First, to take a step back…
There are different ways to approach a long ride like this and the (not insignificant) logistics involved:
- Where to stay?
- How much support is needed?
- What tyres to choose (more on that shortly)?
We like to feel a sense of adventure, so we decided to camp each day at some pretty great campsites, which kept a great “connection” to the journey as our pedals started and stopped each day on the same patch of ground.
Support was never too far away, but again, we felt that having a vehicle creeping behind or hopping a few kms takes away from the adventure a bit, so the day’s rides were approached with a spirit of self-sufficiency!
There are different ways to approach a long ride like this and the (not insignificant) logistics involved
And how long to allow?
Yes, the official “Raid” challenge is 100 hrs – but make no mistake, that’s tough (as we really appreciate now!), so we opted for a more enjoyable 6 days to ride the route – still challenging 80 mile plus days, with 16km of ascent over the week, but also enough time to appreciate a fantastic ride.