Saturday, 30 October 2010
Monday, 25 October 2010
Sunday 10 October - The Coast Road
Having spent half the night sitting in front of the electric oven unsuccessfully trying to dry out my socks, boots, trousers etc, I finally woke up at 6.00 am to find that the sky was looking decidedly blue - oh, bless - someone up there was smiling on us ! At sunrise, all wet and damp kit carefully arranged on the steps and verandah in front of our room (I was sharing with Mick and Malcolm from the Blue Team) to catch the early morning rays and give us some hope of a dry departure after breakfast. The hotel, it has to be said, left something to be desired - a bit like a down-market and rather tired holiday camp from the 60's, together with rather bleak refectory style dining room - food pretty much matched the standard of the hotel - not quite inedible but close !
So a sun drenched departure at 8.30am and a short ride to the famous Hole in the Wall - a wall like rock formation on the edge of the ocean itself with a hole in the middle - so well named ! Lots of photos taken and team shot taken by the redoubtable Nick who seems to be in all places at all times - don't know how he does it.
Towards lunchtime, we were looking forward to the promised stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken in Port St John's but instead made a stop just outside town for re-fuelling and were told that we had 10 minutes to buy a snack from the service station shop - apparently we were running behind schedule and didn't have time for a proper meal stop. So many loaves of bread, chocolate and energy bars and fizzy drinks later, we were off again into the town of Port St John's where we found the rest of the teams who had all eaten at KFC !! Two minutes outside KFC still on the bikes and we were off again - all wondering if Dave has an allergy to KFC !
All this soon forgotten as the ride which followed was absolutely superb - dirt tracks running through forest land right alongside beaches and then a grassy hill to a point where we stopped for one of the best spots on the trip for photos. Unfortunately for Ian his bike wheel got stuck in a rut in the grassy hill and he went one way and the bike another in quite spectacular fashion. I think this is where he tore a ligament in his left hand which had the effect of completely disabling his thumb. Its funny that its only when something like this happens that you realise how much we use our thumbs. As is his way, though, he soldiered on - only reminding us of his injury every time we stopped ! (sorry, Ian)
After the coastal section, we turned inland and then it started getting tough again - lots of hill climbs and descents and God only nows how many river crossings. Lots of falls in this section - I fell 3 times on the hill climbs and once in one of the rivers - right next to John who had also fallen in the same place - at this point we blocked the whole exit from the river between us ! Corinne also had her worst fall of the trip this afternoon. We were directed by Dave to cross a brook at a certain point - a very muddy and wet brook which was deceptively deep and difficult to cross without the right momentum. We all got across, not very prettily it has to be said, except Corinne, who entered the brook and then just came to a sudden stop with the inevitable result - the bike stopped but Corinne did not - she just carried on over the top of the bike and got very muddy and probably quite winded in the process. But game girl as she is, a couple of minutes later she was up and again and back on the bike.
At about 6.00pm, we arrived at our overnight accommodation - Mbotyi Lodge - where we were just in time to witness and photograph, the most beautiful sunset. We had been warned that "our accommodation tonight is more rustic as we lay mattresses down and squeeze into this small resort". When are we going to learn that these South Africans cannot be trusted ? It turned out that the Mbotyi Lodge was the best hotel we were to stay in with lovely chalet style rooms overlooking the ocean, proper bathrooms and a main lodge area with the nicest bar, the nicest dining room and the best food of the whole trip ! So all that worry for nothing !
Patrick from the Green Team was having a really bad moan about his bike tonight- he is not happy with the bike setup and feels that it is always being moved from where he left it - he then joked that his bike would probably be on the roof the next morning - and we were all thinking, be careful what you wish for, Patrick !!
Well over 200 km today and about 10 hours in and out of the saddle.
So a sun drenched departure at 8.30am and a short ride to the famous Hole in the Wall - a wall like rock formation on the edge of the ocean itself with a hole in the middle - so well named ! Lots of photos taken and team shot taken by the redoubtable Nick who seems to be in all places at all times - don't know how he does it.
Towards lunchtime, we were looking forward to the promised stop at Kentucky Fried Chicken in Port St John's but instead made a stop just outside town for re-fuelling and were told that we had 10 minutes to buy a snack from the service station shop - apparently we were running behind schedule and didn't have time for a proper meal stop. So many loaves of bread, chocolate and energy bars and fizzy drinks later, we were off again into the town of Port St John's where we found the rest of the teams who had all eaten at KFC !! Two minutes outside KFC still on the bikes and we were off again - all wondering if Dave has an allergy to KFC !
All this soon forgotten as the ride which followed was absolutely superb - dirt tracks running through forest land right alongside beaches and then a grassy hill to a point where we stopped for one of the best spots on the trip for photos. Unfortunately for Ian his bike wheel got stuck in a rut in the grassy hill and he went one way and the bike another in quite spectacular fashion. I think this is where he tore a ligament in his left hand which had the effect of completely disabling his thumb. Its funny that its only when something like this happens that you realise how much we use our thumbs. As is his way, though, he soldiered on - only reminding us of his injury every time we stopped ! (sorry, Ian)
After the coastal section, we turned inland and then it started getting tough again - lots of hill climbs and descents and God only nows how many river crossings. Lots of falls in this section - I fell 3 times on the hill climbs and once in one of the rivers - right next to John who had also fallen in the same place - at this point we blocked the whole exit from the river between us ! Corinne also had her worst fall of the trip this afternoon. We were directed by Dave to cross a brook at a certain point - a very muddy and wet brook which was deceptively deep and difficult to cross without the right momentum. We all got across, not very prettily it has to be said, except Corinne, who entered the brook and then just came to a sudden stop with the inevitable result - the bike stopped but Corinne did not - she just carried on over the top of the bike and got very muddy and probably quite winded in the process. But game girl as she is, a couple of minutes later she was up and again and back on the bike.
At about 6.00pm, we arrived at our overnight accommodation - Mbotyi Lodge - where we were just in time to witness and photograph, the most beautiful sunset. We had been warned that "our accommodation tonight is more rustic as we lay mattresses down and squeeze into this small resort". When are we going to learn that these South Africans cannot be trusted ? It turned out that the Mbotyi Lodge was the best hotel we were to stay in with lovely chalet style rooms overlooking the ocean, proper bathrooms and a main lodge area with the nicest bar, the nicest dining room and the best food of the whole trip ! So all that worry for nothing !
Patrick from the Green Team was having a really bad moan about his bike tonight- he is not happy with the bike setup and feels that it is always being moved from where he left it - he then joked that his bike would probably be on the roof the next morning - and we were all thinking, be careful what you wish for, Patrick !!
Well over 200 km today and about 10 hours in and out of the saddle.
Thursday, 21 October 2010
Saturday 9 October - A "dig deep" day
Back to the normal schedule today - early breakfast and 8.00 am departure for what will turn out be to be the longest day of the trip so far. We were not helped by our own start (the Orange team) in completely the wrong direction which entailed us riding straight into a forested section right on the edge of the cliffs - and having to do a u turn in impossibly tight conditions right next to a sheer drop into the sea !
Dave insisted it was deliberate and just a move to "warm us all up" but we all knew different ! The day's subsequent riding consisted of passing through numerous rural villages and being waved at and cheered by lots of local people (adults and children alike). Their smiles alone make this whole thing all the more worth while.
Just as we thought we were safe from the tough technical sections of the previous day, we were then plunged into even more difficult stuff than yesterday - river crossings, mind blowing descents and climbs and riding on sand on the beach (more difficult than it sounds). We crossed the Jujura, the Nbaqare, the Bashee Rivers and saw some breathtaking sights on the way. The afternoon saw me experience my most frightening fall which consisted of me falling down a ravine (about 20 feet deep) my crash helmet and a large rock preventing me from falling all the way and the bike being caught on a big branch and hanging in the air. Mike Glover, the head honcho had to help me and the bike out of the ravine (he had to saw the branch with a hand saw to free the bike) and climbed the bike out of the ravine under power - no mean feat and one for which I was very grateful. My team mates were amazed that I had not suffered a serious injury and even more amazed when I shortly afterwards jumped back on the bike and did another steep climb.
The day dragged on very slowly and we soon realised that we were running very late and that the light was fading, still a long way from our overnight destination. As it turned out our fears were proved right and we finished the final technical climb not only in near darkness but also in the rain. We finally arrived at the final road which would take us to the final destination in total darkness and waited for all the other teams to arrive so that we could drive the last 30 or so kilometres in cavalcade with an escort This was important as our bikes have no rear lights and no brake lights and there is no street lighting ! Add to this that I was wearing prescription glasses which by this time were soaking wet and misted up and affording me little or no visibility , the last section on tarmac and dirt roads was very frightening and we were all hugely relieved to arrive at The Hole in the Wall Hotel at 8.00 pm. 150 Km completed today - 12 hours on the motorbike with almost no rest. !
Dave insisted it was deliberate and just a move to "warm us all up" but we all knew different ! The day's subsequent riding consisted of passing through numerous rural villages and being waved at and cheered by lots of local people (adults and children alike). Their smiles alone make this whole thing all the more worth while.
Just as we thought we were safe from the tough technical sections of the previous day, we were then plunged into even more difficult stuff than yesterday - river crossings, mind blowing descents and climbs and riding on sand on the beach (more difficult than it sounds). We crossed the Jujura, the Nbaqare, the Bashee Rivers and saw some breathtaking sights on the way. The afternoon saw me experience my most frightening fall which consisted of me falling down a ravine (about 20 feet deep) my crash helmet and a large rock preventing me from falling all the way and the bike being caught on a big branch and hanging in the air. Mike Glover, the head honcho had to help me and the bike out of the ravine (he had to saw the branch with a hand saw to free the bike) and climbed the bike out of the ravine under power - no mean feat and one for which I was very grateful. My team mates were amazed that I had not suffered a serious injury and even more amazed when I shortly afterwards jumped back on the bike and did another steep climb.
The day dragged on very slowly and we soon realised that we were running very late and that the light was fading, still a long way from our overnight destination. As it turned out our fears were proved right and we finished the final technical climb not only in near darkness but also in the rain. We finally arrived at the final road which would take us to the final destination in total darkness and waited for all the other teams to arrive so that we could drive the last 30 or so kilometres in cavalcade with an escort This was important as our bikes have no rear lights and no brake lights and there is no street lighting ! Add to this that I was wearing prescription glasses which by this time were soaking wet and misted up and affording me little or no visibility , the last section on tarmac and dirt roads was very frightening and we were all hugely relieved to arrive at The Hole in the Wall Hotel at 8.00 pm. 150 Km completed today - 12 hours on the motorbike with almost no rest. !
Friday 8 October - Rest Day
I woke up at 4.00 am in the morning not at all sure of where I was and thinking it was, in any event, only 11.30pm at night (9.30pm in Marrakech) so I phoned Nikki to say hello. Needless to say she was not amused as she had been fast asleep it being the middle of the night in Marrakech just like it was in South Africa. Explanation needed here - it all started in the bar after dinner where I hooked up with a couple of crew (Enduro staff) members, one of which was definitely Eddie and the other one I am not so sure about. Anyway, what with the euphoria of the day and a few too many beers followed by a lot of wine over dinner with Billy (Felicity) Clark ( a mum who has a daughter at Uppingham School like us) I repaired to the bar for an entirely unnecessary night cap only to find that I was introduced to the dubious South African habit of drinking "shots" made from what exactly I do not know but I do recollect that there were lots of different colours involved. The next thing I remember was phoning Nikki at 4.00am in the morning - not knowing where I was nor how I had got there. A lot of apologising was required !
Breakfast the next morning was not easy and taken through a very thick head ! At 9.00 am a number of us departed in a minibus to visit a couple of rural schools which were receiving charitable funding from Touch Africa - one of the charities we are supporting through Enduro Africa. We arrive at the first school to be greeted by some of the most wonderful (and photogenic) children I have ever met. There were obviously as interested in us as we were in them - lots of digital photos followed by immediate photo displays to the children, most of whom had never seen a digital camera and were amazed to see their own image in the screen only seconds after the picture had been taken ! We then got stuck in to decorating a newly built school classroom - involving scraping, painting,varnishing, hanging the door, and generally preparing the room for imminent use by the next class. The children sang for us, they danced for us and they stole our hearts. It was very moving and several tears were shed.
The afternoon was, as promised, for rest. After lunch I stood on the rear terrace of Kob Inn and actually saw a small school of about four whales ( I counted the blowhole expulsions) and then about five or six dolphins very close to the beach just swimming or playing or whatever they do in the Indian Ocean - it was an amazing sight. It was also a day for servicing the bikes, but by the time I had got over the school children, the whales and dolphins and my hangover, I discovered that Simon had overseen the whole team's bike maintenance - a real class act for which I was very grateful.
A brief lie by the pool late afternoon followed by a bracing walk down the beach (reminiscent of Cornwall) and then an alcohol free dinner and an early night to prepare kit for tomorrow's promised "dig deep" day
Breakfast the next morning was not easy and taken through a very thick head ! At 9.00 am a number of us departed in a minibus to visit a couple of rural schools which were receiving charitable funding from Touch Africa - one of the charities we are supporting through Enduro Africa. We arrive at the first school to be greeted by some of the most wonderful (and photogenic) children I have ever met. There were obviously as interested in us as we were in them - lots of digital photos followed by immediate photo displays to the children, most of whom had never seen a digital camera and were amazed to see their own image in the screen only seconds after the picture had been taken ! We then got stuck in to decorating a newly built school classroom - involving scraping, painting,varnishing, hanging the door, and generally preparing the room for imminent use by the next class. The children sang for us, they danced for us and they stole our hearts. It was very moving and several tears were shed.
The afternoon was, as promised, for rest. After lunch I stood on the rear terrace of Kob Inn and actually saw a small school of about four whales ( I counted the blowhole expulsions) and then about five or six dolphins very close to the beach just swimming or playing or whatever they do in the Indian Ocean - it was an amazing sight. It was also a day for servicing the bikes, but by the time I had got over the school children, the whales and dolphins and my hangover, I discovered that Simon had overseen the whole team's bike maintenance - a real class act for which I was very grateful.
A brief lie by the pool late afternoon followed by a bracing walk down the beach (reminiscent of Cornwall) and then an alcohol free dinner and an early night to prepare kit for tomorrow's promised "dig deep" day
Wednesday, 20 October 2010
Thursday 7 October "Today is going to be a good day - a good day to die"
That's how we started today - being told by our Team Leaders that "Today is going to be a good day - a good day to die" !
Great motivational talk from Dave, and, for one of us, it came pretty close!
We left a very damp Morgan's Bay Hotel at 7.00am in the morning and shortly after crossed the River Kei on a typically makeshift ferry. We then embarked on an 85 kilometre journey which, we were promised, would take us at least 8 hours - as it turned out, it was more like 10 hours.
This is now the Wild Coast and wild is a very good definition of the ride we were going to undertake today. Lots of river crossings, lots of hills and descents and all pretty "technical" as we saw it or "treats" as our illustrious team leader Dave put it.
It was today that I realised how lucky I was to be in the Orange Team - we were, quite simply, superb. We are the most together of all the teams, always looking out for each other and, in the main, sticking together (unlike certain other teams I won't mention). Our Team Leader, Dave and our Sweep, Rob are just the best. Dave is always laughing (particularly when someone falls off) and is always getting us lost - but is a great rider and I am convinced he is really looking out for us despite all the evidence to the contrary. Rob is just a really great guy and more quiet but a hugely reassuring presence behind the team at all times - he makes sure that we have all got through the bad bits and is always there to pick us up we we haven't. He is a lovely guy and a great friend.
The Orange Team are a very mixed bunch - all ages and all backgrounds - some quite surprising. The youngest amongst us is Thomas (in his 20's I think) who is a student of architecture and the oldest, quite horrifyingly to my surprise, is me at age 54!
In between, we have Corinne (our one only and cherished female member of the team) in her early 20's, Ian, a thoroughly nice guy in IT in his early 30's and great to ride with, Ted, a Psychiatric nurse from the Midlands who had some very interesting stories to tell, Nick, an orthopaedic surgeon from Liverpool, Martin, a structural engineer from Manchester, Julian, a furniture importer (who was the subject of the hill climb video earlier in the blog), Simon, a lovely guy from Biggin Hill who is not only an upholsterer but also a tatooist, Mark, who grew up in Chingford in East London like me and is now the owner of a roofing company in Ingatestone in Essex, John a banker with Deutsche Bank from London, Dale, a sub sea engineer in Aberdeen and Barry who is in the RAF and works on air sea rescue (from a helicopter). They are a great bunch and I was always very glad to be in their company on this trip.
Anyway, back to the trip and, not long after the ferry trip we were on a hill and we pulled up alongside my room mate, Kevin, from the Green Team. He realised pretty quickly that he was not a member of the Orange Team and knew that he had to catch up with the Greens. So on this grassy, and rather slippery slope, he gave it a bit too much throttle and did a wheelie. Not a good nor intentional one though and he put his left leg out to re-balance - the result of which was the bike fell on him and he broke his leg (as it turned out) in 3 places. I ran to his aid and offered what little assistance I could but he was in bad way and we were told to move on and leave him to the medics - not easy to so when it was your room mate concerned. More about that later.
I can't remember exactly how many "technical" sections or "treats"we had been through before we met our main challenge of the day but it certainly felt like a lot. In the heart of the Transkei Region and home to the Xhosa people (some of whom we met on the way - sometimes in the most unlikely of places) we were to meet the main "treat" of the day - the crossing of the mighty Qora Gorge - a 1000 foot descent to cross the Qora River and then the inevitable ascent the other side. The memories of this section have been burned into mind for the rest of my life ! I was nervous before the descent and then hugely relieved when it was over, then delighted to make the river crossing without falling off - but when we reached the first part of the ascent, I was feeling decidedly unwell and this was not helped by the fact that just as I was about to start the climb, I was overtaken very rudely by the whole of the Blue (novice) Team !
In the event, I still made this climb without falling until I reached the top and then the elation of making it took over and I fell off ! (see video). Two more severe ascents followed without too much incident and then a nice quiet end to the day arriving at the Kob Inn on the coast at about 5.00pm. A lot of hugging and congratulations from each other on our arrival. The Team immediately retired to the bar and Dave bought us all beers and we toasted each other right on the edge of the magnificent Indian Ocean.
Great motivational talk from Dave, and, for one of us, it came pretty close!
We left a very damp Morgan's Bay Hotel at 7.00am in the morning and shortly after crossed the River Kei on a typically makeshift ferry. We then embarked on an 85 kilometre journey which, we were promised, would take us at least 8 hours - as it turned out, it was more like 10 hours.
This is now the Wild Coast and wild is a very good definition of the ride we were going to undertake today. Lots of river crossings, lots of hills and descents and all pretty "technical" as we saw it or "treats" as our illustrious team leader Dave put it.
It was today that I realised how lucky I was to be in the Orange Team - we were, quite simply, superb. We are the most together of all the teams, always looking out for each other and, in the main, sticking together (unlike certain other teams I won't mention). Our Team Leader, Dave and our Sweep, Rob are just the best. Dave is always laughing (particularly when someone falls off) and is always getting us lost - but is a great rider and I am convinced he is really looking out for us despite all the evidence to the contrary. Rob is just a really great guy and more quiet but a hugely reassuring presence behind the team at all times - he makes sure that we have all got through the bad bits and is always there to pick us up we we haven't. He is a lovely guy and a great friend.
The Orange Team are a very mixed bunch - all ages and all backgrounds - some quite surprising. The youngest amongst us is Thomas (in his 20's I think) who is a student of architecture and the oldest, quite horrifyingly to my surprise, is me at age 54!
In between, we have Corinne (our one only and cherished female member of the team) in her early 20's, Ian, a thoroughly nice guy in IT in his early 30's and great to ride with, Ted, a Psychiatric nurse from the Midlands who had some very interesting stories to tell, Nick, an orthopaedic surgeon from Liverpool, Martin, a structural engineer from Manchester, Julian, a furniture importer (who was the subject of the hill climb video earlier in the blog), Simon, a lovely guy from Biggin Hill who is not only an upholsterer but also a tatooist, Mark, who grew up in Chingford in East London like me and is now the owner of a roofing company in Ingatestone in Essex, John a banker with Deutsche Bank from London, Dale, a sub sea engineer in Aberdeen and Barry who is in the RAF and works on air sea rescue (from a helicopter). They are a great bunch and I was always very glad to be in their company on this trip.
Anyway, back to the trip and, not long after the ferry trip we were on a hill and we pulled up alongside my room mate, Kevin, from the Green Team. He realised pretty quickly that he was not a member of the Orange Team and knew that he had to catch up with the Greens. So on this grassy, and rather slippery slope, he gave it a bit too much throttle and did a wheelie. Not a good nor intentional one though and he put his left leg out to re-balance - the result of which was the bike fell on him and he broke his leg (as it turned out) in 3 places. I ran to his aid and offered what little assistance I could but he was in bad way and we were told to move on and leave him to the medics - not easy to so when it was your room mate concerned. More about that later.
I can't remember exactly how many "technical" sections or "treats"we had been through before we met our main challenge of the day but it certainly felt like a lot. In the heart of the Transkei Region and home to the Xhosa people (some of whom we met on the way - sometimes in the most unlikely of places) we were to meet the main "treat" of the day - the crossing of the mighty Qora Gorge - a 1000 foot descent to cross the Qora River and then the inevitable ascent the other side. The memories of this section have been burned into mind for the rest of my life ! I was nervous before the descent and then hugely relieved when it was over, then delighted to make the river crossing without falling off - but when we reached the first part of the ascent, I was feeling decidedly unwell and this was not helped by the fact that just as I was about to start the climb, I was overtaken very rudely by the whole of the Blue (novice) Team !
In the event, I still made this climb without falling until I reached the top and then the elation of making it took over and I fell off ! (see video). Two more severe ascents followed without too much incident and then a nice quiet end to the day arriving at the Kob Inn on the coast at about 5.00pm. A lot of hugging and congratulations from each other on our arrival. The Team immediately retired to the bar and Dave bought us all beers and we toasted each other right on the edge of the magnificent Indian Ocean.
Saturday, 16 October 2010
Wednesday 6 October - Long Ride to the Coast
Left the beautiful Katberg Hotel at 8.00am and immediately stopped outside to listen to the local school children singing us a song. I leant on a metal fence to hold my camera steady only to find that the fence was electrified ! Easy for the first ten minutes then a mad and fast ride up a hill covered in large stones and rocks + lots of dirt roads and windy tracks this morning where we unfortunately lost one of our team members, Barry, who missed a tight corner after a level crossing and ended up in the middle of a very prickly hedge with a broken shoulder. Lunch was at the Stutterheim Country Club (sounds rather posh but it wasn't at all) where we had a brief and hilarious golf pitching competition between the teams - I think the yellows won. After Lunch we drove through the town of Stutterheim where Simon was a little over enthusiastic with his throttle just before a Stop sign and succeeded in falling off on a main road quite spectacularly. Lots more dirt roads, forest paths and rocky passes until we finally arrive at Morgan's Bay on the Indian Ocean at 5.00pm - in the pouring rain. With Martin and Nick, I did the bike maintenance that evening - chain tightening, chain lubrication, oil check, brake check etc - finishing off very wet, very tired and badly in need of a beer !
Total distance covered 250 km - 8.5 hours on the bike (about 4 hours standing up). I memory serves me correctly, I also fell of the bike twice today with no noticeable injuries.
Night at Morgan's Bay Hotel.
Total distance covered 250 km - 8.5 hours on the bike (about 4 hours standing up). I memory serves me correctly, I also fell of the bike twice today with no noticeable injuries.
Night at Morgan's Bay Hotel.
Friday, 15 October 2010
Tuesday 5 October - Day 2 - My first big crash
Now realise that the best time to sleep is the hour between 5.00 and 6.00 am as my "roomie" gets up every morning at 5.00 am to have a smoke. It is quite difficult to get any sustained sleep before then due to his snoring. So already quite tired when I get up at 6.00 am and see that it's raining - very bad news ! Leave hotel at statutory 8.00 am - although Orange Team already showing some signs of disarray as all the other teams leave before us (we are supposed to depart in the right order) - a lot of riding through beautiful passes and forests with very twisty bends on the mountain sides. Fast and confidence building riding for a lot of the day until I got over confident on one bend and simply went straight off the edge of the mountain ! Luckily the trees and bushes stopped a huge fall downwards but I did go straight over the handle bars and landed on my head in the middle of a bush ! I was quite shaken but nothing broken so looked behind me and realised that my next team member was still someway off and nobody had seen my crash. I have never moved so fast in my life - dragged the bike out of the bushes, jumped on and drove off - rather wobbly though as I was shaking like a leaf. My crash, however, was eclipsed by one of my team mates, Mark, who also lost it on a bend and ended up with his motorbike hanging upside down in a tree ! Todays "sting in the tail" was twofold - the first part involving very tight forest tracks and crossing over one broken bridge and another over a built bridge which most people got over with the exception of our team leader Dave "Bud" Turner. The second section involved going around a ledge on the side of a very tall hill - at times the ledge was only about 2 feet wide with a sheer drop always on our left. Lots of falls and a lot of very tired riders by the end. However, a great day and, in the main, a great confidence booster. 183 km distance today and about 9.5 hours on the bike - again about 5 hours of which was standing up.
Stayed night at the Katberg Hotel - a beautiful golf based resort and we all ate like pigs - the food was not only good but very copious.
Stayed night at the Katberg Hotel - a beautiful golf based resort and we all ate like pigs - the food was not only good but very copious.
Thursday, 14 October 2010
Monday 4 October - Baptism of Fire
Bad night's sleep - sharing room with Kevin, a very nice bloke from Newark but who snores terribly - so difficult to stay asleep for long finally giving up at 4.30 am when I decided to get up and start preparing my kit for the big off. Kit preparation is clearly going to become a very important part of this venture - Camelbak for water with plenty of rehydration sachets, body armour, knee and lower leg armour, waterproof (sealskin) socks, boots with four very difficult to close buckles on each boot, gloves,neck bandana, helmet with helmet cam, Orange Team tee-shirt, energy bars, goggles, sunglasses, normal spectacles, waterproof digital camera, money in waterproof plastic bag, mobile phone also in waterproof plastic bag in case I get lost (apparently it has happened), complete set of waterproofs, Fist Aid kit, Leatherman, goggles, spectacles and sunglasses wipes and last but by no means least a small rucksack to contain everything I won't be wearing ! We are going to be staying in a different place every night, so must pay attention to putting everything in the right place and not forget any of the above.
Early, very good and very large breakfast and out to forecourt of hotel to do maintenance checks on my Honda CRF 230 off-road bike - this also to become a very important part of each day as the bike is going to become either my best friend if properly looked after or my worst enemy if not.
Depart hotel at 8.00 am to a fanfare of African dancers and musicians as well as a Police escort with lights flashing and sirens blaring. 60 participants leaving Port Elizabeth - I wonder how may are going to arrive at our final destination in Port Edward ?
Spent the first hour or so on the coast road and was just beginning to wonder when the real off-raod stuff was going to begin when we suddenly left the road and started riding a switchback track down the side of a railway line to then suddenly veer of and find that we are in the middle of nowhere with what looked like and almost vertical ascent up a very high hill - this was clearly the shape of things to come and the result was absolute carnage with most riders falling off some way up the hill or several of those who made it crashing into the parked motorcycles over the brow at the top of the hill ! These are called "technical sections" and it appears that we are going to be doing a lot of them over the next 9 days. The first big ascent was followed shortly after by a steep descent over slippery and loose shale which felt like riding on ball bearings - the font wheel was all over the place and the sweat was now flowing copiously. The next ascent was over the same surface and resulted in my first fall - i was soon to learn how difficult it is to remount and restart a motorcycle on a steep and slippery slope and actually make it move again !
The reward of this tough beginning was lunch at the Scotia Game Reserve where we were shown (in very close proximity) a pride of lions, wildebeeste, crocodiles, Kudu, Rhinos, giraffes and followed by a delicious kudu stew for lunch.
Another hard ride in the afternoon through various game reserves and dirt tracks with loads of potholes, bumps and dust flying ( a lot of which went into my eyes as I discovered that wearing goggle over glasses is not a good idea as the fogging up makes it quite difficult to see where you are going !)
Arrive at Bushman Sand Hotel in early evening after 203 km and about 9 hours on the bike - about 5 hours of which was standing up - these are not bikes on which you spend a lot of time sitting in the saddle as they are more stable and easier to control in the standing position.
Dinner and debriefing by Mike Glover (the organiser) and bed at 11.00pm. We are all a bit nervous after today's riding which was a lot harder than expected and the briefing for tomorrow's leg made reference to "treats" and "stings in the tail". The Enduro Team are notorious liars and wind-up merchants so we are not guaranteed a worry free and peaceful nights' sleep!
Early, very good and very large breakfast and out to forecourt of hotel to do maintenance checks on my Honda CRF 230 off-road bike - this also to become a very important part of each day as the bike is going to become either my best friend if properly looked after or my worst enemy if not.
Depart hotel at 8.00 am to a fanfare of African dancers and musicians as well as a Police escort with lights flashing and sirens blaring. 60 participants leaving Port Elizabeth - I wonder how may are going to arrive at our final destination in Port Edward ?
Spent the first hour or so on the coast road and was just beginning to wonder when the real off-raod stuff was going to begin when we suddenly left the road and started riding a switchback track down the side of a railway line to then suddenly veer of and find that we are in the middle of nowhere with what looked like and almost vertical ascent up a very high hill - this was clearly the shape of things to come and the result was absolute carnage with most riders falling off some way up the hill or several of those who made it crashing into the parked motorcycles over the brow at the top of the hill ! These are called "technical sections" and it appears that we are going to be doing a lot of them over the next 9 days. The first big ascent was followed shortly after by a steep descent over slippery and loose shale which felt like riding on ball bearings - the font wheel was all over the place and the sweat was now flowing copiously. The next ascent was over the same surface and resulted in my first fall - i was soon to learn how difficult it is to remount and restart a motorcycle on a steep and slippery slope and actually make it move again !
The reward of this tough beginning was lunch at the Scotia Game Reserve where we were shown (in very close proximity) a pride of lions, wildebeeste, crocodiles, Kudu, Rhinos, giraffes and followed by a delicious kudu stew for lunch.
Another hard ride in the afternoon through various game reserves and dirt tracks with loads of potholes, bumps and dust flying ( a lot of which went into my eyes as I discovered that wearing goggle over glasses is not a good idea as the fogging up makes it quite difficult to see where you are going !)
Arrive at Bushman Sand Hotel in early evening after 203 km and about 9 hours on the bike - about 5 hours of which was standing up - these are not bikes on which you spend a lot of time sitting in the saddle as they are more stable and easier to control in the standing position.
Dinner and debriefing by Mike Glover (the organiser) and bed at 11.00pm. We are all a bit nervous after today's riding which was a lot harder than expected and the briefing for tomorrow's leg made reference to "treats" and "stings in the tail". The Enduro Team are notorious liars and wind-up merchants so we are not guaranteed a worry free and peaceful nights' sleep!
Sunday, 3 October 2010
We have arrived in SA!
Have finally arrived in SA after an eventful journey with major delays and lost (but eventually returned) luggage. Had first trial on motorbike this afternoon and managed to fall off four times and ended up with no clutch - rather humiliating. Despite my best efforts to get demoted to the beginners group, I remain as an Orange team member (no. 3 out of 5 in the team pecking order). That was yesterday, Sunday 03/10. This morning we are up at the crack of dawn to start our 200km journey across some very rugged terrain and passing through a game reserve - still very excited about the whole thing but a little apprehensive after yesterday's faltering start. Watch this space...
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