Fiona Kolbinger, novice and first woman to win the Transcontinental

The anonymity or almost for a performance yet major. On the morning of 6 August, cyclist Fiona Kolbinger became the first woman to win the Transcontinental Race after ten days, two hours and 48 minutes of effort. At the age of 24, the German athlete was ahead of 263 other competitors - including 40 women - after 4,000 kilometers of the event. A journey started on July 27 in Bulgaria and therefore concluded this Tuesday at 7:48 local Brest hostel in Brittany, far from the splendor reserved a few days earlier to the epilogue of the Tour de France 2019.

BREAKING NEWS. Magical moment ! Emotion! She won the @transconrace! 4000 km in full autonomy, 10 days 2 hours, 48 ​​minutes. Arriving was 7:48. Fiona Kolbinger in front of more than 200 men between Bulgaria- @ BrestFr Now eat, shower, sleep #TransContinentaleRace pic.twitter.com/vRYWWE1yeW

"I'm so surprised to win, I was aiming for the women's podium, I did not think I could win the race," said the champion on the organization's official website. Delighted, but immediately expressing some reservations about his own performance: "I could have attacked even more, and slept even less."

Yet, the numbers are already dizzy. Fiona Kolbinger, the first woman to win the race, cycled between 15 and 17 hours a day, offering just four hours of daily sleep. Data to be compared with the difficulties encountered by the cyclist: it has crossed no less than eight countries and climbed some of the most legendary peaks in Europe, such as the Gardena pass in Italy, or those of the Telegraph, Galibier and Alpe d'Huez, France.

This solitary raid, the German scientist - she works in the field of cancer research - has dominated her head and shoulders, taking the lead even before the half-way through bold choices of direction and , as mentioned above, particularly optimized sleep management.

"Fiona is really strong, he's a complete cyclist, yes, you have to be strong on the Transcontinental Race, but you also have to be able to think, organize your journey and repair your equipment in the event of a hard blow" explained Björn Lenhard, one of the favorites, on the night of his retirement on the third day of the event. Lenhard, aware of the incredible performance of his compatriot, was part of the welcoming committee when she crossed the finish line in Brest.

He is not the only one to have paid tribute to Kolbinger's performance, even before she passed the line. To dozens of anonymous messages on Twitter were added those of recognized figures of ultra-endurance, foremost among which the double-winner of the James Hayden, winner in 2017 and 2018.

For years we've waited, know it is possible. Finally and with a vengeance, Fiona Kolbinger has arrived @transconrace. I'm rooting for her. Rockstar. What a time for our sport. pic.twitter.com/VSVEJv1QS0

For her very first participation in the event, and with very few references in the field, Fiona Kolbinger has inevitably marked the spirits. And his feat is reminiscent of the not-so-distant American Lael Wilcox. In 2016, the cyclist from Anchorage, Alaska, had triumphed over another ultra-endurance juggernaut: the TransAmerica and its 6,800 km, from east to west of the United States.