Rookie Rider 202 - Back on dirt

The saga and bruises continue:

• Experience the typical day three blues - second guessing the bike and losing rhythm
  
• Experience more nerves than in Tana traffic - scratch that, different nerves
• Head out to see if we can match up with track from two days before
• Start on tar up and down three passes before turning onto a good dirt road at Sandrandahy.
• Carefully pass biggest herd of zebu - note that mudguards prevent dung from landing on your back
  
• Follow preplanned google earth route and run out of road in a village
• Do a u-turn next to a canal and force images of falling in from mind
• Notice snake crossing road
  
• Local women have a smattering of french and between us we figure no go for motorbikes
• Retrace steps and try alternative - discover how to maintain momentum in soft sand
• Miss sharp turn and end up in someones front yard - wave politely
• Experience the looong moment between the wheel sliding out and the throttle catching
• Remember to breathe
  
• Bounce around a lot but force a way through the grass
  

• Third attempt at a route
• Gain confidence on the jeep track - apply lots of self talk
• Avoid river crossing with just boulders as bridge and get @onegiantride to cross it for you
• Ride up narrow spine and boulder alley to see a view to die for
• Follow good track - act surprised when it runs out in the middle of nowhere
• Backtrack and find that doing a section is easier second time around.
• Reach bottom of hill and turn around for the third time - go back up to look at single track
• @onegiantride rides single track but rather choose to bundu bash through forest following one set of wide tire tracks.
• Follow tire tracks until they run out on the top of a mountain - again
  
• Spot single track winding away along crest of ridge - wish for mountain bike
• Attempt to ride rutted single track, bounce some more
  
• Reach jeep track for the fourth time and head for home

Suddenly its been three days off roading on motorbikes.....
No additional bruises this trip

Pass Go and graduate to 303.

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Rookie Rider 202 continued

So where were we?

Ah yes - the rest day.

• Choose alternative mode of transport - push push - and get lifted to the local market to find another pair of pants that won't chafe.
• Pay R49 for a soft pair of jeans
• Get assistance from two young students who want to practice their english
  
• Load up bikes and head out to Ambositra 91km away
• Ride into pumping headwind and 30 degree heat.
• Try not to get head ripped off shoulders by cross winds (where is my lightweight cycing helmet)
• Stop at roadside cafe for coke and pineapple slices along with dozens of taxis - a real roadside market with deep fried foods, pub, cafe but no shade
  
• Shift regularly in seat trying to compensate for large backpack.
• Get used to switchbacks on tar and practice gearing down and up for bends
• Arrive in Ambositra and scoff some lunch (Recommend vanilla crepe)

• Discover the town has no wireless so walkuphill  to internet cafe - Espace Tuky
• Catch push push home again but 150kg of two humans makes for interesting downhils with bare feet as brakes
• Feel bad at how much the guy sweated and huffed to get us along the flat

Dinner and prepare for dirt tomorrow.

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Rookie Rider 202

The saga continues:

• Drag weary body onto bike and head back on same route.
• Find the technical going much easier especially uphill
• Pass the turnaround point of yesterday in double quick time
• Cruise along a strong jeep track in the middle of nowhere
• Could this possibly be enjoyable?

• Stop for lunch and wave at astonished 8 ton wood trucks as they strain past
• Experience decent river crossings and panoramic views
• Start concentrating when the rice paddies start

• Ride over bridges of logs plastered together with clay and hope wheel doesn't enter gaps
• Ride two log bridges over water canals
• Ride over canals (best do this this without thinking)
• Climb to the top of the mountain and feel sorry for mountain bikers

• Descend awesome tracks off mountain into pine forests
• Avoid massive mud puddles and aim for the narrowest footpath to get around
• Mountain bike skills RULE

• Decide to ride district road back to town
• Provide entertainment for locals when falling into ditch and pinned by bike (note: make sure the bike leans onto the kick stand)
• Limp to cafe for comfort coke (warm)
• Proceed to ride the gnarliest most technical road that could ever be called "district"
• Watch the smoke and flames of the tavy (slash and burn) carefully as you power through
• Stop every 10kms to rest bum - no one tells you that you chafe worse than cycling

• Stop at village for tea or should that be tea with my sugar (and flies)
• Admire the fruit trees in blossom
• Admire potholes that should be called bomb craters (bikes disappear in them)
• Ride clay wave trains from the rainy season
• Pummel body some more with broken cobble sections
• Stop for comfort chocolate

• Focus on getting back before dark.
• Ignore bum
• Concentrate
• Ease through traffic in dusk
• Arrive back at hotel
• 150km of hammering - decide whether this is getting enjoyable
• Whimper while waiting for ice for foot.
• Throw down dinner
• Sleep

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Rookie Rider 101 - Part Three

There's just so much to share in this Idiot's guide to motorbiking so the lessons continue:

Leave in the mist but well kitted up for the chill.
Stop for roadside coffee to warm up.
Ride 100km on tar
Arrive at 7:45 and nosh a huge breakfast at the hotel and plan the day's riding.

Put Garmin on bike and attempt to navigate out town - Two Strikes, almost out.
Follow route into the middle of some houses - ask local to push bike up bank to avoid a hill start.
Ride into a single track descent of -23%, slide for about half in a semi controlled fashion then wait for @onegiantride to come back and take bike the rest of the way.
Settle adenalin.
Find correct route and head out along river on path.

Proceed to experience the following.

• Technical single track ascents avoiding boulders and ditches
• Pushing and lifting bike over log bridge too narrow to ride
• Rapidly learn to use 1st gear to descend gnarly descents
• Find out how to use back brake
• Cross ride paddies with a little help from locals
• See @onegiantride fall worse than me
• Ride loose sand
• Ride up and down massive boulder outcrops following a 8 ton six wheeler going somewhere
• Eventually graduate to 2nd gear on some of the descents
• Race the rain
  
• Buy warm cokes from village shop
• Cross streams
• Spray painted with sand from @onegiantride's wheel trying to help him up a bank
• Re-use all the old paddling muscles lifting bikes over bridges and bracing against handlebars on descents
• Count bruises on shins
  
• Learn how to hill start
• Find gears are suddenly easier when back on tar
  
• Avoid chickens, children, zebu, rickshaws, pedestrians, cyclists, scooters....
  

All in one day.
Graduate to Rookie Rider 202

Hot shower - count the bruises
Drink copious amounts of tea
Eat huge dinner
Sleep

Mountain biking skills

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Rookie Rider 101 - Part Two

The How To Guide continued:

• Wait all day for replacement bike to arrive.
• Swop to replacement bike which is smaller
• Finally load luggage on back of bikes and backs of riders
• Prepare to depart.
• Quell nervous tension at pulling away in four lanes of traffic around a small circle.
• Chicken out and ask @onegiantride to take bike to other side for a downhill start.
• Negotiate Tana rush hour traffic again and navigate out the city on the road to Antsirabe 180km away. (Ambitious!)
  
• Ride into the dark again.
• Forget to extract warm kit and borrow from @onegiantride
• Four kms further on spot hotel and pull in. (Being sensible???!)

Check in.
Eat three course meal for about R72
Sleep.

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Rookie Rider 101

The How To Guide to off-road motorbiking:

Take one day to learn how to ride a motorbike courtesy of Roto Rookies then head for Madagascar three weeks later.

Day One
Collect bike (Honda 250) and ride in rush hour traffic looking for a hotel for the night. Remember to stay on the opposite side of the road you're used to.
Ride around until it gets dark and don't make eye contact with gendarmes - look like you know what you're doing.
Find out you don't know how to hill start then practically wheelie up the hill out of control.
Stall the bike 20 times because you'e afraid you'll do the same on the next hill and hit a car or pedestrian.
Get rescued by @onegiantride who rides bike to top of hill.
Arrive at hotel wide eyed.
Eat.
Sleep.

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Mountain Biking in Madagascar

I was privileged to be invited to Madagascar to check out the mountain biking potential. It was just a week so no bike. What a pity - I was itching to ride. Next time. Here are a few pics to show you what riding in the Southern part of the country is like - in and around the Fort Dauphin (Tolianaro) area.

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