Tenere Tragics

TÉNÉRÉ TRAGICS TRAIL MAIL:

TASSIE PETE TAKES THE LONG WAY HOME

Hi Clubby &Tania: After the Ténéré Tragics weekend I decided to stay on at Arkaroola and explore a couple more of the tracks around the place -- and really enjoyed it. On the third day it started persistently pissing down, which meant all roads were closed, so I was stuck there for a couple more days. Mind you, it's not a bad place to get stuck -- as you guys had already found out! The staff at Arkaroola were very friendly and with a bar on-hand, it was pretty easy to take, plus the staff kept mentioning again how much they enjoyed having us Tragics around!

Anyway, I left it a day to let the water run out a bit, so it was a different ride back out to Copely with all the dry river beds now running water! But they were pretty shallow, so no dramas.

I left the Flinders thinking I'd definitely get back there some time, as it's great bike country.

I finally found my way back home to Tassie. It's been hard to wipe the smile from my face the whole time. So thanks again for organising this event and also to all the guys I rode with, it's been great.

These photos are all taken around Arkaroola. Like I said, it's well worth spending a bit of time there.

Hopefully I will get to see you on the next Tragics run!

-- Tassie Pete, Ténéré Tragic #11

Thanks for the post-event update, Pete. I heard that Broken Hill copped more rain after most of us made our way through the day or two after the Tragics event, so all that weather obviously came across from the Flinders. We really did luck out that we had good weather the weekend of the event, because like I said a few times in the build-up to the ride, when the Flinders gets wet, so many of the clay-based tracks turn to gloopy quagmires, which aren't much fun to ride at all! Least of all a heavyweight new Ténéré or Super Ténéré that keeps wanting to chock the front wheel under the low guard and spit you on your ear! Anyway, mate, keep smiling, and we hope to see you at next year’s Tragics event. Ride on!

-- Clubby, Ténéré Tragic #1