Another GS Challenge story!

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UFUDO

Pack Dog
Joined
Jan 24, 2006
Messages
125
Reaction score
0
Location
Pretoria East
Bike
BMW R1150GS Adventure
This is our take on the GS Challenge 2006.
These are some of our pictures that I think portray the spirit of the event.



Day one. We woke up to a freezing morning.

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This is the hill that caused our problems. It was on Day One?s Red route, the first special stage. We were heading up and there was a tight right hand switch-back turn. I chose the outside line as it was the smoothest. As we came round the corner I see another bike coming down the hill towards us. He was trying desperately to stop on the loose surface. I changed my line to the inside of the corner to avoid hitting him. We were totally off balance and there was a huge boulder in front of us. I stopped and could just not hold the bike upright. It fell over onto its right hand side (down hill.) My mates behind me saw what happened and stopped to help me pick it up. Even before we lifted the bike up I saw one rock underneath the tank. I expected the worst. Once up I saw that I had a small dent on my tank. That was not the worst. The right hand side rear foot peg bracket had broken clean off. A big problem for Belinda. Another rider on a yellow 1150 offered me his rear bracket. We fitted it and promised to return it to him that evening. I borrowed another one from Pieter (Muddy) one of the Pretoria BMW guys.

The chap coming down the hill towards us was going to see if his girlfriend/wife was alright. She was at the bottom of the hill with the medics. (We later heard that Hein Kumm gave her a lift to the bottom.) The story is he was riding up the hill and hit a bump which shot his pillion off her foot pegs. When she came down her foot missed the peg and the peg (home made) impaled itself into her lower leg. It was quite amazing to see that he was fully kitted, but that she was wearing jeans and tekkies. On a Red Route. Go figure?.

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Team work was the name of the game. This was a river crossing on red day 2. A very rocky crossing with a steep muddy step to get out. The easiest was to hit it with speed and momentum and hope for the best, especially at the end of the day after everyone had gone through it already. We were riding just in front of the sweepers the whole day, this is them crossing.

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Red Day 3 the first extreme uphill. Once again team work the name of the game.

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The ?Shaunste? showing how it must be done.

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This is what happens if you hit a wrong line and get bumped on a different line.

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The notorious mud hole.

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Koos coming through.

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This is what a DS bike should look like.

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Someone who loves?s his work!

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Not enough momentum.

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Enough momentum.

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The second extreme uphill on Red Day 3. This chap getting it side ways and not making it. Belinda and I went up and this is how far we got. She then climbed off to take pictures and I went back down and tried again. The surface was extremely loose and it was very steep. The secret was to gain enough momentum, lookup and keep it pinned in second gear. It also helps to keep your legs wide open and keep the bike loose beneath you.

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Quite a nasty mud hole! When facing an obstacle it is always better to dismount and asses the situation. When you are adventure touring and come across an obstacle like this it is always better to assist each other getting through. No point in breaking your bike or yourself in the middle of nowhere. The same goes for the GS challenge. Don?t be too proud or over confident in your abilities to ask for help.

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Our team:
Garth (Ufudo); Belinda; Koos and the ?Shaunste?.

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We really enjoyed it this year. All 3 years have been different but special in their own way. Our experiences have taught us that with a positive attitude everything turns out for the better. Yes there were queues for the toilets, they ran out of coke and brandy, the food wasn?t always piping hot, but hey, we chose to be there. Complaining about things does not fix them. Enjoying a tin of meatballs and noodles, washed down with warm beer for Christmas supper in Northern Moz, is still enjoyable. Its what makes memories. We will take our bikes and go and ?rough? it up in Africa without a word of complaint, but when BMW organize different routes to ride, (that you?ll never be able to go and ride again) we complain??



We will definitely be their next year, cold mielies or not...!!!
 
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