Our Story of the Honda Quest 2017

[Hardy de Kock]

" First Hardy had said the evening before that the partnering was completely random, then changed his tune to state that it was taken only from the scores at bootcamp where the top half were mated with the bottom half. I was sure he was just fake newsing us, I didn’t believe him. I was pretty sure they’d spent some time putting the pairs together. I was trying to work out what all the other contestants were like and also what would the criteria be that they’d pair us off on. I presumed that riding skill would be one aspect. All the riders were above average, but the Western Cape guys to a fair degree held the advantage in sand and I thought that that might be one angle. Another might be personalities; a more outgoing one with a quieter one? "

                                                                                                                                                          - Andrew Johnstone (Kamanya)

Changed his tune? You bet we did. Unfortunately there was too much at stake to leave it up to chance my dear.

"Philip Groenewald is an average rider, and he struggles in the sand" - Quote from one of the instructors after day 4
"Philip Groenewald is turning into a very good rider and he even assists other riders - Quote from the same instructor after day 5
"Philip Groenewald tamed the Khumib River like a Rockstar - Quote from same instructor after day 7

Andrew - I know it was hard for you to restrain yourself  from time to time, and I know it is difficult for you to not display your hooligan skills for the greater good of the group. I can however promise you that you have made a massive contribution to Philip Groenewald's life, and that neither him or myself will ever forget that.

Cheers
Hardy

 

[GRyPH]

" First Hardy had said the evening before that the partnering was completely random, then changed his tune to state that it was taken only from the scores at bootcamp where the top half were mated with the bottom half. I was sure he was just fake newsing us, I didn’t believe him. I was pretty sure they’d spent some time putting the pairs together. I was trying to work out what all the other contestants were like and also what would the criteria be that they’d pair us off on. I presumed that riding skill would be one aspect. All the riders were above average, but the Western Cape guys to a fair degree held the advantage in sand and I thought that that might be one angle. Another might be personalities; a more outgoing one with a quieter one? "

                                                                                                                                                          - Andrew Johnstone (Kamanya)

Changed his tune? You bet we did. Unfortunately there was too much at stake to leave it up to chance my dear.

"Philip Groenewald is an average rider, and he struggles in the sand" - Quote from one of the instructors after day 4
"Philip Groenewald is turning into a very good rider and he even assists other riders - Quote from the same instructor after day 5
"Philip Groenewald tamed the Khumib River like a Rockstar - Quote from same instructor after day 7

Andrew - I know it was hard for you to restrain yourself  from time to time, and I know it is difficult for you to not display your hooligan skills for the greater good of the group. I can however promise you that you have made a massive contribution to Philip Groenewald's life, and that neither him or myself will ever forget that.

Cheers
Hardy

Thats awesome to see the improvement in the comments  ;D

And I couldnt agree more.  Without Andrew coaching me from over my shoulder I might actually have still been in the sand  :imaposer:

It makes it so easy when you have someone more skilled riding on your shoulder shouting helpfull instructions and indeed I will take that with me forever.

" GET OUT OF THE JEEP TRACK!"  :ricky:

 

[Kobus Myburgh]

Day 2 - Spitzkoppe to Palmwag

[youtube]https://youtu.be/mlrir-IJTPQ[/youtube]

We woke the morning with a different vibe in the air.  Up to now you were selective of next to who you pitch your tent, eat, sleep and converse. 

As from this point onwards, we were teams of two, and we will spend the vast majority of time in each other’s company. 

Like Gryph stated, I think riding formation was one of the first things to be discussed.  Tau stated that it was up to us to decide how we want to ride and shoulder to shoulder was permitted.  This was a scary thought to me since I’ve never done this.  I’m not sure whether this is because I’ve never trusted someone enough or whether I’ve never trusted myself enough. 

Shortly after riders briefing, the teams set off for the day’s trek to Palmwag, now in number order, with us bringing up the rear and only Jaco sweeping behind us.

Left to right:  ktmkobus, Scrat, Scalpel, Hinksding, Twister, Charliepappa, $Tyres$, DJFloyd

Without discussing the issue of formation riding, team 10 got going, me on the DCT this time and Scrat on the Manual.  At this point the DCT was really not my favourite bike to ride.

Gravel highways was pretty much at the order of the day.  Our team got a natural rhythm going of me leading on the left side of the road and Scrat to my right.  At the first stop we decided to not ride shoulder to shoulder, but staggered formation with the following bike a couple of paces behind and to the right of the leading bike.  This allowed the lead bike to have a view of the other bike in its mirror and any sudden change of direction dodging the odd lurker would not affect the rear rider.  I think this was more for my benefit since Scrat is so comfortable on a bike that I think he can even dodge a bullet if needed without flinching!

We filled up in Uis where we met an extremely colourful local character.
More a bit later…….

 

[GRyPH]

We've seen many pics, but I don't recall one that actually says... "and this is Hardy !" Please post a pic that we can see what the main man looks like.

Daarsy

Van links na regs in die voorgrond:    Barend Fouche ,  Hardy de Kock, Tau.

 

[Kobus Myburgh]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Kobus Myburgh]

Day 2 continued …………

I forgot to mention that, apart from adjusting the handlebars forward, we did nothing to the bikes.  No suspension settings were done whatsoever and at no time did we feel the need to tweak anything. 

After filling up in Uis we set off again to Palmwag.  At this stage everyone was still riding quite conservatively and the dust gap was big.  This resulted in very long stops to reconcile the convoy, especially for the guys in front.  Jaco was quick to address this and asked us to try and close the gap a bit.  Ockie Vermeulen, our medic (Expedition Medics) was following the convoy behind Jaco and leaving the gap the way it was posed substantial risk should anything happen, especially to the front runners. 

Filling up in Uis

We arrived in Palmwag where we first refuelled before riding into camp.  Once there, it was immediately on to the customary offloading of the Iveco and setting up camp.  Karookid, Angus, Nismark and I were also nominated for the evening’s presentations.  (O bliksem, I thought!  I was hoping that I could present at least a couple of days later so that Charliepappa’s presentation would be forgotten.)

Be that as it may, Scrat offered to finish setting up camp while I get myself cleaned up and looking spiffy for the presentation.  Palmwag has some awesome ablutions and it was really great to wash off the last two day's dust.  My team mate has one of the highest working rates that I’ve come across.  He just never tires and are always full of energy and laughs.  The Duracell bunny is a pissy when compared to Scrat.

Prior to the evening’s presentations we were called for our one on one interviews.  Like GRyPH said, the questions were to the point and you had to think quickly.

Who’s your team mate?
What is his worst trait?
What is your worst trait?  (Really?? How much time have you got, this might take long?)
What will set you apart from the rest and could make you win?

With us being team 10 and last in the interview queue, this all happened while Karookid was doing his presentation.  Unfortunately I therefore missed this. 
I’ll leave comment on the interviews and the rest of the evening to the other contestants – a bit like first in on the day’s RR says it all.

I think it was this evening that me and Scrat also had the first opportunity to discuss our strategy for the rest of the competition.  It was a very short discussion, but I’ll leave that for his comment.

Like GRyPH, I battled with sleep that night due to what I initially thought was only one mozzie.  When I eventually hunted him down, I soon realised that there was a whole tag team of these buggers.  The problem with sleeping bags is also that you can’t pull open the feet of the guy sleeping next to you to create an easy prey - I was screwed!


Palmwag

"Palmwag Lodge is a paradise located on the Uniab River in north-western Namibia, Damaraland just a few kilometers north of the junction of the C4 and /C39 roads. Nestled in a spectacular landscape with waving palms whispering in the wind, Palmwag Lodge is one of Namibia's oldest and most popular tourist destinations.

In the concession area around Palmwag Lodge there are large populations of Hartman's Mountain Zebra, giraffe, oryx, springbok and kudu. The predator population is the largest outside of the Etosha National Park, with over 100 lions, cheetah, leopard, brown and spotted hyena. Bird life is prolific and diverse with most of Namibia's endemics present. This concession supports a healthy population of desert adapted black rhino and elephants, under the management of the Save the Rhino Trust."


“It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end.”
-Ernest Hemingway-

 

[Sheepman]

Excellent write ups from some of the participants thus far. Clearly a very well planned and executed Quest, enjoyed by all on brilliant bikes  :thumleft: It would be interesting however to get to understand more of the nuances that played out - after all, it was a tough trip in a beautiful, but tough territory,competed by 19 tough guys and one tough girl. Surely all didn't go clockwork always There is innuendo in the blog of Angus, which was also written to the point, yet honestly realistic in my opinion.

 

[Kobus Myburgh]

Excellent write ups from some of the participants thus far. Clearly a very well planned and executed Quest, enjoyed by all on brilliant bikes  :thumleft: It would be interesting however to get to understand more of the nuances that played out - after all, it was a tough trip in a beautiful, but tough territory,competed by 19 tough guys and one tough girl. Surely all didn't go clockwork always There is innuendo in the blog of Angus, which was also written to the point, yet honestly realistic in my opinion.

Thanks for following our awesome adventure Sheepman.  :thumleft:  I had to go google nuances now first to make sure I understand it in the right context. 

Keep in mind that we are only on day 2 now, it's still honeymoon.  Regrettably, I need to inform you that you will be disappointed should you be waiting for that sort of drama to unfold, but then again, I can only speak for myself.

In a conversation with Hardy (and keep in mind that this is a guy with vast experience of this sort of thing - the host of every Ford Odyssey there ever was and many other things), he 'warned' us that things will change drastically as the competition unfolds.  People's real personalities will come out and eventually  the nice faces will disappear with a +-R200k prize at stake. 

Well, without running ahead with the RR, for the majority of the event, 10 teams acted as one.  All of us were just as committed to get 20 bikes to the finish as was Honda and Specialised Adventures.  Every single person wanted to reach the end and every one of us realised we would not be able to do this as an individual, not even as a two man team.  Also remember that the selection included 20 ordinary people - people from all walks of life, varying biking experience and varying personalities.  This made us a privileged, grateful bunch of blokes and girl that was just in awe of the opportunity and beauty of the landscape, but again, I can't speak on everyone's behalf. 

With regards to Angus' (or Tripod as he dubbed himself) write up:  Every person experiences things differently.  He states that he was quite disgusted by the situation at Spitzkoppe with no proper ablution facilities.  Me?  I couldn't help thinking of how my two boys will enjoy this - Mom can't even think of telling them to go shower - 'varkie aand' it will be - how long can we stay?

But ...... his eventual conclusion, stating that the prize giving 'broke 16 people'  (not sure where the other 2 are?), 'some folk were pi..ed off' etc.?? - Speak for yourself mate, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth! 

Charl Potgieter and Hennie van Heerden are worthy winners.  I will never drive through Victoria Wes without stopping at the skaap boer, and I will go riding with Charl any given day.

 

[Hardy de Kock]

" With regards to Angus' (or Tripod as he dubbed himself) write up:  Every person experiences things differently.  He states that he was quite disgusted by the situation at Spitzkoppe with no proper ablution facilities.  Me?  I couldn't help thinking of how my two boys will enjoy this - Mom can't even think of telling them to go shower - 'varkie aand' it will be - how long can we stay?

But ...... his eventual conclusion, stating that the prize giving 'broke 16 people'  (not sure where the other 2 are?), 'some folk were pi..ed off' etc.?? - Speak for yourself mate, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth! 

Charl Potgieter and Hennie van Heerden are worthy winners.  I will never drive through Victoria Wes without stopping at the skaap boer, and I will go riding with Charl any given day. "
                                      - Kobus Myburgh (KTM Kobus)




Class acts, and True Adventurers, you and Gerrit du Toit (Scrat).  Welcome to the Quest Crew..
                                     

 

[caconcepts]

Just read the whole thread from beginning...........excellent job so far boyz. Saw the program on telly and am thoroughly hooked on the adventure. Now please stop pissing about and write some more RR...... :deal: :deal: :deal: :deal: :deal: :3some:

 

[throttle jockey]

Excellent write ups from some of the participants thus far. Clearly a very well planned and executed Quest, enjoyed by all on brilliant bikes  :thumleft: It would be interesting however to get to understand more of the nuances that played out - after all, it was a tough trip in a beautiful, but tough territory,competed by 19 tough guys and one tough girl. Surely all didn't go clockwork always There is innuendo in the blog of Angus, which was also written to the point, yet honestly realistic in my opinion.

Thanks for following our awesome adventure Sheepman.  :thumleft:  I had to go google nuances now first to make sure I understand it in the right context. 

Keep in mind that we are only on day 2 now, it's still honeymoon.  Regrettably, I need to inform you that you will be disappointed should you be waiting for that sort of drama to unfold, but then again, I can only speak for myself.

In a conversation with Hardy (and keep in mind that this is a guy with vast experience of this sort of thing - the host of every Ford Odyssey there ever was and many other things), he 'warned' us that things will change drastically as the competition unfolds.  People's real personalities will come out and eventually  the nice faces will disappear with a +-R200k prize at stake. 

Well, without running ahead with the RR, for the majority of the event, 10 teams acted as one.  All of us were just as committed to get 20 bikes to the finish as was Honda and Specialised Adventures.  Every single person wanted to reach the end and every one of us realised we would not be able to do this as an individual, not even as a two man team.  Also remember that the selection included 20 ordinary people - people from all walks of life, varying biking experience and varying personalities.  This made us a privileged, grateful bunch of blokes and girl that was just in awe of the opportunity and beauty of the landscape, but again, I can't speak on everyone's behalf. 

With regards to Angus' (or Tripod as he dubbed himself) write up:  Every person experiences things differently.  He states that he was quite disgusted by the situation at Spitzkoppe with no proper ablution facilities.  Me?  I couldn't help thinking of how my two boys will enjoy this - Mom can't even think of telling them to go shower - 'varkie aand' it will be - how long can we stay?

But ...... his eventual conclusion, stating that the prize giving 'broke 16 people'  (not sure where the other 2 are?), 'some folk were pi..ed off' etc.?? - Speak for yourself mate, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth! 

Charl Potgieter and Hennie van Heerden are worthy winners.  I will never drive through Victoria Wes without stopping at the skaap boer, and I will go riding with Charl any given day.

Well said and cant agree more. As much as it could have got nasty I think we all started as relative strangers and ended as friends, this included the instructors. We became a large family with a love and respect for each other and what we where experiencing. Our personalities gelled and that is very unique. I would never want to have shared this wonderful experience with any other bunch. As for the ultimate result (as hard as it was to choose) I am very happy with the winners they deserve it 100%. Personally I find it distasteful that there is any hint of a suggestion that it was undeserved. I will stand by them any day as the ultimate winners of the first Quest. WELL DONE!!!!!!!! 

 

[KarooKid]

" With regards to Angus' (or Tripod as he dubbed himself) write up:  Every person experiences things differently.  He states that he was quite disgusted by the situation at Spitzkoppe with no proper ablution facilities.  Me?  I couldn't help thinking of how my two boys will enjoy this - Mom can't even think of telling them to go shower - 'varkie aand' it will be - how long can we stay?

But ...... his eventual conclusion, stating that the prize giving 'broke 16 people'  (not sure where the other 2 are?), 'some folk were pi..ed off' etc.?? - Speak for yourself mate, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth! 

Charl Potgieter and Hennie van Heerden are worthy winners.  I will never drive through Victoria Wes without stopping at the skaap boer, and I will go riding with Charl any given day. "
                                      - Kobus Myburgh (KTM Kobus)




Class acts, and True Adventurers, you and Gerrit du Toit (Scrat).  Welcome to the Quest Crew..
                                   

And just when I thought the crew could not get any better............. Well bloody done!!

 

[Scalpel]

Excellent write ups from some of the participants thus far. Clearly a very well planned and executed Quest, enjoyed by all on brilliant bikes  :thumleft: It would be interesting however to get to understand more of the nuances that played out - after all, it was a tough trip in a beautiful, but tough territory,competed by 19 tough guys and one tough girl. Surely all didn't go clockwork always There is innuendo in the blog of Angus, which was also written to the point, yet honestly realistic in my opinion.

Thanks for following our awesome adventure Sheepman.  :thumleft:  I had to go google nuances now first to make sure I understand it in the right context. 

Keep in mind that we are only on day 2 now, it's still honeymoon.  Regrettably, I need to inform you that you will be disappointed should you be waiting for that sort of drama to unfold, but then again, I can only speak for myself.

In a conversation with Hardy (and keep in mind that this is a guy with vast experience of this sort of thing - the host of every Ford Odyssey there ever was and many other things), he 'warned' us that things will change drastically as the competition unfolds.  People's real personalities will come out and eventually  the nice faces will disappear with a +-R200k prize at stake. 

Well, without running ahead with the RR, for the majority of the event, 10 teams acted as one.  All of us were just as committed to get 20 bikes to the finish as was Honda and Specialised Adventures.  Every single person wanted to reach the end and every one of us realised we would not be able to do this as an individual, not even as a two man team.  Also remember that the selection included 20 ordinary people - people from all walks of life, varying biking experience and varying personalities.  This made us a privileged, grateful bunch of blokes and girl that was just in awe of the opportunity and beauty of the landscape, but again, I can't speak on everyone's behalf. 

With regards to Angus' (or Tripod as he dubbed himself) write up:  Every person experiences things differently.  He states that he was quite disgusted by the situation at Spitzkoppe with no proper ablution facilities.  Me?  I couldn't help thinking of how my two boys will enjoy this - Mom can't even think of telling them to go shower - 'varkie aand' it will be - how long can we stay?

But ...... his eventual conclusion, stating that the prize giving 'broke 16 people'  (not sure where the other 2 are?), 'some folk were pi..ed off' etc.?? - Speak for yourself mate, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth! 

Charl Potgieter and Hennie van Heerden are worthy winners.  I will never drive through Victoria Wes without stopping at the skaap boer, and I will go riding with Charl any given day.

Ek gan drink koffie gou op die Vrydag oggend dan gebeur die dinge hier. I will update my Spitzkoppe to Palmwag later today. Its Friday after all. I am with KTMKobus on this one. Although we would all have liked to win the bikes it was impossible. Only one team could win and the best team did win. I know its a cliché but in my mind we were all winners even though we did not get the Africa Twin as prize. Bikes come and go. Friendships and experiences tend to stay a life time. I was fortunate enough to ride behind the winning team for most of the days. The way they handled themselves and the guys around them was an example to all. I would join both of them any day on an adventure, even if its just for a day. KTMKobus and Scrat rode behind us for most of the Quest. Both of these guys are true gentleman. My learning curve was a vertical line upwards with the two of you playing a big role is this. Even Charliepappa gave me a lot of tips and tricks. Dankie. Between these guys it actually looked as if I could ride bike!! :ricky: As soon as my Africa Twin hits Gauteng I will arrange a ride!!

 

[Scalpel]

So we woke up at Spitzkoppe. Lekker in ons vark pakkies!! Stinkie muishond! Lekker. The start of a true adventure. You never know when next you will have the luxury of a shower. As mentioned previously team 9 and 10 was on scullery duty! So the 4 of us was responsible for breakfast as well as the dishes after breakfast! I am still in awe at the amount of dishes that we had to wash. Die goed kry kleintjies. Whilst we were washing dishes the rest of the contestants got their bikes ready and was busy with their Pre Ride Inspections(PRI). The convoy was determined and excitement was tangible. We eventually joined the PRI and convoy. Twister pulled out a little notepad with the PRI step by step. Boy you should see his hand writing. Netjies ek se. Even Hinksding took the notepad to take some pictures. All I can say is my partner was organised. Hinksding reckons not even his sister has such a neat handwriting!!  ot:

PRI sorted we got a pre ride briefing and John led us out of Spitzkoppe. Sad to leave as I would love to explore more. I will be back. We soon settled into the swing of things and Twister and myself found our rhythm! As mentioned previously I do not ride a lot. I spend most of my time on a bicycle, not a adventure bike. So my learning curve and comfort zones was challenged a lot on the first day already. On the gravel roads. Dust was an issue but we quickly adapted to the dust gaps. Jaco however felt the gaps was too big. He addressed this and soon we adapted.

Then it happened! I had the first puncture of the Quest. Ag donner. At least I could get it out of the way. In our haste we pinched the tube we put in so we had to patch the tube we took out. This puncture scene was on all the videos of the day! We were famous!! Scrat and Jaco patched the first tube. This tube held the rest of the Quest and I never had a puncture again.



So after this incident I did not have a puncture again! The rest of the days riding was without incident. Just before we got to Palmwag team 1 had a puncture as well. We quickly stopped and assisted seeing we had a tube with us that was already patched and ready. Through the vet fence. Filled the tanks and into camp. Settled in. Got a camp site and a lekker warm shower! That evening Karookid, KTMKobus and Nismark and Angus entertained us with their talks on various topics. MMM. I should have taken notes!!  :ricky:


The punctures of the day had to be fixed. The tubes sorted and ready for the next day.

Palmwag is such a beautiful campsite. Even the elephants frequents the place. The next group was up for dinner and breakfast. Team 7 and 8. Food as always was great.

 

[Hardy de Kock]

Presentation topics issued prior to Quest:

Team 1

Johannes Haasbroek - The Kunene River
Gerrit Visser - Marienfluss & Fairie circles

Team 2

Cornelis Nelson - The Ngorongoro Crater
Angus Welch - Madagascar

Team 3

Clinton Pienaar - The Gerenuk & The Okapi
Andries Haasbroek - The History of Honda Motorcycles

Team 4

Charl du Plessis - Mapungubwe
Barbara Muszynski - The Nile river

Team 5
Grant Pentalow - The Welwitchia
Glenn Koch - The Fish river Canyon

Team 6

Andrew Johnstone - The Great Rift Valley
Philip Groenewald - Kilimanjaro

Team 7

Marcel Vladar - The Oryx
S.P Dreyer - The Lord Derby Eland

Team 8

Charl Potgieter - The Sahara
Johannes van Heerden - The Mighty Zambezi

Team 9

Francois Ebersohn - Lake Malawi
Pieter Lourens - The Okavango Delta

Team 10

Kobus Myburgh - The Pyramids of Giza
Gerrit du Toit - Lake Victoria

 

[Chantal Burger]

Excellent write ups from some of the participants thus far. Clearly a very well planned and executed Quest, enjoyed by all on brilliant bikes  :thumleft: It would be interesting however to get to understand more of the nuances that played out - after all, it was a tough trip in a beautiful, but tough territory,competed by 19 tough guys and one tough girl. Surely all didn't go clockwork always There is innuendo in the blog of Angus, which was also written to the point, yet honestly realistic in my opinion.

Thanks for following our awesome adventure Sheepman.  :thumleft:  I had to go google nuances now first to make sure I understand it in the right context. 

Keep in mind that we are only on day 2 now, it's still honeymoon.  Regrettably, I need to inform you that you will be disappointed should you be waiting for that sort of drama to unfold, but then again, I can only speak for myself.

In a conversation with Hardy (and keep in mind that this is a guy with vast experience of this sort of thing - the host of every Ford Odyssey there ever was and many other things), he 'warned' us that things will change drastically as the competition unfolds.  People's real personalities will come out and eventually  the nice faces will disappear with a +-R200k prize at stake. 

Well, without running ahead with the RR, for the majority of the event, 10 teams acted as one.  All of us were just as committed to get 20 bikes to the finish as was Honda and Specialised Adventures.  Every single person wanted to reach the end and every one of us realised we would not be able to do this as an individual, not even as a two man team.  Also remember that the selection included 20 ordinary people - people from all walks of life, varying biking experience and varying personalities.  This made us a privileged, grateful bunch of blokes and girl that was just in awe of the opportunity and beauty of the landscape, but again, I can't speak on everyone's behalf. 

With regards to Angus' (or Tripod as he dubbed himself) write up:  Every person experiences things differently.  He states that he was quite disgusted by the situation at Spitzkoppe with no proper ablution facilities.  Me?  I couldn't help thinking of how my two boys will enjoy this - Mom can't even think of telling them to go shower - 'varkie aand' it will be - how long can we stay?

But ...... his eventual conclusion, stating that the prize giving 'broke 16 people'  (not sure where the other 2 are?), 'some folk were pi..ed off' etc.?? - Speak for yourself mate, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth! 

Charl Potgieter and Hennie van Heerden are worthy winners.  I will never drive through Victoria Wes without stopping at the skaap boer, and I will go riding with Charl any given day.

With all the pictures of Spitzkoppe on the thread, I am sure that nobody expected it to be a 5 star lodge. When Hardy planned the route, he wanted Quest to be a true adventure, that said.

The Kaokoland is untouched, and exactly as God made it. In order to experience Namibia’s wonders, you have to give up certain luxuries, or travel on the gravel highways and follow the tourist busses, as they lead you to air conditioners and icy cocktails.

If you want to ride an Africa Twin through remote and vast places, sleep under the stars in a riverbed, and boil your own coffee on an open fire.. Then Yes! you might have to give up your shower for a night.

PS : There are clean ablution facilities at the entrance gate with toilets and warm water showers.

 

[Sam]

Excellent write ups from some of the participants thus far. Clearly a very well planned and executed Quest, enjoyed by all on brilliant bikes  :thumleft: It would be interesting however to get to understand more of the nuances that played out - after all, it was a tough trip in a beautiful, but tough territory,competed by 19 tough guys and one tough girl. Surely all didn't go clockwork always There is innuendo in the blog of Angus, which was also written to the point, yet honestly realistic in my opinion.

Read this chap's blog quickly after reading your comment. Quite odd, I must admit. I didn't pick up the vibe that he's putting out from any of the other competitors that have posted here. Why on earth would anyone be "pissed off" that someone else won? I reckon all of them "won" - I wouldn't mind winning a two week, paid for, riding someone else's bike, with backup, through some of the most amazing landscapes on earth, trip....

Ah well - takes all kinds, I suppose.

 

[Sam]

A quote from said blog "We serviced the bikes in the sand. Our team – not a drop of oil on the ground… Other teams – No comment…."

I hope he was awarded his clean oil change medal.

 

[Fransw]

Excellent write ups from some of the participants thus far. Clearly a very well planned and executed Quest, enjoyed by all on brilliant bikes  :thumleft: It would be interesting however to get to understand more of the nuances that played out - after all, it was a tough trip in a beautiful, but tough territory,competed by 19 tough guys and one tough girl. Surely all didn't go clockwork always There is innuendo in the blog of Angus, which was also written to the point, yet honestly realistic in my opinion.

Read this chap's blog quickly after reading your comment. Quite odd, I must admit. I didn't pick up the vibe that he's putting out from any of the other competitors that have posted here. Why on earth would anyone be "pissed off" that someone else won? I reckon all of them "won" - I wouldn't mind winning a two week, paid for, riding someone else's bike, with backup, through some of the most amazing landscapes on earth, trip....

Ah well - takes all kinds, I suppose.

Sam, I agree. 20 winners of a trip of a lifetime!! The total value of a trip must be close to R100 000 per person.. This is one of the Biggest competition 'payouts' ever. Not to mention the 2 bike give away.

Where ever you go in life you will aways encounter one or two idiots, that's life.

For the rest of the guys, thanks for posting all your interesting photos and stories, keep it up!....cheers! :thumleft: :thumleft:

 

[Sheepman]

Excellent write ups from some of the participants thus far. Clearly a very well planned and executed Quest, enjoyed by all on brilliant bikes  :thumleft: It would be interesting however to get to understand more of the nuances that played out - after all, it was a tough trip in a beautiful, but tough territory,competed by 19 tough guys and one tough girl. Surely all didn't go clockwork always There is innuendo in the blog of Angus, which was also written to the point, yet honestly realistic in my opinion.

Thanks for following our awesome adventure Sheepman.  :thumleft:  I had to go google nuances now first to make sure I understand it in the right context. 

Keep in mind that we are only on day 2 now, it's still honeymoon.  Regrettably, I need to inform you that you will be disappointed should you be waiting for that sort of drama to unfold, but then again, I can only speak for myself.

In a conversation with Hardy (and keep in mind that this is a guy with vast experience of this sort of thing - the host of every Ford Odyssey there ever was and many other things), he 'warned' us that things will change drastically as the competition unfolds.  People's real personalities will come out and eventually  the nice faces will disappear with a +-R200k prize at stake. 

Well, without running ahead with the RR, for the majority of the event, 10 teams acted as one.  All of us were just as committed to get 20 bikes to the finish as was Honda and Specialised Adventures.  Every single person wanted to reach the end and every one of us realised we would not be able to do this as an individual, not even as a two man team.  Also remember that the selection included 20 ordinary people - people from all walks of life, varying biking experience and varying personalities.  This made us a privileged, grateful bunch of blokes and girl that was just in awe of the opportunity and beauty of the landscape, but again, I can't speak on everyone's behalf. 

With regards to Angus' (or Tripod as he dubbed himself) write up:  Every person experiences things differently.  He states that he was quite disgusted by the situation at Spitzkoppe with no proper ablution facilities.  Me?  I couldn't help thinking of how my two boys will enjoy this - Mom can't even think of telling them to go shower - 'varkie aand' it will be - how long can we stay?

But ...... his eventual conclusion, stating that the prize giving 'broke 16 people'  (not sure where the other 2 are?), 'some folk were pi..ed off' etc.?? - Speak for yourself mate, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth! 

Charl Potgieter and Hennie van Heerden are worthy winners.  I will never drive through Victoria Wes without stopping at the skaap boer, and I will go riding with Charl any given day.

Thanks for the response Kobus. I never suggested anything untoward nor peculiar. I merely meant to throw a suggestion from lines in a report I picked up, which clearly ex post seem to be subjective  :thumleft: No doubt, you guys and girl had the time of your life, within a very well structured Quest.