Trans Creta Race The week after

Now that the worst pains have left our legs, the water and carbo-reserves are filled up again and we are shivering from coldness every day it is about time to look back at a very stirring week of racing on a hot Greek island.

Let one thing be clear upfront: despite the painful end of this TransCreta Race it was a unique event, a fantastic adventure and an experience to never forget. It wasn’t all negative ! In this report we want to tell you the positive as well as the negative sides of the race, together with a couple of anecdotes and things that happened during the race.

Organising a TransCreta Race in a hospital country with a southern mentality and its own habits is not for everybody. Day after day it became clear to us that from organisatoric point of view some things were wrong. Sometimes due to lack of money, but often also due to lack of experience or routine.

What went wrong:

Organisation:

A few days before the start of the race, Tanja, Markus’ right hand, makes a bad fall resulting in a injured back. She is unable to help with the organisation during the race.

There are only 11 participants for the TCR-long (9 stages) and 6 for the TCR-short (5 stages). Of these 17 participants only 13 paying. Only a very small part of the expected 50 participants and not only a financial disaster, but you could hardly call this a race.

Small detail: the starting numbers did not even have holes to mount them to the bikes and zipties were missing.

The start time of each stage is different every day ( 6:30 AM 9 AM ) and decided together with the participants, leading to unnecessary discussions.

Organiser Markus has no time to listen to the remarks of the riders.

The crew consists of loose co-workers, working for free (or almost) and were not involved in the organisation before the actual start of the race.

Conclusion: the organisation lacks a strong man, a leader figure. On the other side Markus is honoured as biketourguide by his knowlegde of the Cretan trails.

Safety:

No medical service. No doctor, no first aid kit. Irresponsible and unacceptable. Luckily there is our sympathic participant and doctor Jan from Belgium , who is introduced wrongly by the organisation as the race doctor.

The medical kit contains only physiological solutions against deshydration. No material for cuts, grazes, broken bones or other injuries due to crashes.

We receive a list with emergency cell phone numbers. After a couple of days it appaers this list contains a couple of wrong numbers and we get a new one. The phone numbers give a false feeling of safety as in many places there is no reception.

There is no closing rider staying bahind the last participant. When the last rider can’t continue, eg due to exhaustion, there is little chance he is found quickly.

Food:

After some stages dinner consists of small portions Greek salad, Tsatziki and a couple of potato slices. Far from enough to resupply the consumed calories. The perfect diet.

Dinner is taking place at a different time each day (5:30 PM 20:30PM). Not such a big problem, but far from ideal with such hard stages.

Supply stations during the race are too far apart, which can lead too dangerous situations in such hot weather.

The finish feeding station was very little or non-existent. Only when a few guests and accompanying persons take initiative, there is enough to eat and drink at the finish.

Conclusion: time, place and quantity was always a surprise

Parcours:

The complete course is marked with painted arrows applied a couple of weeks before, and were not checked anymore before the race. Some signs were eroded away, some moved or turned, sometimes hidden or just disappeared ! And an extra 20 km under a torching sun is not something you wish your worst enemy.

There is no possibility to check is a arrow is pointing in the direction it is supposed to, or turned around by somebody.

Signs are often on uncertain surfaces: little loose rocks in the middle of the road. On a mobile garbage can. One sign at the supply station was hidden by the TransCreta banner !

The briefing about the next stage was often not detailed enough or inaccurate. Distance differences up to 20% and altitude meters that are announced just before the start to be 1500 m more climbing then during the briefing.

The organisation indicates a 8km section through a gorge as completely rideable. In reality the gorge is covered with bigger and smaller rocks where downhiller-professionals with +8 inches of suspension travel would have a hard time. For us, most of it is on foot.

We have to call the organiser several times to find the right way.

But there were also positive sides:

The adventure content of this race was A-ok. Not everyting needs to be perfect and sleeping in tents in these weatherconditions is not a problem at all. Unique experience: camping on the roof of a hotel.

Despite not always being very luxurous, shower accomodation with running water was always there. We had worse in the past.

The course was magnificent ! Organiser Markus has done its utmost best to avoid as much asphalt as possible and he succeeded very well in this.

Despite singletrails being almost non-existant on Creta, the wide gravel roads are verying and challenging enough. Steep and long climbs, technical and fast downhills, fast sections and climbing over rocks, beatiful sea- and mountainviews: a real mountainbike paradise.

The continuous watching for signs gives the race an extra dimension. It is a bit like biathlon: it is not only going fast, you also need to use your head and stay alert. This way unexpected changes in the overall classification can happen. This under condition that the signs are there.

Nice anecdotes:

The mountain-toilet-moment at 1600m of elevation at the Kallergi-mountaincabin is onforgetable: in a wooden shed, nailed against the mountain flange above a couple of hunderd meter deep gorge. And then that sound: instead of the usual ploensj you hear, with some delay, a thud with a slight echo. You would start yodeling for less.

In the evening after stage 2 the mechanics are working hard until late at night on Jan’s Rohloff equipped bike when Jorgos, the mechnic, mqkes the remark: this is the opposite world, it should be the Shimano’s that are working on their bikes while the Rohloffs are sleeping and not the other way around

Our Belgian doctor Jan was prepared for everything and took an extra set of arch supports in his camelbak.

The logo of the TransCreta Race is a vulture. These are predators that feed themselves with cadavers. One of the Greek guys told us that these animals do not only smell dead corpses, but also animals thatare struggling to survive . We saw more then once vultures circling around above us. Would it ??

Everything that is green on Crete has thorns of some kind ranging from a couple of mm to full-size tooth-picks. Watch out is the ,essage here. Also the rocky surface is a real hit for the tires. Despite all this, we did not have a single flat during this TransCreta Race, thanks to the Continental Explorer ProTection in front, the Vapor ProTection in the rear and the NoTubes liquid in the tires.

Also our hands had a tough time, as thorns had to be removed on regular basis. Jan gave us an injection needle, not for EPO, but for thorn-fishing.

The 4×4 jeep with which Kroki accompanied us during these 6 days looked like the Sahara desert inside. No chance you could sit down with clean clothes. We were all dreaded for cleaning the interior. Luckily the service at one of the fuel stations did the job for us for only 5 euro.

The whole island is coverd with miles of black waterhose to supply the plants of the necessary water. The tap-off points are an incredible spaghetti of couplings and watermeters.

To keep the goats and sheep in a certain area, rusted, steel concrete nets are used as a gate. Very difficult to see and sometimes we have to hit the brakes at the very last moment to avoid crashing in the nets.

When there is no room for a net, a dog serves as guard. They scared the hell out of us more then once.

Every little mountain village could be seen from far away , white houses with blue accents. Unfortunately most of the time there was a extremely steep climb before we could start our search for the public water source.

The helpers in the organsisation had organised a price for the unofficial winner, Radek Sibl: a dessert consisting of yoghurt and honey

Conclusions

The 6 stages of this TransCreta Race that we rode, belogn to the toughest we have experienced. It seemed a combination of the Crocodile Trophy with its long distances and extreme heat, and the toughest and steepest sections of the TransAlp Challenge. We were asking ourselves continuously whether we would survive the next stage and get to the finish of this race. This is something we hadn’t experienced before in 7 TransAlp Challenges. The climbs in Crete are super-steep. In the Alps they usually zig-zag up the mountain along the mountain flange, the Cretan guys just take the shortest route: straight up the mountain. These mountain trails were used by donkeys and mules which have no problems with the incline, but put a mountainbike on them, and you quickly realize why a 22-34 gear exists.

Despite being extremely tired and exhausted, we find it a real pity that we could not finish the complete race. We hope that organiser Markus is able to find good partners and establish a good organisation in the future in order to let more people experience a beatiful race on a magnificent location !

Reevax

Foto album

Transcreta Race 2006

Transcreta Race 2006

Vechten om de bike in de fietstas te krijgen
Fighting to get the bike in the bag
Transcreta Race 2006

Afscheid nemen van de supporters thuis
Saying goodbye to the supporters at home
Transcreta Race 2006

Reevax gepakt en gezakt in de luchthaven van Luik
Reevax ready to go at the airport of Luik
Transcreta Race 2006

Wachten op het transport naar Kissamos
Waiting for the transport to Kissamos
Transcreta Race 2006

Ontbijt met Thomas, een van de helpers tijdends de race. Na de foto gezien te hebben, is hij prompt naar de kapper gegaan.
Breakfast with Thomas, one fo the helpers during the race. After seeing this photo, he promptly left for getting a haircut
Transcreta Race 2006

Aan Domie's BMX is niet veel werk om te monteren
Domie's BMX does not need a lot of work to assemble
Transcreta Race 2006

Culinaire specialiteiten uitproberen (eigenlijk gewoon the vreetzak uithangen)
Trying culinary specialties
Transcreta Race 2006

Ook het hotelzwembad werd getest en goed bevonden
Also the hotel pool was tested and found to be ok
Transcreta Race 2006

Kissamos heeft het meeste klare zeewater van heel Kreta
Kissamos has the most clear seawater from Crete
Transcreta Race 2006

Eerste kennismaking met Kretenzische offroad wegen, heel veel mogelijkheden voor lekke banden !
First test on Cretan gravel roads, many opportunities for flats !
Transcreta Race 2006

Reevax klaar voor de start in Kissamos
Reevax ready for the start in Kissamos
Transcreta Race 2006

10 van de 12 deelnemers klaar voor de start
10 of 12 participants ready for the start
Transcreta Race 2006

Domie over de Kretenzische gravelwegen
Domie over the Cretan gravel roads
Transcreta Race 2006

Nog snel een schietgebedje voor de laatste klim
A quick prayer for the last climb
Transcreta Race 2006

En die mag er wezen, 4,5 km over grove gravel en stenen
And that's a tough one, 4,5km over rought gravel and rocks
Transcreta Race 2006

Domie ziet af vandaag
Domie is suffering today
Transcreta Race 2006

Start 2de etappe: direct bergaf
STart 2nd stage: immediately downhill
Transcreta Race 2006

Domie is goed bezig
Domie is doing well
Transcreta Race 2006

Machtige killem onder een brandende zon
Mighty climbs under a burning sun
Transcreta Race 2006

Eindeloze slotklim naar Askifou
Endless climb to Askifou
Transcreta Race 2006

Zonsopgang in Askifou
Sunrise in Askifou
Transcreta Race 2006

Gunther en Domie
Gunther and Domie
Transcreta Race 2006

Highway to hell
Highway to hell
Transcreta Race 2006

Beloning voor een dag afzien
Reward for a day of suffering
Transcreta Race 2006

Kroki onderwe op het parkoers
Kroki on todays stage
Transcreta Race 2006

Pepe in de afdaling
Pepe in the descent
Transcreta Race 2006

Als toetje een supersteile klim
A supersteep climb as dessert
Transcreta Race 2006

De camping in Axos
Camping in Axos
Transcreta Race 2006

Kroki's auto na 4 dagen: een klein beetje stof
Kroki's car after 4 days: a little bit of dust
Transcreta Race 2006

Tre3intje
Uphill train
Transcreta Race 2006

Domie is gecrasht
Domie has crashed
Transcreta Race 2006

Kroki zorgt voor een extra bevoorrading
Kroki makes for an additional water station
Transcreta Race 2006

Nog enkele deelnemers van vorig jaar...
A few participants from last year ...
Transcreta Race 2006

Groooooote ijscreem als beloning
Biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig icecream as a reward
Transcreta Race 2006

Moeilijke klim langs de kust
Difficult climb along the coast
Transcreta Race 2006

Droge en stoffige landschappen
Dry and dusty landscapes
Transcreta Race 2006

Domie's cassette is gebroken
Domie's cassette broke
Transcreta Race 2006

Stikkapot een beetje schaduw zoeken
Looking for a bit of shade
Transcreta Race 2006

Veel supporters onderweg
Many supporters on the way
Transcreta Race 2006

Slecht nieuws: de wedstrijd wordt gestopt
Bad news: the race is stopped
Transcreta Race 2006

Over de weg naar Agios Nicalaos
Over the road back to Agios Nicolaos
Transcreta Race 2006

Het Kreta- WC-moment, eindeloos wachten op de plons !
The Kreta toilet-moment: endless waiting for the plunge !
Transcreta Race 2006

De pijlen waren soms makkelijk te vinden ...
The signs were sometimes easy to find ...
Transcreta Race 2006

maar mobiele pijlen maakten het dikwijls extra lastig om de juiste weg te vinden!
but mobile signs made it often hard to find the right direction !
Transcreta Race 2006

Any closer and I'll have you for lunch !
Any closer and I'll have you for lunch !
Transcreta Race 2006

De residentie van de familie Geit
The residence of the Goat family
Transcreta Race 2006

De officiele finish-bevoorrading van de organisatie
The officiel finish-catering station of the organisation
Transcreta Race 2006

De finish-bevoorrading georganiseerd door Sybille en Angelique. Bedankt dames!
The finish-catering organised by Sybille and Angelique. Thanks ladies!
Transcreta Race 2006

Radek Sibl wordt toch nog tot officieuse winnaar gekroond
Radek Sibl is crowned unofficial winner
Transcreta Race 2006

De pijnlijke afloop wordt volgens dokter Jan het best verteerd met ...Appeltaart !
The painful end is, according to doctor Jan, best digested with... Apple pie !