GBDuro is one of the UK’s toughest self-supported bikepacking races, taking in the length of the country from Land’s End to John o’ Groats on a meandering 1,970km route of “road, gravel, singletrack, and everything in between”.
Organised by The Racing Collective, the race is run in an enduro format, with riders tackling the ride in four timed stages (each a whopping 500km long). The lowest cumulative overall time across each of these stages is declared the winner.
This year’s race was won by Mark Beaumont – the current record holder for a supported circumnavigation of the globe by bicycle – in a time of 135 hours and 24 minutes.
Ollie Hayward came second and Jaimi Wilson then took third, simultaneously taking the top spot in the solo women’s category.
The race was not without drama, with Angus Young – who was leading the race for much of the event – eventually being disqualified for taking support from a dot-watcher who lent him his bike after a serious mechanical failure.
Choosing dependable and trusted kit is key to success in long-distance racing, which can often lead to riders running a wide variety of different setups (as we saw in our tech gallery from the Highland Trail 550 earlier this year).
However, all three of the top riders met some consensus, with drop-bar gravel bikes dominating the event.
Nonetheless, every setup is unique to each, which makes for fascinating viewing for us tech-obsessed armchair bikepackers. Scroll through for every nerdy detail.
1st place – Mark Beaumont’s Argon 18 Dark Matter
The Argon 18 Dark Matter is the brand’s only gravel bike and sports fairly racy geometry but, as illustrated here, can easily be turned to bikepacking duties.
Mark Beaumont’s bike is built around a Shimano GRX Di2 groupset, pairing 48/31t chainrings with what is either an 11-34t or 11-32t cassette (if you know for sure, tell us in the comments). Though either will still give a sub 1:1 gear, that’s still a pretty punchy setup for a loaded bikepacking bike.
Up front, Beaumont has chosen the 12-degree flare version of Pro’s Discover aluminium hanlebar. This is fitted with a Pro Missile Evo Ski-bend aero cockpit.
A pair of Exposure bike lights are bolted straight on top of Beaumont's handlebar tape, either side of his bar bag – he clearly didn’t expect to spend any time cruising on the tops!
The bike rolls on a pair of Hunt 42 Limitless gravel wheels fitted with Schwalbe's new G-One R tyres. Poor ol’ Beaumont looks to have had a few issues, with an external patch and sealant stains on the front wheel suggesting he suffered a tyre failure at some point along the route.
The bike is festooned with a full suite of Apidura Racing bikepacking bags, including a not-so-neat mod in the form of a spool of what appears to be baler twine holding on the front pack.
Mark Beaumont’s custom Argon 18 Dark Matter spec highlights
- Argon 18 Dark Matter frameset
- Shimano GRX Di2 groupset
- Pro Discover handlebar with Missle Evo Ski-bend aero extensions
- Pro Stealth Off Road saddle
- Hunt 42 Limitless gravel wheels
- Scwalbe G-One R tyres
- Exposure light set
2nd place – Ollie Hayward’s Reilly Gradient
Ollie Hayward rolled into John o’ Groats with a cumulative time of 146 hours and 20 minutes. He rode the route on this lovely titanium Reilly Gradient, which is also built around a Shimano GRX Di2 groupset.
An electronic groupset might seem like a bold choice for a bikepacking race, given the ease of swapping a mechanical gear cable, but the consistent operation and easy cable routing (bikepacking bags can often force shift cables through difficult bends) can be an advantage when riding through grimy conditions.
It clearly hasn’t been all plain sailing for Hayward, though, with the bottom portion of his left lever missing after, according to his Instragam, a gnarly crash that left him without a rear brake.
Shimano’s Di2 groupsets also have an advantage in that they can be (unofficially) charged on the go, as Hayward appears to have done via a Sinewave Revolution. This neat little box converts power from a dynamo hub into USB-friendly output, allowing you to charge devices on the move.
Interestingly, Hayward opted to forgo a dynamo light and instead used a battery-powered Exposure Strada to light his way during the night stages.
His Pro Discover bar bag is supported by a minimalist homemade rack.
Speaking to BikeRadar, Hayward said the rack was made less than 24-hours before the race after he discovered his bar bag was bouncing on the front wheel and wearing a hole in it.
The rack itself "started life as a sheep feed bucket handle" that, once bent into a U-shape, was welded onto a 2mm steel plate by Hayward's dad. It was then attached to the bike using a pair of mudguard struts and finished off with black paint and Gorilla tape. Ingenious stuff.
Finally, Hayward completed the ride on a pair of 47mm-wide Specialized Rhombus Pro tyres.
Ollie Hayward’s Reilly Gradient spec highlights
- Reilly Gradient frameset
- Shimano GRX Di2 groupset
- Specialized Rhombus Pro tyres
- Brooks Cambium C17 saddle
- Sinewave Revolution dynamo to USB charger adaptor
3rd place – Jaimi Wilson’s Salsa Warbird
Jaimi Wilson rolled into third place overall in 148 hours and 41 minutes, taking first place in the solo women’s category at the same time.
Wilson rode a near-factory spec version of the Salsa Warbird GRX 810 fitted with a full suite of Ortlieb bags.
In a video produced by Wilson's sponsor, Lyon Cycles, she also revealed her bike is running a pair of CushCore Gravel tyre inserts to help prevent punctures on any rocky descents.
Other mods include fitting a Profile Design aero cockpit, with her Exposure Diablo MK12 headlight and Wahoo Elemnt Bolt computer fitted to a matching Profile UCM XL mount.
It’s a simple setup but clearly a solid one that worked – in comparison to the other two bikes features, there are no notable bumps or scrapes to speak of.
Jaimi Wilson’s Salsa Warbird spec highlights
- Salsa Warbird GRX 810
- DT Swiss C1800 wheelset
- Teravail Cannonball 42mm tyres
- CushCore Gravel inserts
- Profile Designs aero cockpit
What is the Racing Collective??
The Racing Collective is a non-traditional 5,000-member strong biking club based in the UK.
It organises 14 different events across the UK, stretching from the relatively gentile 80km Cotsduro to the country-spanning GBDuro.
This is the third edition of GBDuro. The inaugural edition was won by Lachlan Morton of EF Pro Cycling. An excellent film was produced by Rapha Films about his ride, which is still well worth a watch.
As an interesting aside, riders were required to get to/from the start and finish of the race without flying to reduce the environmental impact of the race.
