Third Time’s the Charm: Robin Gemperle’s TCR Victory

IMAGES: Michael Drummond, Tomas Montes and Beatrice Berlanda

TEXT: Robin Gemperle with Pedaled

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IMAGES: Michael Drummond, Tomas Montes and Beatrice Berlanda

TEXT: Robin Gemperle with Pedaled

SCROLL

For the tenth edition of the Transcontinental Race—and in his third attempt at this iconic adventure competition—PEdALED athlete Robin Gemperle had one goal in mind: winning. So, that’s exactly what he did, becoming the first rider to reach every Control Point and covering the roughly 4,000KM distance with an official time of 8 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes. We caught up with Robin as he rested up in Istanbul to chat about his epic TCR effort. Read the full interview below.

How did your approach to this year’s race compare to that from years past?

For this year’s race, it was very clear that I would be capable of racing at the front, whereas last year I was more or less hoping that I could keep up. I had some idea that it should be possible, but this year it was clear that if I say I want to go for the win, it’s not just something I’m saying but something that is actually possible. So, that changed a lot about how I started the race—with way more determination and fewer excuses. In terms of training and preparation, I’ve now been training semi-professionally for two and a half years instead of the one and a half years for the last race, and of course this changes a lot. Other than that, I would say I just made sure to have every question answered before the race, whereas last year I was maybe a bit more relaxed in this area: “How do I get to a hotel? How do I unpack my stuff at the hotel? What does my shopping routine look like? ” This year, these questions were all answered and clear from the beginning.

What were the biggest highs and lows you experienced along the way?

There were no massive lows, I would say. But one low was my knee. It didn’t devolve to the point where I felt like, “now I’m completely at the bottom.” But at the very good, high moments, I still always had an issue with my knee; it just hurt. If it hadn’t been the Transcontinental, the highlight of my season, I probably would have scratched in most other races. But I had to say, “No, this is not going to fuck up my race.” I didn’t allow it to. So, that was a continuous low, whereas the entire ride was a continuous high.

What kept you moving forward throughout the race?

It helped having a clear goal. I wasn’t so interested in having nice experiences or enjoying the nice landscapes while crossing the continent. Of course, that’s an aspect of the race, but this was my third attempt. I’d already had those nice experiences two times before. This attempt was really about sport—about winning, for sure. So, then there’s no question of whether you should continue or not. Only, “Do you want to reach your goal?” If so, you just go for as long as you can.

When were you confident that you were going to win?

I think probably two days before the finish when I was around the Marmara Sea. I became a bit too confident, actually. I took it a bit too easy. I had a really relaxed day. That morning, I’d had a bad time because I’d lost my sunglasses. I had a headache, and my eyes were not really capable of seeing properly anymore because the streets there are almost white—really bright. I bought another pair of sunglasses, and everything was good again. So, I felt like, “Ok, now this must have been my last issue.” The gap between me and Christoph was fairly big by then, so I took it quite easy. But I kind of forgot that there was still 3-400KM to go, which was not easy asphalt. I realized when I woke up the next morning that it would be another day of riding pretty hard because I was sure that Christoph was still working to catch me. I had to switch from the mode of “I’m going to win, for sure” to playing it safe again. It was clear that if nothing bad happened, he wouldn’t catch me, but if I had a big issue that caused bigger problems, it could become very difficult. So, really knowing for sure that I had won didn’t happen till I’d reached the city of Istanbul. The last 30KM goes through the city of Istanbul—very easy, very simple. But those last kilometers were so, so hard for me. Your whole body shuts down as soon as you know you’ve won. You start to feel every ache you’ve ever experienced. You start to feel just how tired you are.

What was your best sleep?

Best sleep was actually outside. I slept in a field in Croatia. I laid out my sleeping bag next to the road I was riding. The field was soft, almost like a mattress. And it was, like, romantic, with stars—super quiet. Just a really nice sleep outside.

And the worst?

The first nights, I slept in hotels, and the last nights, I slept outside. Both ways were totally fine. You know what you get when you sleep inside, and you know what you get when you sleep outside.

Favorite meals?

I always drink Ayran, which is basically yogurt, water, and salt. You can get it at every kebab shop in the whole world. I also had one proper-ish meal. When I bought the new sunglasses, I went to a restaurant nearby, since I was already there. I had a cheese soup. This was super nice, and it’s something I want to include in my future strategy. You forget how much a proper meal helps—it’s something that can make you faster.

How are you relaxing or celebrating after your win?

Celebrating, maybe tonight. A friend of mine gave me a six-liter bottle of champagne after I won Atlas, so I think we’ll be drinking that with some friends tonight. I think we’ll finish that, for sure.

Favorite piece of kit?

I didn’t have to use it that much, but I really love the Element Rain Jacket. And I’m really glad I took the lighter Odyssey Jersey this time. For the higher temperatures, it made more sense. And the gloves—they saved my life.

What does it feel like being the TCR champion?

Champion is a bit of a difficult word for me. Winning it was a personal goal, and now I’ve achieved that personal goal, which fills me with joy. And of course, there’s an outside view of that achievement, which allows me to do other stuff—it gives me relevance and maybe gives me the opportunity to make a living from cycling.
This is really good and nice, but I don’t feel like “the greatest” or anything. It was a personal goal, I achieved it, and achieving that goal comes with certain privileges.

Last question, what’s next?

I really fancy continuing to ride this event. I plan to do Trans Pyrenees a bit later this year. Then I will do Across Andes in Chile. I’d always thought that maybe I’d skip one of the two—which is still possible. I thought that I’d skip Trans Pyrenees when I arrived here, but now I really fancy doing it. I’m really looking forward to it. But I could imagine that I might have to skip Across Andes because it’s just too much. Then, I might do either Cape Epic, which is a mountain bike stage race, or Atlas Mountain Race as a pair with my coach next March. The plan is still Trans Pyrenees and Across Andes, but I’m staying flexible. So, let’s see.