Having distinct seasons is one of the reasons we love Tassie. While the weather and the length of days are the obvious differences, there is something else that changes that is really hard to describe. It’s the different light, the different colours, the different pace and mood. It’s a complete vibe change. The places you know so well in the summer, can feel completely different in the winter. And the ephemeral nature of the seasons makes you more aware of what makes each special.
It’s been awesome to see Tasmanians and visitors really leaning in and embracing the Tassie winter. Definitely have to give some kudos to Dark Mofo for providing a bit of a catalyst and things have really snowballed now. Tassie Winter is busy! And so it was for us around the longest night of the year with 3 nights in the bike riding mecca of Derby, in the Northeast of Tasmania to support The Devils Cardigan, followed by a dash back to Hobart for a Sunday night solstice trail running event.
The Devils Cardigan saw 500 riders come to a small town called Derby to take on 106km or 54km around the hilly gravel roads of northeastern Tasmania. As this was an official qualifier for the UCI World Gravel Championship, we saw some of Australia’s best gravel riders competing.
As with most events, we were busiest in the days before the gun went. As we were the Race Day Nutrition Partner, we had a lot of work to get our gels and drink mixes prepared to go out to the various aid stations on course. We also spent the day in the Derby town hall and it was awesome to chat to so many riders as they came through for registration.
There was a heap of rain before the event but race day was absolutely spectacular. A very cold start with temps around 4 degrees which was balmy compared to the previous year when everything froze. I heard a story about one competitor giving their bike a wash the night before and waking up to find it frozen completely stiff!
Finish line vibes at the Branxholm oval were high. We discovered a competitor we didn’t see coming, with the local Little Rivers Brewing Company giving out a beer they had brewed just for the event, to all riders as they crossed the finish line. Obviously they should have been drinking our electrolyte recovery drink but we have to admit they had the more compelling offer in the moment.
Sunday night saw us set up our marquee in the dark on a hill behind Hobart with the lights of the city and harbour below us. We were just able to see the smoke from the burning of the Ogoh-Ogoh on the waterfront below us. If you don’t know what that is, like so many of the things are Dark Mofo, its better if you just come and see for yourself.
Instead of hundreds of freezing riders around us, we now had freezing runners. But they weren’t cold for long and they soon set off in the dark for their choice of a 4,6 or 11k loop around the hills of knocklofty.
So a massive weekend and it warmed the heart to see so many people out there on a bike or on foot, getting muddy and coming back smiling.
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Moor Endurance Fuelling Guide