Gymea Bay IT consultant Eckart Altenkamp says he has always been risk adverse.
The father-of-four usually confines his cycling to commuting to work or riding his mountain bike in the Royal National Park on weekends.
But when he heard about a five-day, 600km mountain bike race he decided to give it a go.
His gamble paid off. On September 30 he won the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge, cycling from Purni Bore in South Australia to Birdsville in Queensland.
“I’ve never done anything remotely like this,” Eckart said. “I’m still trying to believe it. I’ve never won anything in my life.”
Eckart said there were several reasons that combined to give him the motivation to try the Simpson Desert Challenge.
“I’ve just turned 50,” he said. “I’m German and I always wanted to go to the real outback and I’m a passionate mountain-biker.
“I’m not a risk taker but I felt this is a real opportunity to get to a remote part of the world where I normally don’t go.”
Eckart said participating in the challenge takes a “hell of a lot of commitment”. He completed 7000km of training before he left.
And he took his own support group including his sons, Rasmus, 20 and Christian, 15.
“The Simpson Desert Bike Challenge is a five-day event. Every day you ride 80km in the morning and 50km in the afternoon - 130km a day on sandy desert track crossing about 800 sand dunes,” he said.
It was his second attempt at the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge which is a fund-raiser for the Royal Flying Doctor Service.
“Last year I raised around $5,200 but driving out to the race we had to stop with a broken gear-box at Roxby Downs and we didn’t make it to the starting line.
“This year I decided I would go back and finish the race.”
He said the attraction of the outback was a motivating force. In fact, the outback has played a big role in his life.
“I met my wife, Cecilie, on a bus from Alice Springs to Townsville in 1991. She was Danish. We were both backpacking. We returned home, got married and moved back to Australia in 1998 before going back to Germany and coming back in 2004.
“While I have travelled the outback, the Simpson Desert is such an extreme location. Between the start and the finish line there is not a single building. It is completely remote. Every drop of water you have to bring with you.
“For the first two days of the Challenge the temperatures were in the high 40s but it was a dry heat. Then there was rain and clay pans really stuck. Some of the bikes had 20 kilos of mud on them so the contestants were really exhausted.”
For the Challenge, Eckart rode a Specialized Fatboy model which was designed for riding on snow but is also suitable for the desert.
“Last year there were 22 participants. This year only 12 competed and only four finished every single stage,” he said.
Eckart described his feeling when he crossed the finish line as “exhausted but happy.”
“For me it was a real challenge. I learned I was capable and that I shouldn’t be so risk adverse.
“And I’m proud that I did it with my sons because it showed what team spirit and commitment can achieve.
“I would instantly do it again.
“But the people are the main thing. Everyone is a volunteer. This event is not an elite athletic experience. It’s about people who have big dreams and want to do something different and out of the ordinary from normal life.
“It’s not the race. It’s about camaraderie and Australian values.
“It doesn’t matter if you are ahead. Everybody who crosses the finish line is made to feel like a winner.”
For more information on the Simpson Desert Bike Challenge go to www.desertchallenge.org and subscribe to the newsletter.