Oct 14, 2026, 7:59 PM@markn Huge number of DQs on the last TCR (31). People completely ignore the forbidden roads rule it seems. I discovered recently how little planning some do before the event, which baffles me (there was someone I read about who hadn’t pre-planned a route at all). So some of that is just people who shouldn’t be part of the race in the first place as they are unprepared and disrespectful to the organisers. I’d be asking people to pre-register routes if I was running things (with some flex for closed roads etc).
That forbidden roads rule isn’t arbitrary, it’s to stop people killing themselves (and protect the reputation of the race).
People love to cheat. And take risks that I wouldn’t.
But there is also a problem with the TCR and similar races where the emphasis on safety is inauthentic and at odds with the valorisation of self-reliance, risk-appetite and individuality. Like mountaineering there’s a bit of real bullshit here. I have no respect at all for the bemoremike nonsense (and I saw someone who used to work for Lost Dot and I respect deeply telling someone off for using this hashtag very recently so it isn’t just me who thinks that attitude is dangerous).
The race I did had a fixed route, so that wasn’t a problem (although the constant roadworks were!)
