SECUNDA – Local cross country and off-road motorcycle enthusiast, Craig Gregory, took part in the Impi Enduro race.
“The Impi is a three-day Hard Enduro race that takes place annually in KwaZulu-Natal.
“I was once an avid racer, but since I have returned to Secunda, I have not spent as much time as I wanted to on a motorcycle.
“Nevertheless, I decided to enter the Impi Enduro, but I clearly did not know what I was getting myself into.”
On the first day for the so-called Prolog, the 387 riders had to ride a short loop as mapped on their GPSs to try and ride their best time that would be used to position them for the next day’s pull-away.
“Though I chose the wrong time of day to go out and was held up at some bottlenecks, I still managed to ride well and secured a 182nd position for the Friday start.”
On the second day, Craig had his first mishap at the beginning.
“I managed to have my first fall in the first 5km. I got high-sided by one of the millions of rocks around.
“But I had a good laugh and after that I knew I was in for a good day.
“Next we came across the first bottleneck at a hill that was about 40 degrees steep, but with very loose gravel, the kind that if you stop you cannot get going again.
“I managed to make my way past the guys who got stuck and just before I thought I could break away from the group, I hit another bottleneck with at least 50 bikes stuck behind one another, so I fell in line and waited my turn to get out.
“I do not normally do this as I always find my own way up, but I had time on my hands.”
The day got longer and after stopping to refuel, the riders hit the silver loop and according to Craig, it was a spectacular experiences.
“My favourite was the last climb called Dog Leg, with lots of switchbacks and big step ups where I flipped my bike at least 2m high, but luckily recovered.
“I managed to finish in the top 60 for the day.”
On the third and last day, Craig gritted his teeth and with a sore and bruised body and leg cramps that began before he even completed the first 20km, he battled to stay motivated.
“I am a sucker for punishment and although most riders broke down or had trouble with their bikes, I stayed strong.
“Saturday was a tough day for riding with the sun shining brightly and temperatures soaring to well over 36 degrees Celcius.”
Craig finished his water supply before the first mountain climb and then hit still more bottlenecks, but he pushed through his fatigue.
He began making mistakes though and was thrown off his bike once more, but his persistence paid off.
“After the long, hard day of riding I managed to finish eighth in my group and walked away with a bronze finish.”
