Dreaming of Dakar

This past weekend was dedicated toward getting prepared for the Paris to Dacre ride that I am doing in about a month.  The Paris to Dacre (a.k.a. the P2D) is an event held every other year up in Ontario which is supposed to simulate a day of the Dakar rally.  It is a long 800km (about 500 miles) road and off-road motorcycle ride.  I did just over 1000 miles this weekend.

This weekend they were offering a training course for people wanting to learn some tips on finishing the event and also for some off-road riding skills.  The training was near Bowmanville, Ontario which is just about 500 miles from my home.  So I figured riding there would be a good practice for the actual ride.  Granted, my ride up there was all on paved roads and the actual P2D is mostly on gravel roads and off-road but I figured just getting used to doing a long day on the DRZ400 would be very useful.

The P2D is also a team event.  You must ride in a team of 3 to 5 riders.  I got in contact with a couple of guys online who were looking for a 3rd rider.  They live up in Ontario and I really wanted to get a chance to meet them in person before the actual event.  So, the key objective of this ride was to get a chance to meet Brad and Robb.

Thursday evening after work I was ready to head out.  One of the nice things about working from home is I was able to have the bike all packed up and ready to go ahead of time and by 5:15 I was on the road.  Since the DRZ really is just a street legal dirt bike I don't have any saddle bags or other luggage on the bike like I do on my KLR.  So I had everything packed up in a couple of duffle bags strapped behind me on the seat and also my camelbak backpack.  I had my toolkit, 2 spare tubes, a quart of oil (none of which I needed but always good to be prepared on a long road trip) clothes for the long weekend, extra layers in case it got cold, and my Leatt neck brace all packed up in duffle bags.  It didnt' leave a lot of room on the seat for me!  I was also wearing most of my off-road riding protective gear (chest protector, elbow guards, knee braces).  This is more than I would typically wear on the street but that was the only way I could carry it.

The plan for Thusrday evening was to get into Vermont so that I didn't have to do the full distance on Friday.  I figured I could do the full ride in a single day if needed but I wanted to still be fresh for the training course on Saturday.  I made it to Bennington VT a little before 8:00.  The ride through Vermont was beautiful as always, I really need to do a better job of taking pictures on rides like these.

Friday morning I was up and on the road around 7:00.  I headed into New York and found a nice local resturant in a small town for breakfast.  Had a good breakfast of coffee and a western omlet and was on the road for good at around 8:15.  Around mid afternoon I decided to get the camera out so I could take some shots while riding.  I am always amazed at how much upstate NY farm country reminds me of Kansas where I grew up.

Along one very straight and quiet road I decided to try to get a self-portrait while riding.  Didn't work out as well as I hoped.

Around 2:00 I crossed into Canada.

The ride along the north shore of Lake Ontario actually is kind of dull.  I didn't manage to get any pictures but at least from the roads I took there wasn't a lot to see.  The town of Kingston is fairly nice however was a bit crowded.  I could see checking out the town more sometime in the future but on this trip I was on a mission to get somewhere.

I made it to Bowmanville around 6:00 which was actually quite a bit earlier than I had planned.  This was a very good thing since I wanted some downtime to get rested before my trip the next day.  The Howard Jonsons I stayed at had a fridge in the room so I figured I would pick up a 6-pack of beer.  One thing I love about Canada is where you buy beer:

Yes, the "Beer Store".  As you might guess they sell beer.  Straight and to the point!  The store is mostly just one really big walk in cooler with lots of beer.  This pic is from inside the cooler area of the store.

I picked up a 6-pack of ale (I forget what brand, wasn't one I was familiar with but it was quite good) and walked back to the room, had a couple beers and got some sleep.

Saturday was the day of the training course.  The training was being done by a place called "Trail Tours".  Most of what they do is group rides for novice riders.  For their novice rider rides they provide everything needed including the riding gear and the bikes.  It looks like it would be a very good thing for people wanting to go out and learn to ride a dirt bike.  They also do some more advanced training including trials riding which I am thinking I might want to go do some day.  They even have a special event later this year where Shane Watts will be doing his dirt bike school there.  I am thinking I may have to make some more trips up there for more advanced training over the next couple of years.

I was a little surprised that there were only 4 of us there for the course but was glad since that meant we would be able to get a little more individual attention.  Since I have never had any off-road training I wanted to make sure they pointed out any bad habbits I might have.  Most of the morning was spent on talking about preparing the bike for the long ride and how to be efficent and save time.  They really did emphasize that it is key to always be trying to be efficient with time since that is the big factor in finishing the event.  You have about 16 hours of daylight and it will take every bit of it.  Then, the afternoon was spent of some riding skills and was focused on riding efficently with out using a lot of energy.  That is the other big thing, you need to make sure you don't tire yourself out on a long day like this.

The first thing we did in the riding portion of the course was just ride some easy laps around a short circular track so they could check for proper riding form and posture.  The we moved on to weaving through cones.  Then probably the most fun bit of the day, they had a dirt mound they had us using as a ramp to jump over so they could check and adjust suspension damping.  I was really having fun with the small jump as I really have not had a bike in the air much.  I wish I had some pics of me going over the jump (however I am sure it didnt' look as impressive as it felt).

After lunch we moved on to log crossings.  I still need to work on being able to control the clutch better there but getting better.  I am also getting to where I can wheelie the bike a bit better (which is needed for bigger logs and other obstacles).  They also had a fairly big ramp set up with about a 4 foot drop off.  I was pretty timid at first on this but convinced myself that I just needed to trust the bike.  I still find it amazing how when I just trust the bike and trust myself to do the right thing how I can do things I didn't think I was capable of.  Granted, it was a pretty hard hit when I landed and it did bottom the suspension out but I felt like I was in good control.  It was a serious confidence boost.

After the training I got a chance to sit down and talk with Brad and Robb and we were able to start planning out our Dacre ride.  I think we will get along well and make a good team.  Brad finished the Paris Dacre the last time it was held back in 2008.  Robb has not done it but rides enduros and is the strongest rider of the team.  My hope is that I don't end up being a weak link however I have been working on my endurance and I am just plain stubborn and want to finish (I think stubborness is a good trait for things like this).  We then headed back to Bowmanville for dinner and a couple of beers.

I think the training was a good thing and will be helpful in getting me prepared for the ride.

I will try to write up the return trip tomorrow.  It was a good ride (did it in one day!) and I have a few pics.

As soon as I am out of work today I am getting on the bike and heading north to Canada!  On Saturday I am going to an off-road training class which is designed specifically for people doing the Paris 2 Dacre ride that I am doing later on in June.  I am also going to get a chance to meet my Paris Dacre teammates Robb and Brad in person.  I got in touch with them via the internet.  They needed one more rider for their team and I was lucky enough to be the guy.

I am going to try to do some short posts using my phone on the trip but if that doesn't work I will just have to write up a trip report here when I get home.  I should be home Monday evening.

The Hoot Owl 100 was a blast. Since it was my first organized trail ride event I didn't quite know what to expect. It was certainly harder than I expected however several other riders (who were not newbies like me) also said they thought it was particularly hard. I had several people make comments regarding how shocked they were I was riding the DRZ400S. It really is a bit heavy for such riding. However, if I am serious about doing the Dakar someday (and I am) I need to be able to handle a heavy bike in difficult conditions. Besides there is that sick part of me who likes the extra challenge. As far as my fitness I am happy with how well I survived. Yes, I have a way to go but I know if I had attempted a ride like this last year before I started getting in shape I would not have survived nearly as long. I think that even with my current fitness level and this bike I would have been able to finish the full course with better riding technique. That will come with more experience. I did have some damage to the bike.

Note the missing left turn signal:

Also, mud, mud, mud everywhere!
It took a lot of washing to get the mud out of that skid plate. I still would not call the bike "clean". I also bent the handlebars but that is the only expensive part that I broke. I have new bars and some nice low-profile turn signals on the way.

So, on to my plans for the summer.  It is going to be busy.  This weekend I am going motorcycle camping with a bunch of other guys from the area.  White Horse gear has their yearly open house this weekend.  They do a big BBQ for all their customers so a bunch of us are going to camp out for the weekend in the area, do some riding, and of course go shopping for good deals on motorcycle stuff (you can never have enough motorcycle gear!).

The following weekend I am riding up to Ontario Canada for a rider training day.  I have never had any actual off-road instruction and have wanted to do some before I develop too many bad habits.  This particular training day is specific for riders who have entered the Candadia "Paris to Dacre" ride.  That is the big event of the summer.  The Paris to Dacre is not a race but a long distance "challenge ride" which starts near Paris Ontario and goes to Dacre in Ontario.  The idea is to simulate a day of the Dakar rally.  The route takes a not so direct 750km (approx 460 miles) route along back roads, powerlines and trails.  The ride starts at 4am and there are checkpoints along the way where if you arrive past a certain time they will send you along the normal roads for the final bit to Dacre.  They don't want people getting stuck on the trails after dark.  So you have about 16 hours to finish the course.  Then imagine doing it every day for 2 weeks, that is the Dakar.

The Paris to Dacre is a team event.  You need to be part of a team of 3 to 5 riders.  I was lucky enough to get hooked up with Robb and Brad who live in the Toronto area and did this event 2 years ago (it is only held every other year).  I plan to meet up with Robb and hopefully Brad as well when I go up for the training day in a couple of weeks.

I am planning on various other events over the summer.  I might do my first enduro on Memorial Day weekend, if not then I will start doing endoros in July after the Paris Dacre.  There is also a big 2-day Turkey Run that our local trail riding club puts on in early June which I am very much looking forward to (these are on the trails I was helping clear a few weeks ago).

I also hope to get out to the local public riding area a bunch this year to work on both technique and also my riding endurance.  And of course I will continue my efforts to get in shape.

Another rider put together a nice little video of the ride.  Actually he has several but this one I think does a pretty good job of showing the terrain we went through.

Hoot Owl 1 from Nolan Watts on Vimeo.