10 Deserts Solo Cycle Epic

A highway or not a highway? After the end of my first cruisy days' riding, I thought this leg of my ride may be easier than I had been anticipating. Full-width excavated road (due to mining activity near Laverton), and only occassional sandy patches. Holy cow, is it possible to ride the AB on a conventional bike???

Slowly, day by day, the amount of soft sand and corrugated 4WD tracks increased. Very quickly any thoughts of recommending to anyone that this route could be comfortably ridden on anything other than a 4" fatty were soon dispelled. The western side of this "highway" (yeah right - don't know what Len was smoking at the time) was relatively tame. There were patches of hard pack intermixed with all the soft sandy sections, so I was still able to maintain a decent average distance travelled per day. I was aiming for 90/100km/day for my food to last full distance.

Fortunately for me, conditions (weather) were very mild. After topping up with 30lt water at Yeo, this carried me right through to the WA/SA border, although I did top-up with another 5lt at a new r/water tank only 60km west of Ilkurlka "just in case". Based on this relatively light water consumption, I allowed myself an additional margin for the "tougher, sandier" going I had been warned about on the SA side. I opted to carry only 50lt, down from my original 80lt allowance. This top-up needed to carry me all the way through to Coober Pedy as there were no rain/water tanks on the SA side. This was a carefully calculated but risky move. In hindsight it was a good move. That extra 30kg water would have been a cursed burden through all that soft sand; hundreds of kilometres of it. So often I was considering myself so fortunate to have a 4" Fatback so that this terrain was actually rideable. The Extrawheel type trailer (using Extrawhel fork) worked brilliantly. There were still so many rough rocks and deep rutted hard pack sections. With so much load on board, a conventional 2-wheel bike would have been overloaded and prone to failure one way or another.

In the end, I arrived in Coober Pedy with 16lt water remaining. It's always my plan to finish each "stretch" between reliable water supplies with at least 10lt water left-over. It's too easy for something to go terribly wrong out here, any that 10lt buffer is cheap insurance. I figure the extra weight is great HTFU training

Some of the flora of the AB does not grow in any other latitude. The marble gums were always majestic and a relaxing presence. On several occassions I'd try to plan to stop riding a little before sunset, walk across a few dunes and find an oasis seeming untouched by man. You have to see it to believe it. I doubt any photo can do this amazing place justice.

Campfires were always a welcome night-time distraction. Most nights were freezing, so getting going in the morning was always hard work.

My tyres eventually succumbed to all the prickly terrain "way out west" and I got my first punctures (front and rear bike tyres) because I'd run out of Stan's latex solution. More Stan's will be going in very soon. It's been great not having to repair flats until now!

I'd like to extend a special thanks to all those nice and very generous 4WD'ers I met en-route; roughly one 4WD party/day on average. Your RFDS donations will be processed today. It's always great to chat with those I meet en-route. Sometimes I feel like a koala in a Japenese zoo at the amazement of 4WD'ers meeting a bike rider in such remote locations.

Sorry I haven't already sent on photos from the CSR. I needed to hold onto my memory card. Hopefully I have a replacement waiting in the post office so I can send on CSR (and now A.B.) photos soon.

I'll take two days off here in Coober Pedy. I've only had 2 days not riding in the past 5 weeks. The body is very much in need of a rest and the bike also needs a 5000km service. Yes, I've now travelled the equivalent distance from Perth to Sydney "off-road" on this epic ride.

Riding on through the painted and moon deserts will also be nice. I don't necessarily need a 4" tyre bike for these "dirt-roads", but the 4" tyres roll over all the gibber and corrugations so much easier than a conventional bike. I will need gas for all my cooking from here on in since wood for fires becomes a scarcity in many places for the remainder of my ride. It will be "relatively" easier terrain from here through to Birdsville. I am quitely sh!tting myself about what awaits in the Simpson, but more on that later.

Woowee, Anne Beadell solo and unsupported. It feels great. I can't believe how much I am eating, or devouring. At least my weight is holding stationary.

Details -
Distance: 1380km
Conditions: combined soft sand, sand dunes, hard pack and VERY corrugated 4WD tracks
Difficulty: 4/5
Est'd Time: 2 weeks

Laverton is the stepping stone for my west-east traverse of the Great Victorian desert (GVD), or Anne Beadell highway as it's better known. The Anne Beadell is another class 'A' desert, a well earned rating given the destruction these badly corrugated roads cause for so many 4WD'ers. This link from the Exploroz site is very helpful. The GVD is Australia's largest desert, covering approx. 425000 sq.km.

To the best of my knowledge this route has never been ridden, let alone unsupported. There are 4 known water stops spattered along this 1380km route, but the single longest stretch without water is 645km from the west side of the WA/SA border, all the way to Coober Pedy in SA. The dunes in this desert are not as challenging as the CSR, but the isolation will be surreal. Reports are that you may not see a single 4WD for several days if at all during this crossing. At the time I'll be traversing the GVD, temperatures will be quite timid during the day, and freezing at night. The desert is never 100% reliable though. Any change can be just around the corner, so best to be prepared for anything. Travelling the same terrain in summer would not be a smart move.

My bike trailer has been specially designed, specifically for the copious water load I'll need to carry for this crossing and also across the Simpson, but more on that here (link)