The Adventure Challenge

This entry is part 11 of 26 in the series Adventure Rider Issue #4

The Adventure Challenge has kicked off, and as groups roosted off all over creation, cameras snapping and logos flapping, Newcastle’s Dan McGeady was the very first Challenger to nail a location and post a pic.

By the time you read this 2014 will be well under way, and it’s looking like a big year of opportunity for adventure riders across This Great Nation. The APC Rally is going huge, the BMW GS Safari and Enduro is looking mightier than ever, and as we saw for ourselves this issue, the Ténéré Tragics was awesome.

That’s all in just the first six months.

The other big event for 2014 is the Adventure Challenge.

It’s open to everyone and runs throughout the whole year. You can find out all about it on the AdvRider Mag website at www.adventureridermag.com.au, but it’s off to a flying start (actually the start was a bit touch-and-go because the T-shirts were a tad late being delivered).

But the glory of being the first person to log a pic on the firstever Challenge destination goes to Dan McGeady.

Dan, 40, is originally from Sheffield in England but now sensibly lives in Newcastle, Australia. We wondered if he might’ve been transported as a convict, but it turns out he was offered a job and moved out here a year ago. His pic of himself and his new 1190 at Location 35, the Allyn River Road, stands proud as the first poster on the Challenge thread. We were so thrilled to see that first pic up there, and even more thrilled he’d beaten Chris

Laan to the punch, we just had to offer our congratulations.

“Maaaaaaaaate!” we bellowed.

“Awesome! You rock! What made you decide to jump into the Challenge in the first place?”

“I saw your Adventure Rider Magazine, and I saw the Challenge in it,” said Dan, sounding suspiciously like the guy that commentates at the cricket.

“I said to my missus, Bev, that if she fancied getting me something for Christmas, then I wouldn’t mind one of these T-shirts to go out to these challenges.

“Lo and behold, that’s exactly what she did. She went on line and sorted it all out, and when I woke up Christmas morning I was good to go. She bought me the Arrows Of Fire DVD, too.”

Crikey! Any wonder Dan married her. Bev sounds like a dream wife.

A BMW GSA was Dan’s ride in England, but he reckons it’s easier to get a person into Australia than a bike, so he sold the Beemer and grabbed a new 1190 once he’d settled into his new job.

How many destinations does Dan reckon he’ll rack up this year?

“I’m hoping to get a good few of them,” shielded Dan (’cos he’s from Sheffield…Sheffield Shield cricket? No? Damn). “There’s a few guys on there now getting some good totals, and I don’t want to be left behind.”

Chris Laan is the Bull Goose behind the flocking Challenge, and he thought he was quick off the mark when he picked up seven locations in a single ride. Quick he may have been, but he was still running second. We had a smirk to ourselves about that and thought we should needle him a little.

“It’s good to see the Poms winning something,” was all cricket-mad Chris had to say, adopting an attitude that would be acceptable in the Members Stand at the SCG and preening his 800GS.

There’s still plenty of 2014 to go and a heap of destinations begging to be visited. And don’t forget, the more riders taking the Challenge, the more the Royal Flying Doctor Service benefits.

If you’re not already signed up, get online and get started.