Race To The Rock

They've done the Tasmania section over the weekend. They all missed the sunday night ferry to Melbourne, so some went to the airport and got a flight and are heading off NW towards Bendigo.
Emma Flukes, the early leader, rode 43 hours without sleep to get the ferry, but missed it, and is chilling in Devonport to get it tonight (probably on it around now, DK what time zone Tasmania is on).
Interview with her on Facebook:

3/9/18 10:50am Local Tassie time
Damian:
Hey Emma...how are you going? Any update you can make for us on the Dot Watchers Page? Are you still in Tassie? What is your plan for getting to Melbourne? We are dying to know! 😬
Emma:
G’day mate, I’m doing well! As you probably know, I rode through the night on sat. I know how foul the weather can get on the plateau and it was quite still and calm, I felt good, so I just kept riding. Was -5 up there on dawn, rear derailleur kept freezing and I couldn’t drink as my bottles were solid blocks. Took foot off the gas after the hike-a-bike down poatina when i realised that nobody could make the ferry.
I’m hanging out in Devonport today snacking and cleaning up the bike a bit, catching the ferry tonight for a tues AM arrival in Melb. I don’t mind where it puts me in the field, this is my adventure and a boat feels more “right”, to me.
Body and bike doing good. Hands a bit swollen from the cold, that’s about it!
Damian:
Are you ok if I share above on the Dot Watchers Page? Or you happy to write your own update ...so epic what you have achieved so far...been following your every pedal stroke on MAProgress...amazing effort and don’t assume you are out yet...you never know what might happen with the leaders next! 👍😉😎
Emma:
Feel free to share. I’ll try to do some socialsing later but bike and washing are taking priority. Oh and it was a 43 hour stretch without sleep, I considered bivvying roadside with about 80km left but I just wanted to get it done.
Thanks so much for the support!
Damian:
No problem Emma! Get your high priority stuff done, eat, sleep, then you can update us when you are relaxing

Not sure I would have had the ability in me to change plans and get the flight! Boxes required for bikes surely?

Yes, agree, it would be one of those horrible logistics juggles that gets in the way of just riding. Far easier mentally to just sit it out in the port but, if you want to win, I guess you have to do the mentally hard stuff.

You can buy cardboard boxes here at terminals ... qantas and virgin both sell them

https://www.qantas.com/travel/airlines/sporting-equipment/global/en

Bicycles
To be accepted for carriage on Qantas operated services, bicycles must be suitably packed in
a bike box. Bike boxes can be purchased from most Australian Qantas Terminals.

https://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/plan/baggage/oversized-fragile-items/

Travelling with a Bike Bicycles will only be accepted as checked
baggage if packaged in a hard or soft manufactured bike box. Bike
boxes may be purchased at the airport check-in counter.

I guess it is early enough that you'll still be relatively fresh! I had a set plan for the first 4 days and sleeping at the ferry was high up the list, Looking at the trackers now the flight was a HUUUUGE jump forward.

@pascalo local knowledge i certainly wouldn't have had... do for next year however

Didn't even consider that would be an option. Presumed race org would have mandated the ferry to keep the race even for people not able to blow wads of cash on last minute flights. Oversight or did they leave that option in to keep shit interesting?

Left open to make your own adventure yada yada.

Not sure I agree with it. Seen one of the curve mob rebuilding a bike in rapha Melbourne. Would this option be open and known to everyone?

If they're a bike shop then I don't see why not. If they're 'Curve' then why are they in Rapha and not Curve? Presumably because having bike work done in your own shop is a little bit risky wrt to private resupply rule.

Good point, well executed.

And I haven't even had any coffee today.

Sarah is sponsored by Rapha.
I expect they have paying customers as well.

We need @WornCleat doing in-depth research for the backstories.

Most of the racers are in my neck of the woods.

There's lots of talk about sand on Facebook. Apparently Adam is better at negotiating it than Sarah so he got an advantage. But then he wasn't, and she got back ahead.

I precis: head over to facebook if you want Jesse and Ryan to explain it properly in a few 40-min vids.

Wish this content wasn't on Facebook.

Why isn’t Jesse racing?

https://racetotherock2018.maprogress.com/

https://www.google.com/maps/place/33%C2%B017'42.3%22S+140%C2%B035'24.5%22E/@-33.2950655,140.587956,1014m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x0!8m2!3d-33.29507!4d140.59015

Chronic abdominal injury I believe.

Why isn’t Jesse racing?

There was one comment that he needed to go to Canberra for Mike's inquest, but that doesn't start until the 24th so not clear. I guess he might have work stuff to do, cba, etc.

It bugs me I can’t seem to get the graphs working to see if the flight has won the race or if they have extended the lead.

Adam Lana - who was in second - has had to pack. His freehub went. He was able to convert it to fixed by zip-tying the big sprocket to his spokes, but chickened out of backing his bodging skills for the 300km section between towns.

Wow, ziptied to his spokes... that's properly nuts.

Tell me again about these Curve wheels... ;-)

Nice bodge though. Wonder if he could've fixed it some other way though?

The freewheel does look pretty fucked up.

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That'll buff out.