#GBDURO20 Entries are now closed

We are will be contacting successful applicants by the end of January 2020. 

Mailing list sign-up

​Anyone who's interested in riding #GBDURO21 (provisional start date 26 June 2021) and beyond should sign-up to the mailing-list on the right
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, created by The Racing Collective specifically for this event.  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?

The writing has been on the wall for decades but we've buried our heads in the sand and hoped that climate change is made up, a fiction that those in the pay of the oil giants have unmasked. But, the body of evidence is conclusive; temperatures are rising and we are starting to feel the impacts of extreme weather. 

Flying is incompatible with reducing our individual carbon emissions to a fair and sustainable level so we are drawing a line in the sand.  As bikepackers, leave-no-trace ethics are part of our DNA; so are solving seemingly unsurpassable problems, and doing things that others (initially) think are crazy.  With that in mind we want to hear stories of riders travelling far and wide in a sustainable way. 

Let's take a look at the numbers:
  • 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 11.3 CO2/year for a typical European/North American (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.
The big read on our no-fly rule and why we have chosen to draw this line in the sand...​

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 land use issues, genuine emission reductions whilst using energy intensive fertilisers 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; limiting participation of riders who can't get to the UK in a low-carbon way is really 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 greet you with open arms

Why was it OK for Lachlan Morton to do it in 2019 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 emissions in 2019
  • If everyone lived like this, we'd be toast
  • 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, this time using low-carbon transport... #noflyride

Results for GBDURO19

Full stage times - here
Relive the dotwatching for 2019 - 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.
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