Published September 23, 2011 12:46
The group of guys and girls, who travelled up to the Mashatu Reserve in Botswana to ride a mountain bike through the beautiful terrain in aid of endangered species and the Rhino, are back bearing memories and scars.
It was the second Challenge4aCause to raise funds this year for worthy beneficiaries who in this instance are the Chipembere Rhino Foundation and Wildlife Act. Every participant had to pay their way and raise an equivalent amount to be donated to the cause. This year’s group included some partners like my wife who placed herself outside her comfort zone and had an experience of a lifetime.
The riding was manageable for the average sole but had some moments that tested the most skilled including an endless supply of sandy river beds with rocks strategically places on either side just to make a fall a real possibility if you made the smallest mistake. This was compounded by the regular sandy sections and thorns from “Thornsville”. If you were on tubes you were dead and even the tubeless bikes with thin tyres, could not have had enough tyre sealant in them.
The daily rides were accompanied by knowledgeable armed guides who also knew how to fix anything that went wrong on a bike. One could learn so much from these guys: turning a 29er tube tire into a tubeless one using a 26er tube as rim tape, using a normal tube valve as a tubeless valve, not to pump up slow punctures with a bomb if you are low on tyre slime as it causes the slime to solidify and become ineffective, that the light weight bright coloured presta tubeless valves are useless and break off like twigs, gear settings and more. The most important tip for doing the trip is heavy tubeless tyres with a double dose of slime.
The days were hot getting into the 30’s by 11ish and spreading 5 hours out there in the bush on your bike can get pretty tiring in that heat. That, however, was compensated by the short but sweet bucket shower at the wilderness camp and a couple of ice cold beers to wash off and down the dust respectively.
The Cycle Mashatu team lead by Greg Bond, Baker(the chef), Slo Joe( bike guide) and Musa (bike guide) are a fantastic team who make the fact you are in the bush hardly seem apparent with the food and beverage they whip up. Reality strikes when nature calls and you realise that the porcelyn toilet seems a rare privilege.
The camps were often visited by the ample game that you saw on the daily rides in the still of the night. One elephant trashed the bush loo with a loud trumpet and kick of the foot. We had leopard and hyena in the camps at night so the midnight stroll from the tent was challenging stuff.
The area is also known as the Land of Giants for its abundance of elephants. This together with cheetah, leopard, giraffes (including dead ones above), large and small antelope made for great game viewing on a mountain bike. We had close moments with elephants and a lion roaring in a thicket area as the riders weaved their way through the single track. He was announcing his presence. About turn and get the hell out of there.
The terrain, despite being predominately flat, dished up its fair share of injuries: a badly grazed leg, 8 stitches in a knee and a sliced ear plus lots of bruises.
The group consisted of people from Cape Town and Port Elizabeth from all walks of life. This is one of the great things of such a trip. You meet and network with different people that form a part of the fabric of your life in the future.
The aim was to create a buzz for the cause and raise money. The buzz I think we got going as so many more people have been sensitized to the causes and above all, close to R 200 000 raised for the beneficiaries. They will put it to good use.
Challenge yourself, get out of your comfort zone, do a Challenge4aCause.
To view all the photos that were taken, click here to visit Flickr.
Thanks to all the direct and indirect supporters of the cause who made this happen when approached by us:
Wildlife Act
Challenge4aCause organisers
Rhino Africa
Hillsnek Safaris
Lion Roars
Canon Eastern Cape
Hlosi Game Lodge
Robberg Beach Lodge
Sawrite
Firstcut
Stonehouse Capital
Chris Lovemore Family Trust
Mazars
Lynx Property Group
Fruit and Veg
Optima Brokers
First National Bank
Investec Wealth Management
Just Commercial
GVK
Kariega Game Reserve
Warren Jack Property Group
Alum-a-bal
Cadburys
And all the people who bought raffle tickets that are too many to mention individually.
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