Top 10 back home

More finishers roll in

And the winner...

Race Preview

__André Alves came seventh in 12D 15H 34M__

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2ZmCXvIV8p/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

__Kim Heikkinen came eighth in 12D 22H 19M__

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2cPTgyFBrb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

__Brian Mitchell came ninth in 14D 7H 45M__

__Boris Pupic came tenth in 14D 8H 48M__


If you tuned in yesterday for what could be the closest finish in recent ultra-racing history, you'll have seen the showdown between Sami and Bruno as they were just metres apart coming into Bilbao.

__Sami Martiskainen came second in 11D 20H 34M__

![Sami 3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3cDHOYOqlFJ5bupCLI8Bap/e1f220603d8e05ec2647ac65fcc0696c/Sami_3.jpeg)

__Bruno Ferraro came third in 11D 20H 37M__

![Bruno 5](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/TW8IQTYM0kDVTksiDdq3S/943485bb1d37dbd0ca52cf1997408489/Bruno_5.jpeg)

As day turned into night we watched on as some of the riders extended their race into day 12.

__Luís Carvalho came fourth in 12D 11H 15M__

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2YmulnohPU

__Hippy came fifth in 12D 12H 18M__

![Hippy 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5WLcEyuyQp8iFoJkN7iRXU/a45ddc1780ee7cc661005035577f9af5/Hippy_2.jpeg)

__Javier García came sixth in 12D 13H 40M__

![Javier 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7sLandXV30GVKiH0Z5EegR/ef05ffafdaaa7985e07be050f930d218/Javier_1.jpeg)

Bruno and Sami are neck and neck as they traverse the last bit of northern Spain to reach Bilbao. We're told that while Sami sits in third position around 20 mins behind Bruno, his route has 900m less climbing for 20km more distance. Can he make it to Bilbao ahead of the Italian?

![Screenshot 2019-09-13 at 10.53.16](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6ZmRzTymo6xnXFfJO5v4cr/66099b4404dd53bd014245dc67f7b8aa/Screenshot_2019-09-13_at_10.53.16.png)

Luís Carvalho ascended CP8 Cain de Valdeón this morning while the trio of André, Hippy and Javíer keep pushing forward towards the checkpoint. Hippy looks to be in a world of pain with saddlesore as he announced his remedy on Twitter earlier.

https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/1172379695658127360

Our lanterne rouge, Jack Peterson, was having a very nice time up until recently. He's nearing the Albufeira checkpoint and while the view might be nice, his opinion of Portuguese cycling is the opposite.

https://twitter.com/numplumz/status/1172434279927668736

Homing in on the finish

After Ulrich's finish line celebrations last night (she said yes!), the riders chasing his tail continued into the night.

![90634347-2e61-4baf-a590-648d6cdbb5f3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/6KrDno4sn4IULyLK7YClSG/975aa37acb2fe1a5331fa71b6793a106/90634347-2e61-4baf-a590-648d6cdbb5f3.jpg)

CP7 was a hive of activity yesterday as five riders summitted Monte Farinha in northern Portugal. Headwinds continue to test the riders' strength throughout this country but most have breathed a sigh of relief as they crossed the border into Spain again not least because road shoulders have returned 🙌

![fullsizeoutput 147d](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1xZYg5uiElgfmZhk8X1OjC/60b19ab4006497e7ad7fe05377cba62a/fullsizeoutput_147d.jpeg)

The race for second place

A round of applause for your 2019 TransIbérica winner...

# ULRICH BARTHOLMÖS #

![Ulrich 7](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/7M1bVjcdyYj7GKqfDLaUxu/370c0030d4a4196ac4edfcf10ffe1df2/Ulrich_7.jpeg)

![Screenshot 2019-09-11 at 18.11.19](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5xnGPe37eAiyGHE9XOTdH6/68a494ce59fb13e5979bb4998507c859/Screenshot_2019-09-11_at_18.11.19.png)

Follow him on [Strava](https://www.strava.com/athletes/4450848) to catch up on his incredible race.

For those of you in cooler climes, you may believe the Iberian Peninsula to be a safe haven from low temperatures and damp weather but you'd be wrong, today especially! Keep reading.

__PROBLEMS AT THE POINTY END__

Ulrich has reported knee issues due to the cooler weather and he's having to rest more than he'd like. He stopped for 13 hours yesterday and didn't begin riding until 8 this morning. He's making his way up CP8 as we speak but among thick rain making the climb even more difficult.

![Ulrich 6](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1vwEOTmkBqYQeqXB47yd8Q/7b3a3cc3cabb342de29fb2cead9eb518/Ulrich_6.jpeg)

Bruno Ferraro, currently in second place, has been bitten by a dog at a petrol station. 5km after the incident, he found a fan who wanted to cheer him and it turned out he was a doctor! After seeing the bite, he called an ambulance to bring him to a hospital for vaccines and once he was given the all clear, he restarted the route from the point he was picked up. He missed around five hours in total.

Get your rabies jabs, kids.

![Bruno 4](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5pDuk0hPxGn6rKhijFkjZZ/b6b1a2f62aa6db1eb5950c6257d5a7bd/Bruno_4.jpeg)

Sami Martiskainen has made up ground that Bruno had previously gained on the other riders and is homing in on him as we type. Will he be able to claim second place or will Bruno recover well enough to defend his position?

__ROUTE DILEMMAS__

A few riders have managed to plot their rides in Portugal along roads that forbid bicycles. This has meant some on-the-fly rerouting but with the absence of Google bike directions, it's not been easy for some.

https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/1171296420277751809

![Screenshot 2019-09-10 at 17.42.24](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4Ibe57sKDSYCH857qtrIO2/cdf9b580acf489cd410ae9fb7acfe391/Screenshot_2019-09-10_at_17.42.24.png)

https://twitter.com/numplumz/status/1171385102661816320

The rains are here!

Once again, the weekend provided excellent entertainment in the form of hard racing. We're now over a week into this race and it's be lit up from the beginning.

__STORMY SATURDAY__

Saturday evening's forecast looked a bit worrying up the Pico Veleta and it sure delivered. Riders had to take cover to dodge the torrential rain.

![Storm 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/40HrgCL0qcwxzCpRT8ukFI/daf09a82d3e38e6f1cad784d793184e9/Storm_1.jpeg)

__WILSON GOES HOME__

After climbing Pico Veleta with a broken spoke, it was time to say goodbye for Wilson as he pulled out of the race. We wish him all the best with his recovery and bike maintenance bill.

![Wilson Cesar 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/4ZDBFvRNPF3ddPO3B8nWDJ/c33a7b16ac6b4305198cedadce830a9a/Wilson_Cesar_2.jpeg)

__FERRY FIASCO__

Riders needed to take a ferry in Huelva, Spain in order to continue their races. The last one runs at 8pm before closing down for the night. The chase was on last night for a number of riders to make it before they'd have to resign themselves to the city until the morning.

https://twitter.com/TransIbericaBR/status/1170741649980436480

Here Hippy on board his earlier crossing.

https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/1170744843016069120

__A LOOK FORWARD__

Ulrich is predictably well ahead now and just has one more checkpoint to go before his journey to the finish. CP8 at the Caín de Valdeón is equal parts beautiful as it is nailbiting.

_"The only access to Caín is a narrow gorge along the Cares river surrounded by rocky mountain ridges reaching heights over 2.600m."_

We look forward to an update from him!

A little further back, Bruno Ferraro has broken free of the riders he was once in contention with. He's about 100km east of Lisbon at the time of writing and has a fair distance to go until he reaches CP7, the popular Monte Farinha in northern Portugal.

Luís, Kim and André are all within a stone's throw of each other so sixth place is still well and truly up for grabs.

Our pairs riders of Stefan and Sandra are just beginning the CP5 parcours. They're riding well together ahead of a second bunch of solo riders just north of Malaga.

It's fair to say the top ten is still open for a lot of riders. The race is just beginning to heat up and we're ready for it!

Sunday Funday

Unsurprisingly it took a good chunk of the day for riders to climb Pico Veleta including André Alves, Kim Heikkinen and Hippy, the latter with a potential ear infection which isn't great to hear (accidental pun, sorry). Javier García eventually made it to the top but spent the final 10km on foot.

https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/1170104913088700417

It was just 3ºC at the top during the night and once there, riders had to make their way straight back down the same road. Tough gig!

Javier looks to have recovered well despite his ordeal. Can't say this race doesn't reward hard kilometres with incredible views, that's for sure.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2F88k-IZNR/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

__NEW LANTERNE ROUGE__

Jack Peterson is looking after the back of the race and enjoying himself while he's at it.

https://twitter.com/numplumz/status/1170220460220518401

__MEANWHILE UP THE FRONT__

Ulrich made it to Albufeira earlier this morning. He now has a lead of around a day based on everyone else's mileage.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2GoR2sIRgn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

While we were sleeping

This particular climb has a special place in many climbers' hearts. It's Europe's highest paved mountain pass topping out at a breathtaking 3384m. While it's now in the distant memory of leader Ulrich Bartolmös, we're enjoying the reports coming up now of riders further back in the field.

![Screenshot 2019-09-06 at 13.03.40](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/1CtOD5R8bXqxT9xrW9A7fQ/7de7ca84a293544305fa3f5666886fe7/Screenshot_2019-09-06_at_13.03.40.png)

The climb begins in the city of Granada in Spain and with an average of 6.2% for almost 40km, we're offering our thoughts and prayers for the riders who already have ~1500km in their legs.

<iframe style="width:100%;height:450px;" src="https://veloviewer.com/segments/3262340/embed" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe>

https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/1169931245897375744

But for those who've made it, the climb rewards them with priceless views.

![Bruno 3](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3IXH9Uff5OsbqISIrPsCxQ/3fc5f8330269bdb4df17f69d83b68967/Bruno_3.jpeg)

![Sami 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/3tfA1z0lSpNylkMdDWzL1e/b0a04f9bedcc22721d14753c65e80632/Sami_1.jpeg)

Weather conditions look to be holding for now: a temperate 17ºC but dropping to between 0-2ºC at night.

__ULRICH CELEBRATES THE HALFWAY POINT__

WITH A PINT!

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2ChOgyopHn/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

A day on the Pico Veleta

Yet another day goes by for the TransIberica riders and yet another one that includes bad luck and good views in equal measure.

Over the course of the last day or so, Hippy has been battling flat tyres - not ideal when you're in the top 10 of a 3500km bike race.

https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/1169560099330961408

He looks to be rolling now and we're sure he's having a lovely time on the parcour of CP3: Cabo de Gato.

__WHEN IN ROME...OR ANDALUCIA ANYWAY__

After climbing the Cabo de Gata, riders are treated to beautiful coastal views and Bruno Ferraro even managed to get some R&R while he was there.

![Bruno 2](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/2hRBSMqCSXGMvpSH60mWE9/765dd197690dbdb30632a8d003d4315b/Bruno_2.jpeg)

Can't blame him, can you?

Meanwhile, other rest stops have included the usual port of call for endurance riders. What's an ultra-endurance bike race without a picture in a petrol station forecourt?

![Petrol Station 1](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/5Ni8MxiPwVaacUi4vUGDGE/037856d1b1d26e7d03a1023f6ab4897e/Petrol_Station_1.jpeg)

These two are battling for second place but you'd never know based on their chilled out meeting here.

__⚡️ STORMS ARE BREWING ⚡️__

Hippy has a theory that bad weather follows him (see below) and we can't help but agree with him on this occasion.

 https://twitter.com/firsthippy/status/1169573295387287553
 
And he's got more where that's come front judging by the forecast at CP4: Pico Veleta.

![Screenshot 2019-09-05 at 18.50.41](//images.ctfassets.net/6hyijb95boju/45DyyFiOyX5OdbjhXMWO07/ec8ba9c99566bca04bdb1621c617fa21/Screenshot_2019-09-05_at_18.50.41.png)

😬

__ULRICH REACHES CP5__

Race leader, Ulrich, is homing in on the village of Ronda as we speak. The CP5 parcours winds through the Sierra de Grazalema Natural Park, which is full of natural caverns, native trees and wild vultures.

__LEADERBOARD__

As we update the leaderboard with every post, we can't help but notice the changes we have to make every time. It really is anyone's race after Ulrich! Sami has now triumphed up to second, while Luís has slide down a few places after maintaining a top 5 position for a couple of days. This makes it an exciting race to commentate and dotwatch and we hope you're enjoying it too.

Tyred riders and coastal views

3,500km around the Iberian Peninsula with checkpoints in some of the highest peaks available.

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