Control Point (CP)3: Durmitor National Park, Montenegro
Parcours length: 45 km
Highest point: 1900 m
Distance from CP2: 1150 km
The race returns to Durmitor National Park in Montenegro for the third Control Point of the race. Repeating the route from Pluzine to Zabljak that was first featured on the fourth edition of the race in 2016. The park is part of the Dinaric Alps and it’s highest peak, Bobotov Kuk, towering over the parcours route, reaches a height of 2,523 meters. The many glacial lakes scattered throughout the region are colloquially named Gorske Oči, or ‘mountain eyes’.
The road climbs steeply from Lake Piva, acute elevations zigzagging through rough hewn rock tunnels before the road opens onto the spectacular landscape of jutting rock striations and high rolling pasture. Riders become miniscule dots on a ribbon of sweeping road that provides the most incredible vantage point for the surrounding scenery. Those lucky enough to be racing this parcours at sunrise or sunset are in for a memorable experience.
TCRNo4 in 2016 was to be the last race Mike directed to completion. This link to his last race is a poignant and important tether to our friend and founder; the ‘evil genius’.
Riders will navigate the 1150 kilometres from CP2 into Eastern Europe. By this point in the race they will have well over 2000 kilometres and 20,000 metres elevation in their legs, many riders will have scratched by this point and those grinding onwards will be mindful of the challenges to come. CP3 will be open for roughly 6 days.