Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

This day-long training was conducted by [http://www.countrytrax.co.za Leon and Lourens of Country Trax]. The course was conceived and designed by them to supplement the already successful advanced sand-riding training they conduct at Klipbokkop every year. Mr. Badger and I had heard that something like this was in the offing, and we signed up immediately. This in spite of the announcement email saying we would need to be fit and well-hydrated. I mean, how tired can you get in one day? ===The Preparation=== Weeks of running the dogs, doing lunges and stretches, and working out in the home gym. For the first time in my life, I have actually grown muscles in my legs (been a canoeist all my life - my legs are pins). Drinking all sorts of supplements, whey protein, creatine, etc etc. I was more than glad when my last training ended on the Wednesday morning and all that was left was carboloading and hydrating... ===The Day Dawns=== Imagine the delight of waking up on a Friday morning, knowing that you are going to ride instead of work. And nobody thinks you are a slacker, because you told the office that you were on a training course! Atlantis Parking Lot We gathered at the first entrance to the Atlantis Dune Reserve. After signing in we rode to the parking area where we adjusted tyre pressures and removed screens and mirrors. ====Environmental Rules==== Country Trax had to have an environmental officer monitoring our activities all day, and had to hire a portaloo for us to use. Lourens gives Rules Apart from the usual rules in effect during a training (you know, keep good following distances, stay with your instructor, help Charles pick up Mr.Badger etc) there was a list of environmental rules. I only heard one: * '''No number 1 or number 2 in the dunes''' After two days of hydrating, then showing me some big dune I would have to ride up, expecting me to not need to pee is a bit harsh! Indemnity with Coffee: The professional conduct of the training makes indemnities mere admin The portaloo was a nice touch, except that it was parked in the parking lot, and the road from the dunes to the parking lot is dreaded by all who have ever been to Atlantis. The loo might as well have been on the moon for all the good it would do me. ====The Groups==== We split up into a more and a less experienced group - Leon leading the less experienced riders, and Lourens the others. I was inclined to ride in Leon's group, but it can be a bit unfair to put the burden of helping Mr.Badger up on riders who are struggling themselves. So I stayed with Lourens even though Mr.Badger was conspicuously less suited to the task surrounded by 3 KTMs, a XChallenge, a 1200GSA and an HP2 Enduro. Lourens on a KTM990 Adventure. Leon's group comprised 2 x 800GS, a Dakar (Zebra), a KLR650, 1200GS, R80GS, with Leon on a 1200GSA. Lourens' group Although Lourens group was bigger than Leon's, he had Chris Hamman as sweeper on the HP2, and Donald the dealer principal from KTM Cape Town. Both gentlemen helped me out many times, but credit must go to Chris for the number of times he helped me with feedback and picking up the bike while nursing a broken finger! ===Enter the Dunes=== The short road into the dunes is rutted and difficult to negotiate first thing in the morning before you have gotten your sand legs. At the end of the day pure exhaustion makes this road loom large and frightening. Getting going uphill Leon's group took off first, and predictably, half the group had a tough time of that road. What makes it worse is that you end up on an uphill with little room to manoevre when trying to get started again. Getting going Flying... Then our turn. Mr.Badger rode through but I was so glad to have made it that I stopped focussing at the top and ended up doing a demonstration of how to fall without hurting yourself. Not flying...: note the legs - I am standing on the outer peg and lifting my leg out from under the bike before going down Breaking the fall: rolling clear Lourens helped me pick Mr.Badger up, and just as I was getting ready to mount, a bike knocked Mr.Badger over from behind. Oops, sorry about your eye Mr.KTM I was stunned and more than slightly irritated at the prospect of picking up my bike again. There was some damage in the form of orange lens plastic lying around, but Mr.Badger did not seem to have anything missing or scratched. Turns out a KTM rider had ended up stuck in the rut I had carved when going down, and could not avoid hitting me. No really, don't interfere with Mr.Badger...: Me, Lourens and Donald discussing what led to the incident and how we should have avoided it. We all laughed about it, but I felt really sorry for the other rider because a broken headlamp is expensive to repair or replace. The standing joke was along the lines of (BMW 1, KTM 0), or ''don't interfere with the badger or he will punch your lights out''. The Dunes await During feedback at the end of the day, both Leon and Lourens cited our incident-prone entry to the dunes through that road as their low point of the day. Luckily, things got a lot better... ===Getting our Sand Legs=== As you enter the dunes, there is a big flat area, with a bit of a dune at the end, followed by more flatness. Liza and Nina and Kofi (the photographer), along with the environmental officer, had set up a base station on the dune, with a 4x4, water, tables and chairs, and food. Follow the leader We rode around on the flat area following our respective leaders. At first the sand is pristine, but soon we have ridden it full of ruts and it gets progressively harder, just as we get more and more accustomed to riding in sand. Keep going till it's completely rutted At this stage I took a tumble that has left me with a big bruise on my hip. Riding around a grass tussok, I was turning, at speed, and hit the bump around the tussok. Mr.Badger threw me off in no uncertain terms and I lay winded in the sand. The little case that I put my hearing aid in was in my side pocket and bruised my hip. I normally keep it in by breast pocket, but moved it for fear of having it break my ribs. Next time I will leave it in the bakkie. ===Power Sliding=== The first exercise was using power slides as a means of orienting the bike in the direction you want to go. Chris Hamman demonstrated, and included some low-sides (when you powerslide to the point where the bike slides out underneath you). Apparently it is a good thing if you powerslide so radically that you low-side - my own experience of it is not bad other than having to pick up the bike again. Mr.Badger with guardians: Chris Hamman brings up the rear, with Ian just in front of me Mr.Badger and I did some stonking power slides - when turning left. Right turns were another story, and the harder I tried, the harder I fell. This of course did not encourage me, although it did foster a very close relationship between myself and the sweeper (Chris Hamman). Ian and Chris at lunch: having fun is hard work! He gave me great feedback and also challenged me in some respects (like making me turn right in a narrow space where I would ''have'' to powerslide). Guy Biscoe in action ===Up and Down Dunes=== Chris will demonstrate We started on a smallish dune, getting just enough momentum to ride up and be able to stop, turn, or go at the top. We also practised riding down a dune - leaning back and powering down rather than following our instinct to brake. Poised to come down Paul Truter on Skapie: executing a turn at the top of the dune on an R80GS At this point Ian, on the Adventure, took Chris's HP2 for a spin. I wished I could also have a go, because the HP2 might be my dream bike (a slimmer Mr.Badger). But I didn't even ask, because I was quite extremely very tired (Ok, more like shattered) and just did not have the moed. ===Lunch=== Carving the scenery Some more riding and carving and powersliding, and Louren's bike runs out of fuel. Chris took us back to the base for lunch. Base Camp My Camelbak was filled with 'Generate' by Fine Pharmaceuticals - designed to give endurance athletes ongoing energy, replace electrolytes, and hydrate etc etc. I believe the recommended concentration is too high for me, because it dried out my mouth and made me thirsty. I was so finished at luch I did not have the strength to eat. So I plonked myself in a chair and just drank water. Base Camp view of Table Mountain: The camera doesn't do it justice Eventually I managed to dish up something to eat. The spread was not unlike what they serve at Klipbokkop - really good food that is suitable for the kind of effort we were exerting. Thanks to Liza and Nina who were also immaculate hostesses and easy on the eye to boot. To a man we were raving about the stunning scenery, the venue, the weather, and the fun we were having. I have been to Atlantis a few times now, and still cannot get over how beautiful it is. I am often reminded of my time in the Antarctic when the ice and light created similar views. Antarctic or Atlantis: the light and athmosphere is surreal ====Toilet Run==== The group rode out to the parking lot to use the loo and for some to refuel. I used the chance to recover somewhat and to avoid that dreaded road... ===Big Dunes=== With extreme lethargy, and in my case painful bruising, we dragged ourselves away from the lunch table and the lovely lasses to attend to the afternoon session. Ian on the way to the top We drove to the top of a big dune, via the saddle, and Lourens outlined the exercise - down the steep side, all the way around, then up the equally steep other side. Being a big dune we would need more momentum than before (i.e. more speed at the bottom). I was cramping up so that I could not even grip the handlebars, and Chris gave me a sachet of something that worked wonders within a minute. Now I was ready! On my first attempt up the dune, I ran out of momentum just before the top and had to do an emergency hill recovery (stall, get off, turn the bike to face downhill, then ride down). The second time I made it up beautifully. The third (to be last) time, I chose a different line and ended up airborne over a camelgrass ridge while turning slightly at high speed. Lourens said I almost recovered on landing, but Mr.Badger would have none of this stupidity and high-sided me. I flew so far from the bike, that when I was hiking back to Mr.Badger, I had to stop for refreshments. I was fine, but Mr.Badger's clutch line had come loose when the grip twisted around, and he had no clutch pressure. Lourens said he would take the guys for a little ride and come back in 10 minutes to collect me after fixing the line. I was glad of the break . After tightening up the nut holding the line and stopping the leak, there must have been air in the line, because I had no clutch pressure. The line would need to be bled, but we could not do it in the dunes. Lourens was very sorry that my riding for the day would have to end here, and took off with the others while I watched with mixed feelings. Ironically I was now feeling quite recovered and not cramping. Before we started with organizing a trailer, I thought I would try to ride out without a clutch by just dropping the bike into first and going, relying on the sand to act as a clutch. Naturally, the bike stalled as soon as I put it in gear, so that avenue was closed. But then I noticed that somehow, I was getting some pressure in the clutch line and Mr.Badger was working again! By this time both groups were out of sight, and I was not going to risk riding around Atlantis on my own trying to find them. So I rode to the base camp, which was just 400m away in plain sight, and rested up until the tea break when I knew the groups would be stopping by. ===Tea Break=== Leon's group got back first. Like a pack of wild bikers (or scalping indians) they lined up on horizon on the top of the big dune. After some snorting of their iron steeds, they raced down the slope and surrounded us in our laager. Everyone was grinning from ear to ear. Lourens leads Louren's group followed, from the other side, carving up the side of the dune in a fashion that made it clear they had mastered the dunes in no uncertain terms. ===The Last Session=== After tea we a-carvin' went. Found some little bumps to jump and learned why some jumps kick up the back wheel and why others do not. Carving up a storm GS = Gooi Sand Then we carved some more. Mr.Badger and I had great fun, and Ian on the GSA only bailed us out twice - I was so tired that it was dangerous for me to do a hill-recovery if I didn't crest - so Ian would ride Mr.Badger out for me. Elton on the KLR, who was comfortable on sand but had never done any Country Trax training, had joined our group after starting in Leon's group. He and I ended up last at the bottom of the highest, steepest dune yet. The others were at the top, and Ian, who was extremely competent on his GSA, had just failed to crest and arced around and down to try again. Then Ian made it, and now it was just the two of us. Everybody was waiting. I had just failed to crest the previous dune, and was still in pain from my high-side after lunch. Elton motioned for me to go. Damn. Here goes nothing. I did not want to be going too fast at the bottom, but I had to have enough momentum because I could not face the physical exertion of picking up the bike again. I took off tentatively, sitting and using my feet for balance. I know I should just stand, but when I am tired I just can not and end up doing what is ultimately even more tiring (but in smaller doses I suppose). At the foot of the dune I am still going a bit slow, but turn on the juicejust at the bottom and Mr.Badger leaps up the face of the dune. Just before the crest we run out of momentum. The back wheel starts digging in. I have no option but to curve to the right to reduce the angle of the climb and hope we can make it. The engine is redlining as we battle our way up, slower and slower. Just when I think is is a lost cause, we get traction and climb out. The feeling of relief and joy and accomplishment is immense. This is compounded by the thumbs-ups I get from the waiting group. Elton follows me up with no problems at all - the man must be a natural, and that bike is not to be sneezed at either. ===The End=== We end up stopping at the crest of the red-indian dune. All in a line. Those settlers at the bottom with the 4x4, lunch table and chairs, with their womenfolk and cameras, had better get ready for the photo opportunity. As one we descend the slope, engines roaring and sand flying. We have made it. ===Epilogue=== When we left the base camp to exit the dunes, many of us elected to paddle out the exit road like girls. I started bravely enough, but after picking Mr.Badger up twice just gave up and paddled out sitting. '''That''' was not a fitting end to the day we had and the skills we acquired, but it was all I could manage at the time. When I got home, I cramped up in my legs on dismount, and could barely get to the couch without crumpling up into a pretzel. The next day I could barely move. I honestly do not know how I could possibly have done so much in one day to end up feeling as sore as I did. I shudder to think of the consequence had Mr.Badger not forced me to sit out for one session. ===Should You Do This?=== If you are competent on an adventure bike in sand, fairly fit, and you want to polish your ability to ride on sand and sand-dunes safely, then this is for you. For me, I like the idea of spending a day in the company of Leon and Lourens, riding bikes and having them lead me over obstacles they know my bike and I can handle. The cherry on top is that the course is during the week to avoid the hazards of 4x4s and quads over the weekend, and that you have a day to recover afterwards. And the Atlantis dunes are beautiful.