The 2020 trial leaves Lands End on the 27th June and you’ll need to move quick to make the finisher’s party at John o’Groats on the 7th July.

We’ll be running it in a similar style to last year except this will be a no-fly ride… riders must get to/from the start/finish without taking a flight. This is an effort to extend our ‘leave no trace’ principles to beyond just the road/trail. We are particularly looking for some inspiration from riders travelling from further afield; those who commit will be welcomed with open arms.

Entries for GBDURO20 will open on the 1st Jan for just one week. Sign up to the mailing list below for updates.

Mailing list sign-up

For reference, the #GBDURO19 Entry Manual can be found here.

​Anyone who's interested in riding #GBDURO20 (start 27 June 2020) and beyond should sign-up to the mailing-list below
Note this is a different list from the regular The Racing Collective mailing list

Who or what is the racing collective!?

With over 2000 members, The Racing Collective is fast becoming the largest bikepacking club in the UK. Unlike a conventional cycling club, we are not based in any particular city or town, rather we roam our little island seeking out new roads and tracks to explore, pushing our limits, and finding more about ourselves in the process (see our Trials, of which GBDURO is our flagship). 

​Our objective is to apply the ultracyclist mindset (self-supported, self-actualised, self-motivated) to go beyond 'Leave No Trace' to leave the world in a better state than we found it. This means not just following the 'Leave No Trace' principles when riding/wild camping, but extending these principles over time to permeate every aspect of our lives. Our long-term aim is to establish the UK's first crowdfunded National Park. 

wtf is gbduro?

GBDURO is a 2000km self-supported bikepacking enduro from Land's End to John O'Groats on road, gravel, singletrack, and everything in between.​

The ride consists of 4 timed stages (~500km each); lowest aggregate time over the 4 stages 'wins'... nothing. ​This format seeks to find the perfect balance point between hard riding and community.

The newly established route embraces the versatility of 'all-road' bikes to cover big distances on new roads and ancient ways, immersing riders in the rich and unique history that has shaped the British Isles.

The 2020 event follows the success of last year's event where EF's Lachlan Morton rode an unforgettable ride to John o'Groats. Riders will have to average ~200km/day (and ~3,000m of climbing/day) to make the Finisher's Party. ​

Start - Land's End: Saturday 27 June 2020
​Finisher's party - John O'Groats: Tuesday 7 July 2020

Moderation is for cowards

PictureImage: Wikimedia Commons

The enduro format means that the clock stops when a rider enters the checkpoint and starts again when they leave.  This gives riders the time to share tales and drinks around the campfire at the three checkpoints en route, whilst also addressing sleep deprivation issues which hang over the ultraracing community. 

​But don’t indulge in too much ‘recovery’; you'll still need to cover ~200km per day to make the Finisher's Party.
PictureImage: Wikimedia Commons
We'll be riding the new GB Divide route which links Britain's wild places with its rich industrial past.  Much of it is on road so you'll need a setup that rolls well, whilst also dealing with the rough stuff on gravel tracks and bridleways; the surface of which range from heaven to hell and everything in between.  A gravel/adventure bike with minimum 35mm tyres is recommended.
 
This ride is not for ultra-racing insomniacs - it's for those who share a desire to ride fast and far through beautiful landscapes, while allowing a bit of time in between to enjoy the odd sunset and share a beer with new friends.  

Why no-fly?

Leave no trace
  • Q: why is emitting carbon any different from dropping litter?
  • A: you can't see it and the environmental impacts are virtually negligible
Out of sight, out of mind... except it's not.  We see it every time a new temperature record is set and every time there is flooding.  We see it as the mosquito belt moves north.  We see it when forest fires rip through California and Australia.  The impacts of climate change are being felt today and we want no role in making them worse.  

At some point you have to draw a line in the sand - our no-fly rule is that line.

Find solutions
We don't just want to stop emitting - we want the international bikepacking community to create demand for sustainable solutions.  Will this become UBER for racing yachts perhaps!? We don't know. But we do know this is where out ultracyclist mindsets (self-supported, self-actualised, self-motivated) kick in...  we have an opportunity to fix our own problem with the required level of commitment and imagination. 
​
If you are considering this please reach out to others in the same boat (so to speak) and let us know so we can shine a light on what you are doing.
The big read on our no-fly rule and why we have chosen to draw this line in the sand...​

The scientific rational:
  • Global temperatures will only stop rising when we reach net-zero emissions (CCC net-zero report, May 2019, Page 16) i.e. where carbon emitted (e.g. from the burning of fossil fuels) matches carbon sequestered (e.g. from absorption of CO2 into the oceans or forests)
  • So to stabilise temperatures, the average emissions per person must fall to about 1tCO2e/year (CCC net-zero report, May 2019, Table 1), down from 7.6 tCO2/year for a typical European (you can calculate your own carbon footprint here)
  • A return flight from London to Madrid emits ~0.5tCO2 i.e. you've just used half your annual carbon budget on a single trip (leaving the rest to cover food, home heating and electricity, travel, bikes, sporks, chamois cream, toothpaste)
  • A return flight from London to New York emits ~1.8tCO2 so you've just blown the budget

Why single out flying?
  1. Because it is incompatible with a personal carbon budget of 1tCO2e/year and it is done through choice rather than necessity
  2. Because it's not fair on the 5bn people living in the world who already live below 1-2tCO2e/year.  Note 80% of people have never taken a flight - something that the CEO of Boeing views as a great opportunity for growth.  But if the whole world flew like us bikepackers, which of course they are perfectly entitled to do, then we're cooked​

What about offsetting?
  • Offsetting is better than nothing, but it's hard to ensure the emission reductions are 100% real (link).
  • The bigger problem is that this approach kicks the can down the road - we pay someone else to treat the symptoms of the problem rather than find a solution to the problem itself.
  • This is where the ultracyclist mindset (self-supported, self-actualised, self-motivated) kicks in...  we have an opportunity to fix our own problem with the required level of commitment and imagination. 

What about technological innovation to reduce emissions from flying?
  • There is talk that electric planes for short-haul flights might materialise
  • But the only quasi option for long-haul flights in the medium term is biofuels which have their own issues (food vs fuel, genuine emission reduction etc)

Isn't it xenophobic?
  • At face value a no-fly rule could be conceived to be xenophobic but we're not discriminating on nationality, we're discriminating based on a rider's environmental impact which unfortunately tends to be a function of distance from the UK
  • We are a group of bikepackers who love to ride in other countries and experience other cultures (and we sit a long way from the philosophy of buidling international walls ala Brexit/Trump) and limiting participation of riders who can't get to the UK without the release of emissions makes us sad
  • More than anything we want you to figure out how to get here in a low-carbon way; if you can do that we will great you with open arms

Why was it OK for Lachlan Morton to do it last year but not me?
  • It was a dream come true to have Lachlan on the inaugural GBDURO and to be the first person in history to christen our newly forged route.  He embraced The Racing Collective philosophy and it was incredible to watch an exceptional athlete rip the route to shreds.  And of course in doing so, he bought GBDURO to the masses - would you have heard about GBDURO if it wasn't for Lachlan?
  • But his involvement came at a cost... GBDURO was one of several trips that led to Lachlan's jaw dropping 47tCO2 emissions from flights alone in 2019
  • If everyone did this, we'd be toast. It's a long way from the philosophy of Leave No Trace. 
  • Of course it's impossible to live without imposing any negative impact on one's surroundings, but we look forward to the day Lachlan returns to ride GBDURO again via more climate friendly means
See some route highlights on Komoot here

OFFICIAL Results for GBDURO19

Full stage times - here

Only riders who made the Finisher's Party on 2nd July 2019 have their times recorded for GC; other riders had until midnight on Friday 5 July in order to classify as a Finisher.  Anyone who completes the GB Divide route is eligible to join the club on Strava.
​