Amageza - "its not a race!"

[alanB]

Thought I'd add a brief daily summary, while its all fresh  

Friday: Scrutineering and Riders Briefing

I got a lift down with Great White and his wife.

We left at 9pm on Thursday night and drove right through the night.

The closer we got to Sutherland the more nervous I got.  I think this was a throw back from when I used to race MX in the 80's eons ago - we used to have to sit in the pre-race paddock all kitted up on our bikes, for the duration of the race before our race. I used to get very nervous while we waited - until we filed out onto the starting line and started our engines, when I would get into the swing of things and all worries would evaporate.  Well the last time I had participated in anything like that was at least 20 years ago, and I was young, fit, stupidly fearless and actually could ride a bike moderately well -  then.  A lot has changed since!  I only started riding bikes again fairly recently (the usual mid-life thing).  So my nerves had a field day  :biggrin:

When we finally arrived just before 14:00, scrutineering was in full swing!

It was nice seeing all the well prepared bikes all over the place and meeting all the guys -  matching names to faces.

It was a mad rush to unpack and get kitted up to get all the formalities done.

The last step was a quick medical.  Just before that I was handed a huge can of Monster energy drink by someone, which I gulped down - we had taken turns in napping as much as we could in the car as we drove through the night, but you could hardly call that proper sleep.  

After taking my blood pressure the paramedic asked if I had just drunk an energy drink, because it was on the high side  :-\   But apparently it wasn't enough to be a problem  :thumleft:  Probably more likely due to nerves, but of course the sub-concious added that to the list of things to worry about - so I was worrying about high blood pressure caused by worry - bloody stupid things brains!

We also saw all the guys back from the qualifier covered from head to toe in mud.  They were full of stories of long stretches of treacherous snotty mud and impossible deep, swift river crossings (the 610 has a VERY low air intake - one of the few design issues it has - something else to worry about  :eek7: - but I decided to use Blaze's suggestion of duct taping the lower intakes closed and riding through slowly if it came to that  :thumleft.  

They all agreed the ride was very hard.

They also said that one of the riders was missing and nobody could find him after quite a lot of organised searching by a large team of people.

While I was fussing over my bike in the parc ferme (as us hardcore Rally guys do  ), I overheard the media guys interviewing the Monster marketing guy.  He said something along the lines of "Monster had a policy of supporting and promoting extreme events and that he was pleased to be associated with the Amageza...".

I tried not to think about the huge, hard, rock strewn, pathless mountains that surrounded Sutherland nor pre race descriptions of the Amageza as "a cross between the Dakar and the Roof", nor the fact the Great White's wife had commented that the terrain looked a lot like Lesotho.

We then had to all go pose in town for photo's. The photo's were deleayed because someone had tried to powerslide his way there and had high-sided and ended up with a broken collar bone - an ominous start - we where already two riders short!

Then I set up camp on the rugby field, and rushed down to supper in the boarding school dining room.

I was hoping that the rider's briefing would settle my anxieties but they had the opposite effect!  When the guy that set out the course, who's giving the briefing uses the words "descend into that cauldron of hell", it doesn't inspire confidence in the faint hearted - just saying!  

They also said they still had not found the missing rider.  Obviously everyone was concerned.  It was bloody cold and hypothermia was a real concern for someone maybe stuck out in the middle of nowhere for the night.  But it was clear that everything was being done to find him.    

We were then given our road books and we all set about marking them up.  BlueBull soon had a crowd around him as he gave tips on what to do. It wasnt terribly complex but quite long.  In any event I was quite sure I would soon be lost after the start, so I wasn't trying too hard to try and predict where it might lead us, there was only one way of finding out.

I then fitted my road book to its hi-tech holder, and entered waypoints listed into my GPS.

Had a shower and dived into my sleeping bag, it was quite chilly to put things mildly.  Luckily I was very tired because otherwise I dont think I would have slept much.  

I am not a morning person, and often sleep right through alarms, waking up naturally about 7:30.  I was worried (point number 48a) that I would sleep through my alarm set to 4:30.

As I lay there trying to stop thinking about all the things I had chosen to worry about, I told myself to stop being such a pathetic ninny, because I was on one of the best bikes available for this sort of thing.  There was no doubt the bike would cruise it.  All I had to do was hang on!  With that thought I drifted off to sleep.

 

[Oom Foe-rie]

:happy1:

 

[whitedelight]

Nice alanb,can almost feel your nerves in your writing,look forward to the next episode....

 

[Brakenjan]

Brakenjan was daar op sy XR650R en nog een wie ek nie ken.

Sjoe, daarem ten minste twee Honda's.   ;D

:biggrin:  As ek dit reg het was ons net drie Hondas: 'n XR650R, CRF450F/R en 'n XR650L. Beide die CRF en die XRL moes na slegte valle onttrek, so dit was moontlik net myne wat die ride klaar gemaak het. Julle ander Honda manne sal volgende jaar moet join!  ;D

Thanks for the photies Alan - 'twas nice meeting you.  :thumleft:

 

[Andy660]

Hey Alan b !
Was good to meet u , and I enjoyed your heart felt Report of the events.
We were impressed how calmly you went about repairing your puncture and cleaning out all the dust from the bearings , the axle and cleaning your tools as you repacked your bike , And even going and washing your hands after you were done ! wow , what a perfectionist.

 

[firecoast]

Brakenjan was daar op sy XR650R en nog een wie ek nie ken.

Sjoe, daarem ten minste twee Honda's.   ;D

:biggrin:  As ek dit reg het was ons net drie Hondas: 'n XR650R, CRF450F/R en 'n XR650L. Beide die CRF en die XRL moes na slegte valle onttrek, so dit was moontlik net myne wat die ride klaar gemaak het. Julle ander Honda manne sal volgende jaar moet join!  ;D

Thanks for the photies Alan - 'twas nice meeting you.  :thumleft:

Don't forget 2 x Africa Twins...

 

[Dorsland]

[/quote]

:biggrin:  As ek dit reg het was ons net drie Hondas: 'n XR650R, CRF450F/R en 'n XR650L. Beide die CRF en die XRL moes na slegte valle onttrek, so dit was moontlik net myne wat die ride klaar gemaak het. Julle ander Honda manne sal volgende jaar moet join!  ;D

[/quote]

Janee, lyk my ons sal moet kom saam val, um, ry.  Any pix of the 2 Honda ATs?  Or even any Hondas?  Just to show they were there you know :biggrin:

 

[Sprocketbek]

Janee, lyk my ons sal moet kom saam val, um, ry.  Any pix of the 2 Honda ATs?  Or even any Hondas?  Just to show they were there you know :biggrin:

I have lots of pics........will check, but I think there were 3?
Some of them were going very well.............with WP suspension.

 

[alanB]

Saturday:  First Stage of the Amageza


I woke to the sound of ACDC "Thunderstruck" blasting out of the Monster event sound system.  

Even I couldn't sleep through that!  

As I lay in the dark listening to the music I realised it was the prefect choice because I found myself getting hyped up and eager to get on the bike.  I also realised I wasnt worried any more - just looking forward to the ride.

Everything I needed was already packed and ready.  So crawled out of my warm sleeping bag and pulled on my riding kit, shivering a bit due to the cold.  My tent was sodden with dew.

I was looking forward to a good cup of coffee but discovered that while I had everything else, I had left my camping kettle behind.  So I had a Powerade instead.  Probably just as well, I though to myself, because I needed hydration more than the glow of caffeine.  But a good cup of coffee first thing is one of life's pleasures.

It was black as the ace of spades out side.  The air was cold and crisp and the stars were very clear as I walked down to the dining hall.  

The other riders in the dining hall were subdued and serious.    

The big day had arrived.

After breakfast I walked  back up to the tent, quickly checked through my kit to make sure I wasn't missing anything crucial.  I put it all on, grabbed my helmet, GPS and road book and headed out.  As I zipped my tent, I tossed my head torch inside.  I had briefly thought about sticking it in my hydration pack but it was quite crammed with stuff already and the head torch had a habit of switching itself on when packed too tightly, and then running flat.

When I got to the bike, I clamped the GPS and roadbook into their RAM mounts (very kindly lent to me by Katundu for the ride), fumbling a bit in the dark.  Herman's bike was already gone but most of the other bikes were still there.

I started up and headed for the start.  

There were no-one else around.

I rode out the gate of the school heading towards the main street where we had taken the photo's, because I assumed that was where we would be starting.  I wasnt quite sure though.  But then I remembered entering the way points into my GPS the night before.  So I stopped and looked up the Start waypoint.  The GPS showed it was behind me.  I'm not the sharpest saw at any time before dawn so I couldnt quite work out where I should go because all the maps had been removed from my GPS.  I drove around in the dark a bit a bit trying to work out where the waypoint actually showed the start to be and ended up more less at the gate of the school again.  

There wasn't a soul around.

I was a bit early, but I did expect to see a few bikes there.  I couldn't see the road book in the dark so I couldn't check the GPS coords on the road book.  

I decided that seeing as I was at the gate, other bikes would have to ride past me as they went to the start so I may as well just wait there.

Turned out I was at the right place because after a while other bikes started arriving and it was soon quite crowded.

As I sat in the dark and waited I noticed that quite a few guys had their head torch on their helmets.  One of them sitting near by said to his mate that next time he would fit LED's to his road book so he wouldn't need a head torch to see his road book in the dark.  

At the briefing the night before we were told that we were starting at first light to make maximum use of the daylight hours.  But there was absolutely no sign of the sun - it was pitch black.  If we started soon there was absolutely no way I could see the roadbook.  

I considered going back to the tent to get my headtorch but it would have been a major mission to try and get through all the bikes lined up in that narrow place.  So I decided what the hell and lets just see (no pun) what happens.

(to be continued)

 

[madmike999]

love your way of writing, brings back memories and butterflies!  >

 

[WP]

:happy1:

 

[espresso]

:happy1: :happy1:

 

[J-dog]

:ricky:

 

[alanB]

How did the trials tyre on the back perform?

Very well  :thumleft:  It sticks to everything, gives you much more grip than a knobbly in every situation excluding maybe very deep thick mud, lasts longer than a proper off road knobbly as well (I got 3000k's out of my last one, plus even when its worn right down the grip remains very good still far better than any other D/S tyre).  Its DOT approved up to 160kmh (I've taken it up to about 140, its a bit squidgy on tar though so I wouldnt try hard hard cornering) although it tends to wear fast on long tar stretches.

I really like it, it suites the bike very well.  I dont think its a good choice for a heavy bike though.  But the guys on AdvRider use them on 690's 525, 450's etc, especially in forest riding where getting up waterfalls and over big logs is an issue.

As a 70/30 off/on road tyre I dont think you can get a better tyre IMO for technical D/S applications.

Of course if all you are worried about is mileage then something like a Heidie will last forever but the grip sucks, especially after it wears a bit and/or its wet IMO!

Also if you like to powerslide and drift etc its a bad choice because it doesnt let go that easily and its not really meant for that - a normal knobbly would be better.

 

[CAR6850]

Sub

 

[Great White]

Well done Alan you kept team Huskie in good state. :thumleft:

 

[Crossed-up]

And there were some at the side of the road who were heard to shout, "Go Husky, Go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

 

[alanB]

Saturday:  First Stage of the Amageza - cont'd


The organisers arrived and we were told to start lining up in start order.  We could start in any order we liked, after the pro's who would start right at the front, which suited me perfectly.  I wanted to be in the middle somewhere.  I didn't want to start amongst all the super keen and competitive guys who would blast off at high speed, contesting every meter and jockeying constantly for position right from the start.

I wanted to ease into the thing, starting relatively slowly to get a feel for it all first, rather than go beserk from the start.

So I hung back, while all the guys that obviously wanted to get going pressed forward.

I also kept an eye out for anybody with an illuminated roadbook so I could follow them until I could see mine.  

What I thought was an 800GS moved into a space behind the eager guys and I saw what looked like an illuminated roadbook so I decide that was the ticket and joined the line beside it.  

I didnt know it yet, but I was next to Rynet.

While we had been waiting in line with lights behind shining on my roadbook, I had memorised the directions and distances to the first major turn off outside town.  But after that I didn't have a clue.  

We steadily moved forward as each successive pair were waved off.

Then we were in front, and counted down - and away we went!

We cruised though town obeying the speed limit till the we got to the outskirts and then the first possible flaw in my little plan appeared because Rynet just disappeared off into the dark at high speed!  I raced to catch her but a 610 is no match for a 1200 at that sort of thing  :biggrin:  

The other problem was it was BLOODY FREEZING.  I had an airflow jacket on without the liner because I knew we soon would be working hard in technical terrain, but the cold air cut through me like a razor!

I concentrated hard on the tail lights far ahead, making sure they didn't turn off without me noticing and raced after her.

I caught her soon after the turn onto sand.  There was a lot of dust, so seeing potholes and mud patches etc in the headlights wasnt that easy.

In the meanwhile the sun was at last showing signs of rising and I could very faintly see my roadbook, the next turn was to the left, but I couldn't really make out the distance.

When we got there, Rynet overshot so I went ahead, I knew it was right due to the tyre tracks as well as the tail lights far off to the left.  We spoke briefly at the turn and I realized it was her.

I was starting to get into the swing of things and loosen up on the bike.

Before long we arrived at the start of the special stage.  We lined up in the order we arrived and waited for the rest of the guys to get there.

The sun rose while we waited and it was spectacular!

While we were were waiting I thought about the discussion the guys had the night before at supper about the safety of riding together vs riding alone and thought that it would be a good idea to ride with Herman who also was on a 610.  So when they started waving us through onto the special I hung back again and waited for Herman, who had left after I had.

When we were waved through to start the stage we rode onto a nice little single track path.  Herman clearly wanted to go faster than I did so he lead, there was quite a lot of traffic ahead of us.  It was nice riding  :ricky:.  An impatient KTM came from behind forcing its way through in racing style.  I was quite happy to let it go.  I wanted to ride at my own pace without pressure, and was concentrating hard on the roadbook which so far made perfect sense  :thumleft:

Herman slid out in a muddy rut and fell over.  I was a bit too close behind and slid into him.  But it was a silly little fall without any ill effects for either of us.  

We got going again and came to a very steep gnarly downhill with lots of switchbacks with no barrier, just open space into the void on the outside.  I took it nice and smooth and relatively slow, still not ready to start pushing.  Herman drew ahead and soon disappeared. It was quite a long downhill.

At one point down the hill a 800GS came flying past me.  At first I thought he was going to overshoot the next corner because he looked completely out of control, but at the last minute he flicked it sideways and shot round the corner - awesome riding  :thumleft:

I refused to try and emulate that and carried on with the slow but steady approach.  

At the bottom of the long descent we followed a series of rough rocky/muddy jeep tracks and at one point rode along a rocky river bed.  

I was riding alone, which is what I prefer anyway, so I just concentrated hard on the road book.  I was determined not to get lost!  It was relatively easy riding so far, and I wasn't trying to push it at all, just cruising along enjoying the ride.

At some point ahead there was a triple exclamation (extreme danger) noted in roadbook.  It read "dips for 1.6 Km".  I had no idea what a "dip" was, but I was looking out for them - or so I thought.

As it turned out, I got ahead of the roadbook without knowing it and hit the dips at speed without any caution at all.  Which was exactly the right thing to do!  I was lucky though, it could have been worse.  They were a series of deep erosion trenches carved across the path, the widest was about a meter deep and maybe a meter or more wide.  I managed to lift the front across them all without too much hassle.  Thank goodness.   I suck at wheelies so its not always a given!

The climb out of the valley was very steep and gnarly with lots of tight, slippery switch backs, similar to the last section of Sani but probably rougher and much longer.  But the Husky climbs very well, especially with a trials tyre on the back so it was just a case of point the front, keep the bike balanced and hang on.  Let the bike do the rest.  It was quite tiring because you had to keep rolling along with enough momentum over rocks and stuff and I was puffing like a steam train when we finally reached the top!

The special stage ended soon after that.

I was extremely happy.  

It was tougher than I had thought it would be when I first decided to do the Amageza, but not as tough as my worst fears the night before.

After a quick energy bar and a chat, we were waved on our way again.

We followed fast flowing gravel roads all the way to Lainsburg. where the next control point was at the Shell Garage in the main road.

After topping up, reporting in and grabbing a Powerade from the shop I set off with Herman again.

We headed North on the N1 out of Lainsberg on tar.  It was bloody tedious sticking to 120, droning along.  When we finally got to the turn off onto the gravel road leading to Sutherland it was a relief!  Herman obviously wanted to go faster than I did on gravel and rapidly drew ahead until he disappeared.  I cruised along quite content doing no more than 120 but on average a bit less.  There was no rush the timed stage was finished.  I was still concentrating on the road book - I was amazed that so far I had followed it perfectly.  I didnt want to stuff that up towards the end.  

After a long boring ride on gravel I spotted what I thought was Sutherland (it wasnt actually Sutherland) in the distance and started winding down thinking that was the end of the day's ride - but I had forgotten what was said in the briefing and that my roadbook only said we had done 300 k's or so and the stage was over 400 k's long.

So to my surprise it directed me straight out of town, just as I got into it.

I wasn't sure if I had read the thing right and was on the point of turning back when I spotted two other bikes parked next to the road.  I stopped and confirmed I was on the right road.  

I now decided I wanted to get things over and started picking up the speed a bit.  

About 70 k's later I hit the raised lip of a sharp edged erosion gully running across the road very hard at about 120 or more.  The impact was hard enough to make me wander if I had broken something.   A few hundred meters further, my fears were confirmed because my front tyre was flat.  I pulled over on a rise next to some rocks.

I didnt want to make the Itallian Princess, even though she had lost her looks and put on weight with the new long range tank, wallow in the dirt on her side - so I decided to try and build a tower of rocks under the bike to get the front wheel off the ground.  A passing rider stopped and helped and we soon had a precarious tower sort of going, but it was a bit of a wonky affair.  I thanked him and he set off again (I cant remember who he was but thanks  :thumleft

In the mean time a friendly marshall appreared (Buzz Lightyear) and kept me company.

Being an ***** I thought I would make an adjustment to the tower of rocks and the whole lot fell down and I was back to square one again.

While I was struggling to keep the bike from toppling over, another rider stopped to help.  He told me to stop stuffing around and "build an ordentlike tower"  :biggrin:.  Under his firm guidance we soon had it sorted properly - much appreciated who ever you were - again didn't get the name of the guy  :thumleft:

In then meanwhile two other marshalls arrived (Andy660 and Crossed Up).  They were quite friendly.  It was nice to chat as I worked.

The rest of the tube change went smoothly and I was soon on my way again  :ricky:

Thirty k's of sand road later I drew into Sutherland and the stage ended.

It was really satisfying parking my bike and chatting to the other guys already there. 

 

[Remy]

Saturday:  First Stage of the Amageza - cont'd

At one point down the hill a 800GS came flying past me.  At first I thought he was going to overshoot the next corner because he looked completely out of control, but at the last minute he flicked it sideways and shot round the corner - awesome riding  :thumleft:

I refused to try and emulate that and carried on with the slow but steady approach.  

:biggrin: Dit was seker die vark hy jaag ma so, sal bietjie met hom moet gesels  :imaposer:

 

[wayneh]

Awesome RR Alan. Am enjoying reading your perspective of the rally  :happy1: