The bomb goes off

The warm and way too short night on the uneven parking place of the tavern’ in Lentas is spiced up by the presence of Greek mosquitos (they buzz he same as ours) and a family fight where plenty of cooking tools have died in the battle. Under an already clear blue sky we put our Bioracer cycling shorts on our tired bodies. Due to organisatorical reasons there was no briefing anymore yesterday evening and Marcus will explain the stage details during breakfast.

In between the yoghurt and goat cheese we find a roadbook and it doesn’t take too long before everybody is clear awake: instead of the 100km and 2500 altitude meters announced yesterday evening, we get 114 km with 3900 meters of climbing: many people suddenly have the color of the yoghurt.

The only way is up’ is our motto as there is no way back. Important is that we ride this stage with our brains, and this means not wasting any unnecessary energy to save as much as possible to the end. For the first climb we have to climb from sea level to 1050 m elevation. We cross steep rock gorges, bike over winding red-brown gravel roads and especially the dry, desolate landscape reminds me of Mars, or that’s how I think Mars looks like (is nobody playing with the organize a race there?)

The multinational group of yesterday finds itself automatically again today. Gunther (Austria), Uwe (Germany), Domie and me will attack the altitude meters with united forces today. The climbs are long today, very long and it makes sense to ride a lower gear up the mountain. While Domie was so strong yesterday and hopped onto the hills like a rabbit, he doesn’t find a good pace today on the too long and too steep climbs. His typical style of getting the pace up out of the saddle and trying to keep it in the saddle, seems to work fine for him, but creates strange looks from the others.

At the first feeding station there are potatoes and pasta waiting for us: nice idea, but a bit heavy. We don’t meet a lot of people on the mountain, except for some goats and sheep. Photographer Kroki follows us over almost the complete route today and gets into a heavy argument with a Greek sheepholder. When this one starts throwing rocks and then threathens him with a plumbing pipe, he wisely chooses to get the hell out of there asap.

The leading group apparently took the wrong way and only Anthony is in front of us. At kilometer 38 we help Uwe to fix his rear tire, so we can continue with the 4 of us. All supply stations are generously used today and also when Kroki passes we fill up our water bottles: drinking a lot is the message of the day. A few km past the halfway point we run into Rob, who quit the race a couple of d ays ago and comes to say hello as a tourist on a rental motorbike.

When we suddenly hear a rattling sound, it appears that Domies’s XTR sprockets gave up: one quarter of the 23-sprocket broke off and drops on the ground. Luckily he can continue and we can replace the cassette in the evening. The last bits once again are the toughest and from the last supply station at 100 km everybody goes his own way. There are still about 1000m of climbing before reaching the Lasithi plateau after almost 9 hours of racing. The muscles are full of lactic acid, the tendons are sore and the demolishing of the race starts the wear out the riders and leaves obvious traces on there faces.

The accomodation is arranged quite weird here: showering in one hotel, tents are a kilometer further and for dinner we need to make a bus transfer to the next village. It is 20h30PM when we get something to eat, but despite the good will of the owner, the meal is limited to half a salad and some small Greek dishes. Really good, but far from sufficient to replace the 7000 calories we burned today.

Once again no briefing this evening and no information about what, when, where for tomorrow. Nothing. When the organiser speaks once again with so much undescribeable disinterest and slowness about the start time and the thoughness of the next stage, the bomb, of which the fuse was already burning for a couple of days, suddenly goes off. We, as riders, feel that we are not taken seriously and question the organiser in the face if we would really like to continue the race like this. A painful discussion follows with a lot of blaming going back and forth, but all riders, accompanying people and helpers in the organisation are on the same line and try to get clear to one-man-organiser Marcus: this race can not continue in this way !

Many things went wrong the past days, but some of then are really over the top:

The parcours has been marked a couple of weeks ago, but is not checked anymore. Many signs have disappeared or turned in another direction with riders getting hopelessly lost.
There is nothing organised to make sure that the last riders arrive. A closing vehicle is unheard of.
No medical assistance during the race: when an accident happens or a rider is exhausted the question is who and when the victime will be found.
A complete lack of information about start time, breakfast times, stage information (km , altitude meters, …), location of supply stations makes a lot of frustration amongst the participants.

Despite the adventurous characters it is to our standard irresponsible to let the race continue and everybody has been very lucky that nothing severly has happened yet. But we did complete 2/3 of the race and most want to get to the finish. With a couple of riders and the organisation we have a discussion to find a solution to ride tomorrow’s stage in an acceptable way, as also this stage seems a very though one. After almost 2 hours of discussion we decide that the start time will be 8h30 AM and we can finally go to bed.

Pepe

Stage Info – What the organizer says

Distance: 122 km
Ascent: 3200 hm

Results

Stage result

	Heren
1	Rodozlav Siebl
3	Paelinck Peter
4	Sacre Dominiek

General classification

	Heren
1	Rodozlav Siebl
2	Paelinck Peter
4	Sacre Dominiek

complete results

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 !