The Feed's Ryan Collins has done it again: winning the European Ultra TT Championship. Here's a brief recap of his day and the tools he used to make it happen.
Greetings from Croatia, home of the European Ultra Cycling TT Championship!
Racing here is always special. There’s something about the incredible crowds, the fanfare, and the passion for cycling that makes this event stand out. This year, the organizers also hosted a youth cycling event aimed at getting more kids on bikes, which brought even more participants, families, and media attention from across the region. The atmosphere throughout the week was truly unforgettable.
I've said it before, but this race reinforced it once again: ultra cycling is as much an eating competition as it is a bike race. You can have the best equipment in the world, but if you don't fuel the engine properly, everything eventually falls apart.
Fortunately, I was well-stocked with Precision Fuel & Hydration electrolytes alongside Maurten, Enervit, and Santa Madre products. Throughout the race, I consistently took in between 95–110g of carbohydrates per hour, which proved critical as the day unfolded.
Returning as the defending champion meant there was a target on my back from the start, making it difficult to establish a meaningful gap early in the race. Instead, I stayed patient, rode within myself, and trusted the fueling plan. My goal was to ensure the final quarter of the race was stronger than the first. When the time was right, I launched my attack, built a decisive gap, and continued pressing all the way to the finish, ultimately putting several minutes into my closest competitor.
The celebration afterward was equally memorable. The cheers from the crowd were incredible, and the town continued celebrating long into the night with a festival honoring the event. Despite catching a cold during my travels to Croatia, I had an absolutely wonderful experience and am honored to return home as the European Champion once again.
I say it often because it's true—these adventures and opportunities are only possible because of friends/ partners like The Feed. Your support allows me to compete at the highest level and create memories that will stay with me forever.
I'm looking forward to spending a few days vacationing here in Croatia before returning home and beginning preparations for my next challenge in August: 500 miles, plenty of heat and humidity, and a lot of climbing.
Utah, here we come.
