PROLOGUE•CLOUDRIDE•TERRA AUSTRALIS
PROLOGUE 22 WRAP
The 2022 Cloudride Prologue was not without challenges long before it finally got underway. With the extraordinary weather events of recent years this years rain deluge was well up there and eventually necessitated a complete race re-route in the weeks before the start. I know these late changes affect many riders plans for transport and accommodation planning so a special thanks to everyone for flexing around to get to the start line.
Prologue 22 winner was Wes Hart from Sydney. Wes finished at Bent Spoke 9:03am with an elapsed time of 1d:2h:03m. With tracking issues from the late evening race leader Matt Warner-Smith Wes arrived with no great expectations as the winner. After riding most of the day with Dave Langley they ordered a late evening Pizza at the Snow Goose in Adaminaby [295k] and were food bombed as the order arrived by Heath Wade. Once off into the night after race leader Matt Warner-Smith who at that stage had a comfortable 40k lead. Dave declared he wasn't feeling too flash in the legs leaving Wes to ride solo off into the night. Matt’s pace fell away as the undulating Long Plain sapped dwindling energy stores, multiple punctures and failed back-up light batteries. Crossing somewhere in the darkness Wes Hart climb up Brindabella Rd [410k] from the Valley interspersed with regular HAB on the +10% sections. After a torturous descent down a foggy rutted Two Sticks Rd [421k] Wes tackled the Lake Burley Griffin cycle path ... finding that too was challenging!
Rounding out the podium were Dave Langley [L with Wes] at 1d:2h:42m and Heath Wade [below] at 1d:4h.32m. Matt Warner-Smith finally arriving mid-day in 4th place in 1d:5h:01m.
Lauren Bartsch [L] and Lucie Van Der Schalk [R] shared the women’s victory with an animated ‘sprint’ to the line that couldn’t be split in 1d:7h:31m. Rookie Gabrielle Ryan in an impressive first up competitive ride came in 3rd 1d:8h:36m
Other notable rides came from youngest, Iz Raaijmakers at 19 [below] for 6th outright in 1d:6h:46m and last years Lantern Rouge Keryn Bowden 2d:10h:4m taking a full day off her ride time from last year.
Memorable moments along the ride reported by several riders was racing a mob of Brumbies across Long Plain through the fog as dawn was breaking and the barman at the Federal in Nimmitabel reciting Banjo Patterson poems to ease the anxiety of a three hour wait for a meal.
Congratulations to all finishers and to those who didn’t make it but got out there and gave it a go… usually and same again this year … it’s food, some unforeseen body flare up that ends a ride. Surprisingly most mechanicals or fails can get patched up or a work-around is found… plenty of exciting young bikepackers getting out there that is so inspirational …. the great outdoors and adventure has a future!
Final results are below and will be sent off for uploading on to the UK based dotwatcher.cc who are making a decent attempt to keep some record of bikepacking races around the world.
https://dotwatcher.cc
2022 Monaro Cloudride 1000k
STARTS 8:00am Friday 15 April
Just five seasoned experienced riders on the start line for this years Cloudride to date. With a late Easter and mid-April start perhaps the possibility of some colder weather has deterred entrants … surely there must be some Wim Hof devotees out there who ride a bike?
REGISTERED CLOUDRIDERS
Rowan Mcmurray 47 Canberra - Trans Continental No7 2019, IPWR 2021, Prologue 500 2019,21
Adrian Davis 27 Canberra - US Tour Divide 2017, Monaro Cloudride 2018, VicDivide 2019
Felix Dieu 33 Sydney - Barrington 500, Thunderbolt 250 sighted scoping out KNP.
Chris Drummond 38 Melbourne - 2nd Mallee Blast 1000/2021races road B Grade
Izaak Raaijmakers 19 Sydney - 6th Prologue [see above]
As I have commented before with the superb spring/summer seasons over the past two years the east coast countryside is in lifetime best condition. No better time to get out there, ride and take in the magnificence of our high country and the Monaro region.
The Maprogress race tracker is now loaded, get your name on it!
Register HERE
Race Tracker
2022 Terra Australis Bike Epic 6,250k
STARTS 6:00am Thursday 1 September
After the past two years of cancellations we look a real chance of getting the business done in 2022.
Craig Johnston, David Waugh and myself have been on stand by for the past few years. Kipling Walker out of Brisbane signed on in January. There are a number of other riders paid up for past years who still have a registration credit to jump back in and several more recent enquiries who have been sent the race route and course notes. With the announcement today [on Facebook] that the American Trail Race [8,000k] has been discontinued, Terra Australis will arguably become the worlds longest unsupported off-road bikepacking event. Not a bad look on your race CV.
Yes it’s a long way, yes it takes time, sure work gets in the way, life gets in the way … live till you’re 80? That’s 29,200 days … Terra Australis could take you 1% of your life, the other 99% will just happen …you’ve got to make THIS 1% happen! Get it done before your 80 that’s my tip!
Anyone giving Terra Australis serious consideration should contact me with an EOI to get the course notes and .gpx race route before registering. Sign on with eyes wide open!
Race Registration:
The Maprogress race tracker is up and needs to be populated!