Bikes Of... GranGuanche Audax Trail 2023

Philippe Joie

Name: Philippe Joie

Age: 42

Cap number: 282

Location: Esneux - Belgium

Bike: My trusted 11 years Moots MootoX YBB with a rigid Enve MTN Fork, Sram AXS drivetrain and White Industries M3O Crank paired to a Wolftooth CAMO chainring. Ergon SMC Core saddle and GS3 grips.

Key items of kit: Bags: All my stuffs are packed in a custom frame bag from Copra Bikepacking, Rockgeist Gondola saddle bag and Miss Grape Il COSO cradle in front paired to a 8l dry bag. Wolftooth B-Rad accessory Mount on the fork. Sleeping system: Thermarest NeoAir Xlite mattress, Sea to Summit Vesper 32 Quilt, emergency blanket. Lights: SON dynamo hub with a kLite Ultra Racer complete kit. Weight: 16,4kg.

Alex Kowalski

Name: Alex Kowalski

Age: 29

Cap number: 253

Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas

Bike: I'll be riding my ss Esker Hayduke 29er with a 33x19 ratio. We'll be rolling on the reliable Hunt XC Wide wheelset and Vittoria Mezcal tires. Using a Fox Step-cast fork with 120mm of squish, Velo Orange crazy bars and Profile Designs aero bars all on the front to keep the hands happy. The indestructible Endless Bikes chain-ring and Cane Creek eeWings will help me crank for days.

Key items of kit: The main attraction of my kit is the custom made Dispersed Bikepacking bag that fits the full length of my top tube - typically filled with a sketchy combo of sugary/carb filled goods and electronics. Priority is ferry/hotel rests, so the sleep kit is minimal and consists of a Sol bivy and a Nemo pad. Revelate shrew bag on the seatpost will hold a tube, med kit, bivy and rain coat. One of my loveliest pieces, the Oveja Negra wedgie frame bag, will hold extra layers, 1 liter bladder/filter and random bits. Oveja Negra luncbox will hold some electronics, food and other spare bits. A combination of Fenix, Outbound Lighting and a camping headlamp will light up the trail during the night. Pedal-cell will be connected to the front wheel to power phone, navigation devices and lights.

Amy Holman

Name: Amy Holman

Age: 33

Cap number: 266

Location: Hebden Bridge

Bike: Vitus Rapide 29 CRX with a Shimano XT 12 speed drivetrain, XT brakes and a Rockshox SID fork. A borrowed front wheel with a dynamo hub powering Busch & Müller front and rear lights. Maxxis Ardent Race up front to provide stability on the rougher ground and a faster rolling Maxxis Ikon on the rear.

Key items of kit: Apidura backcountry bags. I have 2.25L water capacity with a 1.5L bladder in the frame pack and a 750ml bottle on the top tube using a Fidlock mount.

For sleeping I have a lightweight Decathlon sleeping bag and an Alpkit mat.

For navigation I am using an Wahoo Element Bolt, with a second for backup as well as an attachment to mount my phone to the handlebars if needed. I have a 20,000mah battery pack.

To keep myself warm and dry I have a packable down jacket, a base layer, a rain coat, skullcap and a pair of warm gloves.

Lázaro Méndez

Name: Lázaro Méndez

Age: 50

Cap number: 274

Location: Lanzarote, Spain

Bike: Orbea Alma

Key items of kit: Top tube 2L , saddle pack 7L Apidura

Ali ELAMRANI JOUTEI

Name: Ali ELAMRANI JOUTEI

Age: 34

Cap number: CAP254

Location: Paris, France

Bike: PIVOT LES SL, DT SWISS carbon Wheels with SON dynamo, MAXIS IKON (Back) and REKON (Front) tires, FOX 120mm FORK, Shimano XTR M9100 12-speed groupset (30T front, 10-51T rear) with XTR pedals. Profile Design Aerobars, sinewave beacon v2 front light and specialized back, Garmin edge 1030 for navigation

Key items of kit: Apidura SADDLE and Frame Pack RESTRAP top tube pack

Tomas VAJDIAK

Name: Tomas VAJDIAK

Age: 36

Cap number: 263

Location: Horovice, Czechia

Bike: Salsa Cutthroat

• SRAM groupset
• Vittoria Mezcal 2.1"
• Redshift shockstop suspension system

Key items of kit: Bags - Ortlieb, Apitura, Revelate Sleeping kit - safety blanket + down jacket

Camille Goffard

Name: Camille Goffard

Age: 36

Cap number: 281

Location: Sprimont, Belgium

Bike: Otso Fenrir Ti, Sram AXS 30 10-52, SON dynamo hub, René Herse Fleecer Ridge tires.

Key items of kit: Missgrape Ilcoso handlebar bag cradle, custom frame bag from Copra (made in Paris, France), Apidura x Maap saddle bag 7L. Sleeping system : Thermarest quilt and mattress. Lights : Klite lamps, front and rear. Garmin Edge 1030

Cecilia Thomasson

Name: Cecilia Thomasson

Age: 42

Cap number: 268

Location: Östersund, Sweden

Bike: My bike is self-built with Trek Superfly HT carbon frame from 2014. Wheels American classic and Bontrager xxx with Schwalbe Thunderburt 2.1 tires. Shimano 1x11 speed 34-51. Shimano xt brakes.

Key items of kit: Ortlieb seat pack and front pack. Apidura racing top tube pack. Sleeping kit: Xped mat, Sea to summit spark sleeping bag, bivy bag Life systems. Lights: Silva Free 3000M. Lumonite Vector.

Maarten Vanhaverbeke

Name: Maarten Vanhaverbeke

Age: 38

Cap number: 261

Location: Brakel, Belgium

Bike: My Mason InSearchOf was the ideal bicycle for last year's GranGuanche Audax Trail and Tour Divide this year, so no reason to change anything there. Or maybe there is? I've swapped the rigid fork for a RockShox SID SL Ultimate suspension fork, let's see how I like this. Everything else on my bicycle is well-tested: 46cm Ritchey Beacon drop bars, SRAM 1×12 electronic shifting (Force/X01 mullet), Shimano XT crankset (34T) and cassette (10-51T), René Herse Fleecer Ridge tires, SWS Wheels hand-built wheelset (SON/DT 240), ...

Key items of kit: Riding with a hydration vest (Camelbak Chase 8) for the first time in a long while. Other things: Revelate Designs feedbag and Rifter framebag , Apidura long top tube pack and downtube pack, Miss Grape ILCOSO handlebar bag mount with a Salsa Anything Bag, KLite lights and charger, Garmin Edge 1040 Solar.

Robert Huebser

Name: Robert Huebser

Age: 43

Cap number: 277

Location: Vienna, Austria

Bike: Curve GMX+

Key items of kit: DIY custom framebag (X-pac/Liteskin), Acepac saddle bag, Fenix and Specialized lights, Garmin Edge 530, SRAM Force 34x10-46, Pro Discover dropbars, Kenda Booster Pro tyres

Leon Weissmann

Name: Leon Weissmann

Age: 21

Cap number: 275

Location: Berlin

Bike: 8bar Teufelsberg v1 + Rockshox SID ultimate SL Hplusson / Chrisking / SON28 + 2.1“ Vittoria Mezcal GRX 812 / 34t x 11-46t.

Key items of kit: Tailfin Aeropack/ Restrap toptube bag/ Apidura Toolbag/ Rapha bar bag.

Arturo

Name: Arturo

Age: 26

Cap number: 278

Location: Paris, France

Bike: GT Zaskar LT Expert Sram GR derailler, E13 Cassette (9-50) Hunt Trail wheels with Schwalbe Tyres

Key items of kit: I use a mix of Jack Wolfskin (saddle and frame), AGU (small cockpit bags) and Vaude, for sleeping I’ll bring a sleeping bag and sleeping mats and for extra confort siestas I have my TicketToTheMoon hammock.