FunRide I suppose competition is a good thing? After all it is the continuous strive to improve and perform better that makes certain nationalities world leaders and excel amongst less competitive nations. The absence of formal competition in my sport is, however, something that I have enjoyed over the last three years. It has been more of a hobby than a competitive sport. It is also safer and more enjoyable for the newcomers when they accompany us on rides. The occasional testosterone overloaded rider that has to prove himself, quickly realizes that he is the only fan applauding him for crossing the line first. Little was I to know the effect of a statement I made in a previous article where I mentioned how well Tiennie and his son Craig rode their 700 Raptors. Comments like, “Oooh reeeeaaally?” and “they can only ride on flat terrain,” “it’s only because
they know the area” and who knows what else was made by fellow Boers in the UAE. This was when I came up with the idea of some healthy competition between the Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Al Ain Riders. It had to be fair and cover all the bases so no excuses could be used after the ride. I was very cautious of using the word competition in my invitation and had to make sure that everyone understood it was an adventure and not a competition. This was only due to possible legal implications if someone got hurt during the “event”. Neutral ground with mixed terrain had to be selected. Knowing some good areas around Al Ain that had not been ridden by
The team!
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any of us for more than a year, the planning started. I sent a draft invitation to get an idea of what the other riders thought of the plan. I immediately realized that this had been an outstanding requirement for some time. Everyone was keen on some healthy competition or adventure as I called it. Many a witty e-mail was sent to and from the “Clans”, all indicating the good camaraderie and “need” for this event. To eliminate the logistics of refuelling, a 50km circular route was plotted (on Google) crossing some high, medium and small dunes. Louis, a trusted friend and I, took a drive out to the waypoints about a week prior to the race and placed some numbered cards at each turning point (one card per team). On arrival, each team was to take a number and continue. Exact GPS plots plus photos of navigation points like a tree, rock or fence were taken for easy recognition of where the cards were. These co-ordinates were then sent via
Ettiene’s 2 Polaris quads used for ‘Recovery’ standby