Gnomathon 2023: Through the Eyes of the Organizer

Words and photos by Lars Hundscheid

After a year of scouting trails, designing stickers, painting rocks, and trying to get some sponsors, it is finally time for the start of the second edition of the Gnomathon. The alarm goes off in the early morning since there are a some tasks that can only be done today. I get up to brew a few pots of coffee and make a quick run to the bakery to pick up the cakes I ordered. The car is loaded up with tables, and then it’s off to the starting line.

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A few riders are already present, and I quickly set up the registration table. In order to start, the riders first need to answer a few questions: “How many riders will finish within the time cutoff? When will you finish? Do you own an iPhone?” and a few others. No explanation is given for the purpose of these questions.

All bikes are weighed and the owner of the heaviest bike receives a pair of “fixed gear coffee” aero sock to compensate for the weight of their rig. One by one, all 36 riders get their starting plates, some goodies, and a treasure map to use during the ride. The plan was to close the registration at 25 riders, but the enthusiasm of the participants convinced me to add an additional 10 places (and I can’t count).

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When the starting plates are mounted, it is time for all the riders to prepare for the start. Preparing for a Gnomathon start is serious business and means chatting with friends drinking coffee and eating local cake. Five minutes before the indicated starting time, some of the more racy riders are starting to get a bit jumpy and start wondering when the start will be. Just relax, guys. It’s a race where you have to find garden gnomes. Don’t take it too seriously. Exactly 10 seconds before 10 a.m., there is a countdown and the riders are off for the 450-kilometre bikepacking ride through the southern Netherlands.

Although Gnomathon is ridden (mostly) in the Netherlands, the track is not flat. There are approximately 4,000 metres to be handled. Luckily, almost all of the climbs are concentrated in a 100-kilometre section of the track. The first 50-kilometre stretch of the track follows relatively flat singletrack mixed up with fast gravel roads near the Dutch/German border. The group rides faster than anticipated, and as the organizer, I have to race my own race to be able to catch up for some pictures. Since riders don’t use a tracking system, it is difficult to predict at what time the riders will be at certain locations.

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At the time I reach the first planned photo location, the head of the race is already passed, so I quickly shoot a few pictures of the second group before taking a shortcut to try to catch up with the first group. At the second planned photo location, I catch up with the lead group, a bunch of around 10 riders who have a gap on the rest of the field. Most of them hope they can make the first ferry today.

The ferries make the Gnomathon a bit more tactical since they stop at 11 p.m. and only start again at 8 a.m. At the moment the riders reach CP-1, there are five fast riders in front, and news of the first DNFs start to come in. Technical tracks and narrow gravel tires don’t match up. Crashes and unrepairable tire damage make some riders decide to give up. Others decide to go off track to buy better suited tires and continue the ride. (It was mentioned, “you’ll have more fun on a mountain bike”).

Riders are already scattered all over the track. The first riders reached CP-1 around 1 p.m. while the last will arrive closer to 9 p.m. A huge spread after only 80 kilometres. After CP-1, the track turns to the hilly area of the region, and the average speed starts to drop. Reaching the first ferry before it closes becomes less and less likely. Most riders make plans to camp somewhere close to the ferry in order to pass the river the next morning.

I catch up with Alexander and Toine at Margraten around 7 p.m., but there is no time for a chat. They are currently riding in second and third place, and they’re on a mission to get to the ferry before closing time. Race leader Bert stopped for the night before at Margraten, giving Alexander and Toine the chance to pass him. Since the rest of the field is further behind, I decide to stop for some fries before I ride home to start the administration of day one.

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Only Alexander and Toine make it across the river on Friday evening, giving them a head start the next day. On Saturday morning, the weather has turned a bit, and the sunshine has been replaced by grey clouds and a light drizzle. Perfect weather to ride some gravel. I get up and decide to ride the track in the opposite direction toward the ferry, hopefully meeting a few riders and hearing their stories. The riders are blessed with a tailwind, meaning I have a headwind all the way. Headwind and drizzle, a perfect combination.

I meet up with most of the mid-field riders, and they seem to be in good spirits. The mix of technical singletrack and wide gravel roads is pleasing to most, and the weather is slowly improving. The two leaders reach CP-4 at 7 a.m. followed by Jelle and Rutger, one and a half hours behind. When the riders reach CP-5, they are in the area that seems flat on the elevation profile but in reality is a constant singletrack roller coaster. Up, down, left, right. This is where bike handling skills can come in handy.

Around 4 p.m., I receive a message from the race leaders. They decide to quit the track and take the fastest way back. A little surprised and confused, I mark their numbers with DNF. This means we have new race leaders, and they are in close proximity, riding within 15 minutes of each other the entire way. Rutger and Jelle are the new leaders, and as they reach CP-6 within five minutes of each other, they still have 100 kilometres to battle it out.

Almost all riders make it to the second ferry on Saturday, and finishing the race Sunday seems feasible. Since all the riders have already passed CP-4 (treasure hunt) I decide to go and clean up the CP before heading for bed. The treasure hunt consisted of coolers with Coke and La Chouffe beers. My singlespeed mindset gets all confused when I see that the empty Coke to La Chouffe ratio is 10:1.

When my alarm goes off on Sunday morning, I first have family duties and need to be in the swimming pool until 9 a.m. The swimming pool is located only a few hundred meters away from the finish, so I hope to be on time for the first riders to arrive. It will be Jelle or Rutger.

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Jelle and Rutger check in at the last CP around 8 a.m. with 20 minutes between them. After carefully selecting which rock to bring to the finish line, they continue for the final 15 kilometres. Jelle has a 20-minute lead over Rutger when they leave CP-7. Twenty minutes proves to be enough for Jelle to arrive first at the finish line, only to be followed by Rutger 15 minutes later. Strong ride, guys!

Finish days are for chilling out, and the rest of the riders are welcomed at the finish with some cold beers. The last prizes are handed out and there is time to relax and hear everyone’s stories from the last few days. Gnomathon 2023 is a wrap. Time to make plans for the 2024 edition.

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