Comrades 2014

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badballie

Race Dog
Joined
Aug 26, 2009
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Location
Amanzimtoti
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BMW R1200GS Adventure
Yes this is a Ride Report not a Run Report  :imaposer:

I volunteered again this year to help with the Comrades, but not marshaling, not that stupid again, thank you very much. This year I was on the bikes and got spotter duty.

You lift a spotter for SABC, we were 3 bikes on spotter duties and leap frog each other, from one mile marker to the next, following the top 10 men. Another 2 bikes were following the top 10 ladies.

You stop, record the names/race numbers and splits on the top 10, phone them in to SABC and then you have to get to the front of everyone and everything again - stop and repeat.

Makes for an interesting day to say the least, weaving through packs of runners, squeezing past camera bikes, the time board vehicles, cops, trucks with media etc.

And trying not to kill any runners, spectators, marshals in the process  ;D

The top runners average 2.5 min/h - does not sound like much, but with a 10 minute + split from 1 - 10 - phoning the results in and then having to get ahead again, takes 5-8 kms at sometimes 120km/h where you can and other times idling 5km/h behind a pack.

Apparently I made quite a few appearances on live TV, with the leap frogging as well  ;D

And almost took out Bongmusa on the last 8km stretch  :eek7:

As I was coming down the M13 - klapping it a bit to make up time, we got to Bongmusa and the cavalcade around him, but as it is a 3 lane highway, plenty of space to maneuver, he is in far right lane, camera and referee cars/bikes in far left, I klap it down the middle, and Bongmusa decides he is changing lanes, managed to stops about 2 meters behind him, before his race number became a bumper sticker  :laughing4:

Wicked feeling though, once you past the leader and convoy, barreling the wrong way down highways, over robots etc - getting to the last stretch  - the Toyota mile, we were ace out on the route - speeding through Durban CBD up a one way with the whole route for ourselves.

Quite an experience and will be back next year to do it again.

On the nitty gritty side of things. Got up at 02.30 am and left home just after 03.00 - off to NPN Auto to meet the group. From there we slabbed it up the M13 and then N3 to PMB tp meet the rest of the crew.

Met up with them and everyone got their duties, spotters, camera men, referees etc.

Then to the start and off to first spot.

We were finished after the top 10 ladies came in, had a lekker lunch and then I had to use every back route I know to get back to Hillcrest and drop my spotter.

From there I had enough of Durbs so back onto N3 and up to Vans for a cold beer. Met a biker mate there and a had a few cold ones, before taking the Umbumbulu road back.

And even worked in a quick dirt road just to make sure I covered all bases for the day.

And the Versys did excellent the whole day with consumption of 21km/lt

Some pics

 

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