After all the hugging and welcoming at the Transalpina control, my typical CP question „Is there any food?” was finally answered positively. I was lucky. The hotel was just serving a buffet breakfast and I had it, together with the volunteers. I remember somebody saying that I’m the first rider who stopped there actually for a bit longer. I wasn’t sure if that was a good sign or a bad one but I was sure that I would not be able to climb the mountain back up and take on the parcour without this breakfast. I didn’t want the CP3 story parcour, and eating flowers again to be repeated.

About 30 minutes later I was back on my wheels and after another hour, I was back up the mountain and starting the long off-road section called to be a gravel parcour.

I did get the stories from volunteers about Urlich braking his bike, and how the parcour slowed the front runners down, and I decided that I prefer to do it slowly rather than puncture or break something. I wasn’t worried about the bike much. My steel frame was made for quests like this one, but I was worried about the wheels, as my high carbon rims could not survive a big hit or unfortunate fall.

So the parcour started pretty ok. Traversing on the edge of the mountains the road looked like gravel and also it was super picturesque. I was rolling through it, not too fast though, as I didn’t want to get punctured. At some places huge Shepperd dogs were running freely. They were aggressive and I was getting off my bike and walking few sections when I was going to pass some of them. They were getting confused and leaving me alone than.

After some kilometres through this first part, the landscape changed and the road became much harder. The views were gone, we were already lower, and there were much more rocks on the road. It became a long and never-ending torment. It was nothing like gravel. I wasn’t worrying at first, but after more and more time I was wondering if this was meant to be here. „I would not dear to us this road on Gravel Attack,” I thought. I somehow managed to ride on. Didn’t want to stop, wanted to get it done, but yes, I was doing it slowly.

At one point Krystian caught up with me. He was way faster. I could see his mountain biking skills in his moves and the way he was riding this hard section. We chatted a bit, mostly about how silly all this is, but we were laughing mostly, as nothing else was to do. Finally, he rode forward. I caught up with him later on, as he was stopped by the mud blocking his wheel within the frame.

The final 20 kilometres of the parcour were the worst. It was a really bad downhill, first with huge cracks in the ground made by water, later with big rocks all over the road where you could easily break your wheel. It is hard to describe, but when I finally got down back on the tarmac again, I was broken. It was a strange feeling, I wasn’t physically broken. I was tired, yes, but it was something else. I felt betrayed, so they sent us on such a parcour.

These last 60 kilometres took all the will to go forward out of me. I stopped at a restaurant in the first town, I got into and sat and ordered a lot of good food. And I was sitting like that, and thinking about giving up. No reason why back then, but when I’m thinking about it and trying to recall that moment, it was that I was doubting the whole thing. The race, the chase, the challenge, the whole idea of it was broken in my head, and I got into some dark moment that was hard to get out from.

Luckily when the mind doesn’t work anymore, the stomach will come up with good ideas. And as I ate an amazing, „normal”, full two-course dinner with dessert and coffee at the end, I felt much better with my thinking about the whole thing again. „The ferry!!!”, I thought, and I realise that I’d lost so much time there, and I have to move now if I want to catch the first ferry tomorrow morning.

Suddenly I was back in the game. It’s amazing what happens in our heads. I was not strong enough mentally to handle the parcour as if nothing happened. Crazy, because I always was pretty sure, that my mental strength is my big advantage, and that it is at the highest possible level. Over there, in heart of Romania, I got a lesson. Never feel that you don’t have to improve anymore. Today I’m pretty happy from that lesson!

Ok, so back to the race. Once I started moving again, I realised that I’ll have to ride all night and there is only a chance, that I’ll get to the first ferry tomorrow. I’ve lost too much time. So I had an option for a shortcut, through a famous and mentioned by the race organiser aqueduct, where the road was a lot shorter, but there was no assurance that the aqueduct will be passable because there was a steep and a few meters high ladder to go down of it. I thought, ok, let’s try this one. So instead of using my first route choice, which was going back north and around the mountain including some gravel, I went straight south onto the aqueduct.

I climbed up, walked carefully through it onto the other side of the river, and then faced about an eight-meter-high drop. I had to level down my bike through the hole in the concrete platform to get onto the lower level of the aqueduct, and then I was on the edge of it. The ladder was there, but it was steep, it was broken in some places and it was not looking stable. It was a few meters high, probably six to eight. I was trying somehow to lower my bike first, but all my tries weren’t successful. I was afraid that I’ll fall, and what’s worse, that I’ll destroy my bike. After a few minutes of trying, I decided to give up. But it wasn’t that easy either. To get back I had to somehow climb back onto the upper level of the aqueduct and after a few minutes of trying I felt that I’m stuck in between.

I was super angry at myself, like never before. I was back in the game for a moment and I broke all that again with some silly idea. I finally managed to climb back up through the hole and take my bike up also, but it took some time and a lot of energy.

And there I was, back on my original route, with even less time to catch the ferry, than before. Here I said to myself, never change you’re originally planned route unless you know it is bad.

The afternoon I spent on other climbs, some gravel roads, passing forgotten villages, where even dogs didn’t know who I am and didn’t dare to chase me. Seriously though, I touched proper Romania there where no tourists have ever been. I was ready for that because I knew how my route was planned originally. My route to the ferry took me by small roads, they were hard at first but, when the evening came, I was super happy with my progress. The road became long never-ending downhill, and the tarmac was super smooth. The problem was different. The sleeping monster. It got me before the sunset, and it was so strong, that I calculated that I can have a little nap.

I dropped my bivi in the little orchard between villages, lay on it, set my Garmin alarm for 30 minutes and fall asleep. The next thing I heard was the dog growling, and when I opened my eyes I saw a dog’s teeth right in front of me. I crawled to my bike quickly and took it as a shield. I was shouting at the dog and successfully scared him. Lucky me I thought.

When I looked at my Garmin I realised that the battery was flat, and that’s why the alarm didn’t start. I was sleeping for nearly two hours. It was about 9 PM and I was having not enough time to get to the first ferry. I pushed, the night was crazy. I said to myself that I have to catch it, whatever happens. It was my only chance to finish in 10 days that I wanted to. So I rode through the night without stopping really. I stopped at one petrol station for small resupply. I didn’t want to buy a lot, to be lighter. It was just grab-and-go shopping.

When the sleeping monster came back after midnight, I was fighting with it with literally 5-minute naps. I had two I believe, and all without even taking the helmet off.

In the morning when the sun came up, I was on the edge of catching up the ferry. My Garmin estimation where crazy. I had to push. About then kilometres to the ferry, I met Krystian. He said to me quickly his story. He just woke up after his nap. We were riding for a moment together, but I was broken. After the whole night of pushing myself over my limits, I was not able to race faster there. But I was good. I calculated that on these few last kilometres I may slow down a bit.

When I got to the ferry there was only Adam there. I was really surprised to see him. He suppose to be way through Bulgaria already. On the other hand, it was great to see him. After we got on the ferry, Urlich arrived. He looked tired, actually the same as me. He also rode through the whole night to get here on time. We were glad to see him also but we were wondering where is Krystian. I was sure, that he was before me. Finally, he arrived also and as appeared he did his shopping beforehand. The boat left Romania straight after that.

On the boat wo do talk quite a lot, we told our stories, and we were sure that we all had some good adventures. But we were all super tired also. I was trying to put my phone back to living, and also was trying to sleep a bit. The task with the phone worked, but sleeping wasn’t successful. We got to the Bulgarian shore after about 20-30 minutes. I don’t remember now, but it wasn’t too long. In Bulgaria, we were held for another 40 minutes until they let us go, but it was already sure who will be racing for the finish line.

Adam and Krystian pushed hard, Urlich was behind then, I stopped on the first petrol station I saw. I needed to get some food on my bike for this last section.

It was hot, and the first part of Bulgaria was taking me through the main national road. I didn’t like the traffic, and the trucks. They were too fast, and riding wasn’t safe. I couldn’t wait until I get onto the second part of my Bulgarian route. At some point I met Urlich again. We’ve been riding together for a while, ploughing a bit out of ourselves about how crashed we are. We stopped at Shell station. Had coffee together with some food, ice cream etc, and I continue, and he stayed there a little bit longer.

A while after that my route finally took me onto small Bulgarian roads. I finally had the joy of cycling again. Visiting small villages, and seeing people on the roadside rather than in the trucks only was a great way, of my final hours of the race. I was feeling that the adventure will be over soon, and as much as I was happy about it, I was also a bit sad. What better can you get than freedom like this?

Before evening I calculated that I cannot stop anymore if I want to get it for my wife’s birthday. It was today, I knew she was waiting for me with my two daughters at the finish line. And that was it. That was my only thought, for now, to get to them and finish the race. I found some extra power in me and pushed hard through the last 50 kilometres. I wasn’t stopping, I wasn’t giving up on the little climbs I had, it was dark already so there were no views anymore. The only thing that mattered was Garmin and the estimated time of arrival.

On the final parcour, I saw the red light in front of me. I caught up with the rider. It was Urlich, and he was in pain in his knee. I felt that I would love to ride together to the finish line, but on the other hand, I had a birthday to catch, and I did say sorry to him and pushed even harder to get to the finish before midnight.

The final kilometres were not interesting at all. Straight roads, never-ending long and gentle descends towards the seaside. I was still pushing hard, and at that stage I just wanted to get it done. When I got to Burgas, I knew that I have a few more kilometres to do until the finish line. I rode on the concrete blocks along the seaside until I got to Sarafovo, the little resort where the actual finish line was located. Finally, downhill, turn right and only a hundred meters before the finish line Bjorn with his girlfriend Gabi and son are stopping me. I was waiting for that moment. I just didn’t know when it will happen and I was super glad that it happens exactly there. He handed me a huge bouquet of sunflowers and a handmade cake. Helped me put this stuff on my aero bar and said „it is there” and pointed straight to where my Garmin was showing the finishing waypoint. I was so happy.

I rode to the finish and everybody was there. My wife Magdalena hugged me. She wasn’t expecting my entry like that. It was all amazing and I was super satisfied that I could wish her a happy birthday on such an awesome occasion. I got the champagne from her and my task was done, and I could feel like a winner!

Adam handed me a can of beer, Krystian and Christoph were there, and also Marin, who finished before me, and who was sleeping on the chair. There was also Ian, Urlich’s wife and a few more super-friendly people. The awesome Apidura team was cheering, and Rory seemed to be worrying a bit about me not giving him the brevet card first before Urlich would catch up with us.

Bjorn, his son and Gabi arrived a little while later. I got my Kofola from him and we hugged with a chuckle. We did plan the whole flowers and cake thing when we met in Montenegro and we were super proud and grateful that he made the job so well. A true friend. Thank You, Bjorn!

The few days until the finishers party I spent with my family mostly, choosing between going to the pool or the see in the morning. It was one of the best race finishes ever. I would love to always have my family with me after I finish racing!

The end.

Check my TCRNo8 ride on RwGPS > here <

Cover Photo: Samantha Saskia Dugon, The Transcontinental Race