Beginning from the cobbles of Geraardsbergen, up the famous Muur and then out into the silence of the night.



I started the race feeling unwell and was heavily dosed on cold & flu tablets. I never had intentions of riding through the first night, but my choice of bivvy spot was terrible and I ended up… czytaj dalej

I had slept at a 'truckers hotel' on the side of a motorway. It was a good chance to dry out some kit - but also quite a pointless exercise once I'd left the following morning and was completely wet within an hour.



I crossed into Switzerland via Basel late in the evening, navigated the city centre and… czytaj dalej

I felt myself slowly starting to return to normality, or at least the cycling fatigue outweighed the illness. The Swiss scenery was a welcome chance to the French countryside.



The ascent of the Gottard Pass was a challenging introduction to the Alps. But the feeling I experienced at the top was something… czytaj dalej

This was my TCR's 'Queens Stage'. A day that included the San Bernardino Pass, Passo Spugla & the famous switchbacks leading up to St.Moritz.



This was exactly the sort of day I'd dreamt of during 8 months of training; one where the mirror was held up for the first time and I had to dig deep to make CP1… czytaj dalej

I overslept at CP1 and was distracted by the all-inclusive buffet breakfast the following morning. This didn't stop me from acquiring a collection of cannoli before tackling the famous Stelvio Pass. The climb was littered with TCR riders, who seemed to have clustered around this landmark point.



The days… czytaj dalej

An early stop to let the thunderstorm pass meant that arriving at CP2 before cut-off required a disciplined day of riding. A long time in the saddle, with minimal stopping.



I decided to take an alternative route via Austria, which was longer and flatter. It also meant riding the mandatory parcours section… czytaj dalej

Breakfast with the incredible race volunteers at CP2 and the beauty of the Slovenian national park lifted my mood.



But there was a residual tiredness that meant I was often starting to feel like I could fall asleep on the bike. I earmarked Zagreb as the day's end point and pushed hard to arrive early… czytaj dalej

Croatian petrol stations quickly became my favourite of the journey to that point. And with crossing into a new country - Bosnia - came newfound enthusiasm too.



The border crossing was the first with notable immigration controls and a pedalled past a line of cars queuing for kilometres.



The landscape… czytaj dalej

A very memorable meal outside Sarajevo. It had been a while since I had taken the time to sit down and enjoy a plate of food, rather than rush something on a petrol station forecourt.



The outskirts of the city still wore the signs of the 90s war, and it was a humbling place to ride through.



During the… czytaj dalej

A few photos to show for this day, but honestly it is a bit of a blur in the intense Albanian heat.



The standout moment was just short of arriving at CP3. It was very dark and two dogs began chasing me. They were within two inches of my rear tire (and legs...) and I was completely terrified. I actually… czytaj dalej

The infamous third section of mandatory routing was extremely challenging on my 28mm tires. I did a lot of walking, and despite an early start, was well behind in the day's progress when I finished the section.



Peshkopi was an entertaining sight, filled with plenty of riders that wore the signs of a… czytaj dalej

My days were beginning early and early in a deliberate attempt to make as much progress before the day got too hot. By midday it was reading 41 degrees Celsius on my Wahoo.



I hadn't researched the border crossing into Greece, so was fortunate that I arrived at a time when it was open. Crossing into Greece… czytaj dalej

I thought the climbing of the race was behind me, but somehow managed to clock a half-Everest on some aggressively steep Greek switchbacks.



I took the off-road 'short-cut' to connect two mandatory sections and enjoyed the change of walking for 5 hours. I'd bought a tray of pasta in a takeaway dish, two… czytaj dalej

I knew immediately that I should have re-routed along the coastline and, like other riders, enjoyed a tailwind towards the final mandatory section.



I made some progress on it before settling down for the night as the prospect of pushing through felt beyond me at this point.



Still, the end was in sight!

More mentally fragile than I'd felt on any other day.



Early puncture, a small crash on the off-road section and intense heat.



I rolled into Thessaloniki riding on the rim, completely overwhelmed with emotion but with no energy to express it.



I had never genuinely thought I would make it the whole way, let… czytaj dalej