03 TCR06 – Hopes, Motivation & Fears (3 lists)

You are now at post 03 of my TCR series. If you wish to read them in order and/or first want to find out what this is all about.., voilà:
01 Next BIG thing: The Transcontinental Race – I’m Cap 36
02 TCR06 – Preparation
03 TCR06 – Hopes, Motivation & Fears (3 lists)
04 TCR06 – Finished!
05a TCR06 – Visual Race Report – 1. Introduction
05b TCR06 – Visual Race Report – 2. Timeline Overview
05c TCR06 – Visual Race Report – 3. Interactive Map

My hopes & goals…

There are many ways to approach this endeavour. Here’s what each of them would mean to me.
In order of importance and intensity to me:

• survive. That would be nice!
• finish in any time. I would have had a fantastic adventure that surpassed any cycling I’ve ever done. I’d be incredibly happy and thankful!
• finish for the party. Oh Lord (or whoever), this would be unspeakably overwhelming to me and make me very very proud (I’d have to admit). I would be able to share an evening with many heroes. And some days with my parents and brother who will be there for me!
• finish a few days before the party. Wow, I think it would take me some time to process how this could have been possible. I will check my agenda a couple of times to be sure I didn’t make a mistake and mixed up the dates. I would also consider that I was unknowingly involved in some time travel experiment by some alien civilization. Also a ripped time-space continuum or a glitch in the matrix would be options to consider.

As you can see, none of those points involves my placement among the riders. What other riders do affects me in the sense that it can be inspirational benchmarks. They will show me what could be possible and will certainly keep me sharp and make sure that I won’t be hanging around. But primarily I will experience my trip just by my own standards.

What motivates me…

(In no particular order)

• My parents and brother are waiting for me at the finish line in Greece. If  I manage to arrive (let’s assume I do), that will be one of the best things.
• That drive to make it! Would take too long to explain in detail; it has to do with independce, agency, learning, achievement. You can also check my “approach” section in the “about” menu
• The sense of community among riders. We will all go through the same and will understand each other. That is very new to me, since in the past I was an almost exclusively lonely rider (apart from many friends following/encouraging me online! And one great duo trip with Jon through Japan)
• Stunning scenery. Especially looking forward to the parcours! I have the feeling the organizers of TCR really have a good feeling for dramaturgy! (independent from that strange excursion to Poland : D )
• Arriving on top of the pass. And then descending for ages.
• Insight & connection. Into myself and how I cope with adversity. And into the world because I will again very tangibly have experienced a part of our blue marble. (Attention, seeming corniness ahead! But I mean it) I think an important part of my/our kind of cycling is that it allows us to bridge some of that very natural and archaic gap/detachment between our inner and our outer world.
• International exchange. Among the colourful bunch of riders but also across the nations of Europe.
• “You have nothing else to do than cycle. So you’ll automatically move ahead” That’s a paraphrased quote by Ultan Coyle; a crazy, very successful and also very kind and humble Irish TCR veteran. I had the chance to have a chat with him after a short presentation of his in Berlin. I found that actually very eye-opening!

What I fear…

(in that particular order)

• Stray dogs. I’m really not a “dog person” – as long as they’re not on a leash, they terrify me! (ah, btw. is there a linguistic link between “terrier” and “terrifying”?). I have no idea how to interact with those beasts.
• A sore arse. No need for explanation.
• Crashes. Not so much from traffic (strangely), but rather from slipping in a curve or from falling asleep, or because of:
• The heat. In particular its effect on my circulation. I know I can get headaches from heat
• that my body wont keep the food down. I’ll need tons of calories and I know the feeling when the body can hardly take any more. In contrast I also fear the almost inevitable moments of “hitting the wall” due to under-fueling
• Sweat in my eyes. I burns so bad.
• That the route might not work out. Despite my confidence in the research I’ve done… you never know.

All that’s left to say…

I wish all my fellow riders a lot of fun success, health and a great adventure. – I wish dotwatchers and friends and families a lot of fun watching and supporting their loved ones and that they will have a lot of good sleep at night because it’ll all be fine. – I’m thankful to the  organizers of the TCR and wish them a smooth event and as much time as possible to enjoy it together on the road, too!

Lastly, once more:

• You can follow all the riders’ GPS dots on their individual routes across Europe on
  • www.transcontinental.cc
  • www.dotwatchers.cc (incl. social media stream)
  • www.trackleaders.com
    I’m cap 36
• You can follow me…
  • #TCRNo6cap36 is my personal hashtag all over social media
  • Instagram: MalteCyclingtourist (occasional photos/stories)
  • Twitter: @cyclingtourist_ (Malte Cyclingtourist) (synced to Instagram)
  • Facebook page: Malte Cyclingtourist
  • Strava: malte cyclingtourist – I’ll probably upload my rides each day.
  • General discussion and post about the race in the TCR Facebook group and tagged as #TCRNo6

All the best,

Malte, Cap 36, Cyclingtourist

Author: Malte Cyclingtourist

Hi, I'm Malte, cyclo-hedonist, endurance traveller, occasional bikepacking-racer (mostly road) – www.cyclingtourist.com – Strava: Malte Cyclingtourist – Instagram: @maltecyclingtourist View all posts by Malte Cyclingtourist