TERRA AUSTRALIS 2024 and 2025 race calendar
TERRA AUSTRALIS 2024
6:00am Sunday 1 September 6,300klm
RACE TRACKING LINK
Just one solo rider, Sandro Poppe from Belgium on the line for the 2024 Terra Australis starting next Sunday!.
This is an updated post on one I made a few weeks back on the Facebook Bikepacking Ultra Racing Australia page. I’ll try and keep an update running on Sandro’s progress down the route and hopefully some pics from dot watchers along the way. There are links to Sandro’s personal Strava, Facebook and Insta pages over on the Maprogress Race Tracker. Time will reveal just how active he is along the way in putting up some posts on his ride.
Sandro is fully aware that he is the only starter. Some months ago I offered him the opportunity for a refund or to defer until 2025 but he’s remained fully committed and focused on getting the job done this year. He rightly made the observation that in all probability with only a possible handful of riders he fully expected to be riding solo for most of the journey south anyway. With the proposed change to a southern start in May 2025 he also said he wanted to face the challenge that others had in past years starting in September and dealing with the heat, adding he’s ridden across the Sahara Desert in North Africa in the past and can accept the difficulties of dealing with it. At age 35 and with a wealth of road and off road experience Sandro is well equipped to handle the challenge. In recent years he has competed in and finished the 2022 US Tour Divide 4,200k. 2022 Morocco Bike Adventure 2,400k. 2023 Japanese Odyssey 2,600k. 2021 Race Through Poland 1,500k and 2023 Race Around Netherlands 1,900k.
SANDRO’S BIKE & GEAR
• Frame: Kona Sutra
• Handlebar: Spank Flare 25 42cm with Ergon Gravel 3.5mm bartape
• Aerobars: Profile Design Sonic Ergo 35a with SRAM satellite shifters
• Saddle: Brooks B17
• Groupset: SRAM Force/Eagle GX AXS mullet with 34T chainring and 10-52 cassette
• Wheels: Newmen Performance XC 30mm rims with SON28 dynamo
• Tyres: Tufo Gravel Thundero HD 48mm
• Headlight: Supernova M99 Pro
• USB-charger: Busch+Müller e-Werk
• Panniers: Ortlieb Gravel-Pack 2 x 25L
• Frame bag: Apidura Expedition 7.5L with 3.5L bladder
• Top tube bag: Apidura Expedition
• Handlebar bag: Restrap Aero Race 7L
• Feed bags: 2 x Riverside
Camping setup:
• Tent: Big Agnes Copper Spur HV UL2
• Mattress: Thermarest Neo-Air XLite NXT
• Sleeping bag: Cumulus X-Lite 300
2025 RACE CALENDAR
TERRA AUSTRALIS 2025
6:00am Wednesday 1 May 6,300klm @ Wilsons Prom Park Entry
First and foremost I’ve made the call to start Terra Australis 2025 northbound on May 1. I’ve already had several expressions of interest from riders planning on giving the northbound route a serious crack! As I’ve commented earlier, a May 1 start will allow riders to transit through any early season snow falls in the Victorian Alpine Park and Koscuiszko National Park in the opening week to Canberra @ 802k. The Canberra-Byron Bay leg @ 1,490k is now well scoped out with a good dozen riders tackling it in either direction over recent years. Six days will be the best outcome for this leg. From Byron Bay the country in southern Queensland really opens out with some fast maintained shire roads and the prospect of the prevailing SSE or SSW winds through to Longreach @ 1,550k. Importantly the winter daytime temperatures will be far more manageable as riders acclimatise on their way north. Longreach - Mareeba 1,220k and Mareeba - Cape York 1,123k are shorter legs and very doable in 5 days given some cooler weather and the chance to travel up through the Cape on the early tourist season graded roads before the mid-winter 4WD cavalcade gets into full swing.
Anyone contemplating having a crack at this monster needs to hit me with an EOI and get planning on reversing the Ride Notes and cue sheets for a northbound run.
MONARO CLOUDRIDE 2025
6:00am Friday 18 April 1,000klm @ BentSpoke Braddon.
This will be the clockwise course. Bungendore, Cooma, Nimmitabel, Bombala, Delegate, Tubbut, Jindabyne, Batlow, Tumut, Wee Jasper …. and I’m not expecting any major re-routes.
CLOUDRIDE PROLOGUE 2025
As always on the Canberra Day holiday weekend also long weekend in Vic, Tas, SA.
8:00am Saturday 8 March 500klm @ BentSpoke Braddon.
Eventually I’ll start reversing some of the routes from past years as a simple solution to trying to create a ’new’ route each year. There are only so many roads out and back into Canberra! For the moment I’ve made no start on curating the 2025 course.
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