https://www.indianpacificwheelrace.com/

Starts in a few weeks and is shaping up to be the big head to head between Mike Hall and Kristof Allegaert.

Also in the mix are Jesse Carlson, Sarah Hammond, and a few others.

looks a cool event , though the 150km of straight desert road sounds pretty mentally challenging !

Looking forward to seeing them come through my backyard

A few of us are planning on setting up a trail angels pop up water tent near Salt Creek on the Cooronga and may even get to ride out with our heros!

However, they will have about 3000km in them by that point and so could be pretty spread out by then!

And, even with 3000km in their legs, we will still get dropped inside the first 10km!

Cycling Tips have written up a good intro to the race.

https://cyclingtips.com/2017/03/indian- ... foolhardy/

Thanks Rich

Good video here, if you skip to 4:00
https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=you ... RMwLWDzgA0

Jesse's take on the race, with more of a nod to the Overlanders rather the traditional ultra races

Some good content on twitter @ Indi_Pac

Its going to be quite an event!

Did you see the b&w pics of Mike and Kristof and the one of Sarah and Julianna? Instant classics!

Looks like Mike finished first......

Hope you get to see the on the course Pete. Think Jesse wants to recreate scenes from the Overlanders where there was a big welcome when they pass through every town.

Interest is certainly building over here that's for sure.

Given the cycling culture here i would expect to see a lot of ride outs to meet up with them.

However, how receptive to randoms cycling alongside them with excessive chat and fresh legs some of the famously more 'quiet' ultras will be remains to be seen

Some people would take more stuff on a day ride


A bit more back ground of the people here:
https://cyclingtips.com/2017/03/follow- ... ace-watch/

Starts 10pm tonight our time or 6am local
Tracker here:
https://indianpacificwheelrace.maprogre ... ?embed=yes

Did Mike Hall not start? Can't see him on the tracker.


Ok, spotted him now.... should be a good race this.

One of the organisers of Baa Baa bikepack has already retired! Dislocated shoulder given as the reason

A damp and misty start for everyone (just like summer in Wales)
Fairly steady away at the moment

Morning Leaderboard (UK):
1. Kristof
2. Matthijs
3. Steffen
approx 8min gap
4. Jesse
5. Mike
6. Davin

Mike via twitter -

Rough day at the office. Left leg numbness and lack of power all morning, falling asleep on way in to Merredin. Only 1 hr kip last night.

End of day one video highlights
https://www.facebook.com/IndianPacificW ... 803339443/

Is julianna out of this?

Mike wrote:Is julianna out of this?

Juju on the tracker

Morning Leaderboard (UK):
1. Kristof
2. Mike
3. Steffen

Jesse seems to have scratched

Australia/Wales?

The volume of media and info coming out of this race is another level.

Seems bikepacking has hit the limelight.

The Facebook page had 2000 likes/follows yesterday morning and about 9000 this morning.

High profile stuff.

Not saying this is good or bad but just noting the exposure for distance bikepacking that this race is generating.

They're also not hanging around, was a massive day yesterday at the pointy end of things.

It's weird how much fun following dots can be!!!

The volume of media and info coming out of this race is another level.

Seems bikepacking has hit the limelight.

The Facebook page had 2000 likes/follows yesterday morning and about 9000 this morning.

High profile stuff.

Not saying this is good or bad but just noting the exposure for distance bikepacking that this race is generating.

Just thinking aloud, so hopefully, this won't stir up the hornets nest. Seems that as soon as road bikes become part of the equation, interest rockets ... but is it actually bikepacking? I'm not saying that I think it is or isn't but there's a very real divide between on road and off-road 'events' with regard to how much publicity is generated.

I think the "big" events like the Tour Divide, the TransAm, Transcontinental and this do generate their own publicity/interest and are on their own in that regard. At the next level you have events like the Colorado Trail Race, Stagecoach 400 (underway at the moment) and our own HT550 which have a somewhat more parochial interest. Beyond that there's little interest in most events other than amongst those who participate.

I wonder if it's because tracking devices like the SPOT are mandatory so there is the ability to follow a race that is thousands of Km away and is itself spread over many hundreds of Km.

I think Stu might of hit the nail on the head for this event. I've got roadie friends who've mentioned it to me so I assume it's been on the websites they frequent. These same roadies who've been getting excited in the run up to the race would never dream of going bikepacking. In the past when I've offered to take them biving they gave me a look that says they'd rather trap their fingers in a door jamb!

I think the "big" events like the Tour Divide, the TransAm, Transcontinental

Two of those appear to generate noticeably more on-line interest than the third - can we guess which two and what they have in common?

I wonder if it's because tracking devices like the SPOT are mandatory so there is the ability to follow a race that is thousands of Km away and is itself spread over many hundreds of Km.

Very true Bob.

Without trying to take anything away from the 'road based' events, I wonder whether many people see them as something more accessable? Or maybe it's because many mountain bikers are lost in a world of trail centres, pretend 'duro and fizzy energy drinks, whereas road cyclists generally tend to ride their bikes from A to B, so have a deeper connection / understanding to / of the road based events?

Interesting tracking site .. you can see them moving along when zoomed in.

I'm guessing Mike is sat back observing now. I think that's a wise place to be. Love that photo of them at dinner .. "bike racing is about finishing off your opponent's plate before starting on your own"

Seems that as soon as road bikes become part of the equation, interest rockets ... but is it actually bikepacking?

I think interest goes up when it's on road as many may see it as a bit easier? Not saying riding 16+hrs a day on road is easy - quite the opposite, discomforts during road riding can be worse. But more likely, road riding is more popular than MTB overall. More accessible maybe. Road touring has a longer history. Also road riding a greater focus on endurance, had the RAAM for along time also.

My first experiences with super-light bike travel were on road despite being a committed MTBer at the time - maybe there's a common image of bike touring meaning taking roads to places. I don't see how the terrain changes the terms applied, myself. I guess the link to backpacking hints at being off-road though since who in their right mind would hike along the roadside all the way ... :)

Could also say that a light-loaded road bike still feels like a road bike to ride, just a bit heavier. But a loaded mountain bike, it's not the same to ride. Yes you go places and it's amazing, but you can't really ride in the same exuberant way if that's something you like about mountain biking. In some ways that's a 'score one' to road/gravel-packing.
Edit to add - yes, basically agreeing with your last post Stuart. Culturally closer to what we're looking at.

The tracking resolution is. Not quite what it seems. The moving dots are predictions based on a clever algorithm.

Cool though!

Think people may have short term memories....

Back in the day Overlanding was huge in Australia.


Think theres more than 2,000 people watching

Recent changes in social media have made it a lot easier to produce content, and it seems its something that Jesse has promoted a lot.
You also need to factor in theres some 'sponsorship' behind this, from Curve Cycles and Hipster Cycling, hence more exposure.

These young upstarts are soft.
Wheres the singlespeeders, wearing tweed suits and trilbys?