DIRT and TRAIL January 22

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The dust (OK Mud) has cleared. The bikes are washed and ready
for the ’22 season – and hey! The sun is shining for a change.
From a spectators point of view, it’s been a very entertaining
Roof– and to be absolutely frank, it was just so cool to be back
in the Mountain Kingdom for the Motul Roof of Africa.
Things were a bit different. The border crossings were a breeze
and we were in Maseru for the scrutineering. It was so cool to
see old faces again – it’s kinda like a gathering of mates to round
off the season – just - this year it was slightly earlier than usual.
Lesotho, still nervous about the pandemic asked that Round The
Houses and Endurocross sections be cancelled. This saw the
Thursday field heading out to Thaba Bosiu and straight into time
trial starting and ending at the race village.
Travis Teasdale
It all seemed a little subdued when compared to previous Roofs
– mostly because there were less spectators – but if we tell you
that the racing was as good as ever – you need to believe it!
The day of the time trial was actually quite dry. A wave of the
iconic blue, white and green Lesotho tricolor by the King of
Lesotho, King Letsie III saw the race declared ON! The guys
and gals set good pace on the short loop. It was great to watch
the guys leading out through the donga at the base of the
village. A tight twisty loamy piece that eventually ends up on
the mountains and off into the spectacular valleys that are the
reason we love Lesotho so much. It is always spectacular to
see the skills that the gold racers display – and in the opposite
spectrum – watching the riders in the new iron class clambering
through sure was entertaining!
In gold, Travis Teasdale recorded the fastest time of the day. He
edged out defending champion Wade Young who took second,
just 20 seconds behind Teasdale. Matt Green finished in third,
just 3 minutes 35 seconds behind Young. This was set to be a
great Motul Roof of Africa!
Lying in bed after a long day out, the thunder came in and the
rain started to fall… It was going to be a whole new ball game on
Friday.
Friday arrived, cold, overcast and rainy. Our troop of merry men
opted to skip the start and head directly to the first unassisted
refuel. It was a bit bleak, that snotty rain that does not quite
know what it wants to do. Climbing up the pass we spotted
one of the road crossings where the early birds were gathering.
Guys – The Roof is always so festive – pit crews and spectators
were parked along the road waiting for the first riders to come
through. When they did appear, they were thoroughly wet and
cold – and it was still only 8 in the morning. But the guys we saw
were quite chipper – just too happy to be riding in Lesotho again.
We moved along to the first refuel point – a spectacular vista
where if you just walked a short way up the mountain, you could
see all the way to Zimbabwe! The guys and girls started coming
through. It was here that The Motul Roof Of Africa claimed its
first high profile rider. KTM’s Kirsten Landman arrived looking
a bit worse for wear – the slippery rocks had grabbed her and
she limped off the bike looking a bit dazed. A couple of tumbles
ended her outing and the disappointment for this Roof veteran
was just so bitter for her. Luckily she has recovered and her
planning and training for Dakar this month is in full swing.
Malcolm Mac Sherry
We got back onto the road to the second refuel point, hoping to
catch the top gold guys coming through. Unless you have seen it
you won’t understand.
People kind of mill around waiting… until – the Basotho ladies
start to Ululate. Then you know that someone is on their way…
but you can’t really tell who it is until they come storming in. In
this instance it was Shercos Wade Young leading the pack.