Jimmy Ashby Wins 2024 Tassie Gift
As the cycling season draws to a close in most of the northern hemisphere, it’s starting ‘Down Under’ in Australia. Over the last couple of weeks, the 2024 Tassie Gift took 33 intrepid bikepackers to Tasmania. The Tassie Gift was a relentless 1,800 km race along roads, trails and goat tracks on this island on the edge of the Earth.
Leading the way were ultra-racers Jimmy Ashby (back) and Adrien Liechti (front). The race took them on a wild and remote figure-8 loop of Tassie (as the locals call the island), covering a distance of 1800 km (1120 miles) and more than 36,000 m (120,000 ft) of elevation gain in over a week of racing.
Jimmy was impressed: “This race was raw and remote. The course crossed the Central Plateau twice and ventured down the wild West Coast where very little grows and only the toughest of souls live. It’s not an event for the faint-hearted!”
Racers encountered wild weather. All-night hike-a-bike sections—some rougher than others (above)—tested their resolve. Plenty of wildlife interactions added to the adventure.
After a little over a week of non-stop racing, Jimmy took the win. This was his first ride on Rene Herse tires, and he wrote us after the finish: “Finally got to see what all the talk of these tyres is about! I love them, they’ve exceeded all expectations. Chapeau to you and your team for creating them. Grippy and durable in the rough terrain, but felt oh-so-fast and slick on the roads—I’m impressed!”
Jimmy rode his titanium Curve Big Kev—a rigid mountain bike. He equipped it with 700C x 55 mm Fleecer Ridge Endurance Plus tires and a lightweight gear set up. He reported “The bike performed beautifully and the tyres took every challenge without an issue, not a single flat between them!”
Adrien Liechti suffered from stomach problems from Day 3 and completed the race by sustaining himself on Coca-Cola alone. He finished third, 9 hours behind Jimmy, also with almost no bike troubles (apart from a broken spoke when a branch caught caught in his wheel and a stuck zipper on one of his bags).
His told us after the race: “It was very special for me to visit Tasmania and ride in the Tassie Gift. I’ve always wanted to explore this island on the other side of the Earth. And I wasn’t disappointed: Nature here is magnificent, the roads and paths are sometimes hard to travel, the weather changes every three minutes, the animals are very different from those I know, and the people are extremely welcoming. I feel lucky that I could ride the Tassie Gift!”
Adrien also ran Fleecer Ridge tires, with Endurance casings. Like Jimmy, he also reported no flats or other tire problems.
A huge congrats to Jimmy, Adrien and all the other riders who braved the wilds of Tassie for this adventure!
