Thunderbolts Adventure FAQs

The 2026 edition of the Thunderbolts Adventure will be run on 24-25 April 2026. Four (4) different course options will be available to choose from with all riders converging on Gloucester for the 10th anniversary celebration on Saturday night.

This year there is a course for almost anyone who wants to join the fun. You don’t have be be a super fit racing machine to enter this event but some skills and knowledge around nutrition, navigation and basic bike maintanence will increase your chances of a successful finish.

Yes and No!

In recent years we have introduced timing as a more convenient way to track rider progress. Some will go all out to for line honours and Strava bragging rights, but most will just enjoy the ride at a sustainable pace and look to team up with a small bunch of riders of similar ability. This is a very social cycling event and you can be sure you’ll go home with some new riding buddies.

Whether you are racing yourself or others there is a chance you could be riding by yourself at times, so it is most important that you come fully prepared and self-sufficient. Better still bring the mates who you normally ride with and you are guaranteed to go home with some life long memories.

The spirit of this ride is always to be self-sufficient, but over the years, as the ride has grown, we have added more support to keep everyone as safe as possible.

With this in mind, you should plan to be self-sufficient.

What we will provide:

• Support vehicles at key locations along the course including mechanical support

• Some snacks and plenty of water at the Feedzone. We are planning to have secondary water drop available as well. Locations for these points will marked at POI’s along the official route..

• We will have a sweep car drive through after the event on both days, to make sure everyone is back safely, but you could be waiting a long time for this car to come through and it may not have space for you and your bike, so don’t rely on this as a sag wagon. It is primarily to ensure the safe passage of the riders.

What you are responsible for:

• Carry your own trail snacks and hydration. We would recommend carrying a minimum of 2-3 litres of water. You might consider bringing some water tabs or a filter in case you want to drink water from the creeks.

• You need to navigate your way along the course as there will be no course markings.

• You need to carry sensible protective clothing. Plan for all four seasons in one day.

• You need to carry any spares that you feel you might conceivably need on the day.

(See MANDATORY GEAR below to be inspected at registration. Don’t skip this… IMPORTANT!)

We are looking for people to help out. Give us a shout if you know someone or would like to volunteer yourself. Every volunteer for Thunderbolts gets a cool crew tee, free meals and camping, a great weekend in the wilderness, a $50 fuel voucher and access to a free entry in the following year. WE WANT YOU!

Contact us here to get in touch!

You will need to sign on or register at the following locations:

• Friday: Register at the Roundabout Inn, Gloucester

• Saturday (Monument): Gloucester 1st time (95km mark), Gloucester Community Hall.

• Saturday (all riders): Cross the finish mat into the beer garden at the Avon Valley Inn, Gloucester

Please remember if you DNF to let the organiser know once you get back to town.

Full course details and be view on our course options web page here.

View the course options here to find the links to download the routes.

As the course is unmarked, you need to be able to navigate your own ride. How you navigate is up to you. If you want cue cards or paper maps that is perfectly OK. Most will upload a GPX version of the route into their cycling computer and follow that.

We expect every individual rider to be able to navigate their chosen route. There may be times where you are riding solo and this is a very big remote area. Do not rely on your mobile phone, as reception is often non-existent. You could use your phone as a backup as many apps allow you to download the route when offline and will then even work if the phone is in Flight Mode.

The majority of this event takes place a long way from civilisation. There is little to no traffic on these roads and mostly no facilities. Having an EPIRB or GPS Tracker is highly recommended.

Not really, apart from in Gloucester. We recommend you do not rely on your mobile phone for navigation or communication, BUT do have the route downloaded to your phone (offline mode) as a backup.

You are riding at your own risk but for this event a satellite-based tracker such as a SPOT or Garmin InReach is highly recommended, especially if you are riding the Monument. You can also carry an EPIRB which is a single use device that you can activate in case of emergency.

If you don’t have something like this at home, you might be able to hire one (from EPIRBHire) or borrow from a friend.

For more information on what an EPIRB is and where to hire one visit our guide here.

Note: If you are coming alone or are inexperienced in this type of riding, please consider using a SPOT Tracker or Garmin InReach. It’s also a good idea to ask someone who is not riding this event to monitor your progress and be available to accept any messages you send via your satellite tracker.

The route is perfect for a Gravel Bike, Cyclocross or Mountain Bike – consider running the biggest rubber that will fit your frame – run at least 38-42mm tyres with some good tread. This is NOT the ride to be concerned about rolling resistance. Bigger rubber rolls better anyway!

Please don’t bring your roadie, even if you have 28mm tyres on it. Many of the roads are hard with large chunks of embedded rocks. A mountain bike would be perfectly fine, like a nice rigid 29er hardtail of your short travel XC rocketship. It may not be as aero on the open roads, but you will be thankful for the MTB gearing at certain points.

The roads can be of varying quality at any given time depending on recent weather and when they were last graded, so expect everything from lovely smooth crunchy gravel to more technical descents with embedded sharp rocks, water bars, diagonal ruts.

KEY THINGS TO REMEMBER:

1.) KEEP LEFT. These are open roads and the locals just love rounding a blind corner and seeing a cyclist on the wrong side of the road on a collision course with a bullbar.

2.) SLOW DOWN. Most crashes occur when someone gets too excited on a descent. It only takes a stick, a rock, a rut or a cattle grid to really ruin your day.

3.) GET GOOD BRAKES. Consider getting your brakes professionaly serviced before the ride. Everything else we can probably fix, but worn pads, sticky pistons and brakes in need of a bleed are very hard to fix once you are out there.

Everything to get you through the ride, but if your bike is well maintained then punctures are the main thing you need to be prepared for. Keeping in mind that there are no bike shops along the way, consider your worse case scenario and plan for that. For example, let’s say you have been unlucky and had a few punctures. You are on your own, you are out of tubes and canisters. If you have a hand pump and a some patches you might be able to repair a tube to get you out of trouble. A $5.00 note is always handy for blocking a torn sidewall. Tubeless setup for tyres is recommended.

Other spares you might consider would be a chain breaker, a chain quick link and a spare Derailleur hanger.

Suggested Spares kit: 2 spare tubes, a hand pump, a multi-tool, tyre levers, patch/plug kit, chain breaker, quick link and spare derailleur hanger.

Yes we will have an event mechanic present, but they may not be close when you need them.

Yes you need to train for this event. You might think you are fit but if you havent ridden this far on gravel with that much elevation, you might be in for a bit of a reality check.

PLEASE don’t make this your biggest ever gravel ride. Your entry fee does not entitle you to have the Event Director shadow you for 3 hours, because you are 1 hour behind the rest of the field. He has 200 other riders that might need a little support.

Be wise, be considerate and go conservative.

Have a look at our training guide here, we recommend starting this minimum 8 weeks out from the event.

If you are attempting the Monument, you will need to prove you can maintain a pace of 20 kph for a 100km gravel ride in order to make the time cut.

Please don’t rely on someone picking you up along the way. You might be lucky and there will be support vehicles on course as well as a sweep, but they have limited capacity. Remember, there is no sag wagon.

Most importantly, let the organisers know as soon as you can if you are not going to make it to the finish line for each stage. (Text 0408 420018 with your NAME and updated status)

Yes. While you will most likely reach the end of the stage each day before it gets dark, lights are a good safety measure so please bring at least one rear flashing red light and a solid white front light with 4 hours capacity. Be seen and be safe.

Yes. This is an AusCycling sanctioned event. This provides Public Liability Insurance for the organiser Graveleur Pty Ltd. For 2026, ALL riders must have a suitable license from AusCycling or a similar peak body. This protects you and those around you in case of an accident. When you enter, you can choose to enter your existing license number or purchase either a Day Licence as part of your entry or register for a free 4 week trial with AusCycling. For AusCycling, you can see a summary of the insurance provided to members here.

You should also consider taking out Private Health Insurance with ambulance cover. The route is entirely on open public roads in remote terrain.

There will be a disclaimer releasing Graveleur of all liability when you enter. You should read this carefully (it is not too long) and ensure that you are happy to accept the disclaimer as a condition of entry.

There are a number of different prices depending on the sub-event you choose and the date you enter.

Please check the event details page on the Entries portal (RaceRoster) for full details.

In 2026 we are also partnering with The Cycling Development Foundation. You can donate to this awesome cause as part of your entry, thankyou. Click here for more details.

You are encouraged to book your choice of accomodation in Gloucester as soon as possible. Most people arrive Friday evening to register and will then stay Friday and Saturday night in Gloucester.

You as a rider will be required to carry mandatory gear which will be checked at registration sign on:

1. Helmet (AS approved)

2. Warm hat

3. Waterproof jacket with hood and tape sealed seams.

4. First Aid kit – Including bandages, plasters, tape, gauze, whistle and a space blankets.

We also recommend an EPIRB/PLB/SPOT/Zoleo/Garmin InReach device for real time GPS tracking and emergency beacon.

The following refund policy applies, unless strictly advised otherwise from the event organiser.

1. If you wish to withdraw from a Graveleur event up to 14 days prior to the event (or greater), you shall advise the Organiser by email info@graveleur.cc. A refund of the entry fee less a $20 administration fee will apply.

2. If you wish to withdraw from this event within 14 days from the event start date any decision to refund any part of the entry fee (including nil) is at the sole discretion of the Organiser. As standard we will offer a transfer to one of our next two events.

3. The Organiser, in its sole discretion, may delay, modify, or cancel the Event if it believes the conditions prior to the event day will be unsafe. If the Event is delayed, modified, or cancelled for any reason, including but not limited to acts of God or the elements (including without limitation, wind, rough water, rain, hail, hurricane, tornado, earthquake), acts of terrorism, fire, threatened or actual strike, labour difficulty, work stoppage, insurrection, war, public disaster, flood, unavoidable casualty, pandemic, event course conditions, or any other cause beyond the control of the Organiser, participants may request a refund of any participant entry fees or choose to transfer their paid entry to a future event. There will be no payment for any other costs incurred by participants in connection with the event.

4. The Organiser, in its sole discretion, may delay, modify, or cancel the Event if it believes the conditions on the event day are or will be unsafe following the commencement of the event. If, the Event is delayed, modified, or cancelled for any reason, including but not limited to acts of God or the elements including without limitation, wind, rough water, rain, hail, hurricane, tornado, earthquake), acts of terrorism, fire, threatened or actual strike, labour difficulty, work stoppage, insurrection, war, public disaster, flood, unavoidable casualty, pandemic, event course conditions, or any other cause beyond the control of the Organiser there will be no refund of any participant entry fees paid. There will be no payment for any other costs incurred by participants in connection with the event.

5. Entries are non-transferable to another rider EXCEPT via the entry system. A transfer fee shall apply to riders transferring their entry to another rider. For riders who independently give their entry to a new rider outside of the entry system, the entry shall be invalid and the new rider shall not be permitted to start. Discount codes used in conjunction with an entry are subject to final approval by the organiser. A discount may be refused and an entry may be cancelled if it is clear a discount code has been used by an unauthorised entrant.

6. Note that Transaction fees included in your entry fee are not refundable