The Simpson Desert Bike Challenge (SDBC) is an annual staged mountain bike race held in the Simpson Desert of Australia. First held in 1987, the SDBC is run by the non-profit organisation Desert Challenge Inc
The SDBC covers between 500 and 600 kilometres and lasts five days. The times taken to finish each stage are aggregated to determine the overall winner. Although the course changes every year, the SDBC typically starts in South Australia and finishes in Birdsville, Queensland. The route takes riders and support crews through the largest parallel sand dune desert in the world.
Riders of all ages and abilities are allowed to participate. For example, past competitors have included a cop, a coffee shop owner, and an IT manager.
The SDBC is unofficially the world's longest-running mountain bike stage race. According to several endurance event rating sites, the SDBC race is one of the world's toughest endurance events.
There is no prize pool for the SDBC . All proceeds are donated to charity. Since 2008 the committee has donated the proceeds to the Royal Flying Doctor Service of Australia (RFDS) Money is raised for the RFDS through online fundraising of riders, a post-race auction, as well as donations collected during the event for (fun) fines. So far more than $312,000 have been raised by the organization, which is run by a group of volunteers and incorporated in South Australia as the non-for-profit organization Desert Challenge Inc.
Race location and routes
The SDBC" crosses the Munga-Thirri–Simpson Desert National Park (proclaimed a national park on 26 November 2021, formerly Munga-Thirri—Simpson Desert Conservation Park and the Munga-Thirri-Simpson Desert Regional Reserve) a large area of dry, red sandy plain and dunes in the Northern Territory, South Australia and Queensland. The course varies from year to year as several routes have been surveyed and developed.
The SDBC it is basically a moving race village, comprising riders and their support crews, 4 wheel drive vehicles and event crew.
The race routes traverse tracks that were constructed for oil exploration in the 1970s. In wet conditions, track closures are common and the race may need to be diverted.
Race concept and purpose There are no settlements or service locations between the SDBC start and finish lines. As the event crosses protected conservation areas, it has to comply with a range of rules designed to protect the environment. The SDBC follows a format in which riders are always travelling between a front and rear convoy.
Each day, riders complete a morning and afternoon stage. Race distance: Race duration: 5 days (9 or 10 stages; on day five there are one or two stages) Stage distances: ~ 75 km morning, ~ 45 km afternoon.
Due to the significant daily distances and the requirement for riders to arrive at night camp before dark, the SDBC has a minimum speed requirement. Riders must maintain a minimum average of per hour to stay ahead of the rear convoy – which is led by the sweep vehicle. If caught by the “sweep,” riders have to take a lift to the end of that stage. Riders are allowed to restart the next stage in the afternoon or the next morning.
All riders who complete every stage of the SDBC get the “100% SDBC medal.” The average percentage of riders winning the 100% medal is 36% – although there have been years where no rider completed the course (e.g. 2008) as well as one year where no rider was swept at all (2016).
Water stops are located approximately every and every rider has to stop and collect water. At the start and end of every stage, the weight of each rider is recorded to manage risks related to dehydration. Beyond water stops, riders must be self-sufficient.
Medical teams are present at each water stop to monitor the physical and mental status of the riders. Support vehicles must travel in either the front convoy ahead of the riders or in the rear convoy behind the Sweep vehicle. Vehicles experiencing difficulties crossing dunes can expect prompt assistance. Regulations require each vehicle to have UHF radio and a high visibility safety flag.
Event origins
In 1988, Jack and Mary Mullins organised and directed the first Simpson Desert Cycle Classic In 1988. The event raised money for the Paraquad Association.
The Mullins ran the SDBC until 1994, when Rod and Loz Townsend took it over. During those years an association with the Paraplegic Benefit Fund was created as a recipient charity. The Townsends managed the event until 2001.
In 2006 a management committee for the SDBC was elected. This committee established Desert Challenge Inc..
Race results + Simpson Desert Bike Challenge - Race WinnersYearOverall Winners100% Finishers1st Place2nd Place3rd PlaceNo. of riders who completed all race stages / overall no. of riders2025Dale CouttsBen SwincerMark Nurmela 3/72024Stuart NedenMax ColemanGeeb Smith5/102023Marc FoxBenjamin FallonMark Hartmann3/122022Peter GwynneJames TranterEckart Altenkamp & Malcolm Murray14/232021n/a (cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic)2020n/a (cancelled due to COVID-19 Pandemic)2019Rasmus AltenkampMichael LiebertChris Baillie5/152018Derek RaglessEckart AltenkampAurelia Strozik6/182017Eckart AltenkampGraham HancoxAdam Gowlett4/112016Justin MorrisJason MorrisonPeter Moore20/202015Paul SchroderPeter MooreOllie Klein10/202014Bruce WoodBill SomervilleMichael Chidgey9/202013Ronn SlusserLynton StrettonChris Baillie15/222012Alan Keenleside and Murray Rookn/aLynton Stretton7/172011Paul SchroderKen GlascoNeil Thies13/172010Ron WhiteheadSimon HonoreLynton Stretton12/242009Alan KeenlesideLynton StrettonJason Dreggs1/302008Lynton StrettonWarren QuinnHeinz von Holzen0/122007Bruce WoodAndrew KoopMatthias Axt2/172006Ed BourkeHeinz von HolzenJason Iwanow5/112005Jaap ViergeverAnthony BrattolliJohn Dermody6/242004Jaap ViergeverCraig PeacockLeon Fisher18/302003Adrian LaingKim ProctorCarl Barrow13/162002Leon FisherCarl BarrowTrevor Best3/222001Leon FisherEd BourkeIan Langstaff21/322000Jack OldfieldEd BourkeMichael Rueger4/541999Jack OldfieldEd BourkeBen Edols2/411998Jack OldfieldAlun HoggettLincoln Gore6/371997James AylmerBob SimpsonLeon Fisher2/441996Luke MahoneyDavid CossettiniRichard Millard22/431995Richard MillardDarren BensonMicheal Worden14/511994Robert EckelTom Landon-SmithNovak ThompsonUnknown / 311993Ian ThompsonDavid AustinMark BakerUnknown / 151992Ron VersteeghBrett LovellIan WrightUnknown / 521991Lenny Van BerkelRonald VersteeghIan WrightUnknown / 121990Peter WoodMal CummackKevin Piercy12/211989Ross MartinPeter BarnardJim SmithUnknown / 181988Greg MickleDanny MariottiRob BrayUnknown / 191987Peter HansonLeon FisherPhil McDonaldUnknown / 30
Event history In the early years of the SDBC, riders used non-suspension mountain bikes with skinny tyres. They were forced to push their bikes over the sand dunes. The route usually ran along the Rig Road and Birdsville Track, now known as the “Classic Route”.
After 2009, many competitors started uses fat bikes. With 4+ inch wide tyres, those bikes made it possible to ride on soft sand and cross even steep dunes without having to push. Today, the event is dominated by fat bikes.
The advance in bike technology allowed SDBC organisers to choose different route options, including the French and WAA lines – which feature more challenging sand dunes than the classic route.
The climatic conditions in the desert vary from year to year. There have been extremely dry and hot years as well as wet years which did create an even more challenging set of circumstances for riders. Due to flooding and well as bush fires, there have also been years where the SDBC had to be held in alternative locations. In 2020, due to the global pandemic of COVID-19, the SDBC was cancelled for the first time.
+Simpson Desert Bike Challenge History - Year by YearYearDescription1987Over Easter 1987, the inaugural SDBC took place. It was organised by Hans Tholstrup and sponsored by Caltex and Friends Provident Life insurance. The course ran along the French Line, which featured deep sand for much of its length - which forced the race to be shortened to six stages.
Thirty riders competed, including two women. The youngest riders were 13, riding BMX bikes; one of them finished all stages. The oldest participant was 73.1988Flooding in the Simpson Desert forced the relocation of the SDBC.. The start was in Kulgera and the course took riders along back roads past Uluru and finished at Kata Tjuta.
Twenty-three riders competed, Nineteen riders finished the course.1989Eighteen riders competed.1990Twenty-one riders competed. Twelve riders completed the entire .1991Eighteen riders competed.1992Conditions were wet in the desert. Many vehicles got bogged down on the way to Purni Bore, the start location. One rider took his bike to cover the last to the start line due to his vehicle and crew being stuck in the mud. His support crew did only arrive at Purni Bore hours before the race started.
Stephan Vanderhee, #23, had several tyre punctures during the afternoon of day 3 until he ran out of spare tubes. That forced him to ride the final on his rims. That night, Vanderhee worked until 11 pm on his bike rims with steel wool and a file and appeared at the start line the next morning with a new tube and his original tyre still intact.
Twenty-one riders completed the entire . Fifty-three riders competed, including five women.1993Eighteen riders competed.1994Thirty-one riders competed, including three women. Twenty-nine riders completed the entire course.1995Fifty-one riders competed, including five women. Fifteen riders completed the entire course of 581 km.1996Forty-three riders competed, including five women. Twenty-two riders completed the entire course of 1997The temperature reached 45 Degree Celsius on two days and the Rig Road had thick dust on the dunes. The front convoy bogged down on one dune and were overtaken by the riders.
Forty-five riders competed, including five women. Two of the women riders were Japanese\. Of the men, two were Japanese, one was Canadian (who fell and broke his shoulder on the first day) and one was British. Also participating was a blind rider, Chad Towns, who followed his son on a bike with “clickers” on the spokes plus a friend following him. A “Mr. Bean” participated in his white business shirt, long army shorts, black shoes and white socks. He inspired the SDBC Mr. Bean Award. Two riders completed the entire course of .1998Bob and Jayne Simpson rode a tandem bicycle.
Thirty-seven riders competed, including three women. Six riders completed the entire course of .1999Course: Rig Road + Outside track.
The conditions were hot with significant sand drifts on top of many dunes. On day 2, only two riders got past the mark (Jack Oldfield and Ed Bourke). Both riders arrived at the lunch stop just before the sweep vehicle. Many vehicles got bogged down on the dunes. On day 4, a shower created muddy conditions. Bicycle wheels got jammed with heavy mud, forcing cyclists to manually remove mud from their bikes every few minutes. Some racers carried the bikes on their shoulders. The race route had to be diverted from the inner to the outer Birdsville track.
Forty-one riders competed, including six women. Two riders completed the entire course of .2000Course: Rig Road, K1 with the convoy to Big Red via QAA Line, then out and back on Inside track.
The conditions were hot and dry. On day 3, due to water in the Warburton Crossing, the riders went up the K1 line. Day 4 saw a transport stage across the QAA line to Big Red - instead of riding. The dunes on the QAA line were too steep and sandy (for non-fat bikes). The race did finish off with an out-and-back stage on the Birdsville Inside Track on the last day.
Fifty-four riders competed, including two women. Four riders completed the shorten course. Jack Oldfield won, his third win in a row.2001Course: Classic Route; Rig Road and Inside track