800 KILOMETRES TO GO

Riding to a neighbouring city to catch a race is one of cycling’s great pleasures. There’s something that hits different about using a bike to get yourself to a bike race. It feels ritualistic and respectful to the sport. It hits especially different when that neighbouring city is some 800 kilometres away. Melbourne to Adelaide. A distance you’d think twice about driving, let alone riding. But that is the way of things in Australia, a country big enough to be a continent. In January 2026, Oli Jones set out from the Rapha Clubhouse in Melbourne on a two day ride to the Franklin Hotel in downtown Adelaide. A ride that began as revellers were ending their night in Victoria, and finished at golden hour on the eve of the Tour Down Under.