Trans-Sahara 2010 Blog

14/3/10 – Training day in Gambia

Everyone makes it to Gambia for the start of proceedings – so far so good. The training day is everyone’s chance to meet each other and get a feel for their strange new environment. From Spain, the U.S., Canada, Australia and of course the UK our group has converged in sunny, tropical Gambia to embark upon an adventure like no other. After seeing round the kit and equipment, GPS training and some bike maintenance practical work it is time to get on with what everyone is really here for – to ride bikes! Negotiating the buzzing streets of Serrakunda we eventually find our way to the off-road training area out in the African bush. And so… for many riders their first introduction to that unique and most challenging of riding surfaces – sand. It is unfortunate that Brian falls and dislocates his little toe within 200m of the front gate, but at the same time fortunate that we have the Kudu medic on hand to “pop it back in”. No permanent damage done and off we go again.To everyone’s credit the group as a whole perform extremely well with only a couple of falls and a marked improvement in confidence and skill amongst all the novice riders. With Carlos leading the way we cannot fail to reach Spain!

16/3/10 – Adventures in Dakar

Day 2 sees the trip underway properly as we negotiate the mighty Gambia River (a mini adventure it itself), the border into Senegal (invariably charming, inquisitive border guards and unrelenting peanut selling local girls) and the ride to Lac Rose at Dakar (a first, eye-opening taste of a real African city). Lac Rose is a huge pink lake close to the Atlantic coast, where the old Dakar Rally used to have its finishing post. A few of our riders know the name from childhood dreams of competing and finishing the Dakar Rally, and to come here in person, on a bike, is a dream come true. It also proved a fantastic chance to see, first-hand, what riding big dunes is like – or indeed how exhausting digging your half-buried bike out from a dune invariably is. The next day we all have to ride into the centre of Dakar to pick up our Mauritania visa and to most, who are first-time Africa riders, the experience is an extreme introduction to the madness of one of Africa’s major metropolises. To try and describe the chaos and insanity around every bend with mere words would be futile – you will just have to see it for yourself one day!

17/3/10 – Into the heat

From Dakar a pleasant ride north to St Louis and the famous Zebrabar – an oasis for overland travellers where cold beer flows freely and the beautiful, palm fringed shoreline begs you to stay just one more day. For us there is no time however, and we must press on to Mauritania where the Sahara awaits. Once over the border it is a 65 mile piste to the main road north – a hot, dusty but enjoyable ride where our band of adventurers can further get to grips with the Kudu XT660 Teneres off the tar. What isn’t so enjoyable is (thanks to the border insurance salesman being on holiday) the 2 hour wait to get our road insurance certificates issued in Rosso. Never mind – once back on the road the frustrations of these delays are soon blown away by the hot desert winds. We make it to our hotel in Nouakchott – a perfumed oasis in the midst of this frantic desert city – and prepare for the ride to the border tomorrow. Thanks to recent security problems in the region we are (until the situation improves) transiting through Mauritania on the tar road and will be riding desert trails through southern Morocco instead of here. It is a 5.30am alarm call tomorrow and we are all eager to get to bed… just one more beer first…

19/3/10 – Minefields in Mauritania

It is a long, but successful and ultimately enjoyable day as we cross the vast desert wastelands in convoy. Normally riders make their way along the route in small groups of 2 or 3, away from the support crew, but for added security we are keeping everyone together today and it all runs smoothly enough. 300 miles of plains, dunes, hot winds and military checkpoints may not sound like an ideal day’s riding when on holiday – but it is a unique experience and an adventure, and that is what we are all here for. This attitude is most appropriate for crossing the minefield which marks no-man’s land between the two border posts. The instructions to all riders to stay on the main track or risk being blown to pieces is no joke. Locals and tourists alike are regularly killed and injured by mines throughout Western Sahara. Once over the border it is another 80km to our hotel – a brand-new and quite impressive construction in the middle of no-where which is a welcome sight to all of our sand blasted riders. The shiny, clean riding outfits which emerged on day one in Gambia have now all taken on the same light brown sheen of the Saharan sand. Tagine’s all-round and a welcome bed for the night but before sleep a stark warning (if any more were needed) from the hotel owner – “Do not walk off the main paths near the hotel – 4 guests have been killed by mines in the past 6 months here”… !

20/3/10 – The longest day… through Western Sahara

We are, thanks to a particularly slow border crossing the previous day, a few hours behind schedule. Our original plan was to get 40km north of Laayoune, however now we will just ride as far as suits the group and then call it a day. To make it all the way to our original destination is 500 miles and that is far too far… or so we thought. Throughout the day we re-group on the long road north at the remote petrol station/cafes which dot the route many miles apart. Each time we are greeted with the same chirpy smiles and enthusiasm for the ride from the group. By mid-afternoon we have already covered an astonishing 380 miles and for whatever reason, fatigue does not seem to be affecting anyone and all are keen to press on. Perhaps it is the promise of their Bedouin camp, camel steaks and beer which await at their destination, or perhaps everyone is just “in the zone” today and enjoying doing nothing more then riding a bike through the Sahara Desert. Whatever the reason, we end the day, an impressive 500 miles from where we started, downing beer and wine and scoffing great chunks of Camel steak in the campment owner’s tiny tent restaurant. A surprisingly enjoyable day and an impressive feat from all riders – and a testament to the Yamaha Teneres we are riding which have proven to be not only highly capable off-road, but incredibly comfortable on such a long road leg too.

22/3/10 – Plage Blanche excursion

From Laayoune the group splits as those keen for more sand riding and a bit of extra adventure head off to Plage Blanche. The plage (beach) has formed part of many rally routes which pass through Morocco including the old Dakar Rally, and is a stunning ride. First, to get to the beach is a long ride on rough tracks and trails over hilly semi-desert. Beautiful scenery and great riding. Mike loses his chain, and now that we are away from the support vehicle and our trusted Kudu mechanic, we embark upon the repair ourselves. Job done (eventually…), it is now down onto the beach for the 30km ride along the shoreline before we join up with the main road. Beautiful riding and a great experience which comes to an end far too soon. The main group have chosen to stay on the tar all day – it has been a long few days and tiredness is beginning to set in. We successfully all meet up once again at our second Bedouin camp and settle down for another night in sleeping bags before the promise of Marrakech tomorrow and a much anticipated rest day the day after.

24/3/10 – Crossing the High Atlas

It is a fairly uneventful ride into Marrakech and from here we all set about some much needed R&R – no riding for 36 hours! We all enjoy the break, some good sleep, clean clothes and a few beers as well as the obligatory excursions into Marrakech and the Medina. Soon however we are back on the road. Now we must cross the High Atlas and we will be camping out in the semi-desert south of Ouazarzate. The day starts with the first heavy cloud and drizzle we have seen all trip – the Atlas can have bitterly cold, wet weather (or even heavy snow) at this time of year and we are all a little apprehensive as the drizzle continues and temperatures begin to fall as we climb the foothills en-route to the Tichka pass. All of a sudden the dark clouds appear to lighten a little… and a bit more… was that blue sky I just saw? In the space of 20 minutes the dark, menacing blanket of cloud gradually turns into a crystal clear, cobalt-blue, cloudless sky. From dreading a day of cold, wet riding we are now bathed in warm sunshine and riding one of the finest roads anywhere on earth. Simply beautiful scenery and a seemingly endless succession of twists and turns, hairpin bends and stunning vistas. The fact that we are enjoying this in beautiful, warm sunshine and not shivering under a blanket of damp cloud, all adds to the experience and our enjoyment of what is a simply awesome day’s riding.

24/3/10 – Crossing rivers in the Anti-Atlas

Once through the High Atlas we continue on a new graded road down valleys of red rock. Ancient Moroccan towns and villages sit perched on the sides with the valley floor mostly a bright lush green of farmer’s fields and palm trees. The beautiful scenery seems to never end as the turning of each corner brings a sight more beautiful than the last. Eventually we emerge into Ait Benhaddou (location for filming parts of Gladiator) and afterwards the large town of Ouazarzate. From here we are taking another new, graded road south towards Zagora. This new road is only 90% complete however, and the final few miles are an unexpected bonus of challenges and adventures. The flat gravel surface comes to an end in a tiny, remote village and now we are on a very rough, untended piste crossing rivers and winding through the low hills which characterise the region. To everyone’s credit we all emerge, largely unscathed (in spite of the odd “moment”) back to the main road.

26/3/10 – Unplanned adventures in the deep south

After our night’s camp in the wild, we set off for Zagora. A small posse of 3 riders will be taking a detour and conducting a recce to (hopefully) meet up with the main group again on the piste. The recce group leave early and all begins well – nice, rough gravel tracks through the remote hills of the Anti-Atlas. After several miles however, the track very quickly deteriorates and it becomes obvious that it is not safe to continue. Unfortunately, we have ridden down a very steep, rough track of loose rocks and deep washouts (not to mention the near vertical drop to the valley below to our right hand side). We are going to have to ride back up and it is not going to be easy! The only way that it can be done is with 1 person riding and 2 people pushing – very tough work indeed. It is more than an hour before we have made it back up the hill, exhausted, drenched in sweat and thoroughly relieved. The bikes have accumulated several war-wounds but thankfully, other than having lost a few pounds in sweat, our riders are non-the-worse for this unplanned adventure. We continue on and find a fantastic piste through wild arid hills and valleys crossing the meandering riverbed dozens of times before meeting up with the remainder of the group as planned. From here we ride to Zagora and, thanks to the strong desert wind which is whipping up a vicious sand storm, we abandon our plans for a desert camp and pop into a very pleasant hotel for the night.

27/3/10 – Zagora to Erg Chebbe excursion

From Zagora we plan on riding the piste to the big dunes at Erg Chebbe – once again on the old routes of the original Dakar Rally. Some riders prefer a more leisurely road-based ride, punctuated by frequent stops for omlette and coffee in the many roadside cafe’s and taking in the stunning scenery which seems never ending. Others want to get off the road and into the sand, and it is this small band of riders which head out onto the piste accompanied by the Kudu support crew to meet up at Erg Chebbe. It is another great trail ride, and for 98% of the time it is technically fairly straightforward. The 5km section marked on the GPS map as simply “bad dunes” does not disappoint. The Ziz Oued which the track crosses is a mass of trails leading off in all directions and it is primarily deep sand too. We bounce, weave, wobble and paddle our way through and as we emerge on the far side of the Oued, after what seems like an eternity, we are all soaked in sweat and thoroughly relieved. From here the piste is thankfully easy going and we all re-group once again at the mighty dunes at Merzouga. After some more excursions into the dunes (and a chance to remind ourselves just how tough it is extracting a half-buried bike from a sand dune) we are now turning due north once more for the final phase of the trip.

29/3/10 – Mission complete… the final days.

The ride to Fez from Erg Chebbe is long, but once again Morocco surpasses all expectations when it comes to scenery and an unbeatable riding experience. The road over the Middle Atlas is stunning with a fresh, clean breeze and the clearest of blue skies overhead adding to the beauty of our surroundings. Our hotel in the centre of Fez is a stone’s throw from the old Medina and is a perfect chance to quickly grab those last-minute presents for folks back home. From here onwards to Chefchaouen where we have an excellent final evening meal together and before we know it the final day is here. A quick ride to the border and into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta to catch the ferry over Europe. As we watch the Rock of Gibraltar float by on our way into Algeciras port on our ferry, we all begin to reflect on what has been a fantastic trip. As with all trips like this, so much depends upon the group, their attitude to the adventures before them, and how well they gel. This group has been particularly good, and have reveled in the broad diversity of their nationalities, ages, levels of riding experience and hopes for their once-in-a-lifetime adventure. In Malaga we have our second “final” group meal, and the fact that it is the wrong side of 4am when I stagger into bed the following morning is testament to what a great group of guys have made this such an enjoyable trip – thank you all!