Ola Hermanos

 

Carrying on my weekly rides at Motozone but the adjustment to riding with a bigger tank, and therefore more weight to the front, is taking longer than expected.  I am still not comfortable in committing to corner at high speed which seriously hinder my pace and confidence.   Lot more hours is required to become comfortable again.   

As the circuit racing season is coming to an end and won’t resume before October, I have also decided to spend more time on trails riding and exploring.   There has been something that I have wanted to do for a long time, that is GPS navigation.   So, I purchased a Garmin Montana 700I, as recommended by George (the Grand Master of GPX navigation) and started playing with the device.  

I thought this piece of machinery was intuitive, a bit like google map, and was already dreaming of stepping out of my house, punch the choose offroad track and then off I go.   But f… me, it is complicated.   When I see George, or even Itchy boots riding with it, it looks so easy, but there are a lot more work to do beforehand to use the unit:  you got to go to website, plan your route, enter coordinate, save yr track, upload your route to the device, etc, etc….. I agree, I am not a computer geek, but I am ok with technology, but after few hours, I ended up calling George requesting a tutorial.   And even with George’s hands-on demo, I am still struggling with it.   I guess I’ll just have to play with it or sale it back if I can’t master it or simply enjoy it.  Alternatively, I might be moving to tablet and use google map if I continue to struggle with it.   

So, as I was spending time on the PC, youtubing all Garmin videos, I also did some shopping.  I ordered myself a taylor made motocross kit as I am running out of clean outfit when I ride more than twice per week and my misses don’t do the washing…. 

I also purchased an Eastbound kickstand kick very useful to repair puncture and a Wera toll box which turns out handy after few hours of offroad to tight everything up.  

I also surfed the net to look at travelling van for my next life when I would need to take my Rally bikes to various rally around Europe or Africa.

On the following Saturday, I decided to attend the Wheelie workshop organised by an Italian stuntman called Andrea.   The man has lifted every bike he has ever put his hands on.   A real daredevil.  Personally, I never had wheelied before.  Have done the occasional lift the front wheel up to cross obstacle but never a proper wheelie.  So, I went.   Whilst I did not learn anything that I already knew, doing it with proper equipment and under the supervision of someone was recomforting.    Turns out, I lifted the bike on the first try and by the end of it, I felt quite comfortable.  I am still unsure to do this on my T7 but will have to try sometime. 

Then, I contacted Hadi, the new Kove dealer in Dubai to try their rally bike.   Had heard some very positive feedback from people that had tried it, so I gave it a go.   

Outcome was actually very positive, took a few spins around the shop on road and off road.   Bikes handled well and I think it’s a good compromise for a Rally Raid beginner like me.  The clutch was less sensitive/responsive than my CRF but nothing that can’t be fixed.   Have discussed with Allan from Vendetta Racing who also confirmed he had heard good feedback on it and that: had the Kove been on the market when they started racing, they would have probably chosen that option to start with before upgrading to the KTM rally replica.  There are still few things to make it Rally raid ready such as the tower and few bits and pieces, but all can be found at very reasonable cost on unclewang.net, so for less than 12keuro you can have a Rally Bike to compete with.  Hence, need to get rid of few of my bikes to free up some cash to purchase the Kove but also to entertain my expenses for the upcoming rallies.   Apart from the T7 which I use as daily commuter and trail adventure, and the 450 crf that I use for sand, I have put all my other Dubai’s bikes for sale (the racing Ducati included).   So far, no one has shown any interest in buying any of them.  And I am also thinking of getting rid of the 450crf and go for 450 Excf from Ktm which is versatile enough to do both desert and extreme enduro.   I would really like to get the “6 days” model.

Talking about expenses, DUUST Racing Team cancelled by Road book navigation training so hope they’ll reimburse me soonest so I can use that money for another training.  

I also went on the track at the Dubai Autodrome to ride on the international layout circuit.  I had ordered some new slick tyres and was looking forward to seeing how I/they perform.   

It was a blast.   The Ducati handled very well with them.   As I am still working to improve my technics, I did not push myself to the maximum, but I could already feel a huge difference in the grip.   

If you have heard the news, then you know that Dubai had massive rain fall, the biggest in last 50 years.   It rained as much in one day as it did in the last two years.   The amount of water that came down was simply unbelievable.  

So, before going out, I changed the tyre of the T7 to Heidenau Rangers and with few guys from GOT, we went on an exploration journey on our adventure bikes to see the damage caused by the weather.  All I can tell you is there will be a lot of road construction to be done over next few months. 

  But from a maxi trail perspective, it was great.   Sand was compact, mud was deep enough, trails were technical, so I had a blast.   And the Tenere 700 was a beast.  

I had not taken it yet to extreme grounds since its purchased but was very impressed how it handled.   Had done a few rounds at MX enduro training park and had mixed feeling – ie it wasn’t as smooth as a GS and not as aggressive as the Huski 701 or the KTM 690. 

But that all changed after this weekend.   She handled perfectly and was aggressive enough when required.   The only thing that I did was to lower the tyre pressure to 22 and 25, and all went smooth even in the hardest and more technical part.  

 

Then on Thursday, I headed to Café rider for post Dakar briefing organised by GOT (Get Out There) with 4 riders that competed in 2024 Dakar Rally.  

Oran O’Kelly and Brian from Vendetta Racing, and Benji Melot and Charli Hertz who happened to be training in Dubai that week.    Both Oran and Benji alternated their presentation and shared their experience.   It was a great turnout and very informative evening. 

Then the following morning, met with Benji at Mx Ride for my first Roadbook Navigation training. 

After Benji mounted the Hesapart prototype on my CRF, he gave me 45 min of academic class on the PC and off we went for my first roadbook navigation ride.   The roadbook prepared by Benjamin consisted of 30 km of special with 2k liaison at the beginning and the end.   It consisted of lots on information condensed over a very short distance.   The first indication was fine as we moved from the base site to the desert, but then as soon as we left the main road and hit the desert it was another ball game.  

First, it’s a bit tricky to constantly look at the roadbook while driving in unstable terrain.   At first, I could only read the first and second column and only from one line to the other, and only focusing on direction and distance.   I skipped the last column on the right because I simply did not have time to read it while concentrating on riding.  

And even then, my first mistake came only after few minutes into the ride where I followed a track while I should have taken another direction.   So, after Benji caught up with me to let me know I was going in the wrong direction, I had to do some gardening (term used to go back and search for your route).  Then I missed another track and another track.  Then I lost track of my odometer versus the indication on the roadbook, then I missed a WP, loss my riding cap in the dunes and got a penalty for speeding in limited speed zone.   And all of this within 45 minutes of riding.   Really promising!!!!!

Up till this training, riding in the desert for me was only focusing on riding technics and speed.  This was a totally different type of riding where navigation felt more important than my speed or riding skills.   But all and all a very nice experience and very comprehensive and pedagogical training given by Benjamin.   We had few issues with the prototype which had glimpses at time so had to manually scroll on the tablet but that forced me to slow down and really looked at the all the indications written on the roadbook and read the last column which contains critical data.  The main point is to slow down, read and digest the info so you can go on with your ride and within the correct direction. 

And as I was ready for my weekend consisting of track day and the finale of the enduroCross season, I got flu symptom and was bedded for 2 days.   That’s all folks for April. 

as usual, some random shite below

Ola Hermanos

 

Following the Dakar, few riders stayed behind to participate in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.  One of them was Ross Branch.   And he had kept one day out of his calendar to join the community ride with Motozone.  

I was eagerly waiting to ride with him and my fellow colleagues but sadly day he had to postpone by few days which did not fit into my schedule as I had already booked a flight to Canada to see my daughter. 

 Using the excuse to visit my daughter I searched for some fun and cold outdoor adventure.   Riding in the snow was something I wanted to try for a long time.  As a former skier and snowboarder, I wanted to see how it felt to ride on snow compared to regular off-road motorcycling.  Surprisingly, the Salon de la Moto of Montreal was happening just when I arrived in Canada, so I went to the convention centre a few hours after landing to see the new motorcycle launches from every maker in North America.

There were also many tour companies, and the photos of the Canadian countryside were stunning. I'll have to plan a trip there and ride in the wilds of Northern America. 

I wanted to try snow motorcycle,

but I could not rent any outside Montreal, so I chose snowmobile instead. I made a reservation with Artic Adventure and drove north of Montreal to join the trails. The machines were Ski Doo 600cc with Rotax engine that produced about 85 hp. A good option for beginner riders. The start of the ride was dull as the guide tested rider’s skill but when groups of similar level riders were formed it got more enjoyable. Overall impression is snowmobile is closer to Quad or Jet skiing than to off-road or desert riding. Anyway, it was a good experience and I achieved what I wanted.  

I returned to Dubai and collected my T700 from the shop, where I had left it for service and to add high front end kit, new decal and some small things to suit my preferences. I tested it at Max Enduro site and liked the outcome.

I'm still not sure if I should reduce the height of the bike by 2cm to feel more at ease, but it would compromise the ground clearance. And lack of ground clearance is what damaged my GS. So, I have the lowering kit from AltRider with me, but I haven't put it on yet. I'll see...

It was time for a much-needed amazing weekend in Liwa with some colleagues from Motozone Dubai. Liwa is the ultimate place for dune bashing in the United Arab Emirates. It is near the Saudi border, about 3.5 hours from Dubai, in the empty quarter. There are many high dunes to ride on. 

It was a wonderful weekend!!! I had never experienced such tall dunes and stunning scenery. It was like Heaven. It was both exciting and difficult, traversing the wide and diverse land of sand dunes, from soft hills to sharp falls, leaps and turns to feel the rush of speed and liberty. And it was also a great chance to connect with other riders and share the love for off-road riding. And of course, the drinks after the ride...notwithstanding, the long discussion on rally racing with Jason.  

As it turns out Jason, whom I had already ridden with during the UAE raid adventure in December has already taken roadbook classes with TRC and was very complementary.  And as alumni of TRC he gave me the direct contact of the lady in charge of admin so I could ensure everything runs smoothly when the training take place or clarify any queries I might have.   He gave me lots of useful information about different types of roadbooks (ertf and some others) as well as training app.   Still a bit blur in my mind but trust it will become clearer as I continue my journey.   

Today, is the start of Ramadan so many shops will do Ramadan sales’ deals.   Already registered for free service on my CRF and Palm Mx is having massive discount on Leatt product.   Time for some new clothes.  Am also still debating for GPS for my T700 to do trails in Northern part of the Emirates and Road book tablet to adapt to the upcoming electronic road book.   Hence, I contacted Willem Avenan from RallyTab who appears to have successfully developed an Android tablet with accessories for both adventure riding and for rally navigation but am still debating with myself what tablet to buy, so whilst awaiting, I bought a second-hand Montana that I will use in the mountains here.

Like last year, I attended the Get Out There’s iftar in Al Qadr.   It was nice to reconnect with the adventure communities as I have been absent this year due to constant weekend commitment with Motozone and Furiosa Racing.   With the recent acquisition of the Tenere and my ambitious 3 years project, I need to do a lot more of rock riding and the guys at GOT will be a big motivation help.  

In preparation for the Enduro cross at MX Ride end of April, I bought a second-hand Acerbis 11L tank for my CRF.   I took it for a spin Saturday and was unpleasantly surprised how the bike handled with a more weight upfront.    I felt I was losing the front at every corner.   All things became normal after I rode for one hour and the gasoline level came back to what I am used to.   I will need to ride it more to adjust to the new balance of the bike with additional gas.  

Yesterday, I met with Benji Melot who has recently relocated partially to Dubai to discuss my project.  Nice and very humble bloke.  

Gave me lots of advice to move forward on my project.   I am sure we’ll meet again as I move along in my adventure. 

 

ola amigos

 

The Dakar 2024 race is over. I followed all the summaries of each stage on youtube, and the ‘behind the scene’ episodes of Benji Melot and Charlie Hertz. They were both amazing and inspiring and have prompted me to set my goal on completing this race. I am eager to start this project. Despite many uncertainties, I can’t keep delaying it or it will never happen. But as I begin this journey, I am filled with worries and doubts. What is my motivation, who do I want to impress, wouldn’t it be better to keep riding for fun on the weekend, do I really want to go through the discipline, and most importantly, can I handle such toughness at my age?

 

I have given myself three years to get ready for the race. I would prefer to do it sooner, but I must be realistic. My riding skills are not very good, I have minimum mechanical knowledge, I don’t know how to navigate, I don’t have a rally bike, I don’t have the money, I have never participated in a rally race, and on top of that, even though I finished an Ironman 70.3 two years ago, today, at 54 years old, I am unfit and overweight.     

Where to start?

A few days after the race ended, Benji Melot did a live session on social media where he answered questions and said he wanted to try something new in his Dakar career. I thought of a good project: coaching Dakar rookies. I sent him an email telling him about my project and asking him if he would be my mentor. The idea is that I would go to his garage and learn some mechanics and navigation and that he would help a rookie like me get ready for the race. He hasn't replied yet, but I hope he will.

I also looked for any navigation training near where I live. I searched online and found "Rally Training Centre" in Dubai. 

They responded quickly to my request. We exchanged emails and we just need to decide on the dates for 3 days of individual navigation training. And the best part is, they will give me a KTM 450 rally replica bike with all the equipment for the training.

I have been busy learning more about various topics such as navigation, electronic tablets, safety gears etc... and watching more documentaries on other rallies and how rookies set up their project. It's amazing how many people dream of doing the Dakar. It will be hard to get in, and rumors in the paddock indicates that it will become even harder to get in as the years go by.

Considering the Dakar is ultimately a race then why not start with a race with the objectives of the bivouac atmosphere, my riding skill level compared to other riders, and my physical strength.   So, I registered in Abu Dhabi Baja Challenge, 

a 2-hours race in the desert, where the winner is the one who travels the farthest. The race has a 30ish km loop without navigation. It is a good way to evaluate my level with some of the riders who will compete in Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge next week.   

In preparation for Baja, I started to work on my fitness.  30 min of muscle strengthening for my upper and lower body and 45 min of indoor cycling daily isn’t the greatest effort, but I must start somewhere.  Ideally, I need to create a training program that I haven't figured out yet.

 

15-29 Fevrier

I have just returned from AbuDhabi Baja, and I realized that the road to Dakar will be long, very long, very very long, and I am already starting to doubt myself.

I had woken up at 3h30 and reached Tilal Swaihan by 5h30 to experience the environment and the mood. 

Many riders and their friends and family had stayed overnight at the "bivouac" with their tents and caravans, and I could still smell the fire remains. 

I registered 

and felt suddenly more comfortable when I saw Jorge A. from GOT whom I knew from Dubai and another guy I had met at Motozone who had just returned from Qatar Baja. He had ridden all night to make the final round of the series. Then Oran Okelly joined us and shared some stories from his Dakar.

Then I went back to Joel's pickup, unloaded my bike, put the mat and refuelling jerrican in the pit lane, got ready and went to the riders briefing. 

I felt a lot of nervousness and butterflies in my stomach. The baja challenge is a race that lasts approximately 2hr and the goal is to complete 3 or 4 laps of the 32km course through the dunes.  In fact, it’s like a prologue where everyone gives it all over 100 or so kilometres.   There is no navigation, just cones placed along the course that riders must follow. Then, it was time to get on the bike and line up at the start line. As a beginner and a veteran, I started last. 

 

Then it was time open the throttle.  The first part of the course was hilly and wide, not very difficult and lots of speed. I caught up and passed 3 riders and felt good.   Then came the technical section with lot of riding at low speed and lots of sudden drops.  

I fell stupidly when another rider crashed in front of me and ultimately lost sight of the riders that were ahead of me.  The gap between me and them became wider and then I lost my rhythm.  With no one ahead of me and to open the line, I became even slower.   All competing bikes had 11-12 litre tank compared to my 6,5-litre tank on my CRF which meant that I would have had to stop at every lap for refuelling and lose considerable time.   Like the first lap, had great first 15km on the second lap and then another fall in the technical section this one nastier than the first which injured my left wrist and made handling the bike much harder causing me to quit at the end of the 2nd fuel stop.  But that was enough to achieve the objectives set for this race. 

In summary, it was a great first experience, I liked the atmosphere and the camaraderie. However, it was a wake-up call with regards to my level of riding, and my level of fitness. I quickly understood that I need to seriously work on my riding ability and improve my skills to be the one controlling the bike rather than the opposite.  Had I finished the race, I would have probably taken 3^rd before last.  And I clearly need to work on my physical strength and endurance to cope with the intensity of racing.   The road will be long….

Two days gone since the race closed and whilst my wrist injury seems to fade away, I am feeling muscle soreness throughout my upper body.   My shoulders, trapeze and lower back are completely null, and my legs are shaking every time I walk up the stairs.  

Mentally, I am navigating from: “I will never be able to make it” to “this is going to be too hard to achieve”, to: “you can do it”.   Let’s take it one day at the time.

On the T7 front, yesterday was a day of joy.  I have finally received the parcel ordered for my Tenere’s upgrade, consisting of hight front fender kit, enduro mirror, steel luggage / protection rack, new decal, and mount for the front indicator.