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Traillamas

@trailllamas

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Hosts of the Dutch MTB Singlespeed Championships 2019 / Annual Kiss & Ride / Gnomathon Bikepacking Ride
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Gnomathon 2027, the side quest will be more fun than ever!
registrations are open!

The 2027 track will again have a designed shortcut, you will have all the checkpoints if you follow this, you will loose 1 special point. About 100K shorter.

Start and finish in same location as last year, some snack and drinks before the start and a small "pasta party" for all who arrive on the finish day.

The track will see some small improvements, but will in general stay the same as 2026.

-> link in bio

Or just search gnomathon in your preferred brower

Cool companies supporting the gnomathon!
Big thanks to:
@squirtcyclingproducts
@sweetprotection
@meritgear
@fixedgearcoffee
@reversecomponents
@schwalbetires
@redshiftsports by @trailllamas

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3

a month ago

Time to go ride across the 3 again...
6th time doing this crazy ride. Let's see what this year brings. Lets go!
Thanks @squirtcyclingproducts @schwalbetires @chimpanzee_nutrition @meritgear
See you in a few days....
Tracking link in bio by @trailllamas

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5 months ago

Gnomathon 2026, some updates...
New cool companies supporting the gnomathon!
Big thanks to:
@squirtcyclingproducts
@sweetprotection
@meritgear
@fixedgearcoffee (spoiler, frankengnome point)
@reversecomponents
@schwalbetires
@redshiftsports

The 2026 track will have a designed shortcut, you will have all the checkpoints if you follow this, you will loose 1 special point. About 100K shorter.

A new start location! Watersley did not want to host us anymore (within reasonable payments) so I had to look for alternatives.
Local scouts to the rescue! No free parking anymore, but there are a few parking garages very near, cost 5€. Train station Sittard is 2km away.
There will be toilets and showers in return. So lets see it as an upgrade. Finish location will host a small "pasta party" for all who arrive on the finish day.

The track will see some small improvements, but will in general stay the same as 2025.

There are still open spots, so when you are looking for some bikepacking fun with a twist.

-> link in bio

Or just search gnomathon in your preferred brower by @trailllamas

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7 months ago

Gnomathon bikepacking 2026 will be something special, who needs stamps when you can collect gnome body-parts..

This year you can BYOG
(*Build Your Own Gnome)

Still places available, so don't hesitate if you want some fun in the Dutch mountains.

Thanks for the support again to:
@squirtcyclingproducts
@fixedgearcoffee
@sweetprotection
@knog
@meritgear by @trailllamas

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8 months ago

Lieve Fedde, 2025 is bijna voorbij.... Het jaar waarin jij zo plotseling uit ons leven verdween.
Oudjaarsdag, je keek er altijd zo naar uit. Een 0.0 biertje en een beetje vuurwerk....
Vandaag zullen wij een mooie vuurpijl voor je de lucht in schieten om je een fijn 2026 te wensen.
Maar eigenlijk wil ik niet dat 2025 afgelopen is, 2025... Het laatste jaar dat ik je nog kon vasthouden, met je praten en mooie bouwwerken maken. Het lijkt door het wisselen van het jaartal allemaal nog verder weg...
We missen je zo vreselijk veel.. by @trailllamas

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9 months ago

As soon as I receive the registration email for @taunusbikepacking email from Jesko, I start doubting. The plan was to skip Taunus in ’26 and to use the limited amount of holidays for something new.
Somehow the @taunusbikepacking event is special. It makes you want to come back. Although the track is beautiful and though. For me it’s not the track that makes it special. It’s the atmosphere that Jesko and his team manage to create. Since it is already some months ago that I actually was at the Taunus Bikepacking Race, I cannot recall exactly whom I spoke to, where I rode and what happened in what order. Nevertheless, what sticks from the experience most are the wonderful people, the people who set up food and drinks near the track, who open their houses to the riders, and the people I had some pretty deep and emotional talks to during the ride and at the finisher party.
So instead of a full “race” review, I just want to mention some highlight and use this to thank Jesko, his team and all the people surrounding the Taunus Bikepacking for the amazing week they provided. You truly have no idea how much it meant for me this year to be part of the Taunus bikepacking family.
Thank you all!
I will try to ride it again in the future, but not in 2026. But that does not mean I will not be supporting somewhere along the track… who knows…
Some picture by @bite.of.me and @nils_laengner , some by me…
More highlights in comment section… by @trailllamas

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10 months ago

@arden2eifel Day 4, time to finish this ride. I get up at 4am and before I start riding I check the tracker. Kobe is still at CP-2, so we can “take it easy” today. There is still 75K to go from the shelter I slept yesterday.

The mornings are cold, so around 7am I decide to warm up a little on a bench in the sunshine. I have goosebumps all over my body. Maybe it’s the fatigue kicking in. Maybe it’s just the fact that I did not bring any leg warmers…

I lay down on the bench and fall asleep for a short time. As soon as I wake up, I eat a banana and slowly get riding again. No reason to be in a hurry today.

After an hour of nice views and gravel roads I pass the town Bruch, what follows is a 10km long climb next to a small river, the Gumbach. The gravel roads are not too steep and make for a nice steady climb. On top I reach the town Zemmer, and decide to go off track to the supermarket for some breakfast, there is only 25km to go to the finish and I want a nice sandwich with everything on it.

As soon as I arrive at the supermarket, I realize it is Sunday and since we are in Germany that means everything is closed. Luckily, the bakery seems to be open and I decide to get my well-deserved sandwich there.
I ask for a coffee and two sandwiches…
Sorry, we do not have any bread today is the reply, turns out the oven in the bakery is broken so they could not bake bread today… They do have cake and croissant; I order that and sit down for breakfast.
While I finish my breakfast, I hear the story of the broken oven about 10 more times when the next local comes into the bakery for their Sunday lunch.

After the cake, the track seems to be easier and after some quick forest sections and a long downhill. In the downhill I see an animal bone near the side of the track. I start thinking about how my son would have loved me to bring this home, and how he would have started to analyze what animal it could have been. It makes me decide to ride back up and I strap the bone to my saddlebag. Let’s add this one to your collection Fedde.

More in comment section… by @trailllamas

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a year ago

Gnomathon 2026 date has been fixed.
Registrations are open, hope to see you all at the start next year.
...Link in Bio...
#bikepacking #limburgcycling #coffeebeforecycling #sweetprotection #livetoplayanotherday #applyperformance by @trailllamas

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a year ago

@arden2eifel Day 3, alarm goes at 4:30,
I eat a small snack, put some @squirtcyclingproducts wax on my chain and quickly check the tracker.
Tijl is now 70km in front of me, but @tvderhee, @solari_marco, @_Andreas.stein and @kobevulsteke all spend the night around Arlon.
The town I stopped for dinner last evening, so they are about 3 hrs behind me.

The first section of the day turn out to be typically Luxembourg. Tough as nails, a lot of hike a bike and no room for mistakes. I somehow always love these silly sections. This is the stuff you remember a few years from now.
I get treated to a fantastic sunrise reflection view over a small lake just before I ride up a long tarmac climb, only to find out later I missed a track, let’s go back down again…
After another slow technical section I meet up with Jefte and Djoeke. I give them a quick wave and keep riding. It is still chilly in the morning and a few meter further, I notice I had to go up the steep hike-a-bike…of course. Turn 180 again and let’s start walking. It is a short steep hike-a-bike followed by a looooong gravel climb, but the view is more than worth it.
In the first 2 hours I only ride 17Km, so the track is slow here to say the least..
I leave the Sure behind and climb towards Kautenbach, around 9am I ride onto a campsite where people are enjoying their breakfast, for me no breakfast yet, but another steep hike-a-bike, after the hike a bike, it is one massive climb toward the town of Hosingen where I hope to find breakfast and water…
Bad luck, no shop or restaurants here. I have to continue my way low on water and food. Getting food was going to be a challenge for today as it turned out. A fast downhill and another long double climb takes me to the village Ouren. I decide to go off track into the village, as google tells me it has 3 hotels. They will have breakfast right?
After a small tour through the village, all hotels and restaurants seem to be closed. Luckily, I find a small gym where I am allowed to fill my waterbottles, but they refuse to sell me a can of cola, only for employees apparently…
More in comment section… by @trailllamas

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a year ago

Day 2 starts early, I start riding at 4 AM to get some KM in before it gets to hot again. I did not check the tracker anymore and expect to be somewhere around place 15. A long climb followed by a super nice downhill brings me to the town of Revin. A sad vibe kind of town with a lot of concrete apartments. It still is before 6am so I ride through the town and onto the long switchback road climb.
Halfway the climb I see a head torch behind some bushes. Is see Tom @tvderhee packing his gear, give him a good morning and continue my way. Don’t think he ever noticed me come by though 
The climb end with a bit of a hike a bike, but man what a view as a reward… I eat some haribo’s for breakfast and keep walking further up the hill.
The section that follows is so beautiful, the sun is coming out, there are some singletracks and a lot of nature. After 4 hours of riding I reach the city of Haulme and see the bus shelter I initially planned to sleep in. Happy with my decisicion for an early night yesterday, this section was tough enough with fresh legs.
In a small village I find a bakery and stop for a quick breakfast. Redbull, choco croissants, strawberry cake and some water… Let’s go
One big climb further I reach the town of Bohan, since Augsut 15th is a national holiday, I am happy to see the supermarket is still op. I stock up on salty food and some cola and a ice cream to keep me going, hopefully until CP-1.
There is a few KM’s small flat section here, but the climbs are always “just around the corner” I am feeling good today and having fun, crossing the Semois river with a wooden suspension bridge only makes it better. I ride a cool switchback downhill into Boullion, resupply with crisps, ice cream and cola and before I know it, I ride into Herbeumont.
A quick stop at the local supermarket for a big lunch and go get that stamp. I get the stamp, eat all the food I bought (ice cream, yoghurt, some peaches and haribo’s) 117Km done so far, time to climb out of Herbeumont.

More in comment section by @trailllamas

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a year ago

I just realized I never got to writing the recaps for @arden2eifel or @taunusbikepacking bikepacker this year…

So let see what I still remember…
Day 1 The start & the heat
Since the A2E starts in the city of Namur, it is only a one hour car drive from home. My wife drops me off in the morning, I see some familiar faces and a lot of new ones. We start chatting and I get asked what my target is…. Normally I always like to target top 10% but with less then 30 people at the startline that becomes a bit weird. Since I also have no idea how good or bad the legs are after the holidays I decide to just ride the first day and then decide if I want to “race” or “ride”

After a coffee #coffeebeforecycling a briefing and a group picture it is time to start. Directly after the start there is a long steep climb. I try to keep up with the front group, but a quick look at the power meter tells me that is a very very bad idea…
I drop out of the front group, but not back until the group behind. Nobody around, just me, my bike and a track to follow. I like it this way.

Not long after the first climb, the first technical switchback decent shows up… Damn, if this will stay as technical as it is, it is going to be slow race. I am having fun in the downhill (had to walk some bits to be honest) and when I check my GPS I see I rode to far down… OK, back up again.
The track remains a constant up and down, a mix of nice rolling gravel, some “ravel” roads and some proper mountainbike tracks.
When I reach the town of Philippeville I am greeted by Jefte and Djoeke. Jefte tells me there is a bakery on the marked square, but I decide to carry on. I refilled my water just 4km’s back at a graveyard and I have plenty of food.
Luckily water is easily available, because it is hot. I stop at a lot of graveyards to refill my bottles and pour water over my head.

More in comment section... by @trailllamas

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a year ago

2,5 days bikepacking in the Netherlands with @rutger.stevens , on a party pace. Riding a part of the Trans Netherlands South-North track...
Plan was to start in Sittard, and just ride relaxed untill we find a nice campsite and then pitch the tents.
First day was a lot of gravel and grass tracks, in an area I know really well. Nice tracks but nothing to overwelming. After we rode the bike and ate some cake. We pitched the tent at a small campsite and headed to the town of Bergen for a pizza and some late night snacks.
The second day turned out to be singletrack heaven...
Endless flowy tracks filled with berms, small jumps, drops and a lot of micro climbs. I do not ride in this area of the Netherlands often. But I think I have to go here a bit more. Super fun and challenging tracks, completely different then my home trails. We did not make the (not) planned distance, but ended up a nice campsite again. Time for a shower and some food.
The 3th day it started with rain and some singletracks, the singletrack turned into riding on the highway (truck drivers did not agree...) and not much later a closed off train track crossing. This section of the track should be reviewed again I hope. Due to the weather the moral was low, and in order to not be travelling in rush hour with the bikes, we decided to take the train back around 13:00.
Trains were packed full with bikes, chaos.... But we made it back to Sittard before 16:00. by @trailllamas

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a year ago