Red Adventure
Race Dog
Roy had taken the plunge and upgraded his African Twin to a BMW1200GS. “Yes, I did say upgraded.” :amazon:
So the plan and purpose for the ride was to do a relaxed ride through the Cederberg and help Roy develop confidence on his GS under different road conditions.
I sent out an invite to guys that Roy has ridden with in the past as well as guy
s that I thought would suite the ride.
Then came a request from Pieter to bring a buddy. Now if you know Pieter’s insulting humor you too will be amazed that he actually has a buddy. “Ok Pieter you know that I love to give back what you yourself love to dish out so eagerly” :mwink: Anyway since Marco rode a 1200GS he would be perfectly suited to the group and getting to know like minded people is what Adventure Ridding is all about. So another request to invite Simon who also rides an 1150GS was also welcomed. But the final, “is there place for one more?” was accepted just because Pierre rode an XR650 and to have only one Honda in the group would be well, just boring. :ricky:
What do I have against Hondas? Well nothing, I grew up ridding Hondas. But then I bought a BMW.
ot:
So the final confirmed group was as follows in no particular order of preference other than the Honda riders being named last obviously. Roy, Andre’, Wayne, Russell and Marco on 1200’s. Simon and myself on 1150’s. Pieter on his Dakar looking African Twin and Pierre on a rather tall XR650.
We all met at the usual Petrol station in Durbanville and With Wayne being a detail conscious kind of guy, I knew that he would be there to meet and greet all the guys. So I went about my Saturday morning things that I do but making sure that I would be there and ready to leave at the prearranged time.
Those of you that have ridden with me will know that the only detail I find important regarding a ride is, when and where. I couldn’t be too bothered about the other fine details of will there be little soaps with the towels etc. :
“So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
At the start Russell mentioned something about having to take it a bit easy as he had injured his right hand. : After a brief chat about the ride protocol we were off with our first port of call being driving past a house in Wellington where a buddy of Pieter that’s from out of town was staying. “Yes I know, this guy must be famous or something.” As his buddy rides a KTM, revving up the neighbors at his expense was just a pleasure. :imaposer:
From there we hit Bainskloof Pass where two or three turns in it became obvious by the eager lights gathering up in my mirrors that things were about to heat up. > Since I have by accident or should that rather be via accident, learned to overcome my need for speed I comfortably waved them past. :deal: Up front was Simon closely followed by Geoff and then Marco.
This immediately then set the tone for the rest of the ride. There would be one hooligan group, one scenery absorbing group and a trailing photographer. That said if anyone reading this has led an off-road ride, you would understand that to lead one group from the front has its ups and downs but to lead three groups from the middle is what being spontaneous is all about.atch:
Our first stop was in Ceres for coffee and for some, a bite to eat. Thereafter we topped up our tanks and headed for the Gydo Pass that would take us to Oasis for lunch.
As we rode the first gravel for the day, we were all immediately reminded of what we all knew was possible. A rather new car lay on its roof in a ditch next to the road. To further cement this feeling of concern the road had just been graded and was very loose. :'(
In the dust Pierre exchange places with Marco as Simon and Russell took off like full sponsored contenders in the Dakar while Pierre and Pieter followed like privateers. “After all they were riding the Hondas remember.” :ricky:
The rest of us held back out of their dust to enjoy the awesome view of the Cederberg Mountains and endless valleys of Mount Cedar and Oasis.
At Oasis we immediately placed our order with Gerrit for their legendary Ham, Cheese and Tomato toasties while helping ourselves to the honesty bar.
Just as we all kicked back to chew the fat, a lone rider on a 1200 Adventure pulled in. He was easily identified by his near pink ridding suite and on cue Olaf was asked if he had enough water with him. :biggrin: For those that don’t remember, Olaf was one of the three bikers that got themselves in a tight spot on Van Zyls pass in Namibia a while back, when they discovered the dangers of running out of drinking water in a desert.
I think Simon was checking Olaf's pinkish ridding pants :laughing4:
So after a hugely satisfying lunch we headed off in the direction of Algeria. The road surface became like riding on large marbles as a result of all the grading. I stopped just round the corner from the Kromrivier turnoff to wait for Marco who hadn’t made an appearance in my mirrors yet. After a bit of a wait I turned back to find Andre’ bringing the news that Marco and Roy had taken the Kromrivier turn off and Wayne had made a call to go after them as he knew of another way out of there to get to Eendekuil, our overnight stop. :-\
Knowing that there was no other way out from Kromrivier except to return to Oasis, Andre’ and I waited in the hope that they would all turn back. After a long enough wait it became clear that they must have headed all the way back past Oasis and possibly via Citrusdal to Eendekuil.
As we had hoped for, the hooligan group was waiting for us at Algeria from where we all rode on to the N7 together. We turned off the N7 again to ride through some orange orchards via gravel roads to the top of the Piekenierskoof Pass where Russell showed us a gravel road just under the pass, taking us down to the Eendekuil road.
At the Eendekuil Hotel we were met by Magda who showed us to our rooms and where to get all that we needed. While relaxing in front of the pub our extended travelers pulled in with tales of places they had seen and roads they had followed. Fortunately I was the one that didn’t stop at the turnoff so nobody was send home after a good klap. :director:
Staying over at the hotel was another group of bikers, some on large scooters, superbikes and one or two shinny clean adventure bikes. The atmosphere there was so great that the only time we got to hear Pieter’s live commentary of the rugby :bueller: was while we sat down to a good old South African supper of braaied meat and roostekoek with home made jams. Oh and there was vegetables for the more hungry people. Supper was finished off with some good old Malfa pudding and moer koffee. Magda and her brother really just couldn’t do enough to make us feel welcome and this being the second time that I’ve eaten there didn’t disappoint at all. :thumleft:
On numerous occasions during the evening we were asked what time we wanted breakfast but we couldn’t come to agree amongst ourselves on a time. Finally Magda came to us and said that the other group asked to have breakfast at 9am and it would be much easier for her if we all could have breakfast together. Although 9am was quite late the fact that we were less than 150km from home, made thought of lying in for awhile the next morning seem rather appealing.
One of the things that I learned on this trip is that a photographer is as drawn to a sunrise like a rooster. :scratch:
It didn’t take Wayne long to get breakfast organized earlier for our group. “As I said Magda just couldn’t do enough for us.”
What we had expected for breakfast was an egg kept company by a piece of bacon and a slice of toast to fill the gap, but what we got was something more likely to be found in a French restaurant than a local hotel. :notworthy:
After a very satisfying breakfast and running about to get ready to meet our now earlier departure we were once again on the road as a complete group. Heading for the Versvelt Pass some of us were eager to test our new skills acquired during deep discussions the night before. I must say that even after years of chasing mountain passes I also learnt a new thing or two about cornering. Good to know that I’m not an old dog yet.
On the descend towards Goedverwacht we sent Wayne our local photographer on ahead to get some picture of us ridding the sandy section, but what we found when we got there was Wayne taking some sandy shots of his own moment. Only a photographer will stop to take a photo of his own off, of that I’m sure. :imaposer:
We then headed home along some good fast gravel past the Misverstand Dam and Riebeek Wes.
It really was an interesting group to say the least and to witness how an 1150GS and 1200Adventure can be ridden on both tar and gravel left Roy with far more confidence on his bike than what could possibly be healthy.
Thanks guys, spending such an awesome weekend with new friends is truly what Adventure Biking is all about.
:thumleft: :mwink:
So the plan and purpose for the ride was to do a relaxed ride through the Cederberg and help Roy develop confidence on his GS under different road conditions.
I sent out an invite to guys that Roy has ridden with in the past as well as guy
s that I thought would suite the ride.
Then came a request from Pieter to bring a buddy. Now if you know Pieter’s insulting humor you too will be amazed that he actually has a buddy. “Ok Pieter you know that I love to give back what you yourself love to dish out so eagerly” :mwink: Anyway since Marco rode a 1200GS he would be perfectly suited to the group and getting to know like minded people is what Adventure Ridding is all about. So another request to invite Simon who also rides an 1150GS was also welcomed. But the final, “is there place for one more?” was accepted just because Pierre rode an XR650 and to have only one Honda in the group would be well, just boring. :ricky:
What do I have against Hondas? Well nothing, I grew up ridding Hondas. But then I bought a BMW.
ot:So the final confirmed group was as follows in no particular order of preference other than the Honda riders being named last obviously. Roy, Andre’, Wayne, Russell and Marco on 1200’s. Simon and myself on 1150’s. Pieter on his Dakar looking African Twin and Pierre on a rather tall XR650.
We all met at the usual Petrol station in Durbanville and With Wayne being a detail conscious kind of guy, I knew that he would be there to meet and greet all the guys. So I went about my Saturday morning things that I do but making sure that I would be there and ready to leave at the prearranged time.
Those of you that have ridden with me will know that the only detail I find important regarding a ride is, when and where. I couldn’t be too bothered about the other fine details of will there be little soaps with the towels etc. :
“So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” Mark Twain
At the start Russell mentioned something about having to take it a bit easy as he had injured his right hand. :
After a brief chat about the ride protocol we were off with our first port of call being driving past a house in Wellington where a buddy of Pieter that’s from out of town was staying. “Yes I know, this guy must be famous or something.” As his buddy rides a KTM, revving up the neighbors at his expense was just a pleasure. :imaposer:From there we hit Bainskloof Pass where two or three turns in it became obvious by the eager lights gathering up in my mirrors that things were about to heat up. >
Since I have by accident or should that rather be via accident, learned to overcome my need for speed I comfortably waved them past. :deal: Up front was Simon closely followed by Geoff and then Marco. This immediately then set the tone for the rest of the ride. There would be one hooligan group, one scenery absorbing group and a trailing photographer. That said if anyone reading this has led an off-road ride, you would understand that to lead one group from the front has its ups and downs but to lead three groups from the middle is what being spontaneous is all about.
atch:Our first stop was in Ceres for coffee and for some, a bite to eat. Thereafter we topped up our tanks and headed for the Gydo Pass that would take us to Oasis for lunch.
As we rode the first gravel for the day, we were all immediately reminded of what we all knew was possible. A rather new car lay on its roof in a ditch next to the road. To further cement this feeling of concern the road had just been graded and was very loose. :'(
In the dust Pierre exchange places with Marco as Simon and Russell took off like full sponsored contenders in the Dakar while Pierre and Pieter followed like privateers. “After all they were riding the Hondas remember.” :ricky:
The rest of us held back out of their dust to enjoy the awesome view of the Cederberg Mountains and endless valleys of Mount Cedar and Oasis.
At Oasis we immediately placed our order with Gerrit for their legendary Ham, Cheese and Tomato toasties while helping ourselves to the honesty bar.
Just as we all kicked back to chew the fat, a lone rider on a 1200 Adventure pulled in. He was easily identified by his near pink ridding suite and on cue Olaf was asked if he had enough water with him. :biggrin: For those that don’t remember, Olaf was one of the three bikers that got themselves in a tight spot on Van Zyls pass in Namibia a while back, when they discovered the dangers of running out of drinking water in a desert.
I think Simon was checking Olaf's pinkish ridding pants :laughing4:
So after a hugely satisfying lunch we headed off in the direction of Algeria. The road surface became like riding on large marbles as a result of all the grading. I stopped just round the corner from the Kromrivier turnoff to wait for Marco who hadn’t made an appearance in my mirrors yet. After a bit of a wait I turned back to find Andre’ bringing the news that Marco and Roy had taken the Kromrivier turn off and Wayne had made a call to go after them as he knew of another way out of there to get to Eendekuil, our overnight stop. :-\
Knowing that there was no other way out from Kromrivier except to return to Oasis, Andre’ and I waited in the hope that they would all turn back. After a long enough wait it became clear that they must have headed all the way back past Oasis and possibly via Citrusdal to Eendekuil.
As we had hoped for, the hooligan group was waiting for us at Algeria from where we all rode on to the N7 together. We turned off the N7 again to ride through some orange orchards via gravel roads to the top of the Piekenierskoof Pass where Russell showed us a gravel road just under the pass, taking us down to the Eendekuil road.
At the Eendekuil Hotel we were met by Magda who showed us to our rooms and where to get all that we needed. While relaxing in front of the pub our extended travelers pulled in with tales of places they had seen and roads they had followed. Fortunately I was the one that didn’t stop at the turnoff so nobody was send home after a good klap. :director:
Staying over at the hotel was another group of bikers, some on large scooters, superbikes and one or two shinny clean adventure bikes. The atmosphere there was so great that the only time we got to hear Pieter’s live commentary of the rugby :bueller: was while we sat down to a good old South African supper of braaied meat and roostekoek with home made jams. Oh and there was vegetables for the more hungry people. Supper was finished off with some good old Malfa pudding and moer koffee. Magda and her brother really just couldn’t do enough to make us feel welcome and this being the second time that I’ve eaten there didn’t disappoint at all. :thumleft:
On numerous occasions during the evening we were asked what time we wanted breakfast but we couldn’t come to agree amongst ourselves on a time. Finally Magda came to us and said that the other group asked to have breakfast at 9am and it would be much easier for her if we all could have breakfast together. Although 9am was quite late the fact that we were less than 150km from home, made thought of lying in for awhile the next morning seem rather appealing.
One of the things that I learned on this trip is that a photographer is as drawn to a sunrise like a rooster. :scratch:
It didn’t take Wayne long to get breakfast organized earlier for our group. “As I said Magda just couldn’t do enough for us.”
What we had expected for breakfast was an egg kept company by a piece of bacon and a slice of toast to fill the gap, but what we got was something more likely to be found in a French restaurant than a local hotel. :notworthy:
After a very satisfying breakfast and running about to get ready to meet our now earlier departure we were once again on the road as a complete group. Heading for the Versvelt Pass some of us were eager to test our new skills acquired during deep discussions the night before. I must say that even after years of chasing mountain passes I also learnt a new thing or two about cornering. Good to know that I’m not an old dog yet.
On the descend towards Goedverwacht we sent Wayne our local photographer on ahead to get some picture of us ridding the sandy section, but what we found when we got there was Wayne taking some sandy shots of his own moment. Only a photographer will stop to take a photo of his own off, of that I’m sure. :imaposer:
We then headed home along some good fast gravel past the Misverstand Dam and Riebeek Wes.
It really was an interesting group to say the least and to witness how an 1150GS and 1200Adventure can be ridden on both tar and gravel left Roy with far more confidence on his bike than what could possibly be healthy.
Thanks guys, spending such an awesome weekend with new friends is truly what Adventure Biking is all about.
:thumleft: :mwink:
