1511 DT final

JOINING THE DOTS
JHB – TO DURBAN – TO JHB ALL FOR A GREAT CAUSE
By Alan Mayburry
This is the first time that I got around to doing this trip.
Being the crazy person that my friends know I am – I
opted to do the full tonk – ie: JHB to Dbn and back –
all on my big 500 KTM. I’ve long been watching this
famous ride – the cause is great and the whole concept
really appealed to my sense of adventure – but for one
reason or another, I just never got around to doing
it. Early this year, I made sure that the calendar was
cleared and I think that I was one of the first to get my
entry through for this 2000 or so kilometre ride.
A few observations:
The organisation that goes into an event like this is
quite mind boggling. I can only imagine the hours and
hours of time that these guys put in talking to officials,
landowners and caterers. I cannot imagine how they
get around to actually marking the entire route. I have
done a few GPS/navigational events in the past, which
is cool, but just seeing a little orange or pink dot in the
absolute middle of nowhere is a very comforting thing.
Instead of booking accommodation anywhere – we
decided that we would camp – the facilities are basic,
but ample hot showers and great camaraderie all
along the route made it fun. Admittedly, with a big
group, the facilities did take a bit of strain at some
of the venues but all in all they were just fine. This
is not lux camping by any means. We pitched our
tents on farmers fields, on a rugby field and on just a
vacant piece of ground – so for those who are looking
for hairdryers and electrical points – bring along a
generator. Camping in a group can be a pain – some
FINAL IDENTITY DESIGNED BY REDWOOD DESIGN
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COLOUR SPECS: C0 M65 Y100 K0 R227 G135 B47 PANTONE 152
C0 M0 Y0 K100 R0 G0 B0
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1511 DT Q4Q 2015.indd 50 2015/10/23 3:59 PM