MAAP LAB TO ADELAIDE: CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE
Since retiring from professional racing in 2021 I’ve been trying out all sorts of riding, from Mountain Biking to Everesting, but the one that has probably grabbed me the most has been adventure riding. Come along with me on my most recent adventure with a new sponsor.
Unlike an event or a race, adventure riding is pretty much all down to you, and after being in the rigid world of training and racing as a pro, I’ve come to really love the freedom of this side of cycling.
I’ve had a fair crack at some adventures in the past couple of years (even doing the Rat to Radelaide last year) and I’ve also been lucky enough to interview some real legends of the sport on the pod like Lachie Morton.
What I’ve taken from all this is the freedom that each person has when they are creating an adventure. After all, what is adventure to you? Is it distance? The physical challenge? Sleeping by the side of the road or crossing a desert?
For me currently, adventure starts at home. I’ve spent most of the last two decades chasing the dream of pro cycling in Europe, which also means that I spent a lot of time away from Australia. As a result, I am genuinely excited to really get to know my own backyard finally.
As well as probably changing a bit as a rider, in 2024 I’ve kicked off a new chapter in my post-racing career by partnering up with MAAP, a Melbourne brand, who I couldn’t be happier to be working with.
With a new partner on board, I wanted to start the year in the right way. I had the ride from Melbourne to Adelaide already in the back of my mind from last year, but I thought to myself ‘How do I want to do it this time? What parts of the ride do I want and what do I want to avoid?’.
MAAP gave me the answer to my first problem: where to start and finish. Kicking off the ride from the MAAP Lab seemed the ideal way to begin this new journey with a new partner. Not only is the Lab a cool space, but I would also be going from MAAP’s permanent home in Melbourne, to our temporary base in Adelaide at the MAAP Pop-Up.
With a start and a destination sorted, I decided that I would plan the route to simply take the most direct way between the two cities. Instead of looking for road or gravel, I opted to let the route be the route, and just accept whatever terrain there was. If that meant a long time on the tarmac, so be it, likewise, if there was some off-road hacking to do that would be what it was.
My criteria were that we would ride in a roughly straight line, we would take three days to do it, and – as it was my adventure, I could have a shower and a cold beer at the end of every day!
Another important idea for this year was to complete most of the ride with just one other person. Last year was a lot of fun in a group, but the connection that you get when you do this sort of ride as a pair is something quite special.
Happily, my good friend Pat Drapac is always up for a bit of a challenge on the bike. Pat and I go a long way back, but I’ve hardly had time in recent years to connect with him. This ride would be the perfect opportunity to spend that time together, with the freedom and the space to just talk about anything at all – or even just be able to ride along in silence.
Like myself, Pat is also a curious guy. He loves his riding, but as well as that he likes to meet new people, and get conversations going. To me this made him the perfect fit, as a big part of this trip was about understanding who and what was out there.
Despite the hours in the saddle, we knew that we would be doing, both Pat and I agreed we wouldn’t just shut ourselves in our hotel rooms and sleep each night, we would make the effort to talk to people and find out as much as we could about where our journey was taking us.
The itinerary we set was tough but on paper not ridiculous: 260k followed by a 300k and then a 310k to finish off. In the heat of the Aussie summer, these days in the saddle, which we’d start at first light with croaky voices and not enough sleep, became some of the toughest but most enjoyable days I’ve spent on the bike for a long time.
We ended up sampling a bit of everything on the way, fire tracks, dirt roads, and even some sections of main road, but we also got the chance to sample a few decent brews of an evening too, so I was happy!
If you haven’t heard the pod yet, all the details of the ride are on there, (including the story about how Pat rode a portion of the way with his eyes closed). Give it a listen, it’s a fun one and you can hear all about the challenges we faced on the way. You’ll also get to know Pat, who has one of the most interesting backstories out there, and a great attitude to life and of course bike riding.
The thing that didn’t really make the cut in the pod (I was too knackered to notice) was that this ride helped me realise just how lucky I have been as a cyclist to have had so much time on the bike. With a busy life post-retirement (yup three kids!), like most people I take my cycling when I can get it these days.
Setting aside three days to just ride was special for me. I got to reconnect with a friend, reconnect with my bike, spend time in my own mind, as well as get to know my country.
I can’t recommend it enough, if you can, make the time to go out there and try your own adventure.
As I said, the beauty of making your own adventure it is that you are in charge of what it will be. If (like me) you like your comforts at the end of the day, then have them! If you only want to ride on the flat or avoid the hard parts, then just do it! If you want to go alone or in a group, it’s up to you! The thing that matters is that you get out there and do it.
I’m not sure if I’ll do the ride across to Adelaide again next year, or even what my next big ride will be. For now, I’m just going to appreciate getting the year underway in such a great way and enjoy the ride for what it was: a real adventure.
Check out the rides and route that we took on Strava here:
