My dirty week end.
24 Jan 2005
The day dawned clear and warm with the promise of more fine weather to come. That was an understatement as the temperature climbed to around 40 degrees at 09h30 Sunday morn.
Leaving the house at 06h00, feeling very nervous to be meeting a bunch of strange guys and embarking on an adventure I had no idea whether I would be able to cope with it or not, I met up with the African Twin road captain David at the N1 Engen garage. I relaxed a bit when I saw the Triumph standing outside the diner and knew Carl would be on the trip. At least now, if I fell, Carl would be there to give moral support and dry my tears. Introductions were made and at 06h45 we went through agter Paarl and Wellington to Ceres to collect some more guys. In Ceres I was very happy to see another lady in riding gear but unlike me, she was a pillion! Why some women put up with second best I have not been able to fathom yet. (Girls, the best place to be is on the front seat with the throttle in your hand, try it, there will be no going back!!)
When we left Ceres we took the Cederberg road and picked up another two chaps at Op-die-Berg. By this time everyone was fairly comfortable with each other as only bikers can be. Not long after Op-die-Berg we ran out of tar and the ride started in earnest. We stopped to deflate tyres and tie down anything that could rattle loose and then the dirt dust made its acquaintance. Boy oh boy!!
My nerves soon settled down and I started enjoying the road and scenery. This was my first ride via the Cederberg to Calvinia. What a rush! I soon discovered you have to stay away from the middle mannetjie as it tends to whip your butt around when you least expect it to. We got to the Cederberg Oasis without any mishaps and washed the dust out of our throats with cool refreshments. The owner/manager said that the easy road was past and we could expect some hairy bits on the way to Wuppertal. Great! Just when I was getting comfortable! But with all those guys around there was no way I was going to let them see the worry in my eyes so with chin up, off we went again. Everyone rode at their own pace without the fear of loosing the pack as the rules were, if we turn, wait for the rider behind you to see that he must turn too. I thought that was really great as nobody made stupid mistakes in fear of loosing the guy in front.
Well, it turns out that the ?road?, I?m sure, was a river in winter on the down side of the mountain with sand, boulders and small trees on either side. There were minor mishaps on this stretch but I won?t elaborate and embarrass anyone. This part got really scary for me. I felt like phoning BMW to come rescue me but there was no cell signal so I had to bite the bullet and proceed. The guys were really terrific, they gave me so much support and encouragement and not once made me feel like a dumb female out of her depth. They stuck with me at a snails pace and on arrival in Wuppertal, Carl bought me the best cold coke I have ever had in my life. Remember that the temp is in the high 30s. After lunch we went on to Calvinia but before we got there we had to cross the Doring River. It was about 100m from bank to bank, (felt like 10km) and to cross we had to go through soft sand about 3m wide with big rocks on either side. Again I cought a wobbly watching these big tough guys falling and burying their bikes in sand. One chap told me that any one of the guys would take my bike over for me, which sounded fantastic and I was just about to get off my bike when Adriaan came along. (He had taken it upon himself to teach me as much as he could) he didn?t give me a chance to argue, Come, he says taking my frame at the back, I won?t let you fall. Well, I went, I did, and he didn?t let me fall!! I got so excited when the other bank was in site I wanted to go faster, Slow down! Slow down! I hear and obey and made it to the top. My heart was beating so hard, my smile was hurting my face and I had the shakes so bad from the adrenalin but I had done it. WOW, there aren?t words to describe the feeling. I was on top of the world!
About 17h00 we arrived in Calvinia at the garage on Route 27. By this time the Hunters Dry were shouting for me. Another 20ks of tar and then ?50ks? of dirt someone said. Turned out it was 20ks of tar and 80ks dirt to the farm.
After almost 400km of dirt riding I felt moulded to my bike but the Hunters calling sorted that out very quickly. The folk at the farm were fantastic. There was plenty to eat and drink and the company fantastic. We all lounged on the front lawn recuperating. I?m sure they farm rocks there because besides a few sheep, I didn?t see anything!
Us girls were privileged and had the shower first which after all that dust made me feel like a million bucks. After lots of chatting, eating and drinking, we eventually bunked down for the night and I must say that it was the quietest bunch of guys I have ever encountered. Mind you, I think I died when my head hit the pillow.
Sunday sunrise was superb and I was looking forward to a lot more dirt riding. Some guys opted to hit the tar which was only 20ks away from the farm. Bikes were fuelled, repairs done and after a hearty breakfast and heartfelt farewells to Oom and Tannie at 08h00 we hit the dirt again. At about 09h00 we went through some fairly nasty turns and dips and once on the straight again I noticed Dave, who was tail-end Charlie, was no longer behind me. I slowed down and eventually stopped. After a few minutes I got worried and turned round to see what had happened. I found him just after the first bend. He was sitting on the ground looking at his rear tyre. I thought that maybe he had a flat or his chain had come off again but as I got closer and stopped my bike I realised there was something more to what I was seeing. Dave was as white as a sheet and holding his arm. I took a closer look at the bike and saw serious damage. When I asked him how he was, he told me his wrist was broken. Turns out he approached the bend too fast and his rear went into the shale on the side. He lost control and smacked into the embankment. When I had a look I saw immediately that his wrist was out of commission, the bone was not where it was supposed to be. I told him not to worry as Carl would return as soon as he lost my headlight for too long. Remember that there is still no cell reception. Carl did come back and after assessing the damage rode off to get help. Some farmers helped Dave to pick up his bike so at least it was upright. I had no medical equipment with me but we were able to get to the farm workers house where we were met by the cavalry. Craig, Adriaan and Oom had come back for us. Craig had medical equipment to splint Dave?s arm so Adriaan and I went to get his bike. Jeez but that Africa Twin is vrek heavy!
We eventually left Dave in the capable hands of Craig and Oom knowing that a bakkie was on the way to take Dave to the hospital. Adriaan and I went to catch up with the rest of the group who were waiting at the cross roads about 20ks away. I felt bad leaving Dave but we were just crowding the little house and there was nothing more we could do. The rest of the guys were probably getting very worried by now as well as baking in the sun.
At the T junction, the guys had been using the time to repair 3 flat tyres. We got there around 12h00. After debating about the time Carl, Kevin and I decided to take the dirt to the next town then take the tar to Clanwilliam and the N7 home.
All in all it was a fantastic weekend and I will do it again in a heartbeat. Dave?s arm was not only dislocated but broken as well. He has since had plates and pins inserted and is well on his way to being 100% again.
To all you guys who have crotch rockets, do yourself a favour and ride dirt once in a while. It?s such a rush words cannot describe the sense of accomplishment and pride after successfully negotiating a 200kg machine through difficult terrain. Not to mention the landscape you miss while tearing up the tar at 200km per hour.
Many thanks to Dave for organising the trip, may you get better quickly, and to all my new made friends who did the ride. Well done and lets do it again!
Tracey Lee Gosling
