Think having a camera chick as a pillion is easy?

[Camelman]

Last year I was asked if I would pilot a camera man (which turned out to be a girl  :mwink for a mountain bike race in the Klein Karoo.

Okay, so the mountain bike race was the most hardcore ever. 6 Days, 550km of jeep and singletrack over 3 mountain ranges.

So imagine riding with a girl as pillion, you in your full kit, and she in cargo pants, sleaveless top, with R30 000 worth of camera hanging on each side going up and down mountains where hardcore mountainbikers carry their bikes.

Now imagine doing that for six days, standing up at 04:00 am and getting to bed at 22:00 every day. Spending 8 hours a day in the saddle.

For months after doing this trip, I contemplated many times to post the trip and pictures, but I never did. There was no words to explain the excitement, the joy, the hardship and sweat, all of us went through on that trip. Many times I prayed, and said, please God, let me just get this girl to the finish line without her getting hurt. And He came through for me, like so many times before.

I still have no words, but here is a slideshow I made of the photo's taken by the camera crew and me on my cellphone during this event.

[flash=560,340]https://www.youtube.com/v/bQcjiDjpng8&hl=en_GB&fs=1&[/flash]

 

[bomber]

Very cool Camelman.... what music is that?

 

[Oetie]

Stunning!!

 

[Buzzlightyear]

Nicely done. I also watched your tribute to Iep (Malgat) and thought it was great.

 

[Outhere]

Great stuff

Welldone Im sure they will call on you again.

Cheers

 

[Chrisl]

Saw some familiar faces: Piet Otto(Oudtshoorn) Marchant Maasdorp(George)
Camelman did you ride that road that runs just on the other side of the Swartberg mountains towards Meiringspoort?
Over Heartbreakershill? If so I walked it in the army. Stunning!! Only 4x4s allowed nowadays.

 

[Camelman]

Thanks guys.

bomber: I've started making my own music. Was too big a mission trying to find music which wasn't copyrighted.

chrisL. It could be. Most of the way was through farms and nature conservation areas, normally out of bounds for the general public. Think thats what made it extra special.

 

[Chrisl]

I remember the worst was Heartbreakers hill. Two cementstrips going uphill. Very steep.
Ive been asked twice to do the Cape Epic with my bike with cameramanpillion.
My aswer everytime. Give me a free clutch and I will do it.
Very hard on bikes and riders.

 

[vellies]

Hey Camelman I know what you are talking about. I've been helping for 3 years on 7 MTB races. It is a privelege to go to some of these exclusive places and it is unbelievable to be chased by a bicycle to the extent that you sometimes have to move out the way due to the terrain. These guys go like hell.

 

[chicco]

Did you get the set of tyres as promised? :biggrin:

 

[Camelman]

Did you get the set of tyres as promised? :biggrin:

:laughing4:

Nope.  ;D The bike handled the trip better than the owner.  :biggrin:

The starter worked itself into the ground. Starting several times an hour. And standing still with your full kit in a 40 degree riverbed can be taxing!

On day 3 while crossing the Swartberge, we found our-selfs in a riverbed. Thick sand, stones, the whole nine yards.

In such technical places I always asked her to get off, then I would ride through and she would walk. But this technical bit was over 2 km long. So when I eventually got to a place where I could stop the bike, I had to walk back to find her, as she had no water with her. I had the water in my camelbak, and she was carrying the two 5kg cameras.

So I took of my jacket and started walking. Now as you know, walking in 40 degree heat with MX boots ain't fun. Every now and then a cyclist would pass me, and I would ask where she was, then they would say, "Oh, about 2 k's back". And so it went. When I got to her about a hour later, she was parched, but had taken some fabulous pictures. Real hardcore girl this was!

 

[nreyneke]

Camelman... dis moerse!!!

 

[Crop Sprang]

very lekker
thanks CM

 

[Camelman]

Saw some familiar faces: Piet Otto(Oudtshoorn) Marchant Maasdorp(George)
Camelman did you ride that road that runs just on the other side of the Swartberg mountains towards Meiringspoort?
Over Heartbreakershill? If so I walked it in the army. Stunning!! Only 4x4s allowed nowadays.

Yes, that was Piet and Marchant.

Marchant is a awesome rider. I've never seen a man handle that 1200 Adventure like him. Truly a highly skilled rider.

 

[letsgofishing]

Awesome stuff CM  :thumleft:
What a privledge to able to ride a route that one normally can't.

 

[Chrisl]

Saw some familiar faces: Piet Otto(Oudtshoorn) Marchant Maasdorp(George)
Camelman did you ride that road that runs just on the other side of the Swartberg mountains towards Meiringspoort?
Over Heartbreakershill? If so I walked it in the army. Stunning!! Only 4x4s allowed nowadays.

Yes, that was Piet and Marchant.

Marchant is a awesome rider. I've never seen a man handle that 1200 Adventure like him. Truly a highly skilled rider.

That he is :thumleft:If I come back to earth Id like to be tall! Thats all. It helps a lot. And practice. Which he does a lot.

 

[Gee eS]

Really great stuff.  :ricky:

 

[Trokkie]

Lekker Camelman :thumleft:

I will be marshalling for the Epic end March but on the 525 and without passenger. ;D

 

[edgy]

Very cool! :thumleft:

 

[Fudmucker]

;D
Ok, so tell us the most important thing...

Did she have great tit...ilating conversations with you?  :
:mwink: