The Roof of Africa – A spectators point of view.
On the 28th of November, the annual Roof Of Africa Hard Enduro kicks off in Lesotho. With some new blood at the helm, we are looking forward to an epic weekend in the Maluti Mountains.
Once again, our team will be along, bringing you all the action. But why not come along yourself and visit the mountain kingdom?
If you have never followed The Roof of Africa as a spectator you really need to do it just once in your life… OK, more than once. Preferably on an excellent adventure bike. We do it every year!
This is the Mother of Hard Enduro, not only for the competitors but for the spectators as well. If it is not chucking it down with rain and hail and temperatures hovering in the single digits as it has been for the past few years, it is glaring merciless African sunshine with temps in the high thirties or early forties like this year.
There is no middle ground in the mountains. Which is better, more exciting or has greater spectator value? Which is tougher on riders and spectators alike? Well that depends on your disposition in life. And it all starts with the journey to Lesotho. make that a part of your weekend.
Clambering over big rocks, up and down mountains for an hour just to cover 200 metres as the crow flies is equally hard work and energy sapping in both the hail and rain or the blistering sunshine. Last year, we followed The Roof Of Africa on some adventure bikes. The Bike Shows Don Fourie scragged Suzuki’s DL 800, our international correspondent Peter Schlueter took along the latest Honda TransAlp, and Sean Hendley managed to arrange the Norden Expedition.
Michelin even hosts a tyre changing competition through the weekend. It all happens at Avani Maseru.
DAY 1 Part 1 – Around the houses
This is always a big jol with a great carnival atmosphere, the excitement of bikes roaring and racing through the spectator lined streets of Maseru. Lesotho Prime Minister, Mr Sam Matekane is a Rock Star, and a veteran Roof of Africa Racer himself, and he led the sighting lap of each class in his Can Am to the approving roaring cheers of the locals each time.
Second only to the Prime Minister in popularity, is Mr Roof himself, Wade Young – the cheers from the locals were almost as loud for him as they were for the PM… Absolutely amazing.
The racing came thick and fast for the morning, with wailing sirens hailing the start of the next race as the motorcycle police did a clearing lap and the chopper following the leaders of each class which helped commentator Matt Smith and spectators alike in keeping track of where everybody was.
Then there was this Binder okie, somewhere in the middle of the bronze class, who had landed in JHB from Spain the night before, drove through the night to start racing the Roof Of Africa that morning.
You just don’t get tougher than that…. And he still won his heat with ease!
Mayhem at Maseru Mall:
The Roof of Africa Time trial is usually held out at Bushman’s Pass with really only support crew, friends and family and a couple of Basuto shepherds enjoying the spectacle. Last year it was designed for the spectators. The queues to get into Maseru Mall went on for kilometres and parking was at a premium – even for bikes, but the show was something to behold. Each group was led en mass under starters orders from the mall into the mountain behind said mall to set off for a loop of rocks and climbs. It was awesome to behold!
By now the sun was at full thrash and flame grilling everyone toastier than a Steers Burger and everything that was negligent in their application of sun protection. The finish was an Extreme Enduro-Cross section back into the mall parking lot over concrete pipes, huge tyres and a nasty little rock garden.
Gazebos, braais, loud music, cheering, hordes of people cajoling the riders on. Happy smiley people everywhere, cameras out – WOW! What a spectacle… Of course nobody waits for the riders to come pipe. Or do they?
And suddenly it was all over just as the sun dipped behind the mountains. Roof Of Africa Day 1 complete, it was time to plot all the spectator waypoints into the GPS before a quick dinner and an early night before an even earlier breakfast and heading out to Thaba Bosiu Cultural Village the next morning.
Day 2 Thaba Bosiu to Bushman’s Pass:
The best way to get around Lesotho for The Roof of Africa is undoubtedly by bike. The traffic, especially support crew and spectator traffic getting into each venue, liaising between venues and spectator points is as manic as any Jo’Burg rush hour. On a bike, you can skip along the white lines dodging rear view mirrors and potholes to get ahead of the crowds. Thaba Bosiu Cultural Village is a jewel in the crown of Lesotho’s splendour about an hour outside Maseru and it was milling with riders, crew, spectators and vendors from just before sunrise. A long day of terrifyingly steep climbs and descents, insane rock gardens and river crossings and anything else the devilish route planners could come up with lay ahead of the racers before the final climb up Bushman’s Pass to the finish.
For the spectators it is a day of hoping and praying you have entered your GPS co-ords correctly and in the proper order, making sure cooler boxes were well stocked with ice and hydration and cameras and phones were at the ready to capture all the action. And woe is he or she….. or them or they that forgot the factor 50 sunblock, broad brimmed bush hats and sufficient Roof Of Africa hydration.
Then it’s off to each of the well thought out spectator points, wait for your favourite rider to come past then hastily make your way to the next point to cheer them on again. The mountains crawl with mostly happy people, speckled with gazebos, deck chairs, cooler boxes, bakkies, SUVs and adventure bikes.
Strangely, at the Roof Of Africa, the racers generally take a lot of strain, many of them spending a bit of time begging for hydration and in the rivers trying to bring their core temperatures down before tackling the next challenge. The heat last year was the biggest challenge… for everybody.
As the chopper rounded the bottom of Bushman’s hailing the arrival of a certain Wade Young the slopes came alive as spectators rushed to get the best possible vantage point for that special pic or video or just to cheer him in. The finishes of each day are the most festive with the most people and this year it was even bigger and better than before. Bushmans is the place of legends.
Once Wade and the Gold guys were through last year, things settled down a bit until two certain brothers, No. ‘s 433 and 441 came trundling in, full of grins. These Binder boys are in a league of their own. Moto GP on monday, Roof Of Africa on Thursday.
Matt Smith was on the mic again, keeping the crowd going until sun set and a bit beyond as the whole festival tiredly made its way back to their digs for the night and started preparing for the final day.
DAY 3 – Bushman’s Pass back to Thaba Bosiu Cultural Village…
By now, dragging yourself out of bed before sunrise to go clamber around the mountains is perhaps done a little bit less enthusiastically. The sunrise over Bushmans and The Roof of Africa circus is very much worth it though. Excitement grows as you clear the city limits and start tilting into corners as the sunlight starts peeking through the craggs of the Maluti mountains, you just know it is going to be an epic day.
Roof Of Africa starts and finishes are always exciting. As are DSP’s and USP’s. Sitting in a river, shaded by cool trees, trickling water and almost a complete absence of annoying insects can only be heavenly. How could you make this better?
Well smiling kids giggling playfully as they splash water at each other, pretty girls in their best summer wear and… A bunch of insane hooligans racing each other up said river on slippery rocks to the cheer of the crowds, that’s how!
Grab your kit, bail as fast as your tired legs will carry you to your chosen mode of transport and try beat said Roof Gladiators to the next ridiculously beautiful spectator point – repeating the same procedure another 20 times before rolling into the finish at Thaba Bosiu desperately watching the skies for sign of the chopper heralding the imminent arrival of the stars of the show, hoping like hell you get there in time, find parking and get to witness the finish.
And what a finish it was, maybe not the emotional spectacle of bone weary racers desperately trying to get up the last slippery slopes of Bushmans, but a spectacle nonetheless.
Last year, we were astonished to see Ride KTM Durbans 17 year old James Moore take the day’s victory in a gold class that saw only 12 finishers. Another unexpected surprise was his team mate Thomas Scales who came in 9th at his first Gold Roof Of Africa Attempt!
Former World Super Enduro Champion Cody Webb summed it up perfectly after duelling with Scales for most of Day 1, “The next level of young SA Enduro talent is incredible, I spent the whole day trying to shake them!” Webb finished 6th overall.
But Wade Young kept his title as King of the mountains.
He started with a win on Thursday in the Round the Houses race and a sensible 5th place position in the Time Trial. The first full day of racing (Day 1) saw him steadily work his way to the front, establishing a commanding 25-minute lead over Matt Green and Brett Swanepoel. Swanepoel’s performance on the day was particularly impressive because it included losing over 20 minutes at the start due to a mechanical glitch and a big crash which resulted in broken toes and later, a head-on collision with an Adventure bike (Yup) to round out an eventful day.
You can’t make this stuff up!
“The last climb on Day 1 broke most of the riders and that helped me build the lead that I worked hard to maintain to the end. I didn’t have the best day today, but I still pushed as hard as I could and I’m happy it was enough to get the win. I have to say I have never been this tired at the end of a race in my entire career, the days were just so long and the heat only made it worse,” said a relieved Young at the finish.
Thumping loud music, happy people everywhere, a proper Carnival finish and loud roaring cheers as each weary rider wheelied over the finish line and collected their medal and The Roof Of Africa 2023 rounded off with a sensational prize giving in the amphitheatre. It was especially grand for the riders from Team Matjien who completed the Roof on a home built 500cc two stroke!
You had to be there to understand.
If you have never followed The Roof of Africa as a spectator you really need to do it just once in your life… OK, more than once. Preferably on an excellent adventure bike. We do it every year!
