where we're like, very high technology,
but also very self-contained.
And I kind of have a menagerie of bags
but all built in San Francisco, by a friend of mine,
Outer Shell, to kind of just make it happen,
try and carry as little as I can,
but as much as I need.
- You've definitely gone for the shoe doping,
glasses doping approach.
- For me, it's the little bit of motivation that helps
when it gets really tough,
to just have that little bit of color,
or that little bit of flair,
to just remind me, like,
this is fun, this is like, stay lighthearted,
this is a shout out to my friend JP
from Toyko and Squidbikes,
they had the idea of painting the shoes
to match the glasses,
and I saw them do it for Trackle Across Nationals,
and I was like, that's my TCR jam right there.
- Nice, well best of luck guys.
- Thank you.
- we'll be following on Doc Tracker.
- Cap 256.
- That's the one.
- 256, what up.
(gentle music)
- Cool, so if you could start by telling us your name,
your cap number, and where you're from?
- Sure, so Roger Seaton,
cap number 34,
and I am from the UK.
- Excellent, thank you.
And I believe this isn't your first Transcontinental,
is that right?
- Yeah, I did it last year, but I pulled out
due to family reasons quite early,
after a friend unfortunately was killed.
- And this year, you're not just gonna try
and do the same thing again,
you've gone for a slightly different tact,
you've gone for a Brompton,
tell me a bit about that.
- [Roger] Well, I said if I was ever gonna do this again
I'd do it on my most fun bike,
and I have fun every time I ride this bike.
Also I smile a lot,
and I'm thinking, getting on the bike in the morning
after a long previous day, it's good to smile,
so I decided to do this on the Chapter 3 Brompton.
- Excellent, and I think
what we've noticed most about this bike is,
obviously there's not a massive amount of storage space,
so it's used very wisely.
What are you little hacks that we've got in this one?
- So first, well, you don't need much,
the more you've got, the more you've gotta carry,
so very, very minimal gear,
but obviously the luggage in the back
has got the minimal amount in it,
we've got things like spare inners taped
between the frames, a spare tire just in case,
because I reckon pram tires are gonna be hard to get
from where I'm going.
- [Interviewer] Probably yeah.
- And that's the hardest thing,
tires and inners yeah, they're gonna be quite hard to sort
if you wreck one,
so, it's basically optimize all the space for performance,
and making sure that it's as light as possible,
streamlined, nothing gets in the way,
nothing falling off or rattling,
which is real irritating.
- Fantastic.
And you say it's something you've ridden a lot before,
is it something you've been training on,
both, especially for the longer distance type miles?
- Yeah sure, so I commute on one of these daily
and I've done so for about five or six years now,
but doing this on the Brompton,
gone for long back to back rides of 300-400 plus
kilometer rides, back to back.
Which is the key thing, back to back,
hill repeats, which brings a smile to a club rider's faces
when they go past me.
Yeah, just making sure you can get the speed up
so the average speed's are a bit slower
and you take a bit more effort
but it can be done, so making sure that ultimately,
can this be done on a Brompton, and it can be.
- Well I think it could be a world first.
Best of luck, that's fantastic, thank you.
- Thanks.
(upbeat music)
- So before we get onto this bike,
will you start by giving us your name,
your cap number,
and where you're from?
- [Rene] Hi, I'm Rene, I'm cap number 158,
and I'm from Germany.
- Fantastic, thank you.
And we actually came across this bike
before we spotted Rene,
we'll take a closer look at every individual part,
because this is quite a spectacular home-build.
So am I right in thinking that all the,
I can only call hacks, on this bike,
you've made yourself, is that right?
- Yes.
- So um, I don't even know where to start.
Let's (chuckles) let's start in front of us,
on the aerobars here.
You've got a little compartment,
what have you got in there?
- I've got mostly food in there,
so this is just Clif bars, basically.
It also has my backup light,
and my main light here, and my spot tracker,
and a small computer, which I have for my power meter.
- Yeah.
And interestingly, we talked about suspension.
You've got both the canyon seat post,
and a suspension stem on the front there,
what's that one there?
- It's a redshift suspension stem,
and I think it's really important in such a long race
that you're comfortable on your bike,
because it's not about going fast,
it's more about the time you can spend on your bike,
so if you can stay for half an hour longer on your bike,
because you're not that fatigued, not that tired,
then it's totally worth it.
- Absolutely.
And sort of, not just the storage you've got
on front here, but all of the storage,
I can't even call them bags, that you've made on your bike,
they're all made of carbon fiber, is that right?
- Yeah it's made of carbon fiber,
and this one here,
this material on top is called Cuban Fiber,
it's a material which is used in sailing--
- Okay.
- Because it's super light and super strong.
- Fantastic, and that's all completely waterproof?
- [Rene] Yes.
- Great.
So in addition to the pack on the front here,
we've got the sort of extended top to your bag,
also one in the back there, what's that one for?
- The one in the back is for my sleeping gear,
so for my sleeping bag and my sleeping mattress,
and I also take a bivvy,
which is in my pocket from my tri suit.
- Yeah, fantastic.
And then there's some other really interesting parts
that aren't for storage.
So you've got two bottle cages, what are they for?
- They're for Coke, cuz, uh, (laughs)
you always need caffeine and sugar,
so I have two bottle cages, which are a bit smaller
for normal Coke bottles,
which you can get at a petrol station.
- Yeah, fantastic.
I noticed we've got some aero faring, is that, on the forks?
- Yeah, it's just an aero faring,
to make the fork that little bit more aerodynamic.
- Fantastic.
And just one other little thing that I've noticed
on the back there by your rear derailleur,
what's that for?
- It's for my toothbrush,
but the one for cleaning the chain,
and also for the chain oil.
- [Interviewer] Fantastic.
That's brilliant.
So when will we be expecting to see you in Meteora?
- Um, I'm not sure yet because it's such a long race,
so a lot of things can go wrong and can happen,
but if it all goes well,
I would hope for finish in 10 days or
maybe a bit faster, we'll see.
- So if you could start off by telling us your name,
where you're from, and your cap number please?
- Okay,
my name is Anna Petters,
and I'm originally from Sweden,
I'm living in France right now,
and my cap number is 97.
- Fantastic.
Now I understand this isn't your first long-distance event,
but it's your first transcontinental, is that right?
- [Anna] Yes.
- [Interviewer] So what have you done before this?
- I did the length of Sweden in 2016,
and I finished that and that was fun.
It was very hard, but it was fun.
- [Interviewer] And how long is the length of Sweden?
- [Anna] That's a bit more than 2,000 kilometers.
- [Interviewer] Wow.
So it's about half the length of
what you're gonna be starting this evening?
- Yeah.
I felt like I was in for a bit of more.
- Yeah. - Yeah.
- Great.
And your strategy in terms of
how you're gonna be riding and sleeping,
what have you got planned for that?
- I think I'm gonna try to sleep out as much as possible,
because that makes me more flexible,
but I'm not gonna torture myself,
if I find a nice hotel and it's right on time,
I'm gonna take it.
- Fantastic.
And we've talked a little bit about your setup and your kit,
what's your one piece of little luxury
that you're taking with you and why?
- I think I'm gonna take my nail polish.
- [Interviewer] I think it's fantastic, nice little perk
when you're feeling low.
- Yeah, exactly.
- And obviously, you're a really strong rider,
having got through the length of Sweden is not easy at all,
especially with those weather conditions.
- [Anna] Yeah.
- [Interviewer] What do you do to prepare,
not necessarily on the bike, but mentally,
for when you're having a bit of a struggle
when things get tough?
- That it's gonna get better.
Because I know from touring solo all the time
and doing everything myself,
I know that I can work through it,
I just need a calm moment,
use my brain, think about it,
and then I know I will be fine in the end.
And it's just me biking,
and it's only a bike race, and that's it, so.
- [Interviewer] And we have 21 women on the start line
this year, out of 240.
Why do you think that is and why aren't more women here?
- I think it's a lot about the preconceived ideas
that a lot of women have in themselves
that being alone on the road with a bike,
meeting people, being afraid of being alone meeting people,
and of course stuff can happen but I think most people,
generally, are kind and they want good for you,
and you should have that closest to your heart,
and not be afraid.
I think that's one of the reasons that there is less ladies,
but it's really not that bad.
And you just have to trust yourself,
and that you can do it
and you can solve all the technical stuff,
but basically the people around you are kind.
- So here we are with Giannis' bike.
Giannis is from Greece, so it's essentially
a ride home for him.
And underneath this really stunning paint,
which Giannis did himself,
is a true British classic, there's a Hercules,
and it's actually got a custom made fork there
for this bike.
It comes complete with a Shimano Tiagra Group set
so a little more modern there.
Full Apidura bike packing bags
and a very comfortable Brooks saddle,
and some really sweet little finishing details.
Got flip flops on the top there
for some time off the bike,
and also a lucky charm on the front
from one of his friends back home.
So Giannis, we're just over 24 hours before the start now,
before you ride home back to Greece.
How are you feeling about it?
- Um, exciting.
It's my first time here,
and it's amazing to be here for me,
because I saw this race for years now
and it was my dream to be part of this race.
- [Interviewer] Fantastic, and the buildup to this race,
have you been doing lots of long distance bike rides,
maybe at any other events in the buildup to it?
- No, I'm a long distance cyclist,
and it's my first time to go and race in race mode.
All my trips, it's classic, with classic pioneers,
with my classic bike, that's it.
- [Interviewer] Maybe on your own?
- [Giannis] Yeah.
- [Interviewer] Yeah?
- [Giannis] All the time.
- [Interviewer] And so, to be here in Geraardsbergen
with all these people who are into the same sort of thing
into this long distance atmosphere,
how does that feel?
- [Giannis] It's something new for me.
- [Interviewer] Yeah.
- [Giannis] It's something new, yeah, absolutely.
- It's exciting? - Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Fantastic, well, best of luck, we'll be watching.
(gentle music)
- So that's just a fraction of the riders
and their setups for this year's Transcontinental Race.
And all there's left to do now
is to see them off going up de Muur,
and then follow their progress
over the next couple of weeks.
If you'd like to check out more
from our trip to the Transcontinental,
click just down here, and don't forget to subscribe.