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.

Tubeless Endomorph

And in the end a pretty easy conversion to tubeless. I used the ghetto style with 20x3 inch BMX inner tubes from Schwalbe. I went for Schrader valves as last year - it's easy to get a cheap, accurate gauge for car type valves. I used an expensive quantity of 3M double sided foam tape.

My bike has Uma 2 rims. I used one wrap of duct tape, one wrap of 50mm x 1.5mm double sided foam tape as a base then an extra 2 wraps each side of 19mm x 1.5mm double sided foam tape. In effect I brought the sides up by 4.5mm and the middle by 1.5mm. If I was trying to do this again, I think the middle wrap is the most important because until you get this in place it's hard to inflate, even with a compressor.

You can still fit the tyre by hand but once on the tyre will not spin around the rim; even though it's in the low centre of the rim the foam makes it too tight to spin. After that a track pump and some soap and water were enough to set the beads. I unscrewed the valve core and added 180ml of Stan's sealant per tyre. Contrary to what I've heard on the web, my Endomorph's were already almost airtight. One 'Shake and rotate' sequence was enough to have them all sealed up.

I've taken them for a spin at 8psi/12psi. I'll lower that then do some experiments on the sand to see if they burp.

Training On Manly Beach

The faty, tubeless on manly beach. In testing I took it down to 3psi in the front and 5 psi in the back to prove the tubeless conversion would not burp.

At 3psi if you stand up you can push the rim through the front tyre and onto the road.