Archive of BMW Motorrad Club Cape (2006 - 2019)

The GS Trophy

This year is the 30th anniversary of the BMW GS.  Part of the celebration is the GS Trophy event - an international competition with 3-man teams representing each participating country - to be held in South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique.

To find the South African 3-man team, a qualifying event was held at Konka Game Farm - when I mentioned it to Julie she said I should do it, even if it is for the experience and adventure.  An adventure it was and this is the story of Mr.Badger's and my participation in it.

Preparation

The event comprises 5 modules:

1. Fitness and Adventure fitness (like military obstacle courses)
2. Team building and leadership
3. Orienteering (GPS Navigation)
4. Bike mechanical ability (repairing punctures etc), and
5. Technical riding skills.

I had a few months to prepare, and set to work on the fitness and my riding.  My sons gave me a program designed to prepare you for Super-14 rugby (Stormers hier kom ek nou - not!), and Julie had another one that improved balance and core strength.  I really should have worked more on the balance.

Riding-wise, I made a point of riding the dirtbike every morning while walking the dogs, practising wheelies and preparing for the Dirtbike Fundamentals Course that became part of my buildup.

Daniel Nelson, Wayne Sheppard and Clayton Laue were also registered for the event, and although we had great intentions of practising together, we managed only one visit to Zone 7, and one morning at Atlantic Motorrad with Shane going over the mechanics of an 800GS.  Oh how I wish I had paid more attention to his instruction on removing and replacing the back wheel!

After the Dirtbike course, my intention was to practise technical riding (cones mostly) on Mr.Badger for the week or two before departure - but Mr.Badger developed Hall Effect Sensor issues and ended up at Hamman Motorrad the day before departure.  Thankfully a replacement part was in stock (and I had money in the bank ).

Day 1 - Monday 9th Aug

The start of Cape to Konka (and back)

Raining.  Fine, I needed to take rain gear with anyway, and it turned out the rain gear is great for keeping the cold Karoo winter wind out your bones.

Ready to roll

I had planned the shortest possible route to Konka - straight through the Karoo via Sutherland, Carnarvon, Prieska etc.  For guidance I had referred to Abel's trip report of a similar ride to JHB.  Andyman had also, incredibly kindly, lent me his Garmin Zumo GPS - so that I could gain some GPS experience before the event.  Little did I know how useful it is to have a GPS.

Anybody from the Southern Suburbs will tell you the quickest way out is along the M3 or M5 to the N2 or N1.  So I am riding along the M5 when the GPS indicates I should turn left onto a 'Klip' road.  Still in my salad days with a GPS, I think to myself that it would be really nice to learn a new, quicker, shorter, more efficient way out that would bypass that horrible onramp to the N1 where cars pass on the left and cut in at the last minute.  So naive am I, that I even do a u-turn to get to that turn.

GPS Navigation 101:  the GPS knows only roads - not how dodgy the suburb is.  I learn this lesson as the GPS takes me through Gugulethu.  Although I want to just ignore the silly instructions coming from the device, and cut straight to the N1 - I cannot: I am lost in Gugs and have no clue as to how to get out without the GPS, and the device persists in directing me to ever more dangerous-looking parts of the dirty underbelly of Cape Town.

Just as a glimmer of hope encourages me (I am now in the industrial part of Bellville), I get directed off on a tangent yet again.  In frustration I ask a garage attendant the quickest way to the N1 - conscious of the fact that I look like a space explorer, with a big bright GPS prominent on my console - and yet totally lost.

Sutherland

I have little desire to explore the vicinity of Cape Town while on a long trip, so hoof it to Sutherland via the tunnel, the N1 and the tar road from Matjiesfontein.  Coffee and a pie at the Jupiter restaurant in Sutherland chases the chill from my marrow - along with a chat with a young man keen on taking up motorcycling.

At the fuel station I encounter a youngster on an X-Challenge and stop for a chat.  He saw a group of riders going to the GS Trophy the day before.

Now we can start exploring dirt roads.  Past the observatory I let down tyres and head off to Carnarvon via Fraserburg.  The dirt is good and not too boring:  every now and then I end up on the soft gravel that accumulates between the car tracks and Mr.Badger ends up fish-tailing.  Mostly harmless, but once or twice it got interesting.

It is bitterly cold.  I am wearing dirtbike body armour under my jacket and it is designed to let air flow (which it does).  I adjust the buff that Hamman Motorrad gave me for the trip so that most of my face is covered.

One unmarked sharp corner had me standup, lookup, openup and curse myself (or pray, depending on how you choose to interpret what I shouted inside my helmet to no-one in particular).

Carnarvon

Many windmills

Lovely little town, many windmills (one in every yard - garden would be too generous to call it), and streetlamps down the centre of the roads (one pole can light both sides of the road).

Tannie Magrieta's

Stayed in tannie Magrieta's little establishment.  She had turned on the heater in the room, for which I was grateful.  I had a dinner booked which she brought through at 7pm:  lamb stew and vegetables.

Day 2 - Tue 10th Aug: Carnarvon to Bloemhof

Freezing the Camelback

Cold.  Before breakfast push Mr.Badger into the first rays of the sun to burn off the frost and warm the battery (which is getting weak).  Spend breakfast chatting to a traveling salesman.  Why is it that just because you ride a bike everybody feels they need to chat with you - I am riding solo for a reason.

Anyway, I am glad I did get friendly with the salesman - Mr. Badger does not take before the battery is flat.  I ask if he has jumper leads and he responds that the farmers picking him up might have.  I'm still wondering how I will get the jumpers to the battery easily, when I give Mr.Badger one final swing.  At the very last, with no more juice to turn the crank one more turn, Mr.Badger starts.  Relief.

The ride is cold.  Any time I stop I put my gloves on the pots to warm them up.

Warm Gloves

Soon I see my first reminder that I am in the Northern Cape - a communal weaver nest.  Otherwise the scenery is pretty uneventful - one large bird took off in fright as I passed and hit the telephone wires then fell in a puff of feathers.  A smaller bird hit my arm.

Communal Weavers

Prieska

Stopped for coffee.  Then set off for the winding dirt road that Abel described.  But first, the GPS had to teach me another lesson:  GPS Navigation 101: you cannot route via a town without visiting the arbitrary point that Garmin thinks represents the town.  So, I set off dutifully following directions.  Instead of reaching the road out of town, I end up at some arbitrary vacant plot in the middle of Prieska.  The GPS says "Prieska on your left".  Nice.  Now that I have "seen" Prieska, please take me to Douglas.

A km or two along the road to Douglas and I realize I am on the tar R357 that Abel suggests one should not take.  So now I learn how to force the GPS to take me onto the more interesting looking road on the other side of the Orange.

Crossing the Orange River

At first I thought I had the wrong road - it was tar.  But my fear was unfounded - soon I was riding along glorious dirt.  Then I was worried that it was a road in better condition than Abel had described:  there were no gates or interesting sections.  But that fear too was unfounded.

A gate, a glorious gate

When the gates started, I was happy.  But there were many of them and eventually it became a las.  With a fully-loaded bike it is quite hard to mount/dismount and push it through the gate and lift it off the sidestand etc etc blah-di-blah fishpaste...  But I am an African Hero so decided I had better suck it up and use the experience as training.  Eventually I got a workable and elegant technique going:

• approach the gate standing on the left peg only (having swung my right leg over already)
• come to a stop and step off, with the bike idling in neutral on the sidestand.
• open the gate
• ride the bike through, either standing on the peg, or walking beside it
• stop in neutral on the sidestand and close the gate
• pull away standing on the left peg and swinging the right leg over.

In some places where the gate was on a slope, I had to stop the engine in gear and vary the technique accordingly.  At one place the hooter touched the tank bag and let off a loud hoot.  A local shepherd came running over to see what I wanted and I had to explain that it was a mistake.

Douglas

Not a very nice place.  Buy a pie and coke at the OK Bazaars.  Try to sit in the park to eat, but it is locked.  Nice!?  Pomp the tyres to road pressures.  Had enough dirt and have distance to cover.

Kimberley

Fuel stop and join the N12. 

The N12 has stop/go roadworks, but the ladies running them generally waved me through to the front of the queue, or let me race through to catch up with the long-departed convoy if it hadn't reached the other side yet.

I phone Julie to let her know that I am approaching Bloemhof and have not booked anywhere to stay.  I could always just look around, but it will be getting dark and Julie is a wizz using the internet to find a good place to stay.  Also, if I find a place and it is not a good price, I run the risk of censure.  If Julie cannot find a cheapie, she is quite happy to choose a luxury option for me.

Bloemhof

The N12 runs right through the middle, and thus so do the 18-wheelers.  The place I stayed was on the main road, so I heard airbrakes all night long.  The point is moot because I am deaf.

The local Steers for supper.  But I am done with fatty lamb stew and plates full of bacon for breakfast - so I order a greek salad.  A bit disappointed at the sheer bulk of lettuce and no salad dressing, but I acquire a taste for the lettuce and when I finish I discover the sachets of salad dressing on the side-plate.  Oh well...

Day 3 - 11th Aug: Bloemhof to JHB

Still cold.  Pushed Mr.Badger into the sun before breakfast.  Only just got started.  Sigh.

Daniel and I had an arrangement to meet along the way if convenient.  He was an hour or so ahead of me on this ride up from Mossel Bay.  Turned out he had pushed through last night and was already checked in at Konka.  It was first come first serve, and he had gotten an instructors room.  I elected to go straight through to book my spot before visiting my parents in JHB.

Along the way Daniel let me know he had been evicted from the rooms (which were reserved for officials) and was camping.  I diverted to JHB to meet my parents for lunch.

Parental Wisdom - get a new battery

As I am parking the bike and explaining to my mom how I have had battery problems on cold mornings, she says "just get a new one this afternoon".

She was right of course.  But a new battery from the dealer is eye-wateringly expensive, and I just did not have the moed to try to source an alternative in JHB.  On the other hand, could I face not being able to start a stalled Badger in the middle of the skills challenge?

Logged on to this site and searched for the discussion about GS batteries, and found a link to the deltecpower.co.za website - and ironically, their head-office is 10 minutes from my parent's house.  300 Ronts later and my dad and I are fitting a new battery to Mr.Badger.  A bit of father-son bonding, with role reversal, because the last time we did anything like this together, he was working the tools and I was running up and down fetching them.

Day 4 - Thu 12th Aug: JHB to Konka

The big day.  Bike starts easily and effortlessly.  Take the Western Bypass and follow the GPS.  GPS Navigation 101:  sometimes the GPS makes a mistake.  Somehow it got itself into a loop.  I ride the same road twice before I realise that things will not change and I need to use my own noggin.

About halfway to Konka, an adventure pulls up behind me - fully loaded.  Must be another African Hero.  He sees that I am from Cape Town, and takes the lead in case I am not sure.  Actually, I am just preserving my knobblies for the skills challenge.  Anyway, I find myself doing 160km/hr to keep up.

Thankfully we catch up to another pair of riders and the pace slows down a bit.  More and more GS's and Adventures converge on Konka.

Convergence

The Adventure Begins

Everybody is friendly and excited.  At the checkin we get goody bags with a neck-warmer (ooh I would have loved that in the Karoo), Thor MX socks (yes please), a t-shirt, cap and water bottle.  Our bikes get a once-over by the technical marshall (Manny) just to make sure they are in sound working order.

Registration

I set up camp right there on the lawn, and take off Mr.Badger's screen and mirrors.

Home away from homePhoto by Greg Beadle

After lunch we were headed for GPS Navigation and bike mechanical tests - dress code riding gear.  I elected for dirtbike gear because it would be less restrictive and cooler for running around in the bush.

Kitting up: Photo by Greg Beadle

We ride in convoy to the arena where the orienteering and mechanical tests are to be held.

Arriving at the arena

First up while waiting for a chance to do the mechanical challenge, we had the option of removing and replacing a bike tube for bonus points.  Ever the eager beaver, Daniel Nelson volunteers to go first.

Daniel goes first

I am a bit apprehensive - I have never successfully done this with a motorcycle tyre.  In fact, the last time I tried I broke down and drove the tyre to Tracmac.  And when we got instruction from Shane, we just put it in the machine.  And my long tyre lever and soapy water was back at the camp.  And, my hands were shot - I had gotten clothes detergent under the nails while traveling, and the cold and dry air has chapped my skin and left the nails raw and sore.

Liesl shows us how

Liesl went next.  She got the tube out in two ticks  and was on target to halve Daniel's time.  But her light weight got the better of her and she struggled to get the bead on again.  There were many helpful tips coming from the spectators and the Continental Tyres guys who were sponsoring and running this part of the contest.

I paid close attention to the techniques Liesl used, and asked her if I could borrow her long lever.  Then I tackled the beast.  Although you might be confused by the pictures - I slayed the dragon and scored the maximum number of bonus points (evidently time is not the only criterion).  (And yes, I did think that if Liesl can do it then so can I - she is an inspiration).

Not so easy
The contest had hardly started and I had already learnt a new skill - now this is my kind of event.

Next we had to take off and replace the rear wheel of an 800GS.  Shane had talked us through the exercise during training.  Man I wish I had given it a go or at least paid more attention.

Denzil concentrating

I made a few big mistakes (and went over time) and ended up 22nd.  Wayne came joint second with some others, Daniel 11th, and Clayton (who rides an 800!) was 28th.

Orienteering

We were given a questionnaire with some theoretical questions, then some practical ones, related to navigation by GPS.  For example:  what are the four parts of a position?  or what are the three components of navigation?

Although we were not required to bring our own GPSes, as one would be provided, it turned out you got a bonus point if you had your own GPS.  I had left Andy's one at the camp, and got a nice little Garmin designed for hiking.  Little did I know that that one bonus point would cost me first place in this module.

North: Photo by Greg Beadle

The practical questions involved walking to given coordinates and answering questions about what was at that location.  In theory easy, in practice not so easy.  You end up at a slight curve in a curvy road, and need to identify the landmark (a corner fencepost).  Or another spot was a dam embankment, but when you arrive there it is just a slight rise in the bush.

Liesl identifying a stone

What was magic was walking in the bush with wild animals.  Whether by design or by accident, the animals would end up driven towards you when another contestant walked towards them elsewhere on the route.

Wild animals

How far is a second?

This was one of the theoretical questions.  I had done some quick long-multiplication and long-division and arrived at 32 km.  Yes, my arithmetic is getting dodgy, especially when I do it in my head.  You see, all the way around the world (through the meridian that goes through Paris) is 40 000km (by definition of the metre).  This is 360 degrees, times 60 minutes per degree, times 60 seconds per minute.

My computer says the answer is 30.8 metres - I obviously lost some brain cells, let along zeroes along the way.  While I am walking along, I notice that the coordinates differ by a few seconds, but that I am not walking a few times 32km (it's called a sanity check).  So I make a little experiment:  when I am at a given coordinate, I ask the GPS to navigate me to a spot one second away.  It tells me that the distance to my destination is 30m.  Voila!

Anyway, the results were:

• me second
• Wayne 12th
• Daniel 18th
• Clayton 28th

Daniel, as a result of a typo while entering coordinates, found himself about 2km off course, but at the bar!

A brilliant day comes to a close.  Although the scores and positions are not yet known, those of us whose strengths are technical or navigational are doing well so far.  Liesl is 5th, Wayne 6th and I am 7th.

Day 5 - Fri 13th Aug: Fitness, Team Building and Riding Skills

The night was cold, but my thermals, new tent and sleeping back did the job.  y underpants that I had hung on the outside of the tent after washing them in the shower were frozen solid and the focus of quite a lot of photographic interest.

Frozen underpants

We were to report for breakfast at 07h00 in PT gear.  Big dilemma about how much warm stuff to wear.  The competitors were split into those that ride a GS Adventure, and the GSes.  The only 1150 GS there, Mr.Badger, was put with the GSes.

Fitness Test

The (somewhat masochistic) ladies from Planet Fitness measured our fitness.

Heart rate: Clayton and Bruce MacDonald (#26)

We did the 3 minutes stepping up, then had to measure our own heartrate.  Unfortunately we did not measure recovery time, and I am sure some people did not report their true rate.  But I was encouraged to see that measurements were adjusted according to age.

How many situps in a minute: Photo by Greg Beadle

We did situps and pushups, sprints and flexibility measurements.  I surprised myself and a number of others by doing 53 pushups in a minute.  However, I only came 21st in fitness, with Wayne 16th, Daniel 26th and Clayton 30th.

Obstacle Course

The rest of the fitness module was a timed run through a military-style obstacle course.  I did not think much of it since we did this on the navy divers course with wetsuits and weightbelts, but it is amazing what 26 years can do.

Daniel and I were drawn first, and as a result we ended up coming stone last.  Here's how:

We're off - the first obstacle: Photo by Greg Beadle

We are not allowed to touch the bars with our hands - and I did not trust myself to clear them, so stepped over like an old man.  Yes I did.

Balance Beams - my nemesis: Photo by Greg Beadle

If you fall you must start from the beginning.  Daniel ran over, but my balance is a bit off (yes, I know, it explains a lot). When I told Julie what we did, she burst out laughing just imagining me trying to walk a beam.

Next up, a climb then a slide down the ropes.  I didn't realize that Dan is afraid of heights.

Height - Daniels nemesis: Photo by Greg Beadle

Little did I know that Daniel was about to fall through a rotten plank at the top, and get stuck.  The view of the bottom from up there was more than a little unnerving.

Daniel falls through: Photo by Greg Beadle

Of course I help Daniel extricate himself - how could I not?  I needed the break.  Little did I know that no good turn goes unpunished.

My turn to fall: Photo by Greg Beadle

At the very next obstacle, on an exercise I regard as so easy that I was not paying attention, my hand slipped at the wrong moment and I had a fall that had everybody running to my aid.  I bruised my coccyx and sprained my wrist and clutch finger, and bit my tongue.  But it takes a lot more than that to fell me.  Daniel was at my side in a flash, and together we decided to skip this obstacle.

Almost there: Photo by Greg Beadle

More balancing

I really need to work on this.  At the end of the last beam I started losing it and ran the last bit, then fell and grazed my knee.

Keep those shoes dry

I followed Daniel over the last obstacle.  I had told him my idea of jumping at an angle to miss the water, and so we ended high and dry - but in last place after all our pioneer work over the course.  After us the organizers had the plank repaired and put safety mats down.

Some people did the course a second time to improve their times, but Daniel and I did not think we could make much difference and would just tire ourselves for things to come.

Wayne came 5th (go navy diver!) and Clayton 15th.

Team Building

One of my weaker modules.  We met professional facilitators for a series of problems that needed to be solved as a team.  Starting with a team name and song.  Well, Shane Levey suggested 'The Titans' from the movie.  And I can sing and dance the 'Waka Waka'.  Before I realized it, I was teaching the team the Waka Waka.

Tsamina mina eh eh: Photo by Greg Beadle

I suppose I could have made more of it, but we wanted to get on with the other exercises.  Each of the exercises required teamwork, and often the leader of the moment was someone who had encountered the problem and solution before.

You want us to what?: Vincent the facilitator

Breaking out of jail

Building a raft

We also solved the spider web problem, the swapping positions with one empty chair, and the guiding a blindfolded canoeist.  I can think of a lot worse things to be doing with a bunch of like-minded people.

Shane Levey tackled two of our team members into the river (which looked inviting but was more than slightly refreshing).  He redeemed his action by going in with them.  There was a lot of tipping other teams off their rafts and other 'spirit-building' activity.

I came joint 8th, Wayne was joint 2nd, Daniel and Clayton joint 13th.

Riding Skills

After lunch we finally get to ride.  I was nervous after all the anticipation, so after walking the course I elected to ride a bit later, hoping to have composed myself.  Clayton was quick off the mark and volunteered to go first.  Daniel rode third.

The course is long, but divided into sections where you stop and have a marshall go over the instructions for the next section.  It also tested all aspects of your riding skill.

Clayton starts on the beam

The course made very clever use of the adventure camp obstacles. The balance beams became a zig-zag slalom for the bikes.

Daniel enters the lane splitting

Clayton doing a leg turn

I had befriended a chap from Swaziland, Nhlanhla.  Those who could not pronounce his name called him 'Swazi'.  He had had a Dakar years ago, but rode superbike.  He had borrowed his friend's GS for the event, and had never had basic offroad training.  As a result, every obstacle was new to him, and he battled with some of them.

As he approached the seesaw, I could see he was not set up properly - off-balance, looking down, and skew.

Nhlanhla in a spot of bother

He tumbled off the seesaw in spectacular fashion, but thankfully, neither bike nor rider was hurt.  The incident did show a further aspect of how professional and on the ball the marshalls were.  They were so quick they almost caught Nhlanhla before he hit the ground.

The marshalls were quick and skilled

One obstacle that had me nervous was the tyre pit.  I had seen an 800 GS rider fail to make it, and then struggle to get his bike out.  Mr.Badger and I both knew that if we ended up like that in the pit it cost a lot of effort (and possibly days of time) to get back out again.

Nhlanhla in the tyre pit

The pit is made harder by the need to stop dead just over the rise on the exit.  However, I decided to gun it through the pit and take no chances and forgo the stop.

Me in the sand pit

The organizers had even dug a 30m long zig-zag trench and filled it with sand for this event.  I suprised myself by riding the sand beautifully (though I shouldn't be surprised given the amount of training and experience in sand Mr.Badger and I have had).

About to wreck the garage

• The garage is an old familiar friend.  Too familiar.  Mr.Badger cosied up to the corner with his back wheel and knocked the entire structure out of shape.  I wanted to apologize to the marshalls for breaking their course.  They penalized us heavily.

So far so good

Nooooo...

Then we fell.  No 'side-stand incident' or 'the bike lay down' or 'we got tired' or any of the euphemisms.  A fall by any other name would still be a fall.  Like a dweeb I did not rotate Mr.Badger to face the exit before picking him up and ended up losing more points before leaving the garage.  Thankfully there is a maximum of 10, and I lost them all there.

Into the pit

Did I mention I hate balance beams?  The nemesis of the morning came back to haunt me in the afternoon.

Do you think I can get a ring onto a pin?

We had to balance the bike without allowing it to touch the beam (here I am resting my knee against it), then throw rings onto pegs stuck in the ground, for bonus points.  I did not get a single one

The marshall asked me if I had ever ridden over a seesaw before, and when I said 'no' explained to me how to do it (do not start braking until you are riding down the other side).  I was determined to ride it and did it perfectly.

No major buggerups from here on

When the course ended, I was glad but also disappointed with my mistakes (I had even fluffed the bunny-hop, one of Mr.Badger's favourite moves).  It is also a pity that one cannot ride a course like this a few times after the event for the fun and experience.  I really want to find or make a venue where we can do this.  Cones on grass are not the same.

In the riding skills, our scores were:

• Wayne 8th
• Clayton 12th
• Daniel 17th
• me 21st

By Friday evening, the GS group had finished the competitive side of the event and could sleep easy.  The adventure group had done high ropework that afternoon while we were riding, and still had to ride on Saturday morning.  You could see who was in which group just by the level of tension still in their faces.

Day 6 - Sat 14th Aug: Finals

High Ropework

Having been a rockclimber, I am not scared of heights and am familiar with ropework.  But, that does not mean that the exercise the Konka team have set up is not unnerving.

Stabilizing the log chain: Photo by Greg Beadle

What made it unnerving for me was the dread of slipping or putting a foot wrong, and then ending up suspended like a fly in a web and having to endure the humiliation of failure and waiting for the facilitators to come rescue me.

Clayton drops the ball: (it's mandatory)

You could not avoid looking down, because in two places you had to drop a tennis ball into a bag held by your buddy.  After the halfway mark, you are walking uphill, which is also not great...

The Finalists

After our ropework we went to the skills arena to watch the last of the Adventure team finish their riding skills module.  After lunch there, 11 finalists were announced.  These guys were to compete on standard 800GS's provided.  I don't think any of the finalists ride an 800GS normally, so they were all in the same boat as far as doing the skills on a different bike goes.

The finalists

The riders were given a short time to get the feel of the bike, and the three bikes were set up for different size riders.   Most of the finalists were in their mid twenties, with one youngster and three older riders (in their thirties and forties).

To be honest, many of us were relieved not to have to compete further, and immediately cracked the beers.

Wayne Sheppard had come 5th in the competition so far and was one of the finalists.  The Cape Town crowd supported and helped him.

Wayne about to start: responding to his gallery of supporters

Obstacle course: a race against time

Balancing actOur man: about to start riding

Wayne doesn't look right on a small bike: this is not how we know him

Elephant turn 1

Elephant turn success

More obstacles

The course was designed to force errors.  The test was to see who could strategize best to optimize points (for e.g. lose a point here in order to avoid losing 5 there), and who could keep their heads when things were going wrong.

Wayne came 9th.  The GS Trophy Team that was chosen was:

• Gerber Strydom (the instructor who took me on the dirtbike course)
• Warren Strong
• Roger Kane-Berman

The SA GS Trophy Team: From left to right: Roger, Gerber and Warren. (Photo by Greg Beadle)

These guys will do us proud.  They were awesome fellow competitors and team-mates and it was a pleasure to have participated in this event with them.

The Gala Evening

The event closed with a gala evening.  There were trophies awarded for the winner of each module.  Bruce MacDonald (number 25) won two - Orienteering and Bike Mechanics.  Gerber won the overall highest score across all the modules.

Two further prizes of 5000 ronts each, were awarded for bravery and for perseverance.  I thought I might be in the running after my big fall, but the prizes were awarded quite fittingly to Liesl (for bravery - she competed on an equal footing with the guys), and to Nhlanhla who persisted with the skills challenge even though he had taken a heavy fall and was a bit at sea.

Day 7 - Aug 15: Konka to Three Sisters

Rose early and packed for the trip home. Goodbyes at breakfast.  Hate the sentimental stuff.

Took the most direct dirt route through to Ventersdorp.  Hit a road that was closed for construction, but it was sunday - there was no-one there and I could not face re-plotting a course.  So I rode it anyway and dodged the construction piles and holes and things.  Nice.

Filled up in Ventersdorp and the owner thought it was OK to chat.  When I told him 'Three Sisters' he said it was a very long way - 800km.  Pomped tyres and hit the tar with meaning.

The wallet

At Strydenburg (I hate towns named after some sad event in the past), I pulled in to fill up.  As the attendant started, I discovered my wallet was missing:  it had fallen out of my pocket!  I asked her to stop, then phoned Julie to let her know.

I was effectively stranded.  No way to buy petrol, and no way to get accommodation.  I asked the owner (an old woman) whether Julie could give her a card number or make an internet transfer to pay for petrol.  No.  I could just see Julie spending a whole day to come fetch me in the bakkie, and another day to get home.  Very costly for someone who gets paid by the hour.

When I phoned Julie again, she said a truck driver had just phoned her to say he had seen my wallet fall out my pocket, and had it with him.  He was five minutes from Strydenburg and would stop at the garage there.

What a geluk!  From a complete disaster to happy salvation.  I spent the 20 ronts in my jacket pocket on a celebratory Coke and Bar One.  When the truck arrived I was ecstatic.  Rewarded the driver with R400 - the least I could do considering the time, effort and money he had saved me.

Three Sisters

While I'm filling up another blue and white 1150 GS pulls up, with a companion on an older K1100 or something.  They are on their way home from a four week ride around Southern Africa.

Day 8 - Mon 16th Aug: Three Sisters to Cape Town

Wake up early and depart without breakfast.  Will eat as a break somewhere on the Beaufort West - Laingsburg death stretch.  Leeu Gamka it is.  Home is in Mr.Badger's nose, so it is N1 at a pace, and straight through the tunnel.  Home for lunch with tales of adventure and derring-do.

Overall Impressions

• The GS Trophy qualifier is an awesome adventure - like a summer adventure camp for adventure bike riders
• Everyone I spoke to said they thoroughly enjoyed it and would definitely be back
• The marshalls and organizers were superb.  Professional, knowledgeable, organized and friendly.
• The value for money of the entry fee is very good - the goody bag alone was worth a packet.
• It was a learning experience as well as a challenge and adventure.
• If there is one thing that would improve this event for me, it would be a chance to ride the skills challenge course a few times after the event - maybe even with some coaching and advice (yes, I know it's a long shot)

Acknowledgements

• All the organizers and sponsors
• Greg Beadle for the photos (www.gregbeadle.com)
• Wayne, Clayton and Daniel for the support and companionship
• All the competitors for making the event what it was