2 Day Ride to East of Wuppertal - Tra Tra trail

[DikZol]

Ok so here goes.  My 1st ride report attempt so please bear with me.

I will start the story with my own perspective and pics and hopefully Grondpaaie and R-O-V-Rat can elaborate with their footage, pics and comments.

I finished packing by 16:00 on Monday...then realised that all this crap is not going on the DR in two big bags on top of the bike.  So I unpacked and kept one bag on top and soft luggage on the sides.  The bike felt a lot better despite the luggage being 20 Kg's in total.  I live to regret all this luggage, but more about that later.  Eventually finished packing and had my 3 test riders check things out.

[eikeboom]

 
So julle het dit gemaak...
Ek sien uit na die verslag en fotos!

[DikZol]

I managed to get to bed some time after 00:00 with the usual adrenaline before a trip keeping me awake. 05:00 came quickly and it was time to start the day.  By 06:05 I was on my way to meet up with Grondpaaie at Piketberg.  From Piketberg we continued to Citrusdal via some gravel where I had a near miss with a calf despite going really slow.  We refueled at Citrusdal and got onto the gravel towards Algeria.  I was riding close to GP to avoid the dust but soon realised my mistake when a large enough stone kicked up and hit me snugly between the kneebrace's carbon fibre and knee protector.  I swore for the next 10 minutes to try and deal with the pain.  First stop just before turning right toward Algeria.


Some more pics above Jamaka on our way to Oasis to meet up with R-O-V-Rat.



2nd stop where the road splits



3rd stop at Oasis


On our way to Wuppertal
Grondpaaie with his unmissable helmet


Somewhere along the road - it very hot so stopping for too long not a good idea.  Better to ride and ventilate.  

We were very diligent in hydration and made sure we had enough water.  Next stop Wuppertal where we had some chicken pie....and when that is what you order that is what you get, no garnish/chips/chutney or whatever else, just the pie, but it tasted very good.

[DikZol]

And so we go through the rest of the town toward Singkop (hope I got the name right) and started looking for the trail.  Luckily both GP and RR had GPS's.  We initially went up the wrong trail.




RR no side stand so had to lay her down to come and help me.  The DR's rear end slipped off the trail and I ended up in an awkward position unable to go forward.

[Bring It On]

Cederberg area truly is a Gr8 place Sure looks like you guys were in for quite an adventure.

Thanks for the RR

[DikZol]

We worked our way up this treacherous trail bouncing, spinning and weaving as we go.  I wrestled a lot with the handle bars desperately trying to keep the front pointing forward and keeping momentum.  The last thing you want to do is stall on the incline.  The loose stones make it really hard to get going again...momentum is key, but not too much because if you loose control the result can be somewhat painful.

GP was doing well until he managed to come off harder than he would admit I guess.  He managed to get the handlebars bent and the XR would not start again.  


By now we were really hot and bothered with temperatures between 45-51 grade Celsius depending on whose thermometer you want to believe.  GP struggled with the XR but she just would not start.  I shared the inevitable advice that I knew GP did not want to hear:  Turn around and run start it downhill.  After some deliberation RR and I decided to try and finish the trail.after GP decided to call it a day with the XR acting up and started to make his way down.  We agreed to to stay there and watch him all the way until he is safe on the main track next to Singkop.  Unfortunately he went down again.  RR took his plastic and turned back to go and assist.  

[DikZol]

[Crossed-up]

Ah yes! I've been looking forward to this one.  Thanks for taking so many great pics.  It gives us a good idea of the conditions.

[DikZol]

RR accompanied GP all the way back to Wuppertal to make sure he will be OK.  This was only the start and unfortunately it got even worse than these pictures could tell.

[Bring It On]

That trail sure looks like a place, where a 2 Stroke Plastic will feel very much @ home

[Crossed-up]

Looks pretty hectic!  I do hope the XR starts!  It would be a shame to have to bail at this late stage.

[DikZol]

That trail sure looks like a place, where a 2 Stroke Plastic will feel very much @ home

No doubt about that!  Methinks good place for roof training or something like that, especially with the extreme heat!

Looks pretty hectic!  I do hope the XR starts!  It would be a shame to have to bail at this late stage.

GP decided to call it a day and went back to Wuppertal.



So we made it up to the first major incline and we were already knackered and overheating.  RR and I crawled under a doringbos and tried to hide from the sun for about an hour whilst refueling our bodies.  


Despite the heat we decided early on to try and finish the trail and get back to Oasis before dark.  It was time to move on again.


In the background you can see the trail.  It did not look bad at all.  We seemed to be near the top with some flat pieces coming up.  Would be nice to get some speed and get some airflow going.  Unbelievably so the trail got significantly tougher with some major steps one after the other to be traversed.  Combined with having to corner also it made for some really hard riding.  I realised that I was on the limit with the DR's ground clearance....and my own for that matter!  I often did not have enough momentum to get up on the steps and had to reverse for take two or three.  Le Cap's bash plate did a sterling job of protecting the underside.  After a while I found some rhythm in hitting the steps with some acceleration with the front wheel hitting the rock and then jumping up slightly, keeping up the power and doing a short wheelie up with the rear hitting and going up.  This was energy sapping stuff with the clutch working hard being feathered and throttle being worked constantly.  It also helped to go duck feet as soon as the bike started going sideways just to kick it back on track.  Good advice is to try and keep your feet on the pegs as far as possible to help with traction, but that is easier said than done.  Did not take any further pics on this section as I was just slogging it.  Along the road I met up with a young skaapwagter.  I enquired about the trail ahead and whether the top was where I saw it.  Again, unfortunately not!  He told me it was still beyond that and gave some directions.  The trail was well enough marked out so no navigation issues here.

At one point I kept to the right (on the mountain side) going slightly up on the rock rather than the loose cobbles to get better traction.  Unfortunately I lost momentum as I tried to balance against the camber and started to slide backward.  RR came up from behind and I narrowly missed him as I moered down hard on my back.  Amazingly virtually no damage to the DR.

We got to some flat sections and then saw this:


I took it all the way up in first gear and despite getting a bit hairy we managed.  I was very jealous of RR on his KDX and missed my KTM 300 sorely.  She would eat this hill.

We got to the top where we had to open a gate and found a little shade for a well deserved rest.




According to the skaapwagter once we made it up this next bend we were on top.


I nearly made it the first time but could not maintain momentum when I had to turn onto the cement section and got stuck.  Had to reverse all the way down to the gate for take two.  Tried a different line with a wider turn and made it.  RR made it look really easy when he went up.  F*&£$%r

[DikZol]

Getting to the top we were thankful for the flat sections.  Not wanting to sound ungrateful but then we hit the sand and I struggled to keep the DR pointing straight.  Getting to 2nd gear helped, but the weaving was tough on an already tired body.  Did not want to go too fast because injury would be catastrophic out here.  It could take a while for help to come if needed, so no heroics, just slog on.

There were some nice gravel bits to get the speed up.  It was a bit cooler on top of the mountain with a bit of a breeze.  Hallelujah!!




This Oak tree was a welcome sight and we took a long rest.


I told RR that I am going ahead to try and find the next bit of the trail since I saw a sign board which seemed to indicate the trail.  I followed the tweespoor onto deep sand which was overgrown with hip high bush.  The trail disappeared and it became apparent that this was rather a cattle path.  RR caught up with me and we checked his GPS.  We were slightly lost but realised we need to turn back.  Bliksem, all that hard work in the sand for nothing.  We went up and down several parts before finding a rather obvious turn off where the signpost had been flattened to the next part of the trail.  Lekker tweespoor and we picked up the pace a bit.  Taking a break to take in the breathtaking views:












 

[See Duiwel]

Great!! Dik Zaan, lyk my jy sou maar geskyt het met die BM?  Ek vra maar want ek het net die 990 vir volgende jaar na pars.  RR sal maar moet saamkom, en jy ook! Dankie vir great rr, sover.

[DikZol]

Great!! Dik Zaan, lyk my jy sou maar geskyt het met die BM?  Ek vra maar want ek het net die 990 vir volgende jaar na pars.  RR sal maar moet saamkom, en jy ook! Dankie vir great rr, sover.

Ek neem aan jy kan donners goed bike ry as jy die 990 daar oorweeg.  Dit was pure oningeligtheid dat ek die 1150 oorweeg het.  Leen iemand se plastic as jy kan.  Ek sal nie weer die DR daar ry nie. 


We realised that we still had some way to go and time (or rather daylight) was running out on us.  We pushed on...........and then we reached Johnny's.  Up to this point the trail was really hard but something that one can comprehend.  What lay ahead was the steepest decline I ever saw where a vehicle was supposed to go down.  I was thoroughly tired.  My body was telling me that it had enough.  At this point I struggled to walk since I also hit the right knee somewhere, but could not remember where.  So the left knee (where the stone hit me earlier in the day) started acting up and my "fondament" was moer toe.  I could not sit normally on the bike or on a rock for that matter.  I took a rest to build up some sort of confidence for what lay ahead.  The name Johnny's sound so welcoming...wrongly so.  I think a more apt name is Heartbreak Hill.  It was just after 17:00 and we had a long way to go.  In the mean time RR decided to take the bull by the horns and started his descent. I shouted at him to rather get off his bike fearing that he might go gat oor kop, but he seemingly just ignored my advice and went for it...bike turned off using the clutch to break the rear and feather the front break.  







He made it to what we thought was the bottom.  RR disappeared under a bush for some respite from the still searing sun.  I realised that I am not going to make it with all the luggage on the bike down these big steps.  I started working my way down slipping and sliding and resting every two or three meters with the bags.  Fatigue was clearly setting in.  The day just got very long.  

[See Duiwel]

Shit ou! Die 990 is al wat ek het, en 230 plaasbike. Het Riaan vir julle wortels vir padkos saamgevat? LOL, ou binnekring grappie. Great dat jy nog foto's ook geneem het. Ek het van die begin af gedink julle is bedonnerd om in die hitte in daai wereld te wil infoeter. Maar nou ja, daar is mos nie pille vir domgeit nie. Gelukkig hou ouens soos julle die forum intereassant!

[Aprilian]

Great report! Cant wait for rest!
Always amazed that one always ends up doing extreme routes in extremes of climate- either scorching heat or ice cold and snow.

[Grondpaaie]

Van My Kant af

Ek sal later die foto's en video wat ek het op sit.

Gaan ook nie baie dwel op die roete vanaf huis tot by Oasis nie.

Na al die handskud en voorstel, besluit ons om tot op Wuppertal te ry, iets te eet en dan die roete te pak.

Die pad vanaf Oasis tot Wuppertal is maar sleg verspoel en ons het dit maar rustig gevat.

Na lunch by Wuppertal is ons oor rivier en tussen paar huise verby. Ons kon 'n pad teen die berg uit sien. Baie Los klippe. DZ voor maar ons het verkeerd gery. RR op die kleiner fiets het gou gaan loer boontoe en kom terug en se ons moet maar omdraai. Weer af teen berg, vang regte pad en begin klim.

Op hierdie stadium begin ek warm kry, erg warm kry.

Die pad maak so 'S' teen die berg op, ek maak laaste draai en daar is nog so 200m oor. Ek stoei erg met die XR en ons maak so Klein Atoombom ontploffing soos ons val. Op hierdie stadium kan ek nie eers my fiets self optel nie, DZ genadiglik kom help my, toe ek hom optel sien ek 51grade op my temperatuur lesing.

Die XR wil niks weet van aanskakel nie, DZ SE enigste oplossing is om om te draai en berg af te probeer. Nie wat ek wil hoor nie.

Ek sukkel om asem te haal.

Partykeer moet 'n mens stop en "Admit Defeat", Letterlik "Live to fight another day"



My fiets is heeltemal te swaar gelaai vir wat ek met hom probeer doen.

Ek het dieselfde Riding Gear aan wat ek in die winter mee ry, heeltemal te warm aangetrek, kan nie regtig van iets onslae raak nie.

Die hitte is so erg dat die XR nie wil start nie, dit is in my mind dat alhoewel hier nou afdraande is om hom te start, wat gebeur as dit bo gebeur? Daar waar dit plat en sand is?

My fisiese kondisionering is klaarblyklik nie dieselfde as die ander manne nie, en wat Ou nie eintlik wil erken nie, hulle is heelwat jonger.

Last but not least, hulle is duidelik beter op die fietse as ek.


So oomblikkie van self ondersoek en ek besef - Ek gaan nie die roete maak nie.


Kerels, ek gaan terug, moeilke woorde, maar na lang denke hieroor na die tyd, die regte besluit op daai oomblik.



Ek vat die pad af, maar vorder net so 200m, daar le ek weer. RR kom help my en Lang storie kort.

Hy ry op die einde my fiets tot onder en ek kom op sy KX.


Hierdie Ou is Tuff en hy kan 'n fiets ry. Ou Tolla sou gese het hy maak sy broek met 'n Geelslang vas.

Onder by die huise kry hy koue water vir ons en ek rus, plat op my rug. Hy vat die pad op boontoe en hulle gaan die roete voltooi, iewers het ek die sat phone vir hulle gegee.


Vir my is die avontuur oor, vir nou. Ek sal weer terug wees, maar beter voorbereid wees met regte toerusting.

Die res van die storie los ek vir die Manne wat dit gemaak het. Welgedaan Manne

[buzzlightyear]

 

[Rynet]

  that path looks hectic and that downhill unbelievable 

Respect to the two of you.