Sydney to Melbourne in 90 hours

In November this year, some of Australia's most accomplished endurance cyclists will attempt to cover the distance in less than 90 hours - via the Australian Alps.

The riders are entered in the inaugural Sydney-Melbourne Alpine Randonnee, a challenge event organised by the Audax Australia Cycling Club.

Ride organiser, Chris Rogers said "It's not a race. Riders are encouraged to ride at their own pace. The challenge is in covering the course successfully within the 90-hour time limit."

With a total vertical gain of approximately 9,100 metres, Rogers expects riders to find the route a significant challenge.

At 6am on Sunday November 29, the cyclists from around Australia and overseas will depart from the Campbells Cove, beside the Sydney Harbour Bridge, and will head for Melbourne via the Snowy Mountains.

The route leaves Sydney to the west, and travels south to Goulburn and down to Canberra. It traverses the Australian Alps, passing through Cabramurra, Australia's highest town, before dropping down to Corryong on the Murray River. After following the Murray downstream for over 100km to the Hume Weir the route climbs up to Beechworth, then heads south to Melbourne via Benalla, Seymour and Lancefield.

To add to the challenge, the riders will need to be mostly self-sufficient as there is no on-road support. There will be no team car following the peloton, no medics, masseurs or mechanics to tend to riders and their machines. But the riders will not be entirely alone. Official support will be provided at three checkpoints along the route: at Canberra, Corryong, and Euroa.

"There will also be rescue support for riders who suffer from mechanical, physical or philosophical difficulties along the way," Rogers added.

The 90-hour time limit is uninterrupted. Unlike in multi-stage races, such as the Tour de France, when riders in the Sydney-Melbourne Alpine Randonee stop to rest, eat or sleep, the clock keeps ticking. Apart from riding as hard as they can, riders must also carefully manage the time they spend off the bike.

Audax Australia Cycling Club

Audax Australia Cycling Club is the premier body for endurance cycling in Australia. The Club organises non-competitive long distance tours by bicycle, called "randonnees". The challenge of Audax is not in racing, but in riding at your own pace to finish within the time limit.

Audax Australia holds rides in Australia and New Zealand under the auspices of the Audax Club Parisien and Les Randonneurs Mondiaux, the worldwide bodies governing randonnees. Audax Australia also holds rides under the auspices of l’Union des Audax Français the governing body for the traditional Audax fixed pace events.