CountryTrax

It was the perfect start to a day… sleep late, pack the bikes, put on suits and boots and Camelbaks, connect the intercoms and iPod and decide where to go. Only this time we knew the destination: Countrytrax outside Amersfoort. The reason: to improve our off-road riding skills.

We left Centurion around 10h00 on Thursday morning and took the road to Delmas and from there via Leandra onto the N17. At Bethal we turned to Morgenzon and through to Amersfoort. This road was very busy and very bad with lots of trucks and potholes. Some of the trucks were even riding on the wrong side of the road to try and avoid the potholes! It took us over 4 hours to just get to Amersfoort where we filled up before we set off for the last part of the journey. Just outside Amersfoort we had to stop and deflate our tyres as it was now dirt road for the last 45km to the Countrytrax farm. We arrived safe and sound at Countrytrax and were greeted with a very welcome cup of coffee. Gerhard and Gerber welcomed us as the first guests and soon showed us to our room – a very quaint little “pophuisie” with a fantastic view! One by one the other people started arriving and we eventually met everyone during dinner.

Our log cabin


Stunning views from our cabin


Offloading the bikes


We woke up the next morning with the mist covering the valleys and the sun turning the horizon light pink! What a beautiful view to wake up to.




After a hearty breakfast Jan Staal du Toit started the course with some introductions and a few basic arrangements. We were then split into groups and assigned an instructor and we ended up in Jan’s group.

Jan doing the introductions


Everyone getting ready to start




The weekend was filled with a number of lectures and demonstrations, but mostly practical exercises on our bikes! Before every exercise Jan explained the theory behind it and demonstrated what we need to do where after we had the chance to do the exercises on our own bikes. I found Jan’s little stories to set the background for the exercises very entertaining. But best of all, I will not forget what to do as I will immediately be reminded of the stories. One hilarious story was about a huge mamba sailing over the road just as you are about to ascend a steep uphill and you have to stop as it might get on the back of your bike! The follow on from this is the uphill recovery of your bike. Jan is really an excellent instructor and story teller!

Jan busy explaining the basics to us


Our course started in all seriousness after breakfast on the first day with Jan explaining the basics about off-road riding and making us do some peripheral view exercises. Our first day was spent learning most of the basics again and doing a lot of balancing exercises, learning how to shift your weight on the bike to ensure you always stay upright (or at least try to ), even around tight corners with loose gravel, rocks or sand. These exercises ranged from making small circles to swerving between cones and around logs and rocks and riding on narrow zigzag paths through the trees.

Learning the basics




Joy riding between the cones


Martin doing small circles


I first had to practise my circles on the safety of grass


Time for circles in the sand


Some of the guys learning to do wheelies


Day 2 was spent learning to ride over small bridges, up and down steep inclines, jumping logs and potholes and riding sand. We first started riding in a ploughed land and I made it through the first time riding like a pro. I think I then got a bit complacent because the second time around a fell three times! Martin of course rode like a real pro and had the unfortunate task of helping everybody else to get their bikes upright again. After the ploughed land we went to a sand track but I just couldn’t make it past the bend in the sand. I definitely will have to go back to Rhinopark for some more sand riding! We ended off day 2 with learning to do emergency brakes and then it was back for a shower and a nice braai!

Gerhard and Gerber showing us how to tow another bike




Martin doing a perfect log jump


My not-so-perfect jump


Jumping a pot hole


Martin the pro in the ploughed land


And in the sand


We started off our last day early in the morning as our group had some catching up to do. Jan first made us do some warming up exercises and we had lots of fun and laughter trying to kick-start a bike, kicking a dog, riding a Harley, a Huyabusa and all kinds of other bikes – all of this without any bikes or dogs being even close! It felt like an early morning yoga session with bikes!

Early morning start


Time for coffee to wake up


It was really nice to go out in the crisp cool morning and we started with riding a nice little route on the farm. We finished our emergency braking and after breakfast it was time to race around an oval track and Martin really cranked it on – speeding past everyone and really pushing it with some nice power slides around the corner! This was lots of fun! Our last exercises were the uphill recovery and also braking on a steep downhill.

Emergency brake!


Jan explaining that I had to brake HARD and not just stop!


Jan and Gerber showing us how to race around the oval track


Uphill recovery




We finished off with riding out on the Enduro track where we could practise everything we learned. The track was full of tight corners, humps and bumps and some fast sections as well, all in some stunning scenery! Unfortunately Martin had his first fall for the whole weekend when he jumped a little bump only to land directly on the next bump with his front wheel and the bike flipped. Luckily he only hurt his shoulder but the bike’s front section and console was completely bent and the lights broken. He managed to straighten this before we headed off home.

We did a huge variety of exercises, from turning in small circles to riding in ruts, over bridges, jumping logs and potholes (very much needed on the road to Amersfoort), riding (or falling ) in sand, going up and down steep inclines and emergency braking. The days were packed with training exercises and we were very tired in the evenings, but it was a good tired, knowing that you have learned a lot! The evenings were spent around cosy wood log fires discussing the day’s exercises, sharing our experiences with one another and building new friendships while all together having lots of laughs.

Yeah, we qualified!




Countrytrax in Amersfoort is a stunning venue with amazing views and beautiful wooden log huts, reminding one of a Swiss mountain lodge. The food was superb and one never went hungry! All the kilojoules lost during the exercises were picked up again at meal times. The training was as promised – doubling your skills and halving your fears! And the best of all was the camaraderie and laughter, encouragement and just having heaps of fun! All and all a fantastic weekend, despite the couple of added scratches on my bike! We will definitely be back next year to go and learn more.

Glad you enjoyed it! That sand is so soft, it really isn't easy to stay upright! Did you do the long water crossing?

Congratulations Daleen !!!
Very nice report!
It was as if I was there (again).
I'm looking forward the next Club Ride and see the improvement!!!
Well done!

Well done you two!

Now you're ready for some Serendipity action!!!! But first we'll go to Rhino again to teach the sand some lessons

Very Very Nice!!!


I REALLY want to, no NEED to, do this ASAP!!!

Thanks for sharing!!!

well done !
Thanks for the report back

Daleen nice report. Now we can do the Kosi bay trip again

Daleen wrote: One hilarious story was about a huge mamba sailing over the road just as you are about to ascend a steep uphill and you have to stop as it might get on the back of your bike! The follow on from this is the uphill recovery of your bike. Jan is really an excellent instructor and story teller!

Jan borrowed that story from our club. A certain Mr Colin King (Cobra) had the unfortunate pleasure of being hi-jacked by a Black Mamba during the 2008 GS Challenge.

I guess Jan's stories comes from real experiences and is therefore good lessons to take to heart

Nice one! On my to do list!

Sias wrote:Nice one! On my to do list!

Mine too

Thanks for the picks

Very nice!! Well done and thank you for the picks and report!

mario wrote:Glad you enjoyed it! That sand is so soft, it really isn't easy to stay upright! Did you do the long water crossing?

Unfortunately we did not get a chance to do the water crossing. We were in a bit of a slow group with 4 old "omies" and the exercises took us much longer to complete than the other groups. It did however teach me that you have to be reasonably fit, have control over your bike, set it up for dirt road riding and have some gravel experience to make sure you don't hold up the rest of the group and that you get the maximum benefit from the course. But that also gives us a reason to go back again to complete the other exercises.

Mud Pooh-bah wrote:Jan borrowed that story from our club. A certain Mr Colin King (Cobra) had the unfortunate pleasure of being hi-jacked by a Black Mamba during the 2008 GS Challenge.

Jan did mention that it actually happened to someone, I just didn't know that person was Colin King.

BON wrote:...It was as if I was there (again)...

Ditto!

Well done Daleen!

Great Daleen baie nice.