(This is more of interest if you are willing to participate in such a race.)

Tcr notes and mistakes

15 days of screaming in the wind

Rule # 0 never ever listen to anyone else than yourself

Rule #0.1 never ever listen to anyone else than yourself or your family and even then put your inner voice first, only you knows.

That s a rule I ve applied in life on a few long lasting occasions without realising I was and it has worked every time.

On tcr I might have made the mistake of listening to other voices.

The road will give you signs, learn to hear them.

Sleeping the first night (better make a rough nap somewhere or a 24 hours ride to a bed and shower. You ll probably be too nervous to sleep.
Having new stuff you ain’t tested on long rides well before hand.
Routing like a rookie, the first rule is do not trust strava heatmap or komoot road cycling routes! The second rule is put all your attention to details and street views. Planning and prepping is half the race if not more, the better plan and prep are, the more chances of a success. And more importantly the more chances of an enjoyable ride.
Packing like a rookie (light lighter lightest) understand the purpose of the bag, food pouch is a food pouch not a tool pouch, have a food pouch or two, they are probably the most important bags on your bikes. Have your tools separated from other things and accessible easily (especially when it rains, you don’t wanna pull out all your dry clothes just to access one inner tube...) yeah I did...
Taking nice cycling socks (you ll overkill them, better have those cheap old ones)
Eating in restaurants, so so long, do it in Italy only(!!!)
Taking too many breaks, like Chris White advices, do stop when you have at least three things to do... pee/gather some stuff/ buy some food/clean your face or clean your chain...
Changing cleats on the way, new cleats will always change the position of your knees and even slightly that could be too much change during a race of long rides... change cleats only if really necessary
Taking extra shorts that ain’t waterproof (no riding purpose)
Not having a spare phone burner to reassure loved ones when your smart phone dies...
Having a light rear wheel, have strong wheels cause even with the best planning they ll go through rough areas...
Not having tt bars really well set before the race
Riding or climbing in the middle of the day
Climbing and descending at night
Sleeping too much
Not eating too much
Having two pairs of glasses, photo chromatic shades are a must, I find.
Not having food pouches and easy access essentials for stop over (nightset: power banks and plugs to recharge, medicine and creams and soap should be easy to take out off your bag without taking more out firsthand)
Not being able to clean bike on the go, check out some cleaning wipes like crankalicious...
Not having mudguards, they are uncool but dry shoes and cleaner drive train under the rain is cooler than no mudguards.
Carrying a heavy lock , you might need a lock but so rarely on the race than saving weight on this is mandatory.
Not having an air matelas, it s not heavy, takes a bit of room but changes everything to your tough and rough nights sleeping out.
Not having a merino or tech warm long sleeve for cases of cold ... same as a little insulated layer. Catching a cold is the stupidest thing in such a race yet it s very easy given the range of temp your body will go through while being extremely tired ...
Not having a little towel for swims in lakes and rivers, for cleaning yourself anywhere on the go and fast enough.
Not researching really well where you ll be passing (and ending up looking for the last hotel room in a touristic town where everything is out of your budget...)
Not having extra room in bags to store food.
Not having soap and baby wipes at all time
Not having brand new tyres on for the start and only one spare with you (2 is too many)
Not having bungees and a lot of zip ties, they are as useful if not more as inner tubes...
Not taking the longer flatter routes
Not having a list of towns and road numbers you can back up to if your electronic devices start fucking up...
Not knowing your spare gps well enough.
Having your mascotte stuck inside a bag and not seeing the road. Even worse : not having a trusty mascotte, you ll need one more than you ll need a bike!
Not having a leatherman mumti tool for all small repairs...
Not having a dynamo rear light
Going with new shoes or going with old stinky shoes...
Not having a quadlock or similar system for the iPhone (you should use the phone as little as possible, social networks and communications with friends and family will be a mental boost tho, also the map on the phone can be very handy on the road while rerouting on the go or just knowing other options around...)
Not having the rest of your family well aware of your dot and behind you every step of the way...
Not training on hills, on turbo for intervals and in gym for leg power
Not cross training (swimming or running...)
Not being super fresh and rested at the start
Going if you have the smallest doubt
Know your route and know when to leave civilisation, night time is no good to be far and remote, middle of day neither. Actually try and stay on straight busy roads for gas sations or between small towns and villages for food supply and water, also in case of a mechanical...also being too remote can be scary on the race.
Bags are great but keep everything you can out of them, tape spare tubes and spare tyres on frame, tape oil and toothbrush for chain cleaning, anything you can strap or tape out of the bag is more place for fuel in the bags, more space for anything, and above all things you won’t need to repack every morning!
Avoid big cities and too large towns, stay on their outskirts for cheaper hotels and for avoiding all the broken glass on city streets...and all the temptations of civilisation and normal life and them bloody red lights
Prep your route, have language key phrases for each country, have a good idea of the cultures you will meet
Don’t promise a phone call or an update in a given time or space, that can end up stressing your family and stressing you too .
Plan your route by little chunks of 50-100 km work hard on plan b situations and sleeping locations
Don’t panic don’t stress it s all a matter of time and there is always a light at the end of each tunnel. Every day will have moments of total doubt/stress/désillusion and fear but there s also something always coming up for you if you keep going and keeping a positive attitude will make it come faster.
Plan long stops in nice places to recharge really well, a good night sleep in a bed with a few good showers and time to heal and treat your body, as fir a great breakfast buffet. Actually a great tip of advice here: never hesitate to stop in a rather good hotel to ask for the breakfast buffet price, it can go up to 20-30 euros and even if it was more, it d still be the best deal you can get on the road as it s usually safe and clean food to eat and the amount you can get will make the price of it a ridiculously good bargain...
Don’t stop if you have a tail wind but be weary of sudden energy, you will always pay it later, rythm is key, being slow and steady is better than erratic fast that will break your legs the next day.
Work with a clear rythm, say you ride from 5 till 22 every day counting 3-4 hours of stopping time. That gives you about 14-15 hours of riding time which will cover between 200 and 300’km
Try and stay as clean as possible, it will prevent saddle sores infections and it will feel so much better on the road.
Know how to clean your kit and when, middle of the day is best to have it dry on your bars or saddle bag within no time. That should almost be your lunch break routine...
Be ordered and well organised. Have things placed always at the same convenient place (almost impossible!!) have your phone and credit cards and Id in a spot that s safe, secured and easy to check ( you cant lose your bike but losing those would turn out to be even more handicapping, I found that having them in a waterproof wallet in the back of my bib short where I d feel them all the time was very reassuring and a good spot when sleeping out, except for the phone, sweat doesn’t get through a waterproof wallet and if it s too hot you can place them in a part of your bags where checking is easy, also that s what you always need to have easy access to when you stop, never enter a gas station or a shop leaving your bike with these in, you might not really need a lock but these you can’t leave behind )
Train riding with your bike all geared up and loaded the way it will be for a while in advance, it is shockingly heavier and if you know it in advance you ll re assess what it is you really wanna have all along and you ll be used to ride your bike heavy.
Do multi day rides, try and have them multi weather and multi terrain too with the very set up you aim to use (cassette, tyres, full bags, tt bars, gloves and bar tape) normally if you climb the ladder correctly to TCR (brevets and Audax, you should know long before what are your needs for the race, If like me you jump up too many steps you might need to purchase things and dump others along the way.
Pain is temporary, don’t freak out on the first pains, trust your body, it might be adapting along the way.
Have some pain killers and anti inflammatory, they ll reassure you but don’t use them too soon, some pains will come and go.
Don’t save on chamois cream weight or space, it s one of your best friends at day 4...
Learn to eat a bit all the time, real meals should be reserved to evenings and mornings once in a while, digesting a full meal will slow you down and eat your energy, also the stomach gets tighter and crankier in the race, if taking pills it s even worse, you lose appetite, and eating becomes challenging and a one meal will never be big enough. Eat all the time.
Have electrolytes, water is amazing but it s not enough. Learn to also make your own electrolytes, I think you just need lemon orange juice salt and sugar or honey to do a decent hydrating drink. So maybe have some great pink salt with you, the rest you ll find easily.
Try and enjoy every day, after all these are the holidays you have chosen for yourself !

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