Transcontinental Race No. 8 – fast forward through Europe

The first difficulty of the race arises right at the beginning. The start is at ten o'clock in the evening, which presents the drivers with the dilemma of either driving straight through the first night or having to look for a place to sleep in the first hours of the race. In addition, due to the start… read more

From the hotel it is only a few meters to the bakery, which has just opened. As long as I'm still in Germany, I don't want to do without this institution. Coffee, sandwiches and a few pieces for the road and I'm ready for the next day on the bike. Today we have to get as close as possible to the first… read more

At 4 a.m. I'm back on my bike and looking forward to the first checkpoint. I leave Chemnitz behind me in the dark. A fox stands on the street, we keep eye contact for a long time. In Olbernhau, just before the Czech border, it starts to rain. I take a break at the local bakery and secretly hope to be… read more

Like the day before, I start at 4 a.m. I'm recovered and looking forward to the next stage, which should bring me as close as possible to the Alps. There is something magical about the early morning. There is fog in the valleys, the rising sun paints an infinite number of colors in the sky. The streets… read more

I set off again in the dark. There is a moment of shock when suddenly a deer crosses the road a few meters in front of my bike. Things like that can end badly, but I was lucky once again. Shortly thereafter, the sun rises and the Alps already appear on the horizon. It's almost always slightly uphill… read more

Checking into the hotel early was a good decision. My things are not completely dry after the short night, but the rain has stopped in the meantime. Squeezing into wet cycling gear and shoes without breakfast and stepping out onto the dark road isn't a good feeling, but the next climb I think will warm… read more

The high Alpine passes are behind me, but there is still a long way to go out of the mountains and into the flat plains of north-eastern Italy. Most of my route here runs on a very pleasant bike path off the road. The landscape has changed completely compared to the north side of the Alps. Huge orchards… read more

Slovenia is quickly crossed. There is a long traffic jam at the Croatian border, fortunately I can quickly cheat my way through the queue on my bike. I know that there are several bike shops in Rijeka. After that there is no larger city on my route until Mostar in Bosnia. So it's very important that… read more

When I wake up, I don't feel like driving any further. The wild dogs and the few kilometers of the previous day have left their mark and dampened motivation. But after reading some encouraging messages and comments on Instagram, I suddenly remember how important a finish in the time limit is to me, why… read more

Mostar looks like a very interesting city. It is full of young people and exudes a completely different charm than most places I have visited in the Balkans. I wish I had more time to see them but I have to move on so I intend to come back here sometime later with more time to explore the city properly… read more

At 4 o'clock in the morning I'm back on my bike and cycling through dark Montenegro. Switchbacks bring me down into the spectacular Tara Gorge, which I already know from photos. Unfortunately, the view is denied to me today due to the darkness, I can only guess the depth of the gorge when I cross the… read more

As a cyclist you can't really get used to the traffic in Serbia, but after a while you get a little jaded. Nevertheless, in the morning after Požarevac I get onto a road that I can't stand to be on any longer. One truck after the other overtakes me with only a few centimeters to the side, so that I dodge… read more

The clock is ticking and I have a rough idea of what to expect in the Carpathians. First I have to go over the Transalpina, the highest paved road in Romania, then down to the fourth and last checkpoint, then back up the same way and finally over the approximately 40-kilometer off-road course, by far… read more

I can't afford to sleep more than two hours if I want a chance to catch the last ferry of the day. It's two in the morning and I'm particularly afraid of the first fifty kilometers through the Carpathian hills. Since the rules of the race forbid us from taking the busy main road south, I know that I… read more

Actually, I only wanted to sleep for two hours and then roll the last 250 kilometers to the finish relatively relaxed and without time pressure. But because I'm tired, I oversleep the alarm clock and wake up another two hours later. Slight panic spreads. Actually, I have enough time, but the remaining… read more