To sum it up…

The trip was a fantastic experience, which I would not have missed. The riding was exciting and the country, amazing. But as always, the trip was made special by the people: the organisers, the participants, but most of all the locals who were so welcoming to us riding through their beautiful landscape.

If there is one regret from myself and others on the trip, it was that we would have liked to have seen more of, and been more involved in, the local communities along the way. Though the organisers were right in the assumption that most people were there to ride bikes, they underestimated the giving nature of the people, and I think everyone found the day we spent at the school the most touching and rewarding part of the trip.

None of that detracts from the experience we had and the positive, but humble, feeling everyone had on their return.

We have all made some new friends, and I think, so has Africa.

30th November

My apologies for not updating my blog on a daily basis as I had hoped, following the epic afternoon on Thursday. It seems my head is harder than my PDA, which smashed at some point during the falls (or me discarding the bike in a fit of frustration).

Thursday evening saw us at a very wet "hole in the wall" hotel. A less than salubrious spot, but none the less very welcome after the trials and tribulations of getting there.

The previous day over lunch there had been a conversation about a South African Enduro Rider named Alfie Cox. Alfie is one of the top riders in the world today. One of the Dutch girls, Yamina, in our group, was sure that Alfie had been killed in this years Paris Dakar Rally. One of the English boys was sure he had not.

When I arrived in the bar on Thursday night I was greeted by a smiling Yamina who grabbed my arm and marched me up to a stocky fellow with a moustache and proclaimed, "LOOK, he's here"!
It was, indeed, Alfie Cox. When I told him he was dead, he vehemently denied it. Small world. Turned out to be even smaller when we saw him again three days later and a thousand miles away in Johannesburg airport.

19th November

No riding today but all of the bikes needed to be crated up ready for shipping to their final destination in Zimbabwe. In the daytime temperatures this was no mean feat as it involved stripping various bits off the bike and fastening them up inside heavy metal frames.

This done, we all settled down to wait for the trips to the airport and the long way home.

18th November

The last day! Lots of preparation and photographs before we all set off for a 300km road ride in 35 degrees heat. Riding in such a large convoy is always interesting, and of course gets lots of attention. 40km into the ride we were joined by another 200 or so bikes, of all types, from a motorcycle club. They road along with us for about 50km before we all stopped at a beer festival! Fortunately we were all constrained enough to make it on to Durban and the final destination.

I believe the final nights celebration were a sight to behold! Unfortunately I missed them due to a 24 hour illness that chose to strike just then! Still, better then than on the plane home as it did several others.

17th November

This was to be our last, serious off-road day as tomorrow was a long road slog to Durban. It proved to be a great day. The sun was shining for most of it. We took the low (difficult) road and our great orange team leader, Kevin, once again took us to places that were not on the proper route but which he thought would be "interesting". And they were. Tracks that turned out to be footpaths, down steep, muddy and rocky inclines. Most of us only able to get down by turning off the engine, putting the bike into first gear and using the clutch and engine compression as a break! A useful technique to remember if ever you find yourself in that situation!

It was a fantastic day and restored much confidence after the mad Thursday.

16th November

The rain continued through the night which made Friday a wash out. But still fun as there was a massive amount of mud to slip and slide in. Most of us had wet weather gear but had not expected this amount of water and low temperatures. The hotel that evening resembled more of a ski lodge than a summer bikers hostel. A roaring fire with wet clothes and boots stacked around the outside.

15th November - This was a big one!

I opted for the easy option this morning (the high road) and the hard route (the low road) this afternoon. Two hours into the ride was a 2ft wide, rocky incline with a steep drop to one side. The third guy to go up got it wrong and fell, with his bike, down a 50ft drop! Amazingly he was not seriously hurt! We rescued the bike just as a storm came in. Then he and the rest of us ended up half way back and had to ride it again! From then on it got worse. Half way down a steep, wet hill I stalled the bike, got it sideways and then it bump started and spat me over the side...I landed very heavily, directly on the top of my head. Got a very sore neck and back now and a hole in the helmet. Very pleased I bought good kit! The ride carried on until we eventually rode the last 2 hours in the dark and the rain, at which point I thought I'd stick to Heli skiing from now on! Anyway, the most serious injury seems to be some broken ribs and a lot of sore muscles and bruises. And tomorrow is another day!

14th November

What a morning. Ninety bikes road up to the school, which I wrote about yesterday. The five riding teams (I'm in the orange team) then removed old desks and chairs from the classrooms (except the reception class who, until now, had sat on a concrete floor) and replaced them with brand new ones.

Prior to this, the school of 250 pupils had turned out to greet us, cheering, and the local choir was singing for us. I suspect that the sunglasses of most of these bikers masked a tear or two, they did mine anyway! It was a touching few hours, culminating in some of us giving rides to the kids. This is definitely what the trip is about, and is something in addition to the actual Riders for Health project. The school has one toilet (hole in the ground) for 250 pupils and the village raises its water via a pump from a borehole. Ingeniously, the pump is connected to a child's roundabout. So when the kids play on the roundabout, water is pumped into a storage tower.

Tonight, the group are going to try and raise money to fund some of the furniture. But the orange team have decided that we would like to raise enough to repair and improve the toilet block.

It strikes me that if we put as much money into this toilet as we do buying drinks (which eventually go down other toilets in the long run!) we should be able to improve things considerably.

This morning has been a fantastic experience. One of those times that reminds you to appreciate what you have and that its not "what you've got" (except, of course, for dirt bikes) that makes you happy!

13th November

This morning we crossed the Kei River by Ferry, or on what we might call a floating death trap! We had been told about the contrast from Morgan's Bay into the Transkei region, and they were right. There are huts dotted around huge areas of land, women walking, what must be miles, carrying pots on their heads and we are approached by local children excited to see the bikes riding past.

Today, riding has been one of the most challenging things I have ever done. Very steep, rocky descents and ascents that I would not have believed I could have ridden, and deep sand that makes the front wheel drift from side to side. Everyone has had a few falls, but thankfully, so far, no major injuries.

It has been mentally and physically exhausting but also very rewarding. Tomorrow is a "rest day". When the last group was here two weeks ago they visited a local school and found they had no desks or chairs. They raised £1,800 between them and tomorrow 116 sets of furniture arrive. We are going to the school to help with the delivery and also to see if there are any other projects we can get involved in which we are all eager to do. I will try to send some photos of the school if the connections are available.

12th November p.m. - What an amazing day…

Another 8am start and a total of 370km. Most of it in forest and off road tracks which was scary in parts and there were some big accidents, though thankfully no broken bones! So far I have not had a fall though there have been a lot of close shaves. But the scenery is magnificent and set to get even better as we are now at Morgans Bay on the Wild Coast.

Everyone is getting on really well and the banter is like we have known each other for years!

Tomorrow is only 77km in 8 hours! That means some seriously technical drops and stages. The scenery is supposed to be amazing so I will post some pictures.

12th November a.m. – Here we are!

Journey was long. Twenty six hours door to door, but made easy from meeting some great people. First evening was a lot of fun, with so many of us getting to know each other. The bikes are great, small 200cc Honda off road bikes that are more than capable of doing the job. The first days riding was awesome - 280km of mixed on and off road through two game reserves and some fantastic coastal scenery, made better by a mass start through Port Elizabeth with a police escort and lots of waving locals. Quite a sight.

No serious incidents and only a few people lost! Not bad for 83 riders!
It's a strange feeling opening a gate into a game reserve with a sign next to it that says "DANGEROUS GAME - STAY IN YOUR VEHICLE"!

As you can imagine there are lots of stories to tell in the bar when we all arrive at our evening destination. I am sure there will be even more tonight after a long second day through a forest section and up to the Wild Coast! I will let you know!

8th November - One day to go…

I've been last minute buying for the ride - like a helmet! I decided that as I am likely to lose a lot of weight when I'm there, I would scrap the plans to lose 10lbs before departure. How convenient!

Getting excited about the trip now but as always lots of work issues to tidy up before I can go with a clean conscience. Hopefully I have all of the electronic gadgetry worked out to keep people back here updated and jealous of me in the sunshine (hope I can cope with the heat). I will try and keep some interesting photos coming through, not just the usual "this is me with a bike"- "this is me with a beer" - " this is me with another beer" – more like "sweaty biker" and well deserved beers!

There should be some great sights to see and I am sure some great memories to bring back. I will see you all in 12 days.

1st November

With only just over a week to go, the trip is now becoming much more of a reality. I was remiss with the injections and so I'm having the final course the day before I leave for Africa. The travel plans are now all finalised and it remains to be seen how I can get helmet, boots, body armour, gloves, shirts and a few other clothes inside a 20kg weight allowance. A suggestion has been to wear the boots on the flight. Given that they are white and knee length, I think I would probably look like a trooper from star wars! Not sure if it's the look I'm after…

The new Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman adventure, The Long Way Down, documenting their journey from John O'Groats, Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa, is currently being shown on TV. Whilst our trip is nothing like the same scale as theirs, watching their preparation and observing their thoughts and feelings certainly whets the appetite to get on the bike and on the road (or is that off-road?)!

3 weeks to go

It's now 18 months since I first signed up for the Enduro Africa challenge. It's been a very busy 18 months for me both personally and at work, so those that know me well will not be surprised to hear that it's only now, with 3 weeks to go, that I am really getting to grips with the concept of riding in Africa. It isn't that I have not been looking forward to it, I have. It's just that I haven't done all the preparation that might have been useful and now not only does the ride seem exciting, if a little daunting, but so does the preparation. Buying the kit I need, getting the vaccinations and finalising the travel arrangements are the easy things compared to getting fit and losing the stone in weight I had promised myself 18 months ago! Maybe I will compromise and make it 10Lbs!

I have been riding road bikes for over 30 years but in that time have probably done only 3 or 4 days off-road, so I see 2500km in 8 days as a great challenge and also a lot of fun! Though maybe after a couple of days off-road riding, a sports bike sissy like me may have changed their mind!

The fund raising has gone well which means the trip and the bike, which will be donated to Riders for Health, are all covered. Now it's a final push to try and raise the extra amount that will go to Riders for Health and maybe buy even more bikes which will make such a difference to the lives of people who have little, or no, access to medical aid in remote areas of the world.