BICYCLING
Words: Kelly Fraser | Photos: Andrew King & Jacques van den Bergh
The Malagasy people harvesting rice. Rice is Madagascar’s most abundant crop and staple in local cuisine. Photo credit: Andrew King
RedIslandRide calling all adventurous spirits Madagascar, known as the Red Island due to its distinctly coloured soil, is a continent of contrasts; from the unique
culture of Malagasy people, with touches of Asiatic and African heritage, to the most exotic flora and fauna on earth. This is a traveller's - and now mountain biker's - ultimate destination.
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Madagascar has a small but thriving bicycle culture and the locals are always ready to lend a hand when it comes to a little bike trouble. Photo credit: Andrew King
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In 2014, this unique landscape will play host to one of the most adventurous mountain bike races yet – the inaugural Red Island Ride, a sevenday, expedition-style cycle race from 31 May to 7 June 2014. Far from the tourist destinations, the group of 50 will explore Madagascar’s winding trails and untouched beauty. Limitless single track and beautiful, ever-changing scenery will form the backbone of this race. Not for the novice, the Red Island Ride is for riders with technical skill and a high-level of fitness and stamina. But they won't be without a little encouragement from the Malagasy people, who will be ready with a smile, point riders in the right direction, and offer a buffet of local treats: sweet and savoury fritter, fruits, and fine rums. "Madagascar offers so much for the riders; the unknown, the unforeseen. It’s about getting out of your comfort zone," explains Fiona Coward, event organiser. "When you arrive in Madagascar, you’ll need to be prepared for an expeditionstyle race. If you come with the attitude of a pioneer, the true adventurer in you will go away with memories of a lifetime," said Coward.
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Photo credit: Jacques van den Bergh
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Red Island
reconnaissance diary
If you would like to find out more about what the route offers, there's a diary available that was written by Fiona Coward and Glenn Harrison, the route director, on their recce. But these extracts will give you an idea of what you can look forward too.
Fuel filters and rum Day one through three - we are on our recce to finalise the routes for Red Island Ride. By now, the route from Tana to Ambositra is disturbingly familiar. What’s not so familiar are the tourists – especially those laden with panniers and propelling themselves along on all sorts of bicycles. At least our riders will have the luxury of their bags being transported for them! A quick coffee and pastry stop to thaw out and we were on our way to Ambositra and the quaint Sous le Soleil Lodge. Slight problems with the fuel filter on Glenn’s motorbike ate into commute time as we struggled to fix it and find replacement parts. Eventually, we managed a half fix on the bike and arrived at the lodge as it grew dark. Guitars and singing heralded our approach and the place was packed full of French tourists enjoying their holidays. Conversation was interesting, despite my French being only slightly better than their English, which is saying something! There was much interest in our project, and our host Marc was in his element dishing out quantities of home-made rum. Today it is back to Ambositra for more spare parts, a repair on the garage forecourt, followed by cheese omelettes and coffee for the princely sum of R40 for two. The drifts of rain, unusual for August, sent us back to the lodge instead of the track and this afternoon we’ll make another attempt to find the best single track possible.
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Glenn Harrison (Route Director) and Clark (Local Guide) take on the trails through the dry seasons rolling rice paddies. Photo credit: Jacques van den Bergh
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Stubborn secrets The Sous le Soleil loop has been stubborn in giving up its secrets. Hours of exploring yesterday and this morning have finally resulted in amazing sections of single and jeep track. This was not without some pain, with a tumble off the motorbike and a blue hip. Swampy areas made it a no-go for the motorbikes. The locals were baffled by our antics as we decided to leave the bikes behind and hoofed it on foot. There is a real possibility that the riders will experience the Malagasy way with a hike-a-bike section – this will, however, be more than made up for by the track afterwards. It’s not over yet. It will take hours of pouring over maps and tracks and Google Earth before this section is finalised. It will be spectacular no matter what.
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Guided by Google Earth Stage three finally started to take shape with a late afternoon recce that included the beginning of stage four. Thwarted at a rice paddy, we turned back onto some routes we had chosen for stage three. A big single track climb put us on top of a ridge, with views across the valley. Taking pity on the riders, we decided to rather descend down this fine piece of track and so the route suddenly came together for that stage. Stage four to date had been tracks on Google Earth, and this morning was an early start to a village called Camp Robin (yes, English and not a multisyllabic name like most other villages in Madagascar). This is where riders will pop out before the final section to the Lemur Camp. So the backtrack began with a roller coaster of dongas and 1,5 m deep ruts wide enough for the motorbike and me. Finally, the route climbed out and followed an old road, which wound through forests of pine and eucalyptus. It eventually narrowed to well-worn single track, which twisted and turned, but stayed high on the ridge until eventually reaching a well-used jeep track. For tracks that are not hand built, manicured and blow dried, they flowed unbelievably well. Unsure of exactly where on the map I was going to pop out, it was with great surprise that I found I had covered more than 20 km of the total stage’s distance in a very quick time. What a high! I can’t wait until October when I ride this on my mountain bike. It is still going to be hard riding, with lots of concentration required for the more technical single track, but if this doesn’t blow you away – nothing will.
Adventures with Jean Marc When we first arrived in Antsirabe many months ago, we were introduced to Jean Marc, a local guide and cyclist. Over time, we’ve learnt much more about this exceptional adventurer. Born in France, he had the wanderlust early. Twenty years ago, Jean Marc travelled Africa by train and bus passing through 24 countries. From Africa, he made his first sortie into Madagascar before moving on to Réunion. But the island had him. He returned shortly thereafter, bought two horses and rode around the island. You need to understand that horses are rare in Madagascar, and many people had never seen one. At one point, the police had to use batons to clear a path through thousands of people thronging to see this unusual sight. Not satisfied, he then bought a motorbike and continued his exploration of this magnificent place.
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Amazing scenery overlooking Ambositra. Photo credit: Andrew King
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Malagasy children smiling and having fun for the camera. No matter where you go, you will run into hoards of curious smiling children. Photo credit: Andrew King
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For the last ten or so years, he’s been running Rando Raid, an adventure business offering mountain biking, canoeing, motorbike trails, microlighting, trekking, and just about any outdoor activity that appeals to like-minded souls. We rode an alternative section for the start of stage one with him today and the man sure knows his way around the zillions of paths that criss-cross the hills around Antsirabe. Jean Marc is a good friend to the Red Island Ride and we look forward to working more with this remarkable man. The adventure continues, so leave all your expectations behind as the Red Island Ride goes beyond what you can conceive and you’ll come away with experiences that you will remember forever.
Only 50 spaces are available, so do it now and sign up. • For more information or to enter, visit www.redislandride.com. Stay in the loop on Facebook.com/RedislandRide and Twitter @RedIslandRide.
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