tending bikes, chatting nervously,
examining maps, we set off into the
dunes keen to get a few hours ahead.
By midmorning even the slower
bikes had raced past us, a number
had dropped out the previous night
accepting that the Simpson is tough.
They hadn’t been beaten, the Simp-
son is tough, they’d had a go and in
doing so they’d achieved something
most can’t ... or won’t.
The Simpson is indeed tough, the
second day was proof of that. Tem-
peratures rose significantly compared
to the previous day; water and ener-
gy conservation became a priority.
TRAVERSE 22