Jesse Carlsson Unpacks His Race to The Rock Curve GMX

In this video Jesse Carlsson unpacks his Curve GMX Overlander to show you what he brought along to set the fastest time on what some consider the most grueling ultra-endurance bikepacking race route in the world…

Race to The Rock follows an incredibly harsh route through the Australian outback to finish at Uluru (Ayers Rock) in a remote and inhospitable swath of Central Australia. The race was created by Jesse Carlsson, co-founder of Curve Cycling. Although Jesse technically didn’t win the race this year — he missed the start by a couple days and led his own individual time trial on the route — he did set the fastest time on this year’s route. Ultimately he covered 3,050 kilometers with 21,200 meters of climbing in 9 days, 22 hours and 28 minutes, averaging 307 kilometers per day. In this video Jesse unpacks his Curve Cycling GMX and discloses a few secrets about his incredibly fast and ultralight setup.

“Many bikes have been smashed to bits on the hellish corrugations and rocks of the Great Central Road. Travelling light obviously lessens the load on the bike but the compliance built into carbon forks and a titanium frame also takes the load off key stress points. Riding without racks also removes a common failure item for bike tourers in remote areas. It is interesting when I speak to folks travelling a bit heavier. They often assume I’m taking big risks and not carrying much. After a quick chat I always learn that cooking equipment is the only thing in their pack list that I’m not carrying. As it turns out I usually have more individual items than most bike tourers, more redundancy (back ups if things break), more water capacity, more items in my emergencies kit, more rain gear and more insulation for the cold. It’s just packed down nice and small. ” – Jesse Carlsson

  • Jesse Carlsson's Race to the Rock Curve GMX Bikepacking Rig, Video
  • Jesse Carlsson's Race to the Rock Curve GMX Bikepacking Rig, Video
  • Jesse Carlsson's Race to the Rock Curve GMX Bikepacking Rig, Video
  • Jesse Carlsson's Race to the Rock Curve GMX Bikepacking Rig, Video
  • Jesse Carlsson's Race to the Rock Curve GMX Bikepacking Rig, Video
Jesse Carlsson's Race to the Rock Curve GMX Bikepacking Rig, Video

Learn more about the GMX Overlander CurveCycling.com.

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