Thatcham man braves sixth Transcontinental Race across Europe to raise money for Breast Cancer Now

Landslides, rocky terrain and sleep deprivation didn’t stop one Thatcham pensioner from riding solo on a gruelling 16-day race across Europe.

Lionel Bobb has raised a total of £10,000 across six separate Transcontinental Races – each 2,500 miles long – for Breast Cancer Now in memory of his sister, Leonora Bobb, who died from the disease.

Mr Bobb’s race was cut short last year when flash flooding hit the Slovenian mountains – the country’s worst on record.

He was trapped for three days in a farmhouse before being evacuated.

“That was going to be my last attempt. I thought that was it,” he told newburytoday.

He said all his family and friends thought he would be “crazy” to attempt the race again.

But Mr Bobb, now 68, has completed his sixth race and returned to the UK on August 11.

He cycled hundreds of miles each day, sometimes for up to 14 hours.

For the first time, the four-checkpoint race ventured beyond Europe.

A total of 336 riders set off from the Roubaix Velodrome in France on Sunday, July 21, and travelled in an almost straight line south east across the continent through Belgium, Germany, the Alps, the Balkans and to the finish line in Istanbul.

“You’re completely on your own,” said Mr Bobb. “You’re focused on the event and how much ground you’re covering.

“You’re trying to remember to eat and sleep and hit your mileage for the day.”

But Mr Bobb suffered a puncture only two hours into his journey. And sleep also proved to be an issue.

“My race started well, racing over the cobbles in Flanders, over the Petersburg and Koppenberg cobbles in the dark and completing the first leg on the Muur Van Geraardsbergen in Belgium.

“You end up in some beautiful places.

“I had the speed on my bike, and I thought if I should slow down to take it in, but then I made the judgement that I couldn’t afford to lose the speed I had.”

Leaving France at 8pm, Mr Bobb rode for 20 hours before checking in at a hotel in the evening.

He then woke up at night and – thinking it was morning – rode for another 12 hours before stopping at a service station to confirm what day it was.

Only then he realised he had cycled through the night.

“That caused me a major problem,” he added.

Mr Bobb had to withdraw from the race in Werfen, Austria, after eight days due to strained abdominal muscles, saddle sores, a swollen ankle and Achilles, plus being forced to reroute due to a forest landslide.

“I was prepared for it,” he said. “I was in the best shape I could be.

“But you can’t plan for roadworks and diversions and nature.”

You can still support Mr Bobb’s fundraiser. Visit https://www.justgiving.com/page/lioneltcr10 to donate.

Mr Bobb followed a comprehensive online training programme and joined spin classes five days a week to prepare for the race.

He also took party in monthly 100-mile cycle rides and before that had ran marathons for many years.

“It’s been a big part of my life for 10 years,” he added.

When asked if he would compete in the race again, Mr Bobb replied: “I want to have another go, but I need to stop on a high.

“I have to respect my age at the end of the day.

“The training is enough to push you really hard, and I don’t want to go through that again.

“I’m not sure I could. I have ridden my last Transcontinental.”