April Drage’s Winning Bike Setup for the 2024 Race to the Rock

A day after finishing the 2024 Race to the Rock, April Drage takes us through her race winning Curve titanium GMX bike set up, as well as her highly specialised gear list for this uniquely Australian event. Race to the Rock is an extremely remote unsupported bikepacking race through outback Australia. While the race usually finishes at Uluru, each year the course starts at a different location. The 2,750km 2024 edition started in Derby, WA and took riders along three iconic outback thoroughfares, the Gibb River, Duncan and Tanami roads. From the heat of the Kimberley to the icy nights further south in the Tanami Desert, riders had a wide range of conditions to be prepared for. The roads are typically unsealed and range from rough and rocky, to heavily corrugated with sections of bull dust and sand. What makes Race to the Rock unique is the huge distances between services in the outback. This year’s course had a section of 600 km between remote outposts with limited opening hours. To make sure they can keep moving, riders will resupply for even longer distances. Riders need to be extremely well prepared to cover the course safely. It’s unavoidable when experiencing the vastness of Australia once you venture away from thin veneer of safety near the coastline and forge a path inland.