FIVE days of riding through the hot, dusty conditions of the Simpson Desert doesn't sound like fun, but it's a challenge conquered by Dubbo's Paul Schroder.
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The Dubbo College maths teacher recently took out the Simpson Desert Challenge, an event designed to test not only the mental and physical strength of competitors, but also raise some funds for a very worthy cause.
Schroder beat a field of like-minded endurance sport junkies to claim the title but said the chance to help out a charity sat just as nicely with him.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service are the beneficiaries of the money raised from the event, which started in South Australia and Purni Bore and finished in the iconic Queensland town of Birdsville.
"It's a pretty gruelling event but the scenery makes up for it," Schroder said of his journey through the heart of Australia.
"The temperatures got up around the 40 degree mark, but it gets to 50 sometimes in summer so it wasn't so bad.
"There were times when I could feel my eyes drying out because there was no moisture in the air, and the afternoon stages were starting around 2pm which is pretty much the hottest part of the day, but it was all worth it."
Schroder was on the pace for pretty much the entirety of the five days of the event, thanks largely to a high-intensity training load in the six weeks leading into the race.
His program differed vastly from his previous attempt at the event back in 2011, largely due to time constraints.
"The last time I did the race I trained long hours to get ready but with a family now I didn't have the hours I could dedicate to it like I did back then," he said.
"For the six weeks leading into the race this time around I focused on intense sessions, doing probably 50-60 hill climbs at a time to try and simulate the sand dunes and I spent some time of an eveing on the home trainer in my garage to simulate the conditions.
"I go into all of the events that I compete in with the aim to do the best that I can. Everyone likes to win so if I do that and I win then that's great but if I finish midfield or last then so be it.
"To win this event was great though, because I love the outdoors and I love endurance sports and this combines both of those things, and it also has an element of helping out the RFDS which makes it great as well."
With the Simpson Desert conquered, Schroder will now focus on a new challenge as he will become a father for the second time in just a few weeks.
With two young children at home he won't have as much time to spare for his riding but he admits he might try and sneak in a couple of the local mountain bike events when things settle down a bit.
"The bike is a bit of a release for me. It's a chance to get some fresh air and clear your head a bit and that's what I love about it," he said.
"With the Evocities Series and the Simpson Desert race things have been busy, and they'll get busier when the second child arrives in a few weeks.
"I've got no major racing scheduled but if I can fit in one or two of the local MTB races that would be good."
