The crossing of the red centre is behind us, but those who thought the ride would be all down-hill from Port Augusta have already had good reason to rethink that theory. We had a tough day yesterday, facing headwinds and challenging terrain. After many days of good behaviour, Adimov was also feeling capricious, and threw up a few mechanical challenges to keep us on our toes. Luckily, we had indulged in a sleep-in at Port Augusta, and we were feeling well-rested and prepared to meet the challenges that came our way. We found that our home-made carbon fibre seat had slipped back and engaged in combat with the motor. The seat emerged victorious, having gouged holes in the steel motor without suffering any injury. Our techies resolved the problem as we ate lunch and battled the flies, and we were back on the road in no time.

As planned, Alan Strange joined the team at Port Augusta yesterday, and will travel with us for the rest of the ride. We were very glad to welcome Alan, our phone-a-friend expert from ASTEC equipment services, who has been involved in the EBT for many years. Within hours of joining us, Alan had effected a miraculous transformation in a pair of our batteries, which now appear to be inexhaustible. The suggestion was raised that he had simply traded a cow for magic batteries on the way to market, but either way we were able to battle through the difficult conditions without having to stop for battery changes.

All of our riders rode today except Alistair and Justin. Lucas tackled the entry into Adelaide safely and efficiently, avoiding potholes and negotiating capital city traffic. His masterful display was underpinned by a strong team effort, with the whole convoy working in unison, co-ordinated from the front bus radio by Clancy. We arrived at our destination in the late afternoon, looking forward to a rest day after 3 very long days on the road. We are staying at Imagination studios, the historic business premises of Mark’s brother Kevin.

View photos here.

GG