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Bikes Of GranGuanche Audax Trail 2024
23 November, 2024
Stef Ghillebert
Age: 31
Cap number: 118
Location: Ghent - Belgium
Bike: For my first ultra I’ll be riding my Cannondale Scalpel HT. Comfortable and fast with a 32 - 10/51 gear ratio. I’m not using a dynamo hub but relying on a powerbank and occasional charging options along the way.
Key items of kit: I will use my homemade framebag for electronics, spare parts and food. Revelate Saddle bag for my sleeping kit and Some clothes. For water i’ll be using a hydration vest and for Some extra storage.
Dave Clements
Age: 55
Cap number: 135
Location: Edinburgh
Bike: Trek Procaliber 9.6 2024
Key items of kit: Full Shimano XTR Groupset 165mm Crank Arm Brooks Cambium 17 Saddle Exposure Six Pack Light Restrap Top Tube and Frame Bags and Feed Bags Ortleib Saddle Pack Garmin 1030 Plus Head Unit Conti Cross King 29’ x 2.2’ Tyres Burgtech 30mm rise Enduro Handle bar and Burgtech Stem
David Tilly
Age: 59
Cap number: 141
Location: Ireland 🇮🇪
Bike: Specialized Chisel
Key items of kit: Tailfin rear bag. Top tube bags Victoria Mascals
Alex Caldentey Groves
Age: 30
Cap number: 🤷🏼♂️
Location: Mallorca (Spain)
Bike: Santa Cruz Blur
Key items of kit: handlebar bag, topframe bag, saddle bag
Alex Kowalski
Age: 30
Cap number: 105
Location: Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA
Bike: I’ll be riding my single speed Black Sheep hardtail with a Fox 34 SC 120mil fork, Black Sheep titanium seatpost, Whisky and Crossmax wheels, SP dynamo hub with a Sinewave Beacon light and Velo Orange Crazy Bars. I’m using Cane Creek eeWings paired with a Cane Creek bb, and will be rolling on a Bontrager XR4 2.4” in the front and a Race King 2.2” in the back.
Key items of kit: I recently visited the Black Sheep headquarters to get some modifications taken care of, including rack mounts on the seat stays and seat tube for my Mica Cycles rear rack. The rack now feels like a part of the bike. Another piece of kit I’ve really gotten a lot of use out is the double water bottle adapter from Cyclewerks NZ. Makes carrying water with a full frame bag an absolute breeze. Frame and top tube bags custom made by Dispersed Bikepacking out of La Sal, Utah. Doom gremlin bell is coming along to ward off the evil spirits.
Mat King
Age: 51
Cap number: 124
Location: UK
Bike: Sonder Signal Ti Hunt wheels Maxxis Icons
Key items of kit: Combination of Ortlieb and Alpkit bags. Packing a Terra Nova Laser tent, just in case! Luxury item is a small stove for morning coffee if I sleep in the wild.
Kelly-Anne Speight
Age: 38
Cap number: 143
Location: Stirling, Scotland
Bike: Van Nicholas Revelstoke Hardtail Titanium Mountain bike Spinergy Wheels, Schwable Rocket Ron Tubeless Tyres SRAM GX Eagle 11-50t
Key items of kit: Bags: Ortileb Saddle pack, Apidura top tube bag, Apidura feed bags
Electronics: Exposure Six Pack Sync, Headlight: Exposure HT 500
Wahoo element Roam,
20,000mah Powerbank
Sleep System: Sol Escape Bivy
Konrad Kowara
Age: 45
Location: Netherlands
Bike: Orbea Oiz TR modified for long distance rides - 100mm stem and aero bars mostly for comfort. Fox transfer dropper post to be able to send it on the descents. Things will get steep, so I went with 30t chainring and a 10-50 cassette.
Key items of kit: The key item is using Aeroe bag mounts in the back - it’s a little heavier but no tail wag and it gives a lot of clearance for the dropper post. Fun before function.
To make up for the extra weight I’ll pack very light - total sleeping system is just 300g, not planning to camp at elevation.
Emeterio Suarez
Age: 49
Cap number: 144
Location: Tacoronte (Tenerife) - España
Bike: Bike: Jeronimo 3716T titanium, Shimano GRX groupset 30-46t x 11-42t, Panaracer 43c and Bontrager GR2 tires.
Key items of kit: Repair Kit: multitool, spare tube, tubeless kit, chain link, chain lube. Bags and Water: Columbus frame bag, chinese handlebar bag, Blackburn top tube bag. 2 litres water capacity. Electronics: Garmin 1030 navigation, 15000 mAh power bank, Bontrager front and rear light, Petzl frontal head light, headphones… Sleep System: bivy bag, sleeping bag and sleeping pad. Clothing: base layer, mid layer, waterproof jacket, waterproof pants, down jacket and gloves…
Eric Devos
Age: 48
Cap number: 142
Location: Belgium
Bike: Stock Cannondale Scalpel HT
Key items of kit: Equiped with shimano mechanical XT/XTR group set, a 30 chainring and a 10/51 cassette. Lightning is a Gloworm XSV on the bike and a Golum head light. Gps unit a Karoo V2. Tailfin bike packing kit, sleeping kit composed of a Rab down sleeping bag and Thermarest Neo air sleeping pad. Bivy is a hunka XL. A salomon trail bag to carry water, clothes and food.
Rachel Nolan
Age: 39
Cap number: 108
Location: West of Ireland
Bike: Orbea Alma hardtail MTB with OQUO wheels Strong legs & a crazy mind driving them on:)
Key items of kit: Infinity seat Apidura top tube, food pouch x 2 & saddlebag Lights: Fenix & Exposure Sol bivvy and a lots of tunes to stay awake
GUIDO PIGHI
Age: 45
Cap number: #60
Location: LOANO - LIGURI - ITALIA
Bike: THIS BIKE WAS MY GIFT FOR 30 YEARS OF MTB, MADE BY A STEEL ARTIST, DARIO COLOMBO, CREATOR OF BICE BICYCLES, AND COLORED LIKE MY BIKE FROM 1990.... A COLOR THAT DOESN'T GO UNNOTICED 😂
HANDMADE STEEL FRAME WITH COLUMBUS TUBES PARAGON MACHINE WORKS EXTENDABLE DROPOUTS SRAM XO1 EAGLE AXS 10/50 GROUPSET INGRID CRS-X 32t CRANKSET INGRID BOTTOM BRACKET CYPWHEELS CARBON HANDMADE WITH DTSWISS 350 HUB PIRELLI 2.4 SCORPION XC RACE PROWALL ENVE COMPLETE COCKPIT SQlab 411 2.0 INNERBARENDS THOMPSON SEATPOST NOVUS ENDURANCE FLOW ITALIA SADDLE HOPE TECH 4 E4 BRAKES MANITOU R7 PRO 120MM FORK ERGON GA3 GRIPS GACIRON LIGHT USB ON THE FRONT - REAR RED LIGHT DECATHLON GARMIN 1030 PLUS FOR NAVIGATION
Key items of kit: BAG KIT: MISS GRAPE FULL FRAME CUSTOM BAG MISS GRAPE CLUSTER 13 REAR BAG 2 MISS GRAPE BUD HANDLEBAR BAGS MISS GRAPE NODE 2H ADVENTURE BAG
IN THE BAGS THERE IS WHAT IS NECESSARY FOR A FAIRLY RELAXING TRIP, I AM NOT LOOKING FOR PERFORMANCE BUT TO ENJOY THE EVENT... I BRING A PATAGONIA MICRO PUFF JACKET, BOTH FOR PEDAL AND TO SLEEP A LITTLE WARMER AT NIGHT. ONE SOLE BIVVY ESCAPE LIGHT TO SLEEP WITH AN ULTRALIGHT BLANKET AND, IF NEEDED, A LONG ULTRALIGHT UNDERWEAR KIT IN MERINO WOOL RAIN KIT MADE UP OF A PATAGONIA SHIELD AND SHORT WATERPROOF GORE TROUSERS, IF IT RAINS A LOT I'LL PUT SOME PLASTIC BAGS ON MY SHOES... EVOC HYDRO PRO 3L BACKPACK POWERBANK FOR LIGHTS AND ELECTRONICS MECHANICAL KIT PLACED IN A FAKE BOTTLE, WITH THE NECESSARY...
UNFORTUNATELY MANY THINGS WENT WRONG ON THE APPROACH TO THE TRAIL, I THOUGHT ABOUT GIVING UP THE START SEVERAL TIMES, BUT IN THE END I THOUGHT IT WAS BETTER TO STAY IN THE CANARY ISLANDS FOR 10 DAYS THAN AT WORK....😂😂
Iwona Szmyd
Age: 46
Cap number: 136
Location: FoD, UK
Bike: Canyon Exceed
Key items of kit: Lovely bike overall
Stephen Phillips
Age: 66
Cap number: 134
Location: England
Bike: Lauf Segila ‘Pinky’
Key items of kit: Eagle AXS, Tailfin rack. Restrap bar bag. Exposure lights. Garmin 1040 solar
Diego
Age: 36
Cap number: 139
Location: Galicia
Bike: Cannondale Scalpel
Key items of kit: Apidura: saddle bag, top tube bag, exposure light
Luc Antoine
Age: 47
Cap number: 131
Location: Belgium
Bike: Idworx Rockn Rohler
Key items of kit: Miss Grape
Katrien De smet
Age: 37
Cap number: 97
Location: Belgium
Bike: Kona Hei Hei
Key items of kit: I will be riding a Kona Hei Hei with SRAM XX1 axs drivetrain combined with a Classified Powershift hub. Crankset is a Garbaruk XC with a 34T chainring and the cassette is a Classified 10-40 cassette. Shimano SLX brakes and Fox kashima suspension and dropper seatpost. Wheels are Classified ready Hunt Carbon XC proven wheels. Bags are full Tailfin, a custom front roll, 1,5 liter top-tube, mainly for electronics and a 3 liter downtube for food and repair kit. Head light is a Lupine Piko with 13.8Wh battery and rear light is from Lezyne. I will be using an Osprey backpack with 2.5L bladder and room to stow extra food and clothing accessories.
Christopher Hall
Age: 34
Cap number: 46
Location: Peak District
Bike: Pivot Mach 4 SL Enve M6 wheels, bars, stem and clip on bars Wolf Tooth dropper Shimano XTR groupset Schwalbe Tires
Key items of kit: Tailfin bags throughout Lights from exposure Navigation from Garmin I’ll be wearing kit from Le Col, their new ARC adventure range
André Klein
Age: 46
Cap number: 48
Location: Bonn Germany
Bike: My old 17 years old XC Mérida 26 “ MTB, pimp up with Beast drop bars and SRAM AXS GX 32 - 10-50.
Mixed tires Vittoria Mezcal and Continental Race King 2.2 x 26.
Bags from Cyclite and Tailfin. Good Lupine pico lights in front.
Key items of kit: sleeping bag from Sea to summit 0 and the light thermarest mat. 2 l Camel water in the Cyclite backpack.
Bill Jamieson
Age: 50
Cap number: 126
Location: Nottingham UK
Bike: Sonder Camino
Key items of kit: 2.1” Vitoria Mezcal on DT Swiss rims and hubs. Bomber bar. Tailfin and Alpkit bags with a Restrap hydration vest. Son dynamo and Igaro lights and charging. Gearing is Apex AXS with a 32t chainring from Wolftooth.
Bruno De Naeyer
Age: 31
Cap number: 90
Location: Belgium
Bike: Specialized epic (Brain) Classified power shift rear hub & wheels Rockshox SID (Brain) SRAM XX1 mechanical
Key items of kit: Ortlieb front roll and saddle bag Restrap top tube race bag Magicshine front & rear light
Natalie Taylor
Age: 40
Cap number: 22
Location: UK
Bike: Silver sailor,titanium frame and 1st outing on a bikepack event.
Key items of kit: Opted for lightweight and stay in hotels where possible so we shall see how that works. Ability to carry 3-4Lt fluid.