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ethos
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Professional cycling has lost its way... in July 2019 TdF riders battled with extreme weather (temperatures exceeded 40 deg C on Stage 16, followed by freak hailstones and infamous stage-stopping landslide on Stage 19); the race was won by a team bankrolled by a petrochemical giant. Meanwhile in January 2020 bush fires raged throughout Australia as riders were trying to kick-off the Tour Down Under; another race with an eye-watering carbon footprint, sponsored by a oil&gas major and an airline.
Pro cycling is not just an innocent bystander, caught in the crossfire of climate change - it's an active participant driving us off a cliff. It is time cycling got un-lost... GBDURO is our vision of what sustainable sport could look like. |
Those interested in entering #GBDURO21 should sign-up to the mailing list below. Provisional start date 14 August 2021 (expected to be run in the normal 4-stage format).
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WTF IS GBDURO?
Map credit: Philippa Battye
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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 event follows our GBDIVIDE route designed to embrace 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. Under normal conditions the ride consists of 4 timed stages (~500km each); lowest aggregate time over the 4 stages 'wins'... nothing. But due to COVID-19 we have dropped the stage format so it now consists of just a single stage, along with some other changes discussed below. In December 2019 we announced GBDURO will be a #noflyride i.e. riders must get to/from the start/finish without taking a flight. This was because having the burden of riders' carbon emissions from flights on our conscience didn't sit right with us (more details here). This is part of our wider mission to extend 'leave no trace' principals to beyond just the road/trail and we have been delighted by riders' commitment and ingenuity to make this a reality. |
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COVID-19 PROVISIONS: GBDURO GOES FROM SELF-SUPPORTED TO SELF-SUFFICIENT
To make GBDURO COVID-19 compliant we have made the following changes (described in Annex 1 of the GBDURO manual):
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WHAT CONSTITUTES SELF-SUFFICIENT RIDING?
Moving from self-supported to self-sufficient riding requires a shift in mindset from ‘equal opportunity’ to ‘no assistance from others’ as per below:
- Self-supported riding permits the use of the kindness of strangers, commercially available resupply points (such as services, food and lodging) and the disposal of as much waste as you like – the key test is one of ‘equal opportunity’… if it’s not available to all riders, riders shouldn’t be doing it.
- Self-sufficient riding on the other hand, does not permit assistance from others, use of any buildings (commercial or otherwise), or disposal of non-biodegradable waste – the key test here is one of ‘no assistance from others’… if it relies on assistance from others, riders shouldn’t be doing it.
More details are provided in Annex 1 of the GBDURO manual.
#GBDURO20 WILL BE A ZERO-WASTE RIDE
In line with our self-sufficiency rules, riders will not be allowed to dispose of any non-biodegradable waste during the ride.
This has come from our experience of backcountry trips where the requirement to 'pack out' packaging brought in, forces us to think about how to minimise the packaging in the first place. We want to see that logic in ultracycling and the move to self-sufficient riding, which inherently produces less waste, provides a perfect opportunity.
By creating the problem (i.e. the burden of having to carry it), over time we will find solutions such as biodegradable packaging etc. From 2021 onwards all of our rides will adopt this approach and in time, we hope the eye-watering amounts of plastic waste on ultras will be a thing of the past.
This has come from our experience of backcountry trips where the requirement to 'pack out' packaging brought in, forces us to think about how to minimise the packaging in the first place. We want to see that logic in ultracycling and the move to self-sufficient riding, which inherently produces less waste, provides a perfect opportunity.
By creating the problem (i.e. the burden of having to carry it), over time we will find solutions such as biodegradable packaging etc. From 2021 onwards all of our rides will adopt this approach and in time, we hope the eye-watering amounts of plastic waste on ultras will be a thing of the past.
History
WHO OR WHAT IS THE RACING COLLECTIVE!?
The Racing Collective was established at the end of 2016 and with over 3000 members, 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 a series of rewilding projects. Together, we will buy land and rewild it through the restoration of natural forests and wildlife for our adventurous ancestors to enjoy.
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 a series of rewilding projects. Together, we will buy land and rewild it through the restoration of natural forests and wildlife for our adventurous ancestors to enjoy.
RESULTS FOR GBDURO19
Lachlan Morton came out on top in our inaugural ride in 2019 after an unforgettable ride. 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.
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.
#noflyride - Why?
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:
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.
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The big read on our no-fly rule and why we have chosen to draw this line in the sand...
Why single out flying?
What about offsetting?
What about technological innovation to reduce emissions from flying?
Isn't it xenophobic?
Why was it OK for Lachlan Morton to do it in 2019 but not me?
Why single out flying?
- Because it is incompatible with a personal carbon budget of 1tCO2e/year and it is done through choice rather than necessity
- 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
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no prizes | no support
next tree-planting day: tbc |
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