Bikes of the Bright Midnight 2025

Filip Eidsheim

Age: 34

Cap number: 150

Location: Bergen

Bike: Canyon Grizl with 11-speed GRX (48/30 and 11-36) and my wife´s DT Swiss GRC1400 wheels with Hutchinson Caracal Race 40mm

Key items of kit: Canyon x Apidura and Cyclite bags, Moonlight BAD 700 front light and a first aid kit.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: No

Wouter Van Beek

Age: 55

Location: Den Haag

Bike: Pilot with Pinion

Key items of kit: All tailfinn

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Titanium

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Jens Gärtner

Age: 56

Cap number: 122

Location: Dillenburg/Deutschland

Bike: Canyon Grail CF SLX 8 Di2 Shimano Ultegra HG800 11-34 11s

Key items of kit: Ortlieb Rahmentasche 4 Liter Ortlieb Satteltasche 16 Liter Lenkerrolle 8Liter

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Other

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

David Montero de la Torre

Age: 52

Cap number: 85

Location: Vitoria-Gasteiz

Bike: Guava Spot Rival AXS Drivetrain: SRAM Rival AXS 40t, GX Eagle 11-50, Volte Aluminum Wheels, FSA Pro Wing AGX Loop handlebar, Tires: Hutchinson Touareg 700x45 tubeless

Key items of kit: Lights: Supernova Airstream 2 & Decathlon, Navigation: Garmin Edge 1040 solar, Bags: Apidura & Decathlon & Aliexpress, Sleep kit: Escape light Bivvy & Decathlon inflatable mat & pillow, Hyfration: 2l Decathlon vest & 500ml backup bottle

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Miklos Doma

Age: 32

Cap number: 60

Location: München

Bike: Specialized Diverge

Key items of kit: Comfort

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: No

Ivo Diedrich

Age: 37

Cap number: 2

Location: Steffenshagen Deutschland

Bike: Kona Rove St 2020 Shimano GRX Di2 special 2x11 31-48 11-42 GRX Brakes, SwissStop Discs Beast Components Carbon Gravelbar DT Swiss GR1600 wheels with 47mm Continental TerraTrail Tires

Key items of kit: Ortlieb: Handlebar, Accessory, Frame, Seat and Toptube pack Rapha Toptube pack Lezyne mini stand Pump Lupine SLAX and Lupine Rotlicht

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 650b (27.5")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Tommy Catteeuw

Age: 47

Cap number: 145

Location: Belgium

Bike: Scott Addict Gravel Custom

Key items of kit: Deda Aerobars and Prologo Dimension AGX Space Saddle for comfort. Frame bags by Restap and Apidura saddlebag to store all I need along the route.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Quentin Collin

Age: 35

Cap number: 36

Location: France

Bike: My bike is a Chiru Kegeti. It's a monster gravel titanium frame with carbon fork. It's equipped with mechanical 12 speed Shimano GRX (38 tooth chainring and 11x51 cassette), Duke wheels with a Son dynamo hub, and infinity bike seat.

Key items of kit: Cockpit bags are homemade, carrying electronics, hygiene items and food. Apidura small top tube pack mostly for food.

At the rear, Tailfin aeropack for clothes and minimalist sleep system (Bivy and inflatable mat) Mechanical spares and tools are on the down tube in a Fidlock toolbox.

For lights, I have a Synewave front light USB charging port and Exposure rear light plugged to the dynamo hub, and a Go'Lum headlight.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Titanium

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: No

Danie du Toit

Age: 63

Cap number: 80

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Bike: Specialized Crux

Key items of kit: Revelate designs bikebag system Mullet drivetrain : 36T chainring. SRAM FORCE 175 mm crank with SRAM XO 10-52 cassette Roval Terra wheelset with 45mm Spezialised Tracer tyres

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Colin Timm

Age: 53

Cap number: 161

Location: Frisco, Colorado, USA

Bike: Giant Revolt with 40mm Continental Terra Speed tires. Dynamo hub with Sinewave light to keep battery pack topped off (hopefully).

Key items of kit: Tail fin rear bag, Revelate frame bag and gas tank. Sleeping bag, pad and bivy.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

David May

Age: 41

Cap number: 135

Location: Netherlands/Germany

Bike: Cube Nuroad C:62 Race

Key items of kit: Apidura frame & saddle bags, USWE hydration pack, racekings 2.2, magicshine lights, patagonia puffy jacket, gorewear rain jacket, nordisk synthetic sleeping bag, tyvek bivy, and spare socks

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: Yes

Tom Bremer

Age: 30

Cap number: 214A

Location: Munich, Germany

Bike: FARA All-Road F/AR

Key items of kit: - Tailfin Aeropack

• Ortlieb Fork-Pack
• FARA Frame Bag
• Tailfin Top Tube Bag
• Tailfin Cargo Cages + Seatosummit Frame Bags
• Profile Design Sonic Ergo 39A Aerobar

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 35mm-39mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Kenneth Lømo

Age: 47

Cap number: 113

Location: Norway

Bike: Lauf Seigla

• SRAM mullet force/ transmission 10-52 , 40 t chainring • Thunder Burt 2.1 •Pro missile aerobar with SRAM blips •Assioma pro mx2 pedals

Key items of kit: •Restrap Seat and toptube bag •Rhinowalk framebag •Rapha barbag •Garmin edge 1040 solar •Lupine Blika light

My first ultra so my main goal is to survive and finish within the timeframe. I am carrying a lot of warm and waterproof clothing and planning on sleeping inside. Might be a last minute wheel change , and I am unsure if I bring a backpack

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: Yes

Adam Davison

Age: 30

Cap number: 172

Location: Copenhagen, Denmark

Bike: I’m riding my BenBen steel frame with Panaracer Gravelking X1/SK+, Shimano GRX600 800 with a 36t Wolf Tooth chain ring in the front and 11-46 sun race cassette in the back.

Key items of kit: I have a mica rat tail in the back with a Revelate design terrapin bag and 2x king manything cages on the mica rat tail for sodas. 2x wolf tooth cargo cages on the fork with Sea to Summit 5L big river dry bags. Framebag and feedbags are from fishski designs and top tube bag is tailfin. Sleep system is a nemo tensor all season, cumulus quilt 250, and a 1p Big Agnes Fly Creek tent on the handlebars (hoping to camp in some cool places & not spend too much on hotels). 2x Blue Lug LA water bottles & a 3L USWE hydration pack. Will probably cut down a bit now that I have had a glimpse of the hike-a-bike section at Trollstigen…

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: No

Tobias Viskum Hogaard

Age: 50

Cap number: 25

Location: Skødstrup

Bike: Giant TCX Adv.

Key items of kit: Redshift kitchensink handlebar SRAM Apex XLPR 12 speed Syncros carbon wheels Specialized Pathfinder Pro 45mm

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: No

Joey Belshof

Age: 31

Cap number: 4

Location: Utrecht

Bike: 3T Exploro Racemax with Ekar Groupset (38T chainring and 9t-42t cassette) Hunt Carbon Gravel Wheels (Aventura tyres 38mm - with the faster Seta tyre on the back) & Deda Parabolica aerobats

Key items of kit: Miss Grape bags to bring all the essentials. A bivy, quilt and sleeping pad to get me some hours of sleep during those bright midnights.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 35mm-39mm

Electronic shifting: No

Macias Telszewski

Age: 47

Cap number: 176

Location: Mala Piasnica, Pomorskie, Poland

Bike: I ride on Rondo MYLC CF1 2023, which served me well for a few longer and shorter ultra-races so far. I have changed just about everything on the bike, so perhaps I use a Rondo frame with a bunch of upgrades;-)

Sram Rival XPLR 1x12 with 40T chainring and 10-44T in the rear. It moves mostly forward on a pair of EVANLITE New Gravel carbon wheels wrapped in Pirelli Cinturato Gravel RC-X's. Syntace P6 carbon seatpost with a Selle Italia Gravel seat protect my south end somewhat.

Key items of kit: I do not travel light on this occasion:

Handlebar bag from Apidura holds my accommodation as in a Nemo Hornet OSMO 1P tent, Malachowski Ultralight 300 sleeping bag, inflatable Fjord Nansen Trekker NG mattress and an NRC foil.

Frame bags carry lots of food and bits and bobs needed daily like airpods or wet wipes.

AeroPack Cargo from Tailfin carries rain/cold gear, first aid kit, workshop items, powerbanks, headlamp and a spare T-shirt if I need to bail out and come back by bus...

My USWE Hydro 8 backpack holds up to 3l of water plus a bunch of changeable lenses for my POC Devour Glasses. I also carry a hot water bottle from Elite for this luxurious hot tea moments in the middle of the night.

Tech wise: Garmin Edge 1040 Solar with additional battery, Lezyne Mega Drive 2400+ front light with an additional power bank, mobile phone with magsafe powerbank and a couple of rear lights. Garmin Fenix for navi backup and to check time;-)

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Oliver Richter

Age: 35

Cap number: 109

Location: Germany

Bike: Propain Terrel CF with DT Swiss GRC 1400 (tires: 50mm G-One RX Pro - safety first, but still fast rolling; DT Swiss clik valves), SRAM GX T-Type Front 1x40, Rear 10-52

Key items of kit: Outside: Redshift Shockstop Pro Endurance Seatpost (best upgrade ever) - Magicshine SeeMe R300 radar rearlight (with only-radar-modus for long rides) - Coros Dura (rented for the event) - Cyclite Aerobar bag for marginal watt-gains - Deda Parabolica Uno aerobar - helmet-lamp: HM65R; Zefal bottles wid mud/sheepshit-nozzlecap (!)

Inside: Top smartphone cam for the amazing views (Pixel 9 Pro), Haribo-Fueling, 2x Powerbank 10k, 1x merino-jersey and baselayer, Cumulus Downjacket, Velocio Rainanorak, OR rainpants and knitted rain-overshoes

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: Yes

Mathias Väärsi

Age: 36

Location: Tallinn

Bike: Scott Addict Gravel

Key items of kit: Rain jacket

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Dennis Ulm

Age: 45

Cap number: #38

Location: Kempten (Allgäu), Germany

Bike: I’m riding a 2020 Brother Mehteh with 1x12 SRAM Rival/Force (42/10-50), Zipp 303s Wheelset and Schwalbe G One RS 45/40mm tires.

Key items of kit: My entire setup consists of Apidura Racing Series bags paired with a lightweight hydration pack — perfect for keeping things efficient.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: No

Pedro Toro

Location: Copenhagen (but spanish)

Bike: Introducing my Omnium gravel prototype. I can’t share too many details just yet, but what I can say is that this thing has exceeded expectations straight out of the gate. I'm loving it so far. Really hoping it stays dialed in and delivers across the full race. More to come soon... Yes I love chunky tires, specially the Race Kings, they are fast on the road and compact gravel, so far I'm in love with them. Regarding the drive train it is just a Frankenstein one some GX mtb cranks, Rival AXS and Red calipers, they are the best!!! yeah I'm a Sram guy :)

Key items of kit: Nothing fancy when it comes to my saddle and frame bags, just some random gear I pulled together. Since this is my first ultra, I’m still figuring out what to pack and how to pack it, so I didn’t go for any high-end brands this time. It’s all a bit of an experiment, honestly! Hopefully everything holds up for the full race… and fingers crossed it’s all waterproof! 😅 Setup-wise: the top tube bag’s reserved for snacks and ride fuel, the frame bag will carry some quick-access layers and electronics, and the saddle bag’s packing the sleep system. I’ll also have an Evoc 6L backpack with a few extras along the way.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Titanium

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 50mm+

Electronic shifting: Yes

David Kealhofer

Age: 34

Cap number: 221A

Location: San Francisco Bay Area, California

Bike: Fairlight Secan 3.0

Key items of kit: Tumbleweed Mini Pannier Rack + OMM Atlas Pack = embarrassingly blingy but super nice, lightweight (a little over 700 g together), secure, easy to pack, and the right size. RH Corkscrew Climb semi-slicks: fast, grippy, comfy, stoke-generating. For sleep, I'll wear insulated pants and jacket inside rain pants and jacket inside the SOL bivy, on top of the little Gossamer Gear sleep mat.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: No

Patricia Rueda Garcia

Age: 34

Location: Bonn (Germany)

Bike: Canyon Grail 7 Al, SRAM eagle GX 10-52 cassette. Schwalbe G-one R 45mm tires with tubeless setup.

Key items of kit: Bags: Restrap bar bag 4l, restrap saddle bag 8l, Tailfin frame bag small and camelbak chase vest with 2l reservoir hydration pack.

Gear highlight: see to summit sleeping bag extra light, Silva headlamp and supernova light, Garmin edge 830, Patagonia down jacket, and raining clothes from Gore. Merino gloves for the cold nights. Electronic gear. And many gels, magnesium and pain pills.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Aluminium

Wheel size: 650b (27.5")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Cidney

Age: 26

Cap number: 224B

Location: Nürnberg

Bike: Focus Atlas 6.9 customized to mullet build

Key items of kit: Apidura top tube bags Restrap aerobar bag Focus adventure rack with Apidura cargo bags

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Aluminium

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: No

Isabelle Scheyltjens

Age: 36

Cap number: 14

Location: Bierbeek, Belgium

Bike: My companion in the Bright Midnight will be an Open Wide gravel bike with a modified 1x12 drivetrain with a 38T chainring and 10-51 cassette and electronic shifting. The bike features 40 mm Tufo Thundero HD tires on a custom carbon wheel set equipped with a DT Swiss dynamo hub.

Key items of kit: Bags: Tailfin top tube bag and frame bag, Ortlieb handlebar pack and Revelate Designs Terrapin seat pack and snack bag. Lighting system: kLite Ultra adventure front and rear light connected to the dynamo hub Sleeping system: Cumulus X-Lite 200 sleeping bag, a ThermaRest NeoAir XLite sleeping pad, and a OR Helium Bivvy (and as a luxury item a silk liner) I will also carry a Salomon ADV Skin Cross Season 15 hydration vest for extra snack space.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Anja

Cap number: 220B

Location: Leipzig (GER)

Bike: Cannondale Topstone S

Key items of kit: all styles in the mix - brave gravel pony with custom made ILTB wheelset, SON dynamo, Syntace aerobars; bags by Revelate Designs, Restrap and custom made; Albion hi-vis vest for carrying water & sweeeets & my rainjacket

Frame type: Gravel

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: Yes

Max

Age: 27

Cap number: 151

Location: Germany

Bike: Specialized Crux 2022 customized GRX 810 with Garbaruk parts, PiRope Wheels, BEAST Cockpit, BikeAhead Hyppersaddle

Key items of kit: Cyclite Bags, Tailfin Rag, Evoc Hydration Backpack Lupine lights

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Carbon

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: No

Lukas Pantelejevas

Age: 26

Cap number: 50

Location: Lithuania, Palanga

Bike: Ribble CGR 725. mullet - 105 shifters, RS510 36/46, GRX 812 rear derailleur with goatlink 11-42. Hope RS PRO4 hubs with DT swiss G540 rims. Zipp Vuka aerobars.

Key items of kit: Ortilieb saddle bag with bivvy setup. Restrap frame bag and top tube with essentials. Tarka handlebar bag to carry food. Salomon ADV12 to carry rain gear and spare clothes.

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Electronic shifting: No

Flynn Lewer

Age: 39

Cap number: 18

Location: Lahti

Bike: Fairlight Strael 3.0

Key items of kit: Chris King ISO / 30mm carbon hoops Thomson stem / seat post Grx di2 / Magene power meter Wizard works framebag / Restrap top tube bag 8 year old Apidura seat bag

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 45mm-50mm

Ariane Richter

Age: 51

Cap number: 220 A

Location: Berlin, Germany

Bike: SOUR Purple Haze with SRAM Force AXS 38 and 10-52, Duke handbuilt wheels by velo.local, 40mm tubeless Schwalbe G-One RS Pro, Redshift Suspension Stem and Seatpost

Key items of kit: BAGS: Restrap Frame Bag for electronics and food, Food pouch by ena.bags for more snacks or 1 bottle, aero front bag for rain gear (sadly), Tailfin aeropack for sleeping system and warm clothing (also sadly). Resupply vest by albion with 2l water. LIGHT: SON Ladelux, Lupine Piko helm light and Lupine rear light. SLEEPING: Seatosummit Spark sleeping bag, Thermarest NeoAir mat, MSR ebivy

Frame type: Gravel

Frame material: Steel

Wheel size: 700c (29")

Tyre width: 40mm-44mm

Electronic shifting: Yes