OUTBIKE NEWS - JULY 2025
Outbike’s 2025 Outback season is now ‘done n dusted’ as we like to say.
Congratulations riders, crew and helpers on completing 3 successful and enjoyable events – the Gulf to Gulf (G2G) and two times Alice to Cooper Pedy (ASCP).
Just when we thought the monsoon season’s risk was nearly over, Queensland’s massive late summer rains caused outback rivers to burst alive with record flooding. The upper part of the Birdsville Track has been shut since summer while the lower part was cut by Cooper Creek in late June, 3 months after the water inundated Innamincka. Admittedly it’s been fascinating and while G2G riders missed out riding between Mungerannie and Birdsville, we did some sights and riding on the Oodnadatta Track then 15 took an impressive scenic flight while others joined the crew on a long, detouring road trip via Broken Hill and Windorah. Back in the saddle, persistent tailwinds helped push the riders on to Karumba on the Gulf of Carpentaria.
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OUTBACK: Looking ahead, in 2026 we’re focusing on the ASCP 9-22 May, while the next G2G is now scheduled for 29 May to 27 June 2027.
Numbers look good to go for ASCP26 and entries are open. Cost is $5000 and it’s fully-inclusive except for several of the meals. Note that the ASCP is tough! Over 90% is unsealed with a challenging variety of landscapes and riding surfaces – including sandy bits! Some riders noted that the riding was harder than on the G2G.
For G2G27, please advise if interested. Cost is $9000.
https://www.outbike.com.au/ascp/
https://www.outbike.com.au/g2g/
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TASMANIA: Outside of the Outback, we have the 14-day, ~750km, NWTAS event 8-21 Feb 2026. This is in a format suited to independent riders. Support is just one vehicle providing transfers between overnight points each day for gear that you don’t want/need to carry on your bike. Otherwise, it’s your ride and some days there are possible different routes. Riders will be advised which way our vehicle travels and timings if they like to have a ‘rendezvous’ enroute.
Cost is based on $100+GST per day. A kitty will operate for camping fees and riders can choose to book accommodations if they want to.
https://www.outbike.com.au/nw-tas/
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EUROPE BASE IN ZELL-MOSEL: Enjoy a stint in our delightful apartment house on the Mosel River in the heart of Rhineland (and the Frankish kingdom that was known as AUSTRASIA in the Dark Ages). Zell is a winemaker town and handy to countless sights and cities, also low-cost flights around Europe from nearby Hahn Airport, a Ryanair hub.
We're open all year and offer great deals on shoulder periods like Oct-Dec and Mar-Jun. Presently there are return flights from Australia to Europe for a little over $1000 for this Oct-Nov.
Stay a week or more and bike use is FOC.
We were there in January and took a 2-hour flight to Barcelona for 15 Euro. If you can keep your baggage to 10kgs, sized 40x30x20cm, there’s no extra charge.
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SEQ CAMPING/CATERING/BUS HIRE: If your cycle club or mates-group is thinking about riding in SE Queensland, we have all the camping/catering gear you might need. We can also arrange a mini-bus, trailer and know several cycle-friendly possible drivers.
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FUTURE MUSINGS...
A HYBRID TOUR OF BAROSSA & CLARE WINE REGIONS
Could a small group guided tour also offer support for cyclists?
The idea gives the possibility for a couple to holiday together where one can choose to take the bus while the other rides their bike.
5 or 6 days around the Barossa and Clare Valleys would be a good test for this.
Days would be designed to suit both bus and bike touring but usually taking different routes. The bus programme would include more time at attractions. Dinners, overnight accommodation (pus or motels) and breakfasts could be together. On some days, riders could meet the bus group at attractions and/or for lunch.
Adelaide Private Tours run a Hyundai Staria 8-seater and a Renault 12-seater mini-coach with large luggage capacity and the possibility to pull a trailer. Owner Amanda is Ralph’s sister. https://www.adelaideprivatetours.com.au/
1. Adelaide to Angaston with a day in the Barossa Valley. Riders can take the suburban train 40km to Gawler and ride the bike paths 38km through the Barossa.
2. Angaston to Kapunda with a second day touring the wineries and attractions of the Barossa. Riders can take back roads across the upper Barossa Valley, mostly gravel, distance from under 30km.
3. Kapunda to Clare visiting Martindale Hall, Mintaro village, Auburn, Watervale, Sevenhill Monastery and wineries. For riders there is 32km on gravel roads to reach Riverton, with a choice of following the Mawson Trail route, perhaps adding 10km. From Riverton you’re on the Rattler and Riesling Rail Trails that continue 45km to Clare township.
4. Clare to Balaklava. The bus can do further Clare Valley sights and wineries, perhaps also a visit to historic Burra 40km away. Riders can take back roads (Hughes Park, Upper Skilly, Mt George Roads) to Halbury then 11km on the Shamus Liptrot Rail Trail for a 48km total.
5. Balaklava to Adelaide. The bus could swing over to the Upper Yorke Peninsula, visiting Lochiel’s Pink Lake, the historic copper triangle towns of Kadina, Moonta and seaside Wallaroo for a day’s distance of 260km. Riders cover 65-70km back to Gawler Rail Station with some gravel choices via small towns like Hamley Bridge and Wasleys. Rendezvous back in Adelaide.
Costs Estimate
Bus Tour: about $1200 pp for the 5-day guided tour, 4 nights accom (twin/double) and admissions.
Ride your bike: about $600 pp for 5 days of luggage transfers and 4 nights accom (twin/double).
Meals extra.
Good months might be March, April, September and October.
Let us know if you'd be interested.
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ACROSS AUSTRASIA, CALAIS TO CARSLBAD
AUSTRASIA is a forgotten European kingdom that existed for over 200 years in the so-called ‘Dark Ages’ (aka Early Middle Ages).
We’d love to do a ride ACROSS AUSTRASIA to complement our G2G ACROSS AUSTRALIA. Maybe 2027?
A Trans-Austrasian ride could start in Calais and proceed on the Velomaritime to Flanders WW1 sites, then join Belgium’s RAVeL cycle paths along the Meuse River to Maastricht, Venn Bahn rail trail from Aachen to Luxembourg, and cycle paths across Germany following the Mosel River, through the Rhine Gorges, up the Main River to the source, over some hills and descend along the Eger River bike path into Karlovy Vary (once known as Carlsbad).
It could split into two halves, each about 800km, say 2+2 weeks with a good number of 2-night stays to enable days off and more exploring enroute. Halfway point would be Zell-Mosel where we have our apartment house.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Austrasia
https://www.lavelomaritime.com/cycle-route
https://ravel.wallonie.be/en/home.html
https://en.visitmosel.de/cycling/mosel-cycle-path
https://www.germany.travel/en/nature-outdoor-activities/rhine-cycle-route.html
https://www.germany.travel/en/nature-outdoor-activities/river-main-cycle-route.html
https://en.eurovelo.com/ev4/czech-republic
Let us know if you'd be interested.
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DIY TOUR DU FRONT In 2016 and 2018 we ran 23-day rides from Niewpoort on the Belgian coast to Basel Switzerland, encountering the WW1 Western Front.
Interestingly, while we don't have another Tour du Front scheduled, there’s now a web resource for independently cycling the WW1 Western Front. https://waytrails.com/2025/05/01/western-front-way-cycling/
Our guide IN 2016 AND 2018 was Carl Ooghe, a battlefields guide, guidebook author and keen cyclist. Carl is based in Flanders and can arrange private cycling tours for small groups. Website https://the-western-front-revisited.fr/