Rapid Ascent

“𝑂𝐾, 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑠: 𝑔𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑠𝑡 95𝑘𝑚 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑢𝑡𝑏𝑎𝑐𝑘 𝑟𝑖𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐼 𝑃𝑅𝑂𝑀𝐼𝑆𝐸 𝐼’𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑝𝑢𝑏 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑤𝑛 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑖𝑛 𝑐𝑎𝑟𝑏𝑠.”

That’s 👆the deal most riders were silently making with their bodies as they crawled out of their sleeping bags ahead of Stage 4 of the Shimano Gravel Muster today.

The bikes had carried everyone a long way by this point. The snack pockets had seen too much. The legs had formed opinions. But, we think we speak for everyone when we say, our SOULS are 100% recharged!

When the racing got underway, the tired bodies left Ross River Homestead for one last push back to Alice Springs (and a finish line literally INSIDE the Alice Springs Brewing Co beer garden!).

It started steadily enough, winding over the ridgelines of Ross River Gorge, along the Binns Track south and across the dry Ross River bed before opening out onto the plains.

But then came the last piece of business...

A 43km timed segment, affectionately dubbed “The Ringwood Roubaix”, began at the 21km mark. It gave the flat-chat crew one final chance to pump out the watts, seek a smooth line and put time on the board in the battle for GC.

For the cruisers, it was one last dance with the desert before returning to asphalt and rolling into the local watering hole.

At the finish line, all riders came together like a big family for high-fives, fresh ales and tales that are still getting taller with every beer!

Huge CONGRATULATIONS to the entire field for taking on this slightly hare-brained concept of ours. It’s terrain that would make most mere mortals squirm, but you handled it like pros and should all be proud!

Finally, a HUGE THANK YOU for your good humour, pig-headed determination and adaptability! Toughing it out is one thing. Doing it with a smile on your face is something else entirely!

FINAL RESULTS:
STAGE 4 - FEMALE
Bek GRATTON 1:14:19

STAGE 4 - MALE
Jack BRAND 1:09:46

𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐂 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬:

FINAL GC - FEMALE
1st: Elizabeth NUSPAN 6:22:48
2nd: Bek GRATTON 6:43:55
3rd: Bridget LESTER 7:32:32

FINAL GC - MALE
1st: Jack BRAND 6:07:01
2nd: James MORRIS 6:08:52
3rd: Ian MCKELLOW 6:24:25

Full results here: https://gravelmuster.rapidascent.com.au/2026-results/

Thanks again, everyone. (Now let’s get to that post-race buffet!)

Sunburnt country, one gravel road at a time.

Stage 3 of the Shimano Gravel Muster served up the kind of scenery that makes you forget you're mid-race and just start soaking it in.

The 90km stage left Hale River Homestead this morning, beginning with a 17km mass-start racing segment. The route passed Ambalindum Station and its working cattle yards, crossed dry riverbeds with the occasional sand trap, wove through shady gullies and climbed onto the Arltunga Plateau.

Then the timing stopped at the historic Arltunga ruins. Time to jump off the bike, explore Central Australia's oldest settlement and imagine what life would have been like during the gold rush in 1887!

Soon after we pulled into the Arltunga Bush Pub for morning smoke'o where the coffee machine was running almost as hot as the beating hearts of the riders.

From there, the desert kept shifting shape underneath us — new colours, new textures, new views around every bend. The cruisers took it slow and soaked it in together. The racers filed it away for later, heads down and ready for the next timing mat at the 37km mark.

The second racing segment ran for 30km to the 67km point near Trephina Gorge, a fittingly jaw-dropping backdrop for lunch on a jaw-dropping stage.

The final 20km cruise took the weary crew downhill to Ross River Homestead, their camp for the night, complete with a fully stocked bar, café, pool and the chance to relax and chat some more.
Big congrats to the Stage 3 field.

Here are the results:
STAGE 3
Female: Elizabeth NUSPAN 1:32:42
Male: Jack BRAND 1:27:49

Here are the GC standings with one day to go:
GC - FEMALE
1st: Elizabeth NUSPAN 5:08.19
GC - MALE
1st: Jack BRAND 4:57:35

Full results here:
https://gravelmuster.rapidascent.com.au/2026-results/

Can't believe there's only one more day!

151km through the outback — today was the BIG ONE at the Shimano Gravel Muster.

Starting at the Alice Springs Telegraph Station in the pre-dawn light, the stage headed north along the Stuart Highway for 50km. This was the social part of the day — untimed, pressure off, a chance to cruise, chat and settle into a bunch (and remember that 148km is a long way to go without a car key in your pocket).

Then came the only turn of the whole day. A hard right onto Gardens Road, and suddenly the stage got started good and proper — 100km of gravel to the finish at Hale River Homestead.

Gardens Road is an endless ribbon of gravel leading to the horizon and beyond — wide and flat, but full of subtle nuances only appreciated on a bike: rolling undulations, ever-changing vegetation, the occasional grazing cattle, and views deeper and deeper into the outback. It really is like riding through a bygone world.

Gardens Road is broken into 2 timed racing segments — 49km and 36km — with untimed lunch stops and cruise sections in between. Race them, cruise them, or mix it up — the choice is yours. Settle into a social rhythm with mates, roll your own pace, or put the head down when the timing's on. That's the beauty of the format.

The road was in superb condition — freshly graded, dust kept down by recent rain, and cooler conditions to boot. "Zero corrugations" and "flat, fast and fun" were the words on everyone's lips at the finish.

And into the eclectic Hale River Station we go — camping and cabins, food and drinks around the campfire, surrounded by new friends. This is what the Gravel Muster is about. 🔥

🏆 STAGE 2 Female: Elizabeth Nuspan — 3:00:02 Male: James Morris — 2:56:39
🏆 GC Female: Elizabeth Nuspan — 3:35:57 Male: Jack Brand — 3:30:05

Full results: https://gravelmuster.rapidascent.com.au/2026-results/

Let the musterin’ BEGIN! The 2026 Shimano Gravel Muster is offically underway!

It all kicked off on the outskirts of Alice Springs today with a 2.6km Individual Time Trial around Blatherskite Park that was the perfect chance to warm up, test the bike and set the start order for the afternoon’s stage.

Stage 1 proper then sent riders on a 47km loop south and west of Alice Springs on a mixture of gravel, asphalt and (technical) bike paths. Riers passed through the stunning Honeymoon Gap and continued to Simpsons Gap, one of the region’s most iconic landmarks where the mighty MacDonnell Ranges are split by a river of water – so impressive.

Then came perhaps the most picturesque (and twisty) bike path in the country: the Simpsons Gap Bike Path. Time-trial positions were set. Eyes were set on the horizon and watts were produced as riders hurtled back towards Alice Springs.

16km later, BOOM!

The final 1km gravel climb hit the Lycra-clad warriors like a freight train and demanded every last ounce of energy to summit Flagon Hill and enter the hilltop pop-up bar! And when they got there? - a magnificent view across the MacDonnell Ranges without a patch of civilisation in sight.

This year’s field includes riders from across seven Australian states and territories, plus visitors from South Africa and Belgium. It's set to go off like a Christmas cracker!

Special congrats to the overall winners:

PROLOGUE
Female: Elizabeth NUSPAN 4:23
Male: Jack BRAND 3:56

STAGE 1
Female: Elizabeth NUSPAN 32:31
Male: Jack BRAND 30:16

Full results here: https://gravelmuster.rapidascent.com.au/2026-results/

Fuel up and recover, riders...

Tomorrow, we’re going deeeep into the desert...

CONGRATULATION 2026 RUN LARAPINTA RUNNERS... YOU’VE DONE IT!!

Four days ago, we stood together at the Old Telegraph Station with fresh legs, over-glycogen-ed quadriceps and a healthy amount of nervous anticipation.

Today, at Ellery Creek Waterhole, we stood together again...

Only now there were finish-line hugs, dust-caked shoes, very tired smiles and a whole lot of people who know themselves, and each other, far, far better than they did on Day 1.

The final stage gave us everything we could have hoped for from a Run Larapinta finale – tough running, 360 degree views from Counts Point, running above the endless abyss of Serpentine Gorge and a post race BBQ and swim at the oasis-like Ellery Creek Waterhole.

Runners crossed the final finish line with every version of emotion: relief, pride, exhaustion, joy, disbelief and the occasional urgent longing for a chair. They finished with new friends, old friends, family and the kind of shared stories that will grow taller every time they are retold.

To every runner who started this journey, THANK YOU.

THANK YOU for choosing adventure. THANK YOU for bringing your grit, humour and generous spirit to the Red Centre. THANK YOU for cheering, encouraging, sharing the hard moments and making this event the special little travelling community that it is.

We are beyond proud of you all and honoured to have shared the journey with you.

Overall placegetters:

MALBUNKA, LONG COURSE FEMALE

🏆 Lauren FRISKEN - 15:53:49
🥈 Ela HEINIGER - 15:57:48
🥉 Esther O'SULLIVAN - 16:02:57

MALBUNKA, LONG COURSE MALE

🏆 Carl HARRISON - 13:06:59
🥈 James KUEGLER - 13:23:05
🥉 Ryan CLARK - 13:34:33

NAMATJIRA, SHORT COURSE FEMALE

🏆 Aleisha ANDERSON - 11:26:18
🥈 Paris DOVE - 12:35:29
🥉 Jo WOOD - 12:50:30

NAMATJIRA, SHORT COURSE MALE

🏆 James BUTLER - 12:28:07
🥈 Rohan GORRINGE - 12:32:25
🥉 Josh ADAMS - 12:42:20

Today’s Stage 4 winners:

MALBUNKA, LONG COURSE

Female: 🥇 Esther O'SULLIVAN - 04:13:34
Male: 🥇 Carl HARRISON - 03:35:25

NAMATJIRA, SHORT COURSE

Female: 🥇 Aleisha ANDERSON - 03:41:38
Male: 🥇 Tim DETTMAN - 03:27:10

Thank you to James Tudor for capturing the moments that will keep this week alive long after everyone is home.

That is a wrap, legends.

Recover well. Wear your merch with pride. And soak up the awe-stricken comments from family and friends. You’ve bloody well earned it!

Here’s to a magic 4 days 🍻

The (missing you already) Rapid Ascent Team