four minutes for the entire three-rider team, and
with penalties for footing, stopping or falling. It was
a fairly modest task, although the smooth rounded
rocks on the banks and in the river tripped a few.
It was curious, though, to see both female teams
struggle. In their qualifiers in Spain these women
had been fearless and capable, but in the company
of 20 male teams it seems their confidence had
deserted them. Intimidated perhaps, both teams
suffered falls and exceeded the time limit. As the
week moved on they’d regain their composure and
on the sixth (longest) day they led out the day’s
route and stayed out in front all day – so if you only
see edited excerpts showing them hitting the dirt
this is not the whole story, they can ride for sure.
When the riders got to Lake Waikaremoana –
stunning in itself – they faced their second special
test of the day. Where one competitor riding
blindfolded was guided by his/her teammate,
communicating via SENA headset, around a coned
course (set on the roadside). It’s a quirky kind of
thing to do – and sometimes, honestly, you’ll be
scratching your head, thinking ‘really?’ – but this is
part of the GS Trophy experience.
At day’s end the riders arrived at a campsite
on Napier Beach. Each rider is pre-issued a
tent with sleeping bag and mat and this is their
accommodation for the entire trip. Meals are
communal, always a buffet, but typically well
catered – BMW likes good food. And the Germans
like good coffee even more and they’ll grumble if
the quality doesn’t meet their expectations.
And so, much like this one, the ensuing days got
ticked off. Each morning a 5:30am call for breakfast,
each morning a 7:00am getaway for the first team,
kit bags having been collectively thrown on a truck.
There’s a whole armada of trucks, vans and cars,
driven by the logistical personnel and mechanics,
that each day leapfrog ahead to the next ‘bivouac’
using the direct ‘orga’ (for organisation) route.
A smaller unit, on bikes and in 4x4s, go with the
competitors along the full route, and among these
are the media team – writers, photographers, a film
unit – and doctors. And in the sky is a helicopter,
which is there for emergency evacuations – and it
gets used, twice on this tour.
28 KIWI RIDER