Dakar here we come
i have just returned from two awesome days off road training in malaga, with patsy quick's desert rose adventure riding academy....buried some demons and feel rejuvinated now that i am back on two wheels!
jago and i headed out via gatwick on thursday night and joined patsy's team in a great hotel perched high up in the hills behind the southern spanish coast, an hour west of malaga.
although the area had suffered from a week of rain, we woke up to a cool, but sunny morning, with spectacular views of the coastline, over 5 miles to the south of us.
i did not take much of my own gear with me, just trousers and body armour, borrowing, boots, helmet and a racing top, with no clash of colour ; ) it was good to try out a different make of boot too.
the first day was fantastic, as jago, vince and i had patsy and mat hall (another dakar vet) as our instructors for the entire day. so we almost had one on one guidance, as we refreshed our technical skills in a vast labyrinth of tracks and trails only minutes away from the hotel.
now the pressure was on....jago had already explained to patsy that we are training for the dakar, and on arrival, patsy introduced us to the team - matt, zippy and paul - highlighting our ambitious plan....expectations on our riding ability were now going to be high!
i had a choice of ktm bikes at my disposal, but chose the 400exc, as this is the bike i currently compete on and is similar to the bike i would ride in the dakar - although this was a topic of debate during my stay, since yamaha are proving to be a great contender in the 450cc bike.
riding up and down gnarly goat tracks and streams, we were all being challenged to stay on the bike! it was a great way to break back into the technical challenges of enduro and i am pleased to say that my shoulder did not trouble me in the slightest. the first hour i felt a little rusty and tense, plus was nervous about falling over on my right shoulder, so any right-hand turns were taken with a little more care! soon enough the flow and rhythm started to come back....it was such a fantastic feeling to be back on the bike!!
time flew by and suddenly it was lunch time - i think they were chicken in breadcrumb sandwiches?? satsumas and bananas, sitting in front of a fire-watchtower, enjoying the stunning views and endless routes across these small mountains.
we headed back to he hotel after about 5 hours of riding, feeling exhilarated and relieved that after a 6 month sabbatical i had not lost all my ability. back at the hotel i caught some the late afternoon sun on my balcony, followed by a swim in the pool and a sauna, it was a great way to end a brilliant day.
we had a huge supper, a few beers and lots of banta and biker stories....sadly patsy had the airport run (which turned out to be 2 x 2hr runs!!), picking up the next group of riders, which meant i did not have a much of a chance to talk about her dakar adventures.
day 2 for me was magical. although i love the technical side of biking, it was wonderful to spend the day just riding, flowing through the mountains mile after mile, with virtually nobody there but our small group. i was a little stiff from the day before, but quickly loosened up as i tried to keep up with matt and jago. matt was now riding his own 525exc and jago was on a 690, i remained on the 400exc as i wanted to really get familiar with it before my race next month. we must have covered nearly 100kms and at times traveling at around 70kmph along the narrow mountain tracks with huge drops to the valley floor below. mat was leading, with jago, myself, paul and vince bringing up the rear.
as we were catching the return flight later that day we had to ensure we were back in reasonable time. however, we still managed to ride for about 5 hours, almost continuously, apart from a few short breaks and lunch. matt found a great cafe, about where we had lunch and admired the sports bikes roaring past, against the silvery granite landscape. the cafe was about 1000m above sea level so a lot cooler than where we started from and i was pleased to be back riding again and warming up my chilled muscles.
my key lessons over the 2 days were 1)looking ahead rather than down; where you look is where you and your bike will follow and 2) pre-loading the bike; the ability to lighten the front the wheel as you approached any obstacle from a puddle to a fallen tree, or sharp incline, enabling the rider to maintain better control at speed and reducing risk of damaging the bike, particularly the forks 3) riding smoothly; better throttle and clutch control, as well as bike positioning on the approach into the corners, allowing a smooth and controlled exit. i can liken the learning to skiing, each and every level of improvement, allows you to focus and develop the more subtle skills that would be impossible to teach or learn at the beginning and can only improve through more and more practice.
so, ultimately, riding the bike has to become second nature so that our mental energies can focus on navigation and avoiding potential dangers from pot holes and boulders to other bikes, cars, trucks etc.
so big thank you to patsy, matt, zippy and paul for a brilliant couple of days, i'm already looking forward to the next one! i would also like to thank sam for all the shoulder rehabilitation work!
jago and i headed out via gatwick on thursday night and joined patsy's team in a great hotel perched high up in the hills behind the southern spanish coast, an hour west of malaga.
although the area had suffered from a week of rain, we woke up to a cool, but sunny morning, with spectacular views of the coastline, over 5 miles to the south of us.
i did not take much of my own gear with me, just trousers and body armour, borrowing, boots, helmet and a racing top, with no clash of colour ; ) it was good to try out a different make of boot too.
the first day was fantastic, as jago, vince and i had patsy and mat hall (another dakar vet) as our instructors for the entire day. so we almost had one on one guidance, as we refreshed our technical skills in a vast labyrinth of tracks and trails only minutes away from the hotel.
now the pressure was on....jago had already explained to patsy that we are training for the dakar, and on arrival, patsy introduced us to the team - matt, zippy and paul - highlighting our ambitious plan....expectations on our riding ability were now going to be high!
i had a choice of ktm bikes at my disposal, but chose the 400exc, as this is the bike i currently compete on and is similar to the bike i would ride in the dakar - although this was a topic of debate during my stay, since yamaha are proving to be a great contender in the 450cc bike.
riding up and down gnarly goat tracks and streams, we were all being challenged to stay on the bike! it was a great way to break back into the technical challenges of enduro and i am pleased to say that my shoulder did not trouble me in the slightest. the first hour i felt a little rusty and tense, plus was nervous about falling over on my right shoulder, so any right-hand turns were taken with a little more care! soon enough the flow and rhythm started to come back....it was such a fantastic feeling to be back on the bike!!
time flew by and suddenly it was lunch time - i think they were chicken in breadcrumb sandwiches?? satsumas and bananas, sitting in front of a fire-watchtower, enjoying the stunning views and endless routes across these small mountains.
we headed back to he hotel after about 5 hours of riding, feeling exhilarated and relieved that after a 6 month sabbatical i had not lost all my ability. back at the hotel i caught some the late afternoon sun on my balcony, followed by a swim in the pool and a sauna, it was a great way to end a brilliant day.
we had a huge supper, a few beers and lots of banta and biker stories....sadly patsy had the airport run (which turned out to be 2 x 2hr runs!!), picking up the next group of riders, which meant i did not have a much of a chance to talk about her dakar adventures.
day 2 for me was magical. although i love the technical side of biking, it was wonderful to spend the day just riding, flowing through the mountains mile after mile, with virtually nobody there but our small group. i was a little stiff from the day before, but quickly loosened up as i tried to keep up with matt and jago. matt was now riding his own 525exc and jago was on a 690, i remained on the 400exc as i wanted to really get familiar with it before my race next month. we must have covered nearly 100kms and at times traveling at around 70kmph along the narrow mountain tracks with huge drops to the valley floor below. mat was leading, with jago, myself, paul and vince bringing up the rear.
as we were catching the return flight later that day we had to ensure we were back in reasonable time. however, we still managed to ride for about 5 hours, almost continuously, apart from a few short breaks and lunch. matt found a great cafe, about where we had lunch and admired the sports bikes roaring past, against the silvery granite landscape. the cafe was about 1000m above sea level so a lot cooler than where we started from and i was pleased to be back riding again and warming up my chilled muscles.
my key lessons over the 2 days were 1)looking ahead rather than down; where you look is where you and your bike will follow and 2) pre-loading the bike; the ability to lighten the front the wheel as you approached any obstacle from a puddle to a fallen tree, or sharp incline, enabling the rider to maintain better control at speed and reducing risk of damaging the bike, particularly the forks 3) riding smoothly; better throttle and clutch control, as well as bike positioning on the approach into the corners, allowing a smooth and controlled exit. i can liken the learning to skiing, each and every level of improvement, allows you to focus and develop the more subtle skills that would be impossible to teach or learn at the beginning and can only improve through more and more practice.
so, ultimately, riding the bike has to become second nature so that our mental energies can focus on navigation and avoiding potential dangers from pot holes and boulders to other bikes, cars, trucks etc.
so big thank you to patsy, matt, zippy and paul for a brilliant couple of days, i'm already looking forward to the next one! i would also like to thank sam for all the shoulder rehabilitation work!
Labels: tydakar
posted by youngerelagagesavoie at
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