From Evernote:

Sunday - Softly, softly, catchy monkey.

With a new course and a different set of riders I've been thinking a lot about race strategy. This year it looks like fast riding out to the nuclear test site at Emu then sand after that. The fatback has an advantage on sand, but not the handicap that everyone thinks on the hardpack.

In addition, we have seven fat bike riders including some seriously fit people. While I'd like to win, I won't win soley on fitness or on bike advantage.

Choices in strategy would be go hard at the start and try to stay in contention or to take it easy and ride your own race. Each has pros and cons.

It would be a real shame to loose the entire race on the first day because you went too slow and lost time you could never make up. This could well be the case if the course turns out to be super fast and easy. By contrast if the course is hard and you burn too much on the first day the rest of it will be a ordeal; it might be hard to finish, let alone win.

The second plan is to go slow, look after yourself and ride at your own pace. This has a number of benefits; it's less painful for a start, you keep some energy in reserve to use if things get hard and if they do, your not competing in the early days against people you who fail to complete the course on later days.

Softly, softly is the more intelligent plan, it lacks testosterone but has applies more gray matter. I'll ride my own race, it's just the risk of being left far behind that scares me.

From Evernote:

Known Unknowns

Sitting here waiting for the cab I've set to wondering what it's going to be like. I've done the obligatory Google search for Anne Beadell highway and found an old 2006 Australian Geographic magazine with a map of the area and an article of the nuclear tests that took place in the woomera testing range. Strange to think well be cycling past 'ground zero' for a 10kt nuclear bomb.

Back on the race, what's it going to be like? The 4WD website exploreOz rates the trail 4 out of 5 stars for difficulty. That's the same rating as the Simpson Desert Rig Road. I think the dunes are smaller and the track narrower. After the rain we have had (and there has been some along the Anne Beadell) I think there will be plenty of vegetation that will make the track appear narrower still. This will limit the ability of competitors to do the Indian Scout trick, I.e. get out of a sandy trail and pick your way through the vegetation along the side. If there is sand on the track we'll all have to ride through it.

Corrugations also feature notably in the information I've managed to gather. There are plenty of stories of vehicles limping into Coober Pedy with damage from corrugations. On a fully rigid bike that could be interesting, though the suspension last year didn't really help! Sometimes a bicycle can pick a clear line through corrugations given it's so much thinner than a car. Still, I'm sure they will be a literal pain in the arse.

Weather is the last consideration. The Simpson is famed for it's dust storms. They are what built the dunes in the first place. We had two major storms last year and it was on these that the rest of the field had trouble. The Anne Beadell looks to have more vegetation and better weather so we should see less dust flying. I'm happy with that, especially if it's radioactive dust.

All in all then, what can we guess in foresight that we might know in hindsight? If the race had moved to the road you could quite easily say that the fittest guy with the fastest bike would come first. It hasn't. 600km is a long way off road whichever way you look at it. Add in soft sand and a remote desert location it's going to be tough. Same as last year, I think it's going to the simple things that stop people; not drinking enough, not eating enough, getting a puncture, pumping your tyres too hard.

From Evernote:

Mind over matter

Some people ask 'how did you manage to keep going?'. That's precisely the wrong question to dwell on.

Sure, you might wonder how long you can keep pedaling, how long you can endure the heat, how long you can push through the sand before it stops you but then you're focusing on the negative things, the very things that are going to stop you.

Personally, I like to realize that it's not serious. You can stop anytime you like. Compared with rock climbing, canyoning, mountaineering, caving there are no serious repercussions if you stop.

For example, even hill walking in Scotland incurs onerous liabilities; turn an ankle and you'll need to hope that a member of your party can get out. It can be four hours walk to the nearest road before they can raise the alarm. At best, it will take a couple of hours to mobilize the rescue services then potentially another four hours for them to walk back in. Without the right gear you'll be freezing cold in an hour, hypothermic in the next. Quitting on a Scottish hill will not be more comfortable than walking four hours on a busted ankle. It may actually prove fatal.

Compare that to the Simpson cycle. Quit here and an air-conditioned 4WD will be along shortly. The car contains all of your (likely) desires; water, food, shade, cool. Sling the bike on the roof and relax.

Once you recognize how easy it is to quit, it makes it easier to keep going. You can quit at any second, but have you actually made that choice yet? No? Well, recognizing that there is a certain level of discomfort at the moment, what can you do to help yourself? A sip of water, always a good start. Some food. Good. Have a look around. Is this track you've been riding for the last half hour really the firmest? What about that beautiful clay capped line three feet to your left? Dumkopft. There we go, far better.

Suddenly, you're focused on the things that will get you through.  

  

Memories of 2009 - the last day

A last ride on the beach

From Evernote:

Everything changes, everything remains the same

The Simpson Desert Challenge is a race of contradictions.

It's not how fast you can ride, but how slow you can go without being caught.

It's not the lightest wheel that wins, but the biggest.

It's not the toughest rider that wins, but the one that can take the most tender loving care of their body.

It's not good food that's important but how much you can force down your neck.

It's not what you drink but how much.

Many people think that deserts are hot places but the correct definition is actually a dry place. The ultimate contradiction is that the Simpson Desert is actually underwater this year. While it would be good to see the wildlife it would be a pretty tough trip to get a vehicle through. Running a cycle race is out of the question.

Instead, we head north to Coober Pedy and then turn right. The Anne Beadell 'highway' runs due west towards WA.

I've been thinking about this race for a year; training, buying bicycles, testing, fettling, re-testing. After all that careful planning and preparation we're right back in the same position as last year - heading into the unknown!

Everything changes. Everything remains the same.