Just Blip It!
Race Dog
Having just returned from the official Zim Gravel Travel 2022 in August, I was approached by a friend (Marc Ongers) asking me if I was going to our Umtali Boys High School reunion in Mutari on the 1st October. I didn't really even know about it until he asked me, and I was still not very excited about the idea until he suggested we turn it into an adventure ride...........well Marc now you talking my language! The seed had been planted and it grew quickly from a group of 2 to a group of 12 "misfits" that all wanted to go to our school reunion.
The 12 "misfits"!
Ironically 10 of the riders never even went to the school, but felt it very important that they escort Marc and myself there and back!
I refer to the group of riders as "misfits" mainly because traditionally Zim Gravel Travel (ZGT) is strictly by invitation only and riders are hand picked for their riding ability which has to be of a high standard. Everyone that normally comes on the trip is a capable rider and I have personally made sure of that by either taking them on a tough prequalifying ride or they come highly recommended by one of the other riders that can personally vouch for them! I had only ever ridden with one of the riders Japie Schmidt (AKA Jaapster) whom I invited and was to be my wingman/Hotdog for the trip. Jaapster and I have done plenty of kilos together, but due to work and family pressures I had not ridden with him for quite a while and he had lost his spot to Canz (@Noneking) of late.
Jaapster and I.
The others were all friends and acquaintances of Marc's and some were really good capable riders and others were not experienced at all. This was a big worry for me who has to lead these guys through some rather challenging and tough routes. Getting to know these riders was mostly done during the 60 days before the trip on the WhatsApp group. Frightening to say the least listening to them talk about how terrified they were of sand (of which Zim has plenty of) and comments like "If i battle or hold you guys up I will climb in the back up vehicle." Needless to say there was a day or so of "radio silence" after I informed the group that there is no back up vehicle on the trip and that emergency breakdown/injury procedures was to flag down a local bakkie, load bike and/or patient on the back and send them to hospital or back to the border. After that had sunk in the guys quickly got the picture and started prepping for the ride. I was quite impressed by their dedication, jogging and gyming every day, riding every weekend, sand and mountain passes etc. The riding on weekends already got rid of one rider on Honda AT who fell and broke an engine casing on Breedtsnek. His spot quickly snapped up by another rider Devon who bought an old Transalp for R15k for the trip. ( WTF have I got myself into!?
)
Sand continued to be an issue for most of the guys so I arranged for them all to attend a sand course with Andre Visser from iRide at Rhino Park for all the Gauteng boys. Organizing all the logistics and information for these guys was challenging, I was arranging and communicating by phone, WhatsApp and E Mail from White River, the riders were scattered across the country, Gauteng, PE and Tzaneen.
Disaster hit when Marc fell in the sand on his 790 and broke 3 ribs 10 days before the trip! The only other rider apart from myself that actually went to the school for the reunion we were riding to!
Grant bit his screen in a separate crash cutting his lip.
Bok fell off his Honda AT on another ride a week before the trip badly spraining his ankle!
Craig broke his finger riding his plastic bike! WTF did i get myself into FFS could anything else go wrong? The answer to that question was answered 2 days before the trip when Grant was admitted to hospital with kidney stones! I must give it to these boys they were all determined to do the ride with their injuries and all. Grant was literally collected from the hospital (with a stent in his dick) loaded into the car and driven up to our meeting point in Musina! Marc was in pain with his ribs, but he also arrived in Musina packed and ready to go. ( I was really concerned that he was still determined to ride with us, but he assured me that he wouldn't hold us up and if necessary would ride tar roads to the lodges. A brave or very stupid man, I still don't know which!
Part of my WhatsApp training for the guys was teaching them to pack as light as possible and what to pack. This was a bit of mission, with some learning fast and others not so fast.
Some started off packing like this!
.....and I eventually had them down to this!.
The 12 "misfits"!
Ironically 10 of the riders never even went to the school, but felt it very important that they escort Marc and myself there and back!
I refer to the group of riders as "misfits" mainly because traditionally Zim Gravel Travel (ZGT) is strictly by invitation only and riders are hand picked for their riding ability which has to be of a high standard. Everyone that normally comes on the trip is a capable rider and I have personally made sure of that by either taking them on a tough prequalifying ride or they come highly recommended by one of the other riders that can personally vouch for them! I had only ever ridden with one of the riders Japie Schmidt (AKA Jaapster) whom I invited and was to be my wingman/Hotdog for the trip. Jaapster and I have done plenty of kilos together, but due to work and family pressures I had not ridden with him for quite a while and he had lost his spot to Canz (@Noneking) of late.
Jaapster and I.
The others were all friends and acquaintances of Marc's and some were really good capable riders and others were not experienced at all. This was a big worry for me who has to lead these guys through some rather challenging and tough routes. Getting to know these riders was mostly done during the 60 days before the trip on the WhatsApp group. Frightening to say the least listening to them talk about how terrified they were of sand (of which Zim has plenty of) and comments like "If i battle or hold you guys up I will climb in the back up vehicle." Needless to say there was a day or so of "radio silence" after I informed the group that there is no back up vehicle on the trip and that emergency breakdown/injury procedures was to flag down a local bakkie, load bike and/or patient on the back and send them to hospital or back to the border. After that had sunk in the guys quickly got the picture and started prepping for the ride. I was quite impressed by their dedication, jogging and gyming every day, riding every weekend, sand and mountain passes etc. The riding on weekends already got rid of one rider on Honda AT who fell and broke an engine casing on Breedtsnek. His spot quickly snapped up by another rider Devon who bought an old Transalp for R15k for the trip. ( WTF have I got myself into!?
)Sand continued to be an issue for most of the guys so I arranged for them all to attend a sand course with Andre Visser from iRide at Rhino Park for all the Gauteng boys. Organizing all the logistics and information for these guys was challenging, I was arranging and communicating by phone, WhatsApp and E Mail from White River, the riders were scattered across the country, Gauteng, PE and Tzaneen.
Disaster hit when Marc fell in the sand on his 790 and broke 3 ribs 10 days before the trip! The only other rider apart from myself that actually went to the school for the reunion we were riding to!
Grant bit his screen in a separate crash cutting his lip.
Bok fell off his Honda AT on another ride a week before the trip badly spraining his ankle!
Craig broke his finger riding his plastic bike! WTF did i get myself into FFS could anything else go wrong? The answer to that question was answered 2 days before the trip when Grant was admitted to hospital with kidney stones! I must give it to these boys they were all determined to do the ride with their injuries and all. Grant was literally collected from the hospital (with a stent in his dick) loaded into the car and driven up to our meeting point in Musina! Marc was in pain with his ribs, but he also arrived in Musina packed and ready to go. ( I was really concerned that he was still determined to ride with us, but he assured me that he wouldn't hold us up and if necessary would ride tar roads to the lodges. A brave or very stupid man, I still don't know which!
Part of my WhatsApp training for the guys was teaching them to pack as light as possible and what to pack. This was a bit of mission, with some learning fast and others not so fast.
Some started off packing like this!
.....and I eventually had them down to this!.
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