I’ve got a confession. I love the Simpson Desert. I love its aboriginal and modern history which is filled with stories of hardship and triumph. I love its beauty, its harshness, and its solitude.
A few years ago this led to me looking at it through the lens of a bike rider and saying “that looks rideable”. As I passed through Birdsville on the edge of the desert one year I picked up a flyer for the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge and here we are.
I’ve now been to three events. I’ve supported riders twice and competed last year with the distinction of being the lanterne rouge. Being an Escape member I just thought this was a story too good not to be told.
With the exception of the COVID years, the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge has been running continuously since 1987 making it one of the longest-running MTB stage races in the world. It runs across, around, or at the very least near the Simpson Desert which is the largest set of parallel sand dunes in the world, occupying close to the area of Victoria and straddling the Northern Territory, Queensland, and South Australia.
The race takes place late in September or early October which means the weather can be anything from quite pleasant to a furnace set to 11, with the chance of rain and a dust storm thrown in too. Yes it would probably be sensible to run it in the depths of winter, but it’s supposed to be a challenge. The event has been raising funds for the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) since 2008 with over half a million dollars raised to date.
Each year the race is spread over five days with morning and afternoon stages. The exact route changes but it’s typically between 500 and 600 kilometres in total with the morning stages – run in the cool – being typically 80 or so kilometres and the afternoon stages usually 35 or 40 kilometres due to the heat. Each stage is timed by the minute, but to finish the stage you must complete the distance and average more than 12 kilometres per hour. This might not sound hard – but riding stage after stage over sand dunes in the heat can make just staying ahead of the sweep a real challenge.
Because of this, the race becomes almost two competitions within one event, with many just hoping to complete all the stages and collect their finisher’s medal while others race for an outright place by completing the stages in the least amount of time. One of the hardest parts of this event is recovering and backing it up stage after stage with the desert and the sweep ready to take you at any moment.
I believe I had better address the logistics of this. To compete, a rider must first find one or many people who have a suitable vehicle who are willing to support them. So one rider might have several people and a couple of cars for full luxury, or you might have up to two riders per vehicle. Typically it’s a mish mash of partners and family that have been roped in and groups of mates who line up at the start line. For many it will be the first trip across the desert driving and camping, so sometimes you see dish-plate eyes on display. Even driving across the Simpson is a bucket-list challenge for many. If you think travelling circus with a mix of everybody from all walks of life herding their performers (athletes) from show to show you’re probably close.
Organising all the logistics to make this happen, and getting to the start line at Purni Bore on the western edge of the desert is a challenge that is known to defeat crews on occasion. It will make finding a fatbike seem easy. All these cats are herded by a group of organisers that typically come back voluntarily year after year and keep the athletes on stage and ensure all the wagons get to the next show on time.
This year’s event – held in early October – had a solid turn-out of 24 riders, of which only half a dozen had ridden the ride before. That’s pretty normal. Having so many new faces each year means you never really have any idea what’s going to happen until the end of the first stage.
We were lucky this year as the desert was fairly kind. Late-season rains meant the sand was firm for the first few days, and the wildflowers were plentiful. Temperatures were in the high 20s (~80 ºF) and low 30s to start, warming up to touch 40 ºC (104 ºF) by day three. Those temperatures test riders’ hydration strategies and heat adaptation.
Rather than write a blow-by-blow race report I thought I’d ask a few competitors for their experiences of the race.
Bronwyn – Unicorn hunter versus the desert
Every year that I’ve been to the event Bronwyn has been there fulfilling some role that the race can’t get by without. Usually she’s dressed as a unicorn or fairy so that no one gets too serious. She rode the event in 2014 and wasn’t able to finish. This year she decided that she wanted to ride and get her finish medal.
Unfortunately her preparation was not ideal as she broke her collarbone only 12 weeks out from the race. Her 2024 race was not to be and Bronwyn was swept on the big dunes on day three (although you can still ride the rest of the stages). At the time you could feel the disappointment – even asking her how it happened after the event I could tell it was still raw.
“It was day three on the French Line,” she said. “It was hot and the sand was soft and I went into that day feeling broken and shattered. Getting up and getting onto the bike was really hard – perhaps I was broken mentally. There is no opportunity for any rest riding over the big dunes on that stage … and drinking hot water from your bottle. Nothing can prepare you for that.”
As ever though Bronwyn could still see the magnitude of what she’d managed to do.
“There is no way you can’t be proud of riding 459 km across the desert – but it doesn’t take the sting out of missing out on the finisher’s medal,” she said. “Still riding in the desert with this group of people is one of the great joys in my life. You think this is hard and then you look up and it’s the most beautiful thing. You see footprints and get up that dune where others have walked, and then go sailing down the other side at 50 km/h.”
Her greatest highlight every year though is spending time with her “desert family”.
“Without the race people bringing their best selves and a sense of adventure, this race wouldn’t be what it is,” she added.
Roger – Oldest competitor in the desert
The Bike Challenge has several categories which people can enter. The standard, full race is the default, but people can select from teams, relay, e-bike (still waiting for someone to try that), and shorter distances such as the 300. Roger elected to do the 300 which meant riding the morning stages. He was also the oldest competitor this year (and in recent times) at a very young-looking 73.
I met Roger for the trip from Birdsville across the desert to the start with a few other competitors. The riders elected to have a little pedal on the course and unfortunately his new bike snapped its carbon seatstay. The rules are you must use the same frame for the whole ride, so after discussing with the organisers, a call for help went out and one of the other competitors loaned him a spare bike for the event!
I asked Roger why he decided to sign up for the race.
“I saw it as a challenge and my wife Jo and I had never been to the desert before,” he said. “I’ve worked in remote areas my whole life and have seen the good work of the RFDS so it also seemed like an opportunity to fundraise for a good charity”.
There were plenty of highlights to Roger’s ride.
“Flying down sand dunes all through the desert,” he said. “Being able to ride across the top of the dunes between Little Red and Big Red amongst the wildlife and wildflowers. The camaraderie amongst riders, supporters and organisers was also a highlight.”
The biggest downside was being swept just 3 km short of the finish on stage 5 due to the heat. This meant that he only completed 350 km out of the 353 km meaning no finisher’s medal. Regardless, he was still tremendously grateful for the tireless work of the organisers, and the support of his wife Jo who seemed to enjoy sending the family car over hundreds of sand dunes.
Monica – Who needs a support crew?
I met Monica when she rode the Challenge in 2022. I was delighted to see that she’d signed up again for this year. Each year many of those travelling to the race stop the night before the race at Mount Dare Station which is the nearest shop of any kind to the race start. It’s a chance to fill the cars, possibly repair anything broken, and have a pub meal and meet our desert family.
This year I was alarmed to find out from “race control” that Monica’s vehicle had broken a fan belt and she was stuck in Oodnadatta. As the hours went by I got word that the race doctor had picked her up and taken hopefully everything needed to the start at Purni Bore and that we would see her tomorrow. Her husband Tim had been left to hopefully fix the car and join the race.
The next day at the start line a fanbelt was found by one of the support crews, which was then sent with a random traveller the 230 kilometres back to Oodnadatta which allowed the car to be fixed. Monica would have her support vehicle back at the end of the second day of the race.
When asked why she had decided to come back and race again I was a bit surprised. On the last day of the race in 2022 she had found out that a good friend had died in a car crash and so she didn’t really get the chance to enjoy the celebration at the end of the race. “I just wanted to be able to enjoy the celebration at the end,” she said.
This year Monica bought a new bike with 4.4” tyres instead of the 3” tyres she had last time and found the going a bit easier. She didn’t manage to complete all the stages but was pretty happy given the heat and distractions she endured this year. I asked what the highlights of her race were this year and it was the beauty of the desert after recent rains that charmed her.
“Riding through flocks of budgies and fields of flowers was amazing,” she said. “The sun shining through the grass seed heads in the morning looked like crystal chandeliers”.
She was also profoundly grateful for how the race community pulled together to get her to the start line and then reunite her with her support crew.
Stuart – The fastest dog-walker in the desert
Stuart and I have known each other for possibly longer than we want to discuss. We’ve ridden together a bit but Stuart was always the star with his pinnacle being riding the National Road Series for a few years in the 2010s. Since then he’s been focussed on life and family with the commute to work and walking his energetic kelpie being his only exercise.
A few months ago we met on our commute, as sometimes happens. Knowing he would love the chance to ride the desert, and that I wasn’t riding this year, I offered him my fatbike for this year’s event. A quick fit check and three mornings of riding and off we went to the desert! To everyone’s surprise, and especially his, he went on to win this year’s event. I asked Stuart how he would describe the event.
“It’s totally fun times,” he said. “The race schedule is hectic with days starting at 4.30am and finishing around 9pm though the vibe around the race village is one that is filled with laugher and good times. The race village community is always ready to help each other out to ensure the event proceeds with minimal disruptions.
“As someone who loves riding pushbikes, getting the opportunity to traverse the beautiful and scenic Simpson Desert on a push bike in a safe and supported environment, is one of those opportunities that rarely presents. I liken it to getting a glimpse of those infamous Northern Lights in Norway.”
I’m pretty sure Stu had a great time but I had to ask anyway if there were any downsides.
“There were definitely no downsides for me at all,” he said. “The race event is designed to be a challenge and that it was! From the magnificently rugged terrain, some 40+ degree days, competitive racing, and even a curious dingo or two that wanted to greet me during my evening ablutions, this experience and opportunity has created a special and lasting memory. I hope that I get the opportunity to participate in another SDBC in the not-too-distant future.”
You can learn more about the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge at the event’s website, Facebook page, and Instagram feed.
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