As the riders rolled over the start line at 6:30 AM and into the misty Avon Valley, they looked like a jolly bunch. Sinewy and fit, yes, but also apparently relaxed and convivial.

That all changed at about kilometre 34, when the first climb began, and the competitive spirit flared. These riders were in for a brutal 173-kilometre day, with more than 4,000 metres of elevation, and just about every single one of them wanted to be the first one to finish.

Thunderbolts Adventure is organised every year by Mike Israel and his organisation, Graveleur. A point of pride is that the event consists of three rides and caters to cyclists of all abilities. The 2026 edition, which is the 10-year anniversary, took place on Saturday, 25 April.

This is the story of what happened on that day.

The Remington

The first to finish were in The Remington, a relatively leisurely 46-kilometre tour through the beautiful, gently rolling cattle country around Gloucester.

More than one early finisher rode more mileage than he had expected.

George Comninos signed up for The Remington but neglected to download the route beforehand. (To save fuel, limit plastic waste, and avoid littering, Graveleur uses less signage than many events and instead enables riders to download their route via the Graveleur RideWithGPS club, which is free even without an app subscription.)

As for George, the figure-eight route threw him for a loop, and the patchy mobile service left him with no guidance.

“There was no one with me, so I thought I was winning,” George told CycleHub, laughing. “In the end, I did 64 kilometres, nearly 20 kilometres more than I signed up for.” He finished in 2:53:52.

Despite the mishap, George felt great. “I’ll definitely be back,” he said. “This was fantastic. I enjoyed it.”

The mother-daughter pair, Donella and Olive Tutt, also said they enjoyed The Remington.

“It’s the first time we’ve ridden together,” Donella told CycleHub. “The gravel was gorgeous, and the hills were not too bad.”

Her ambition is to get more fit and try The Colt next time. Olive wanted more views, but without more climbing. “I like that gravel gets people off the roads, and it’s beautiful,” Olive said.

The Colt

The day’s second-longest ride, The Colt, was an altogether harder challenge than The Remington. The fastest four Colt riders finished their 92km course at least 30 minutes ahead of the next quickest bunch.

Stuart Holder took The Colt’s podium with a time of just three hours and nine minutes. On the stem of his handlebars, he had taped a piece of paper listing the kilometres at which he would hit each of the ride’s hardest climbs.

‘I do it so, when I’m hammering myself, I don’t have to think. It’s called ‘Stuaglyphics,’” he said.

Only about five minutes behind Stuart were teen rider Maximus Amidy and his father, Paul Amidy, from the Hunter Valley. Max crossed the finish at 3:16:55, 31 seconds ahead of his elder.

“My favourite part was doing the whole thing with Dad,” he said. When CycleHub asked Max for his secret to fast riding, he said, “A lot of hard work and long hours.” “It gives you good legs.” Max races road and cross-country and dreams of turning pro one day.

What did Max enjoy the least?

“It was the cow poo going in my mouth. It’s hard to keep your mouth closed when you’re going at your limit, but I’ll have to try harder.”

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A Bit of Thunderbolt History

Another rider who tamed The Colt is James Wilson. He’s notable because, with friend Geoff Mallinson, he is an original co-creator of the Thunderbolts Adventure event. Back in 2016, they decided to create a “really stupidly difficult event,” James told CycleHub.

The route has changed over the years. What James calls the “OG Thunderbolt route” was effectively three peaks on dirt: 227 kilometres with 5,500 vertical meters.

The first time they ran the event, about 40 people rode out, but only 34 finished.

Then, and still today, one of the biggest challenges that Thunderbolts throws at you is that it’s in the remote wilderness with no cell service, no opportunity to buy snacks at a petrol station, no water stop, and no cafe for a quick caffeine hit.

In the early years, James said some people turned up with bikes that just made him shake his head. A dude turned up on an e-bike before they were popular. James remembered asking, “How are you going to charge it when you get out there, mate?”

Another rider finished on a single-speed bike, and another on fat tyres.

“It’s good to be coming back to the event,” James concluded. “I’m glad it’s still going, and it is in good hands with Mike.”

The Monument: The Day’s Biggest Challenge

Josh Amberger was the first to finish The Monument, completing the 173 kilometres in just 6:55:45. Despite the huge elevation and the difficult, muddy tracks, he maintained a ripping pace of 24.96 kilometres per hour.

Like every other rider who completed The Monument, he was covered in mud spatters from head to toe, thanks to the heavy, high-country rain showers the previous day.

There was a stretch of about 20 kilometres of mud that one rider described as “peanut buttery“. It coated riders’ chains and cassettes so their bikes made awful grinding sounds as they pedalled. But one rider, Joe from Wollongong, discovered a hack at the next feed. He wrapped two baby wipes round his chain while he pedaled by hand. Joe had no more chain trouble after that.

Josh said the mud slowed him down. “The funny thing is, when I hit the very top of the Barrington Tops at about 1,450 metres of elevation, I think my average speed was like 24 K an hour. Then we descended all the way back down to here, but I actually didn’t go any faster because the terrain was so challenging.”

Josh also managed to win despite puncturing his rear tyre at about the 80-k mark. His tyre is tubeless and supposed to be self-sealing, but even after he stopped to pump it twice, the pressure remained low.

While talking to CycleHub, only a few minutes after finishing, Josh didn’t look the least bit tired. “It was just a really enjoyable day,” he said, “with a crazy course.”

The reason Josh looked so fresh is that he’s a just-retired, pro triathlete with 20 years of racing under his belt. He won the Ironman Cairns in 2025. Gravel riding is his new thing.

“This is my jam. I love endurance racing. When I’ve got my power, I can just cruise,” he told CycleHub.

Some Hard Knocks and a Broken Bone

The Monument was a big challenge for the legs, but also for the bikes. At least a half dozen riders had punctures, with the record for the day being set by the man who rode in stubbies and thongs and, unluckily, got five flats.

The worst outcome of the day was a woman who crashed, broke her collarbone, and may have a concussion. She didn’t even have time to use the emergency beacon that all riders are required to carry because a local farmer happened to be nearby. He loaded her bike into his cattle trailer and brought her back to the starting line. From there, her husband drove her to the hospital.

All’s well that ends well. She got excellent medical care and won a free POC helmet to replace her now-dented old headgear.

Another rider finished the Monument but got confused about just where the finish line was. He thought it was in the beer garden of the Avon Valley Inn. On his bike, he barreled down the town of Gloucester’s main street. When he got to the pub, he jumped off, pushed open the wooden gate, and rushed in.

There were no other cyclists there, but plenty of locals were already five pints into their drinking after an early ANZAC Day dawn service.

One local looked at the muddy rider, put down his beer, and said, “Jesus, mate, can’t you find something better to do?”

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The Team That Made It Happen

One of the day’s most impressive riders was Joan Kuhrmann. Not only was Joan the female winner of The Monument at an incredible time of 8:34:37. She was also the rider who made the most effort to thank the volunteers.

When asked how the conditions were, she replied, “Tough. Windy. Really hard, but I did love it.”

But most of all, Joan wanted to talk about the people who played supporting roles.

“Without the volunteers, it wouldn’t be possible,” she said. “It’s a great organisation. They made it all happen.”

One of the day’s volunteers was Whitney Egglinton. Recruited off an Instagram post, Whitney seemed to be everywhere during the day: at registration, at the start, at the feed stations, and at the finish.

“I’m a new rider and recently bought a gravel bike, and I’m trying to get amongst it,” she said. “I’ve ridden the Royal Ramble down in Sydney, and what I’d really like to try is Manly Dam.”

Other volunteers included Tom and Liam (both sons of Graveleur’s Mike Israel) and five volunteers from Gloucester Rotary.

The Gloucester RSL kindly made their Recreation Centre available to the event at no cost. Of course, Graveleur makes generous donations to both organisations on behalf of the day’s riders.

Organiser Mike Israel told CycleHub that the event is so expensive to put on that it couldn’t have happened with the volunteers and sponsors.

“I’m so grateful to everyone who made it possible,” he said. “Thanks to Patty and Charlie from Lusty Industries, who were representing Maxxis Tyres. Thanks to Dexter from Easton and to Lachlan from SRAM, both of whom were demonstrating some super-light and durable components.”

The day’s hard-working professional photographers, Richard and Sam from Outer Image, got some amazing pictures. Riders will be able to download them within a week or two of the event. Details will be emailed to riders

There was a roving mechanic on the course, Steve (in the camper van with his dog, Molly), from the Cessnock Bicycle Company, who helped at least a dozen riders during the day. Steve also used his van to shepherd back to the finish some late riders who hadn’t brought lights.

James covered the course on the motorbike, offering support to cyclists. And a rider named Adrian offered to help out after completing his event.

“Another essential part of the team is Andrew Main, who came up from Hobart to MC the day but actually does so much more than that,” Mike continued.

Mike’s gratitude also extends, he said, to the Roundabout Inn and the Avon Valley Inn, both of which somehow managed to keep the more than 300 people associated with the event fed and watered, despite it being a holiday weekend.

While Mike was busy expressing gratitude to the riders, team, and sponsors, everyone who took part in the event thanked him. He was everywhere on the day.

Mike didn’t even get to bring his own bicycle because, as organiser, he was responsible for its success. For someone who loves cycling as much as he does, that leaves a bittersweet feeling. “Seeing the smiles on so many faces is all I need to keep on serving,” he said.

Come for the Ride, but Linger for the Friendships

Unavoidably, some of the day’s riders had to depart for home not long after finishing the event. One told CycleHub he had cats to feed, back in Sydney.

But most riders stayed for the post-event awards and party back at Gloucester’s Avon Valley Inn. The Graveleur events are legendary for their inspiring routes, but they are also loved for the camaraderie. Just about every rider is heading home with at least one new cycling friend.

And some of them are heading home with free gear, too. Thanks to the sponsors, Graveleur was able to give away gear from MAXXIS tyres, POC helmets and sunglasses, Sample Coffee, Pure Sports Nutrition, SRAM, Easton Cycling, Chamois Butter, RedShift Sports, Smoove Lube, Pedros Tools, Detour Custom Kit, and Cessnock Bicycles.

Riders aren't the only ones who got something out of Thunderbolts Adventure. The event helps support the Cycling Development Foundation and its Laverton Cycling Project, a grassroots programme that provides bikes and helmets to young people in a remote town in the Western Australian goldfields.

Thunderbolts’ organiser Mike says, “We want to get disadvantaged outback kids on bikes. My vision is to have a First Nations cyclist on the start line at Thunderbolts Adventure within five years.”

How to Get Some Adventure for Yourself

If you like the sound of Thunderbolts Adventure, you don’t have to wait until 2027 to get your share of it. The same organisers, Graveleur, have two more events in their Bushranger Gravel Series every year.

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Marys Mayhem takes you to the rolling backroads of Mudgee and Rylstone in October, when the weather is usually good. The main day’s riding has three courses (35, 60, and 100 kilometres).

Clarkes Gambit takes place in August in the glorious region around Batemans Bay. The three courses on offer range from 95 kilometres down to 55 and 35 kilometres.

Are You Worthy of a Buckle?

Only three riders, ever, have completed the long courses at all three Bushranger Gravel Series events in a single year. And today, those three are the only people in the world wearing the coveted Bushranger belt buckles.

“As hard as the Bushranger Series is,” organiser Mike Israel said, “this year we already have 28 riders who have registered for the whole series and think they will be the next to win a belt buckle."

CycleHub’s advice to riders is to both register and book your accommodation early. There were more than 100 on the waitlist for Thunderbolts Adventure, and some didn’t get to ride because of the limited capacity.

Graveleur offers refunds up to weeks out, and transfers after that, so signing up early is a no-risk way to ensure you don’t miss out.

Learn more at the links above or directly at Graveleur’s website.