“The world is a book and those who don’t travel only know one page.”
So apparently said Saint Augustine, and so I was reminded each time I looked down at the bars of the stunning new metallic green 3T Racemax Italia.
Handmade in Italia, the bike was designed and built for pure, unadulterated gravel. With tractor-like 45mm Pirelli Cinturato tyres, the bike rolled effortlessly. It certainly was a dream bike and tyre combo, one completely worthy of not only seeking out the world’s best gravel roads, but standing resolute to Sant’Agostino’s wise and timeless words.
I was riding countless gravel roads of New South Wales Central West, just a few pages from home in Sydney, but a complete world away.
Trip planning included working out a roughly 900km loop that took in Bathurst, Cowra, Grenfell, Parkes, Orange, Mudgee, Lithgow then home. Guests of the friendly and welcoming folks of the Weddin, Parkes and Orange tourism bodies, the gravel roads of these three central western regions were the core focus of the trip. And what a region it was to ride!
Golden Grenfell
Starting out in the quaint village of Grenfell, some 370km from Sydney, arriving in town is seriously like taking a step back in time. Steeped in history, the town was one of the nation’s standout gold mining hubs back in
