Jimmy Ashby Wins GDT 400
Congratulations to Jimmy Ashby for his win in the GDT 400, one of Australia’s foremost bikepacking races. Fresh from a 4-month cycling adventure connecting the Himalayas, Karakoram and Pamir Mountains, Jimmy won the race—and improved on the FKT, which he had set in a previous edition of the race. Here is his story:
The GDT 400 is one of Australia’s quintessential bikepacking races. Located in central Victoria, it winds through Great Dividing Range, home to the famous goldfields of Bendigo, Castlemaine and Ballarat. The history here is rich in culture—and gold lust, with countless mine shafts hidden in the bush. If you’re lucky during the race, you may find a small flake of gold in one of the river crossings. If you’re unlucky, you’ll fall down an abandoned mine shaft at night…
The race has been running in some form since 2012, slowly evolving and changing to its current 400-km (250-mile) distance. It begins in Bendigo and travels south along the famous Goldfields Track—a wild connection of small bush tracks, MTB trails, gravel roads, and what feel like faint animal tracks for the 200 kilometers down to Ballarat. The trail is renowned for multi-day backpacking trips, horseback adventures and bushwalking. It’s beautiful, but brutal. With its rough and rocky trails, this isn’t a fast place to ride. Nor is it easy to navigate. It feels like you’re in a rabbit warren of trails, climbing over fallen trees and getting lost whilst trying to re-find the route. In short, it’s a proper Aussie adventure in the bush.
This was my second time racing the GDT 400, and sadly, I’ve yet to see it in the dry. It wasn’t just wet: Out here, when it rains, it pours. The trail surface is far from fast-draining, either… It was a mudfest out there, with axle-deep puddles from the get-go, and water and mud finding their way into every single bit of gear. I had rolling thunder and lightning throughout the morning, before glimpses of sun popped out, and then the clouds lifted at nightfall. All the puddles were still there, though. Staying dry was never on the cards.
Once you reach the end of the official Goldfields Track in Ballarat, the route continues its adventure through backroads, lanes and what feel like people’s backyards, before dropping down to the low point in Bacchus Marsh. You pass through the small town of Buninyong on your way there, and the locals are… Let’s just call them a special breed. This year, I was welcomed by a drunken yell from the pub and a full beer can thrown at me. They must have known I was thirsty.
From Bacchus Marsh, it’s up through Lerderderg State Forest, an area known for its steep hike-a-bikes. Somehow, I’d blocked them out of my memory from a few years ago. To find them again in the night was a not-so-pleasant surprise… The GDT 400 has changed regularly over its lifespan, but one section that has always been there is the Byers Back Track, also known as the Blackwood Cliffs. Just past Lerderderg State Forest, you drop down into a 10-km stretch of singletrack, with cliffs to your right, trying to push you off the edge into the overgrown forest below. Going through at night is almost less scary. Just don’t shine your light over the edge, and you won’t even know there’s a cliff there!
Once I was through Byers Back Track, I was on the final 100 km. Not straightforward though: It’s another connection of bush trails and tracks. To make it feel even more iconically Australian, you’ll need to dodge giant spiderwebs, kangaroos and a couple of wombats in the dark. None of which you want to have a run-in with!
Throughout the race, I held a comfortable lead, eventually winning by four hours and breaking my own FKT by 14 minutes. I was stoked! The new course is actually more challenging than the previous ones, so the 14-minute improvement was an added bonus to the overall win. A total time of 25 hours and 52 minutes, and a new course record!
I didn’t manage to find any gold this time, but I also didn’t fall down an abandoned mine shaft. A few trees tripped me up, yes, but no holes in the ground. I consider that a successful day out!
It’s an Aussie icon, this route, run by people who are at the heart of the Australian bikepacking community. If you ever feel the urge to get lost in the Aussie bush and have an adventure, this one is for you!
I rode my Specialized Epic 8, a dual-suspension XC bike, with Curve Cycling carbon Dirt Hoop rims matched with my go-to tyres, Rene Herse 29″ x 2.2″ Fleecer Ridge Endurance. The perfect tyre for this route. My bags were a mix of Tailfin and Treadlite, and lighting was an Exposure system. Having now ridden this race a couple of times, this setup is near-perfect for it!
Jimmy is working on a report of his Himalaya-Karakorum-Pamir trip for an upcoming edition of Bicycle Quarterly, with stunning photos and stories of many adventures.
