The Simpson Desert Bike Challenge – or Satan’s velodrome as it’s often referred to – regularly lives up to its billing, becoming a hellish experience for the cyclists who take part. The ride across the desert is in its 26th year, and it hasn’t got any easier.
2012’s gruelling event took place in October. Starting at Purni Bore in South Australia, 16 intrepid mountain bikers rode for 590km, finishing at the legendary Birdsville Hotel on the Queensland border.
One of the 16 riders was 51-year-old Terry Flaskos. A member of the Cretan Association of Sydney and NSW, Terry conquered his demons, aching muscles and soaring temperatures to complete the course, becoming the first Greek-Australian ever to do so.
Sydney-sider Flaskos raised a record-beating $14,390 in the process – nearly half the $38,750 raised by the total number of riders in this year’s race. The next highest sponsored biker raised just over $3000.
A test of physical endurance and mental strength, the ride is one of the toughest mountain bike events in the world. During the race, temperatures soared to more than 45C as the riders covered 130 kms a day. Why did Terry put himself through such an ordeal?
“I embarked on this crazy ride for a variety of reasons: a test of character, a personal goal, a physical challenge, a mastering of discipline…something our modern lives lack,” said Terry after the race.
“I’ve always been involved in fundraising, I was born in a small village in Kos called Pili, and I wanted to support the work of the Royal Flying Doctor Service and our isolated outback communities.
“I thought it would be impossible to do the event, but with 14 months of training, six hours a day, six days a week, I prepared myself. If I hadn’t, there is no way I would have survived.”
Terry’s sweat-stained diary, completed after each day’s ride, gives a glimpse of what he went through.
Terry told Neos Kosmos that one of the lessons he learned during the experience was to take a positive attitude when facing overwhelming adversity.
“No matter what age you are or how hard it is, if you put your mind to it and do whatever it takes with your heart, you will find support for your cause and you can do it.
“Stay positive, focus. If you aim high, stay high. It’ll get you there.”