Camp Khatan Ugij, Mongolia.
Day 6 of the 2018 BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy proved to be
unique in the history of the event. Scouted, planned and prepared was
a 283 km course taking in the plains and mountains of the region, but
with the route falling within an area experiencing an outbreak of foot
and mouth disease (among the livestock) the course had to be adapted.
Instead the GS riders needed to follow the highway most of the way to
their destination, Camp Khatan Ugij. But this didn’t halt the special
tests and in the morning came SP14, ‘Time Trial’ where each of the
team members had to ride a trials course through a stand of trees on
the banks of the Tamir River – the trick being each had to replicate
the time through the course of their teammates. So if the first rider
completed the course in 1:30 minutes his two team mates had to get as
close as possible to that.After the special test the GS riders took to
the road to reach their overnight bivouac.
Yet the time was used creatively, ostensibly with a visit to the
historic 16th century Erdene Zuu (Buddhist) Monastery, once home to as
many as 1500 monks. But as well the GS riders were experiencing modern
Mongolian culture as they dropped in on local stores and even a coffee
shop along the way, each being excellent opportunities to converse
with the local people. Failing that, the GS motorcycles are always a
good starting point for conversation and many times local motorcycle
riders (typically riding Chinese-made 125cc machines) would compare
mounts with the GS riders using the common language that is the
feeling and appreciation for the motorcycle. And while the GS riders
are protected by their BMW Motorrad Rallye suits it was interesting to
see the locals riding in traditional Mongolian dress of tall leather
boots, loose breeches and smock-type coats, topped with a broad-rimmed
felt hat.
In all the GS riders made the most of the relaxed time schedule;
having so thoroughly experienced the land, now they were taking the
time to connect with the culture. And in a final act of community the
entire GS Trophy contingent came together to ride the last kilometres
into the bivouac – quite a sight as the fleet of GSs plus the support
vehicles rode in convoy.
Once the teams were in camp the competition started again with an
archery contest (archery being a traditional Mongolian pastime). Here
the Indian team impressed when one of their guys scored two impressive
on-target shots – only on the wrong target! And still they finished
third… A great challenge that was both competitive and entertaining.
In all, a great day. The loss of today’s planned course could have
been a disappointment, but instead the riders capitalised on the free
time to enjoy their GS community and together discover new depths to
this unique wonderful country.
Quotes:
David Vaughan, Team USA: This whole experience has been excellent,
and now we’ve got to mountain country which I like a little bit better
than the desert. I’m from Florida, I should love the sand but actually
there are a lot of trees at home, not just palm trees, so yes, after
the grey and earth tones of the desert where there seemed to be no end
to the earth, the greens of the mountains came as a sight for sore
eyes. And the temperatures have come down, we’re not dying under the
sun anymore! And what an experience, I’m still very surprised I’m here
right now, I’m literally the other side of the world from my home, my
wife is 12 hours away in terms of time zone. Never in a million years
could I picture myself in Mongolia, ever. It’s an excellent experience
to be here and for BMW Motorrad to put on an event like this, that
they can make this happen with this many people, logistically is
absolutely amazing.
Ezelda van Jaarsveld, Team Eurafrica: I’m definitely enjoying this
day, which is a bit odd as we’re riding on tarseal! But I’m noticing
the small children who hear us coming and run to the road and wave to
us and of course we’re waving back – it’s awesome to see the
excitement on the faces of the little ones. And other children you’ll
see herding the flocks of sheep or goats, some on horseback some on
bikes – that’s new to me. I’ve enjoyed every day; not just the ride,
the culture, but also the community within the GS Trophy, meeting the
guys and chatting with them, even where the language barrier is
difficult, it’s quite amazing. For me this is the top of the list of
my life experiences, by far, its one of those things where you might
say, ‘I wish I could have done that’ and so for me it’s a dream come true.
Daniel Hoyos Arango, Team Latin America: Our GS Trophy has been a lot
of fun, we’re so happy to be here and we’re doing great, coming in to
today we were second in the competition, but we’re having a lot of
fun. And the bikes, the people – everything is beautiful! We knew we
could make a good presentation in the competition but we’re very happy
to be doing so well, it’s like a dream to us. And it´s been wonderful
to come together as a team, we are from two different countries, from
Guatemala and Colombia – and even the two guys from Colombia come from
different cities – so for us to train together was impossible, so
we’ve been doing our best, we’re delighted. And Mongolia is for us
beautiful landscapes, beautiful people, a country made for the ride.
BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy Central Asia 2018.
Day 6 overall standings:
1 South Africa 259
2 USA 194
3 Mexico 162
4 Latin America 154
5 France 149
6 UK 147
7 Korea 142
7 Russia 142
9 Germany 134
10 Argentina 117
11 Ausamerica (female team) 110
12 Australia 106
13 Canada 105
13 Southeast Asia 105
15 Japan 90
16 Eurafrica (female team) 84
17 China 79
18 India 78
Find all information about the BMW Motorrad International GS Trophy
2018 Central Asia at the dedicated website www.gstrophy.com.
Find press material on BMW motorcycle, Original BMW Motorrad
accessories and BMW Motorrad rider equipment in the BMW Group
PressClub at www.press.bmwgroup.com.
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