Day 7
Static day
The pace and intensity of Quest takes its toll on both Competitors and Support Crew. The static day is both a tradition and a very much needed break in the relentless pace of the competition and the space to take a deep breath before the final push.
“Static Day” is a little misleading as there are still challenges to be done, they just happen to take place around the area where the contestants stayed.
Before sunrise, the contestants fanned out into the open plains of the Tankwa. After spending such intense time together, the opportunity to be alone with their thoughts and not on a bike, reflecting on their journeys whilst watching a sunrise had profound effects.
After this “Alone Time” there was a GPS navigation exercise where some serious skills in waypoint management were tested. What made it a little sweatier was that there was no bike involved, just plane foot power. Not an easy thing as many were carrying niggling bruises and strains.
Later, the contestants were asked to present their nominations for a worthy Humanitarian Project. The money they pledged will be more than matched by Specialized Adventures.
Nic Rossouw from Team 7 was the deserved winner.
Day 8
Sting in the tail!!
Today the contestants started straight into the Postal Route from the Tankwa side. A challenging route especially for big bikes, it has everything on offer – thick sand, steep rocky climbs, loose rocks, river crossings and magnificent vistas. Even more special is that this route will no longer be available to the public. This group will effectively the last people granted permission from the farmers to be allowed through.
The trail crosses two rivers and climbs up into the central mountains of the Cedarberg. Playing heavily on the minds of the contestants was that this was the last full day of competition. Making mistakes is not an option.
It bears saying that few big bikes attempt this pass and especially from taking the “up” option, but as a result of the previous 8 days, all the contestants had zero trouble getting up the critical Karretjies Pass.
Once through, they would finish the day with the Eselbank 4×4 trail cthat starts in the picturesque village of Wuppertal to end at Kromrivier.
Lunch was accompanied by a refreshing dip into a tributary to the Keurbosfontein River.
With less than 6.8km to go in the day, for the first time on this Quest, 2 bikes picked up front punctures within meters of each other. It took just 20 minutes before they were on their way again.
With the sun touching the tops of the rugged Cedarberg mountains, the last written test was sat. Included in it were questions taken from everything the group has experienced and learned over the previous 8 days.
The contestants will soon get to find out who will win the 2020 Quest True Adventure and keep the keys to the Africa Twins which they competed on.
HONDA QUEST: Day 7 & 8 Round up https://t.co/3ZCZ9xt4HR#ArriveAlive #HondaQuest @HondaSA pic.twitter.com/Pdw0zhEKNB
— Arrive Alive (@_ArriveAlive) November 13, 2020