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Sat, 21 Sep 2024 @4:30 am | 400 km / 5,600 vmStart: Melbourne GPO
Finish: Welcome to NSW Sign Gateway Island, Albury
Surface: Mixed terrain - sealed roads, bike paths and gravel roads.
Ride File: Current draft is here - https://ridewithgps.com/routes/46968323
Cost: FREE, but you must sign our disclaimer.
Bike choice: Gravel bikes with at least 33mm wide tyres will work best. Road bikes only for the hellcats.
Curve will run the Border Run XL as a spirited social ride starting on Saturday, September 21, 2024. Rollout will be at 4:30 a.m. from the old Melbourne GPO. If that time and date don't work for you, do it whenever you can make it happen. Go on! Get off the couch and have a crack! This one is a tougher ride than the Border Run; it's longer and has more climbing.
Like many historic Overlander missions, this ride will depart from Melbourne's original GPO. Expect some bike paths on the way out of town, then a mix of sealed and unsealed roads heading north. Please take it easy on the bike paths on the way out of town. Ride it all in one hit if you dare! Ride it over two, three, four or twenty days. See how fast you can ride it, flashpack it, bikepack it, leave your bike at home and run it. Make your own rules. Slap the border sign to finish your ride across the state!
There are plenty of options for indoor accommodation or camping on the way to Albury. The route deliberately has good resupply options too. The route passes through Kinglake (70 km), Alexandra (158 km), Bonnie Doon (194 km), Swanpool (243 km), Benalla (270 km) and Wangaratta (318 km).
If you're an uncontrollable hellcat, ride it all in one hit! Some may want two and three day options. Here are some itineraries ranging from BOLD to more civilised that can be flashpacked (indoor accommodation to cut down on what you need to take).
For a 2-day mission, with a BIG first day, try this:
Day 1: Melbourne to Benalla (270 km). This gets most of the climbing out of the way.
Day 2: Benalla to Albury (127 km). Recovery ride!
For a 2-day mission, with a more even split, try this:
Day 1: Melbourne to Bonnie Doon (194 km)
Day 2: Boonie Doon to Albury (203 km). Longer but easier than day 1 with less climbing.
For a 3-day graventure stay in Alexandra and Benalla:
Day 1: Melbourne to Alexandra (158 km)
Day 2: Alexandra to Benalla (112 km)
Day 3: Benalla to Albury (127 km)
Not up for the full ride? No problems, finish up in Benalla and catch the train back to Melbourne. Why not try that for a big day ride?
The ride finishes at the Vic-NSW border on Gateway Island at the Welcome to NSW sign. Your ride is complete once you tap the "Welcome to New South Wales" sign and take a finisher photo.
Do I have to ride a Curve bike? Absolutely not! Any bike brand is fine. Any bike type will work - some will be faster, some will be more comfortable.
It is your responsibility to organise your accommodation, and getting home is your responsibility to organise.
To get amongst the action on Curve events please read and complete the registration and waiver on the Curve Cycling website: curvecycling.com/pages/ride-event-need-to-know?_pos=1&_sid=c8af5d6f6&_ss=r
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Melbourne GPO, Melbourne, Australia
