As much as I love a bike ride, my main motivation to take part in Gravel Camp was that it seemed like a good way to get my toes wet in bikepacking. And by “toes wet” I mean I had my bike and I was camping, but I didn’t have to deal with packing part. #win.

Admittedly the 50km route looked a like a bit of challenge for me. I’d ridden the Great Otway Gravel Grind a month earlier with a similar distance but less elevation. The good news was I had been riding my bike consistently since then so I knew the extra elevation was doable. And I’d lowered my gearing from 34/40T to 34T/46T (front/back) so I could more easily tackle hills steeper than 10% grade.

The camping, the weather, the delicious dinner and brekkie, and the drinking chatting with other cyclists by campfire made for a fun and memorable experience. The ride, well…

The ride was certainly memorable.