When I was reflecting about the things I wanted to achieve this year, I thought it would be fun to celebrate the passing of the winter solstice (the shortest day of the year) with a big ride. Then I realised it fell on the weekend of the Devils Cardigan, a 106km gravel ride around Derby, which happens to be the Australian Gravel National Championships. So, I thought, even better, I can race Devils, then toddle my way back home via some fun gravel backroads.
I suggested this to Gab Summerdays on a Girl Gang a couple of months prior. The rest, as they say was history. A very loose plan to ride from Derby to Cygnet and a fun weekend ahead of us.
Some brief reflections of the Devils Cardigan
I’m not much of a racer myself, however as someone who regularly organises races and is big on participation within the industry, it would be rude not to attend the weekend that the Devils crew put on. Having a gravel national championship in our home state is something truly special. To see mainlanders make the trek across to the little smoke to enjoy our scenery, our terrain and our weather is something worth celebrating in itself. It’s also just nice to rock up to a race and know all I have to do is ride my bike, rather than the list of tasks I usually have on race day.
People always talk about our weather being harsh and horrible during winter, which, at times can certainly be true. But when I read the forecast of light southerly winds for the morning of the race, I knew there was a fair chance of frost and a day that to me, defines a Tassie winter. Still, blue bird skies and light that you just can’t describe. Beautiful.
Race Day: Devils Cardigan
106km, 2,600m, 5hrs; https://www.strava.com/activities/11708763406
Lining up in the elite category on a cold, but spectacular winters day was somewhat nerve wracking. As I said, I’m not much a racer and standing next to a bunch of ladies who have just been over in the US racing part of the Lifetime GrandPrix series seemed somewhat surreal. I’m not much of a fan girl, but if I were, I’d probably be fan girling. Like I said, having events like this in our little home state is truly very exciting. And something to celebrate. Whether a little girl (or boy) hoping to one day make it to a national, or even international level, or just your everyday cyclist, being able to line up next to Australia’s best riders in an opportunity we rarely get to have, particularly in our little corner of the world.
As a state, it can often feel like we’re the forgotten about part of Australia. While that is certainly changing, it still feels like we are a long way from having regular opportunities such as having gravel nationals at our doorstep. So I just want to make a big shoutout to the Devils crew for creating an event with a great vibe and giving reason for some of the best riders in Aus to come ride bikes in Tas!
I think anyone who has even ridden their bike in Tassie, know just how lucky we are down here. Just how special every little corner can be. How ever changing our landscape is. How our history can so strongly influence our people, particularly in our small towns. And how unique we are as a state.
Having the opportunity to bikepack home just emphasises all of these things. Here is a brief excerpt of our ride home…
Day 1: Derby - Launceston
104km, 1,500m; https://www.strava.com/activities/11716738161
As the sun on Sunday morning arose, neither of our bodies arose with it. It was a slow start; to waking up, to prepping our bikes and to trying to convince the legs that we still had 400km ahead of us to get ourselves home. But, to be honest, the ride home excited the both of us more than the race itself.
Our first day of the trip was relatively simple. We took the rail trail from Derby through to Scottsdale, which felt pretty slow going, but took us off the highway and through some impressively blasted rock formations. The day was relatively uneventful, bar one moment where we went through a 4wd mud pit after managing to get ourselves lost off the rail trail. I still have no idea how we managed to take a wrong turn, regardless, it was short and not too problematic. I should at this point note, my own adventures usually do not reflect that of a tour. They are usually far more eventful and unplanned… I like to think it is so I can be planned for all occasions while on tour, but others may argue otherwise.
After the rail trail we took a little detour so we could work our way up towards Mount Barrow (in my opinion, the prettier cousin of Ben Lomond). The intention was originally to summit the top of Barrow, however as we were quickly loosing daylight we opted not to ascend the top and hightail it straight into Launie.
Day 2: Launceston - Miena
115km, 1,800m; https://www.strava.com/activities/11725060215
We started the day with a compulsory visit to Bread + Butter. I usually tell people this is the only reason I ever visit Launceston, because their pastries really are top notch!
On paper, day two was pretty simple. We rode through some country backroads towards the foothills of the highlands before taking my favourite route up via Liffey Falls and Golden Valley rd. For those who have been on tour with me, know I will frequently either try and put this route into the itinerary or at the very least talk about it.
It is a bold call, but this is probably my favourite road in lutruwita/Tasmania.
While I’ve completed this particular ride multiple times, this day felt particularly rough. A combination between the cumulative fatigue from the race, the day before, the 20+% gradients, a fully loaded bike and the temperature not exceeding 4˚ all day. If I’m honest the lack of sun is the thing that personally tipped me over the edge.
But it still stands as my favourite road in Tas.
As we approached the top of the Highlands at 1,210m above sea level, the weather really does its own thing up there. The wind gusts increased, the cloud cover came over and the temperature, which was already low, plummeted some more. But this is the highlands after all. I wouldn’t expect any different.
I’m unsure who the idiot was that decided it was a good idea to ride through the highlands in the middle of winter. However that is what we did. To be honest, we got off pretty scott free, because only a week after passing through, Liawenee (the coldest permanently inhabited place in Australia) recorded the lowest temperature recorded in the country at a startling -13.5˚C.
*It was me. I am the idiot.
It felt like a long slog traversing the plateau. It always feels so much longer than it should do. But eventually, we made our way to Gab’s shack in Miena. Started a fire. Got warm. And had the biggest bowl of pasta my eyes have ever seen.
Day 3: Miena - Hobart
150km, 1,000m; https://www.strava.com/activities/11733294392
Over our bowl of pasta the night before, we had unanimously made the call to shorten our final day. I had originally planned a pretty hectic 200km back country ride into Cygnet, which would have evolved a hell of a lot more elevation and a fair bit more time on the saddle. Something neither of us would usually be opposed to, but we were here for fun, and the route in the middle of winter, on the shortest day of the year seemed somewhat unnecessary.
Having this flexibility while bikepacking and in life, to me is one of the key traits to ensuring life is fun. To know when to push, but also when to push back and change directions. To understand why you are choosing to do something and to manipulate that path to ensure the desired outcome. Knowing that no path is more or less correct than another, however the path that you choose to take, absolutely influences the journey you will have. At one point in my life I would have chosen the hardest, silliest option without fault. And anything less than the hardest option I would deemed a failure. But I have grown. I have learned. And my intentions were not to push my body to its limits. It was to get from point A to B while having the best time possible… Plus, we already pushed our bodies on Saturday. That memory had not yet faded.
I was a bit worried when jumping on the bikes this morning. We were sitting in alpine country and my body did not yet feel like it had entirely warmed up from the day before. We put every piece of clothing on our bodies that we had packed. And thankfully, that meant that we were overdressed. The preferred option for the morning.
As the sun rose, the light was absolutely banging and Gab could tell my mood was definitely far improved from the day before. The light bounced across the road. It lit up the trees and the shrubbery around us. There is something special about winter light that I just can’t describe, other than it making me feel overwhelmed with the beauty of the world around us.
We experienced that light on this morning and I was very happy about it.
The route today was again, a pretty simple one. We worked our way from 1,100m of elevation back down to sea level. So in theory, it was all down hill from here. Although as anyone who has ever ridden a bike in Tas will know… it is never all downhill.
As we approached Bothwell, I informed Gab that I was optimistic that the one cafe in the town was going to be open. Whenever I pass through Bothwell they seem to be closed for one reason or another, but this day was going to be different, I could feel it!
… I was wrong. Still no luck at 11am on a Tuesday.
There aren’t many options in these parts, so instead we opted to fuel our bodies with the best in nutritional standards that Bothwell had to offer.
Hot chips and Sour Patch Kids.
It was a bit of a slog from here. Not much to report other than the fact that we slowly toddled our way into Hobart on legs that had definitely had enough, on minds and bodies that were ready to hang the bike up for at least a day.
We were greeted with Gab’s ever enthusiastic parents. And that was it.
Our trip from Derby to Hobart done.
A three day catch up where I feel like we somehow, we talked about very little, yet don’t think there were many moments of silence.
In fact, Gab’s father informed us he could hear us coming from a block away…
That’s a wrap. Thanks for coming on our journey! Sofia Tsamassiros 3.07.24