My first Roof of Africa 2011
Text: Morné Labuschagne. Photos: By DO IT NOW Magazine. Article from the February/March 2012 issue of DO IT NOW Magazine.
Attending the legendary Roof of Africa has always been a dream of mine, so when I got the opportunity to go through to the 2011 event, I was as excited as a kid in a candy store. As I set off from Jo’burg my dream was finally about to come true!
Driving through the Kingdom of Lesotho soon became an enduro race all on its own, as I carefully navigated my way along the mountainous roads, dodging potholes the size of an average Bryanston residential swimming pool, whilst keeping a wary eye out for the ever-present donkeys. One word of advice though, if you ever find yourself lost with no battery power on your phone, your GPS has died and you see donkeys everywhere, you can put money on it that you are in Lesotho, an extraordinary country that offers spectacular panoramas of rocky crags, deep valleys, fields of alpine flowers and the warm hospitality of the Basotho people.
The 2011 Roof was run as a three-stage event, namely the warm up and time trial on Thursday 24 November, racing section 2 on Friday 25 November and racing section 3 on Saturday 26 November.
Kicking off this year’s 44th event outside Maseru in Lesotho, in weather conditions that varied from hot and sunny to a hail storm with extreme wind. The “round the houses” warm up of a three-lap race through the streets of Maseru saw the famous Brian Capper showing off his immense skills. As the 10-time South African supermoto champion he out rode the aggressive riding style of Darryl Curtis to take first place and the R5 000 cash price.
Standing at the start of the short 50km time trial in the Thaba Bosiu area, everyone was talking about the international superstars, but it was our very own Marc Tolage who opened the dance floor to post the fastest time of the day and beat the likes of Graham Jarvis, Chris Birch and Jade Gutzeit.
That night the main topic of conversation rallied around whether Chris Birch would take his fourth title, or would it be the ‘silent assassin’, Graham Jarvis, the British extreme enduro motorcycle rider? Would he dominate this race as he had done in the other extreme enduro events competed in 2011, such as Romaniacs, Sea to Sky and Hells Gate; all hailed as the most prestigious extreme enduro races in the world. But according to the majority Jarvis stood no chance against local superstars Jade Gutzeit and Chris Birch, as they were much better navigators and faster! Only time would tell.
Race day two started early and the boys were soon separated from the men. This 250-300km racing section was made up of a combination of intermediate and advanced climbs that increased in difficulty as the day progressed. I was directed to a spectator point called Free Fall and on arrival I truly thought that someone was taking me for a ride, as this was no place any human being would try walking over, let alone riding a 100kg bike up. But I was reassured that this was the right place. At this point the leaders had created a sizeable gap on the rest of the field, with Jade, Chris, Graham and Marc fighting it out for the top spots as they blasted their way up the mountain, making it look so easy. But then the backmarkers started coming through and only then could I really appreciate the incredible skill demonstrated by the front runners. For these backmarkers this challenge was like a duel to the death! Pride, adrenaline and some other stuff I haven’t even heard of kept these weekend warriors going and pushing through the carnage to conquer this mountain!
That evening we couldn’t wait to see the riders and listen to the day’s war stories. However, I was a bit disappointed by the sight of them as they looked as fresh as Celine Dion before a concert. I immediately walked up to Riaan van Niekerk and enquired about the day’s events, to which his answer was that tomorrow was going to be tough. Anyone who had seen today’s terrain will back me up when I tell you that competing in this race requires a healthy dose of madness!
As the riders lined up at the start of race day three they appeared like gladiators to me – tough, courageous warriors preparing to head out to battle! Then as the sun peaked over the breathtaking mountains, the first racer was off. By now it was clear that the winner would come out of the three-way battle between Chris, Graham and Jade. But no one was willing to make a bet as there was not much between them on the days leading up to this final encounter.
I then headed directly to a place called Bushman’s Pass and for anyone that hasn’t been there, this is the mother of all passes! While waiting for the top riders to come though, I looked around at the many spectators and support crew members who were there to support their rider and I realised that many sacrifices had been made leading up to this event. Family and friends had driven thousands of kilometres to catch a glimpse of their hero, Dad, friend, brother or son as they fought their way through the hardest extreme enduro event in southern Africa. Deep in thought, I was rudely interrupted by the excitement of the cheering crowd. It was the leader. But who could it be? Then, as if he was late for high tea Graham came motoring through, having created a 28-minute gap between himself and Chris and Jade, to pretty much sew up this coveted title.
But the real excitement began as the fight for second and third reached epic proportions. As Jade and Chris made their way through Bushmans you could feel the electric tension and excitement from the crowd. Running from one side to other to get the best seat in the house possible for the finish was now the most important thing in my world! And rightfully so, as Jarvis, as predicted, took victory by making the technical terrain look like a bumpy hill. Coming round the last bend Chris had a narrow lead on Jade until tragedy struck. Jade crashed and I never thought he would get up. But as his nickname suggests he is the Iron Man and he got up to fight another day, finishing in third behind Chris.
At prize-giving that night it became evidently clear why they call Jarvis the ‘silent assassin’. This is not a man that will talk you to death, but give him the opportunity to go off-road and he will destroy you with the precision of a samurai warrior. A lot also has to be said about the rest of the riders who finished this extremely gruelling race; you are all heroes in my book!
This is one event that I will be coming back to as a regular supporter, to watch the riders carve out their names in the unforgettable Lesotho Mountains.
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