Inspired by the lads who put on HuRT in Newcastle, and partly to prepare myself for CTR, AZTR or Tour Divide next year I am proposing the following;
The bikepacking event will largely follow the GDT trail in Victoria. It will most likely start at Bendigo train station (for ease of getting to) and finish at Castlemaine train station (with start and finish time verified by taking a photo of yourself under the clock on the platform.....which is good for those that don't have a SPOT tracker, however I advise anyone to beg/borrow one for the event. The event will be hosted by TRACKLEADERS for a nominal US$15 charge.
The course will travel from Bendigo -> Castlemaine -> Daylesford -> Ballarat -> Mt Bunninyong (all via the GDT). From the top you will make your way down to Bacchus Marsh, and then follow the path Bacchus Marsh -> Daylesford -> Castlemaine.
The race will go up and over the Mt Terrible before castlemaine, but will avoid the singletrack around Daylesford, instead popping out at Hepburn Springs and taking the road towards Daylesford Lake.
The only hold-up is deciding which route to take between Mt Bunninyong and Bacchus Marsh, as I wish to avoid sealed roads if possible. (FOUND....great loop as well updated 5/11/12)
More exploration is underway, as I know of an alternative between Bacchus Marsh and Daylesford which is amazing (and will be legally able to ride on, as the GDT between these two points isn't yet ready to MTB's), and will keep racers onto some wonderful fireroads and singletrack. Towns are plentiful, and the course goes through enough towns will accomodation that it might be possible to have a bed each night.
The course will be fully mapped to GPX, and broken down into files for a Garmin E-Trex 20/30.
Pre-rides of the GDT and exploratory mapping will be done over the coming weeks, and everyone is welcome to come along.
Over n Out,
Rhino
