CABC

Thanks Geoff.

Julie and I had a fantastic time.  Julie was on her first off-road trip on her own bike (Brenda Buttercup), and we did the green routes on both days - Pepe from Upington was the very capable and understanding green route leader and Mardi, his better half got on like a house on fire with Julie. 

By the end of the second day, Julie was much more confident on gravel and was leaning properly in corners and riding at 80km/hr.  She even got off the bike raving about the beauty and the lovely curves of Garcia Pass (tar between Riversdal and Ladismith).  This means she was comfortable to look around while riding, and actually enjoyed the feeling of going around the turns.

Our return was made memorable (for the wrong reasons though), by my being fined R400 for not having yet received my new license from the traffic department in spite of having applied for it in good time.  Apparently I have to also lug around that stupid receipt they gave me - but it ended up in my VAT receipts box when I emptied my wallet of paper before this trip.  Luckily (not!) I can get it reduced to 200 ronts if I go Worcester to pay the fine and produce my new license.  At a round-trip cost of about R200 in petrol, not counting my time, that sounds like Hobson's choice to me.

But even that incident was eclipsed by what followed:  after being stopped by the cop, Julie's bike would not start.  She flattened the battery trying to get it going.  So Wayne Sheppard and I tow-started it, but it was clear there was an intermittent problem there.

Anyway, the bike runs fine through the tunnel, and then cuts out at the toll booth.  It is just Julie and I, so we do the tow-start thing ourselves (can you see where this is heading, because in hindsight so can I now).  The bike will not take - it pops and sputters and backfires and runs a bit and so on for about 5 km - all while being towed.  I tell Julie to pull over and stop, and there is some to-ing and fro-ing while we negotiate passing the on-ramp etc and next thing I have pulled her back wheel out from under her.

She is on the tar, cringing and crying in more pain than I have ever seen her in my life (and I witnessed her birthing our offspring and having them fished out with salad spoons with no anaesthetic).  Brenda fell on her ankle.

A 4x4 stops and the couple are most helpful.  His wife offers to phone the emergency services and he helps me get Julie out the road.  The penny should have dropped when he offers to help pick up Brenda, then promptly does it 'Western Cape Country Trax' style.  He rides a 1200GS. 

After some examination and prodding and poking, we establish that the ankle is probably bruised and sprained, we don't call an ambulance and I start phoning people I know in the area who might have a trailer handy (Geoff, Pete and Rusty came to mind).  We got hold of Andrew King, whose big advantage is that he runs a bike workshop 3 blocks from us and lives in our neighbourhood - and he is on intimate terms with Brenda and Mr.Badger having worked in the Atlantic Motorrad workshop for many years.

Our good samaritans determine that we are OK, and set off again.  Many bikes passed and confirmed we were thumbs up.  We lay in the grass on the verge and chatted.  Pete O'Hanlon came to a screeching stop some distance past us and tried to reverse back up the N1 with his bike trailer.  I ran towards him to tell him that we were OK.  He wanted to offload his bike and ride it so that we could put Brenda on the trailer.  I had to hold him back - I could not face all the on- and off-loading that would entail.  Anyway, Andrew was already on his way.

Julie and I spent some quality time together until Andrew arrived an hour later.  It had started raining but we were equipped.

This morning the ankle is a lot better, but I don't trust Julie because she is a tough cookie and will most likely hobble around on a broken ankle for a few weeks until she gets stopped by security at the X-ray machine at the airport!  We'll see.

Anybody got ladies-sized GS boots for sale - I think she should up her protection in the lower leg area sooner rather than later.  (Been nagging her for months to get more solid off-road boots).

But CABC was indeed fantastic - especially the skills challenge.  The elimination round was safe and easy and designed for novices to be able to participate also.  The final the next day was a lot tougher:  circling a cone in a muddy vlei, tight (5 paces diameter) turns on a steep slope, extreme slalom on a rocky, low-traction incline in-between thorn trees, and finishing through an almost impassable mud hole in front of the spectators.

I enjoyed the final so much that I could not sleep that night due to the stupid grin on my face.

Pictures to follow sometime when I finish catching up email etc.

If I had still been using my Nokia I would have picked up the  call from Charles, unfortunately the Blackberry battery lasts one day and mine had drained completely so it wouldn't charge from the lighter socket, it wanted the mains charger :-)

I also need to buy Di boots .... again.  Maybe we can negotiate a better price if we buy two pairs?  I bought her a pair recently from Leather Forever but the first time we used them a few of the clips broke, which they replaced, but they've broken again and they can't get replacements, so it's a new pair of boots

I agree Charles, CABC was well worth it.  Great rides, great venue and the skills challenge that Chris Hamman set up was a learning event for riders and spectators alike - excellent!

Nice detailed feedback, Charles, but you seem to have skipped detail on the bit about you and Julie in the long grass alongside the N1?

:)

Hey Charles and Julie

I'm so glad you are both OK. Thanks for your story. I loved the bits of Julie being X Rayed at the airnport. I can just imagine.

It was supa lakka shareing the week end with you and all our good friends we've made with bikes.

Yes, I agree the skills was tough and awsome, I too loved it.

Chris Hamman setup a short and relatively "easy" skills challenge on Friday. The course was setup in such a way that it would encourage all riders to participate - only the top 20 would then progress to the next day's somewhat longer and more challenging course.

Friday's course contained all the classic skills challenge elements to test clutch/throttle control and balance. The course started with a small incline  followed by a sharp descent with a sharp right hand turn at the bottom. Then straight into the cones, a quick stop for the walk around your bike and then onto the small ramp (no-one chose to go through the parallel beams instead of the ramp). Immediately after the ramp were some more tight turns around the poles and then onto the barrels to ppick up/drop off a small rock. A short ride around some tight turns in the bush on loose rock and a sandy section saw the rider through to the finish line.

The great fun and skill demonstrated by the riders cannot be adequately described in words - hopefully these few photos can. 

Peter O'Hanlon on the ramp

Mind the polesOver the hillZig-zag

The younger RathboneView on Orange route - day 2

Saturday's course used most elements from the previous day (tolerances were tighten significantly) and also added some new features - full circles within a grassy box on an incline, a sandy section in the bullrushes and a specially prepared mud section.

The fun parts (for the spectators) on Saturday's course were definitely the full circle around a cone in the mud at the beginning of the course and the dash through the water to the finish.

Round the cone we go

The finish!

Daniel Nelson enters the mud monster

Rathbone senior takes the plungeMarchant in the "inclined box"Marchant successfully crossing the mud monsterI don't need a sidestandYoung "hooligan" in trainingKevin v Blerk attacks the mud monsterEven poor light could not deter the riders

Well done to all the riders that participated on both days!

Well done to the Hamman Motorrad team for constructing two excellent courses. The first course encouraged participation and the second really  challenged the more skilled riders.

Also a big vote of thanks to Hennie and his team for organising a fantastic weekend.

Sorry to hear about Julie's injury Charles. Hope it heels soon. Congratulations to all of you who made it to the final. I did not get to socialise as I would have liked to, (had to do my part helping out with the three boys), but hope to chat again soon.

All the best

I agree, a big thumbs up to Chris and his staff and Hennie and his team!
My photo's are online here, enjoy,
http://picasaweb.google.com/kevin.vanblerk3/CABC2010
and
http://picasaweb.google.com/kevin.vanblerk3/CABC2010AndDieHel

Kevin

Charles, sorry to hear that the trip ended on a 'sore note'. We hope that Julie will recover quickly and won't need the x-ray at the airport. Please send her our best wishes.

Fortunately for us we did not have any trouble on the way home, except for the time. We got home in just under 11 hours.

Thanks for your assistance on the green route, especially the pointers before the Gysmanshoek descend.

It was nice riding with you two and we hope that we could ride together again in the not too distant future.

Paul & Madie

Thanks Kevin

I especially like the seqence of me making it through the mud hole (for once).  Are you coming to the club meeting tonight at all?  I'd like to get the full-size versions of those if possible.

regards

Charles

Hi guys,

All packed up and cleaned up and back where there is cellphone reception. Thanks guys it was a great weekend.

All that participated, worked and spectated thanks very much, it is easy organizing for such wonderful people. Some stats:

142 riders

182 people

Red route day1, 31 day2, 21

Orange route day1, 106 Day2 84

Green route day1, 15 day2, 15

The photos will be available soon, i will keep you posted.

Thanks Hennie and Anna , a stunning and very succcessful week-end all round. The rides , the challenge, the food and the people , all fantastic , see you next year , please enter me as number "021" again thanks

Took her through to Constantiaberg this morning and her X-rays show no damage to the bones or joint.  There may be damage to my relationship though, as I had to first catch her (fairly easy given the nature of her injury), then tie her to the bike (not so easy), because she didn't want to go.

Imagine the shaking heads when two bikers walk into the X-ray department of Constantiaberg Medi-clinic with one of them limping.  (Perhaps it was more due to my having to pull her in kicking and screaming).

Julie wants to thank all those who sent their love and best wishes - she appreciates the concern.

Thanks for the update Charles , glad she is ok, one Brave lady , that Julie

This is a clip of the red route warm-up section, wish some of the technical sections make an appearance.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cWZN2915ec