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Yamaha Capel 200
Pounce:
Was it cold in Capel, shit yeah. Were the trails better than Wrex's ride, shit yeah. Was the company good for a laff, shit yeah. Are my old man knobbly knees stuffed, shit yeah. Were there any whoops, see previous shit yeah. All up a good ride, had fun but couldn't bring myself to do a second lap. Much tighter than last Septembers ride there. A couple of injuries but others know more about that. Thanks to the organisers and those that attended. Tommy: Capel was great as its always good to meet up with some new Crustys .The riding trails were top class with plenty of mud, some good river crossings and lots of tight goat trails with wet slippery logs everywhere and that was only the morning loop . The second time around it was even better as the mud holes had grown a lot bigger and deeper the river crossings a lot harder to get out off (and Im sure the rivers were a lot bigger but that might have been just me getting tired). This is a well run event and one not to be missed. PS Roley and Pete your names were called out in the draw but you had gone home. Roley: Capel 200 - Thank you Ironstone Adventure Riding Club for a well organised event. A special thank you particularly to all the sweeps who were everywhere and only too willing to help. As stated at the Rider's briefing part of the attraction of the event is to camp over and have a campfire. The Crusties who faced the elements had our own secret spot like last year and Pounce along with Peter kept the fire going all night, while a few quite coldies were consumed along with the usual sledging ( past superhuman feats, Col wish you were here and Evan where did you get those ugg boots). At the start I was up front of the pack with Pounce and co. I took off on the gas chasing the lead pack only to find someone (Pounce) had missed some signage (within 500 metres of the start) and lead the mob in the wrong direction. This meant there more than a dozen confused, anxious throttle jockys milling around and darting in all directions to find the trial. In this confusion I stalled my bike and no amount of kick starting it would breath any life into it. Eventually Sweep Andrew came to my rescue and managed to get it started with a push start. Then at the five km mark I stall the DRZ again when the pack in front of me suddenly stopped on a particularly gnarly section. Thinking no worries I have invested in a kick start I will off in a flash. Well 10 minutes later who should come to my rescue again but Sweep Andrew. After that no troubles, the battery was charged up and the magic button worked every time from then on (I am buying a new battery this week). A few kms on Peter caught up with me after being stranded in the pit for a half an hour as his bike had simply refused to start. Pete and I rode the rest of the 75 kms together. At the first checkpoint we spotted Choko, Pounce and co on the other side of the bunting already checking in from the second stage before inpatiently gassing it off for the third final stage. The trails were everything you wanted though a lot more technical than last year with lots off goat tracks and whoops and few gotchas. I witnessed a few stacks and heard of many more. On one very slippy section I watched Orry come to a rolling stop on the left side of the track while his bike was almost facing back in my direction. He was attended to by a couple of fellow riders and said he was OK! My ROTD nomination would go to Biggsy's mate, Ross on his almost vintage DT 200 Yamie. He is 65 yr old and the oldest Crustie out there. I followed him for many kms watching him throw the bike around like a man possessed half his age! Speaking of Biggsy the word got around back at the pits that a KTM was down only 20 kms into the ride with the rider with suspected broken ankle. Pete and I managed to confirm that sure enough it was our Biggsy at the Ambo station. I offered to call Mrs Biggsy to pave the way before he got home but somehow Biggsy declined my offer! Has to be SOTD! Well Pete and I did not do the Special Enduro sections nor the Special Test but we had a ball and certainly our bodies told us we had ridden 75 challenging kms. I drove home with Pete snoring like a bastard next to me! Would we do it again? you bet! Daza: Great ride at Capel guys and good to catch up with a few of you. Ended up doing both loops and although they were the same, they couldnt have been more different. the 1st loop was super smooth and the water crossings pretty straight forward as we (choke, pounce etc) were the first group to take of, but the 2nd loop was so different after 300+ riders had been through it..managed to get the bike bogged on more than one occasion requiring the help of passers by, only to then help them get unstuck..it was brilliant. Actually arranged to ride the loops with my Boss Dale Britton..but, as i said, tried...we took of at various stages together...thats where it ended!! Even in his retired state, hes In a different league that man! ps..that special test at the end wasnt the easiest was it! damn slippy those pesky logs! Biggles: When I rocked up with my wife at the Capel 200 at about 3.00 pm on Saturday Pounce was already there staking out a claim to the campsite and seeking permission to start a bonfire. He made us welcome and was soon joined by Choko and Tommy and others who will remain nameless (because I am hopeless at remembering names). It was a magic day, the sun was shining, it was warm and the promise of great weather for Sunday was exciting. I unloaded my bike and extra fuel, which Pounce offered to guard with his life. In return I helped him set up his accommodation unit (tent). The organisation was excellent at this early stage and all we had to do was register at 4.30 pm and then get the bike through early on Sunday morning. As the light faded and the temperature started to drop it was time to head off to the B&B, leaving the hardier souls to enjoy the campfire. We were booked into a very nice B&B close to Bunbury but the lady of the house was not too keen on Bike riders so I left my gear bag in the car (glad I had left the bike and trailer with Pounce) and sneaked it back in when we returned from dinner at Mojos in Bunbury. It was quite comical trying to get a full gearbag up a winding staircase trying not to knock pieces out of the wall. Now it was cold that night (ask Pounce) but despite the electric blankets and radiator it was freezing in the bathroom even after a hot shower so we did suffer and think of you guys camping. Although the lady of the house was not too keen on bike riders she did a great cooked breakfast, so I felt a bit guilty trying to sneak out down the stairs with all the gear on (boots and all) and carrying the gearbag but I thought I had got away with it until we were leaving. She looked at me, and smiling through her teeth invited us back, Perhaps to visit the vineyards she said. Arriving back at the Capel campsite all the boys had put their bikes through the pits and I ended up further back than I anticipated, so missing out on the opportunity to ride with the Crusties even if it was only to the first corner. It was gridlock at the starting gate and it took some time to through and on to the trail, it seemed like everyone wanted to run both loops. This was no WCTS ride we were right into a single trail and between the trees before a short stretch of gravel road, through a creek and then hard left into another single track, which I managed to overshoot. I really thought it would be a nice easy start but it was gradual climb on loose dirt with a few rocks and roots thrown in for good measure. There was already a casualty lying upside down and trapped by his bike, fortunately he wasnt blocking the track and I was able to get past him (yes he was okay). The single trail continued, typical mixture of loose gravel, narrow whoops, trees and rocks. Where the trail widened it was sandy and whooped, or just sandy and soft. After a while my arms were aching and I felt pretty unfit, that was until I came across a group of young guys who had already stopped to recover, standing around waving their arms to get the circulation going again. I pushed on not wanting to succumb to a bit of arm pump and it wasnt long before things felt good again. The water holes were easy to negotiate as were the creeks and I stopped to take a few photos at the big creek crossing after I saw one rider giving mouth to mouth to his Suzuki, I thought it would be a photo opportunity but after a while no one fell off so I carried on. The track opened up for a few kms and the ride was relaxing. I must admit I missed the company, but at least I wasnt holding anyone up. Some of the single track was great but I never really got into any rhythm, on some sections I didnt know whether to look at the trees or the rocks or just close my eyes and hope for the best. At one point I felt like a pinball with the bars and the bike bouncing off tree after tree in the really narrow wooded sections. The rail section was interesting too, and fast (well for me anyway) running along the edge and watching for any out of place sleepers. I saw the warning sign on the tree I thought it was for the diversion onto the rail sleepers and didnt realise it was for the gap in the track, which was hard to see due to blurred vision caused by running over the old sleepers. Somehow I managed to lift the bike over the gap without incident. After that the sleepers really tested the suspension and the bike would have fallen apart if all the bolts hadnt been checked and tight. Stopping for morning tea just before the pine forest for about 10 minutes, I watched riders overshoot the right turn into the forest from the gravel road, it was entertaining. I really enjoyed the pine forest tracks, for some reason the bike just sailed over the mounds on the single track and it felt so smooth. The wider bermed tracks were great too, if only I knew how to get the best out of them. The terrain was constantly varying and never a dull moment. There were no real obstacles on the main trail but it was enough to keep the interest up. Apart from the odd problem with hand eye co-ordination like, adverse camber, gravel, dont open the throttle - too late pick up your bike. The first run was pretty good and it was with gusto and confidence that I launched over the fallen tree a few km from the finish I really need to work on my landings though as I discovered that it is no use looking for somewhere to go when you are already where you dont want to be. Choko and Pounce were packing up when I got back after the first loop, but I was determined to continue on. So after a quick feed and refuel it was back on the track to see if I could do any better the second time round. Now it is amazing how different the track is after 300 bikes have ridden over it, the slippery bits were slipperier, the whoops whoopier and the mud stickier. This time around I got bogged in the first mud hole but managed a self extraction without too much trouble. At the second mud hole there were a couple of riders well bogged and well left of the track so I headed off on the right side of the mud hole without any trouble ( I did feel sorry for them but as there were two of them I figured they could help each other out). The rest of the loop went well and without any problems except that I was really stuffed and wished I'd gone home with Pounce and Choko, as the last few kms were hard work. I really need to work on my fitness level, and I must have looked knackered because Andrew (Sweep) loaded my bike onto the trailer for me, thanks Andrew (either that or it was in the way) After that it was good to relax in the warm afternoon sun and catch up with a few friends and wait for the draw, I had even made space on the trailer for the new bike (misled at the very least) but happy to settle for a pair of goggles and some good memories. Overall it was a great weekend and well organised. I need to go on a Crusty sand run to learn how to ride the sand and the whoops, when the legs and arms recover.  Capel 200 - Camp bitches  Capel 200 - Pete taking a breather once he got his bike started.  Capel 200 - Some of the boys taking off on the last section of the first loop (check out Choko's need to be first off!)  Capel pics by Biggles |
