Looking To Dakar 2016

This will be my last entry on this website. The journey to the 2015 Dakar was a story in itself and a journey I will never forget. The Dakar was unlike anything I've ever encountered.

Of course I am bitterly disappointed to of gone out of the competition so early but I can take some solace knowing that my riding and fitness levels were up to scratch, I was gaining between 10-17 places daily, got back to the bivouac at a decent hour every day, met new friends, thoroughly enjoyed myself, had good press coverage, gained some 50 places after day 1, and raised a little for charity.

Here in though lies the problem - I would like to return and finish what I started.

A new site for Dakar 2016 is up and running, and this year I am going to need a little financial help to get me back South America. We hope to raise the rest of the money needed by continuing with our guided trail rides in the South West of England, and finding more sponsors.

Corky Dakar 2016

If you would like to be a sponsor please contact me at: chris@gotrailriding.co.uk

Thank you for everyones support so far.

The website: carryoncorky.blogspot.com

Thank You

The 2015 Dakar Rally is over and I would like to thank all those who supported me.

Gaz at Adventure Bike Warehouse for the Klim helmet - Amazing lid that kept me cool and was light and comfortable.

Torque Racing, John at Rally-Raid Products, and Memo Tours for the service at Dakar - Martin and John did a top of job of looking after the bike and Bennie and his truck was well organised and offered 1st class service.

All my Dakar team mates. Fantastic bunch of guys.

Donna and Martin at Torque Racing for the support, help with the bike build, rally knowledge, and sourcing parts.

Bennie at Memo Tours for the creation of the rear fuel tank system for my rally bike. The tank worked flawlessly.

Rally-Raid Products for the navigation gear and custom plates.

John for lending me money after I had lost my wallet in Argentina

Midwest Racing all their hard work setting up the suspension, their racing knowledge, and helping me out with the bike and spares package.

James West and all at Moto1 for the dune training in Dubai - James and Sam's tuition was fantastic and turned me from a very nervous sand rider into a competent one. I used to fear the dunes but thanks to their help I really was very comfortable in the sand at Dakar.

MD Restorations for the bash plate and the generous donation to Jacobs cause.

First Response for the much needed sponsorship money at the end of the year and their support.

Gündüz for the rally fairing and helping out with the nav tower.

Huge thanks to my good friend Andy Gayle for stripping his own race bike for me so I could have a spare engine. Amazing generosity.

Phil for the loan of the GPS mount and cap repeater.

Michael Guy and all at MCN for the Dakar coverage.

Melanie Jones for the write up in the Mail On Sunday.

John, Phil and Rich for taking me to the hospital when I broke my wrist last year, their support, and updating my Twitter feed while I was away.

The Children's Hospice South West for their amazing support.

Okehampton Cycles in Devon for helping me with my training.

Bugs and Tracy for joining me on my 1,000 mile cycle ride last year as part of my training.

Everyone at the ATRC for believing in me and getting me into the sport.

My family for putting up with this - The journey to Dakar puts incredible strain on family life - I love you all.

Mel's Mum and Dad for collecting me from the airport for 3 years and feeding me.

All my friends both at home and in the rally world.

And finally to all those who wrote, tweeted, supported, followed, bought t-shirts, and believed in me. Thank you so much

The Dakar is unfinished business and I will be trying to find the funds to return in 2016. Visit: www.gotrailriding.co.uk for more information.

Dakar Rally Continued

Day 5 continued 

Selçuk arrived back 1st but was out. The crash and night spent in the dunes had taken its toll on him. He was done. Herculean effort though. Koray got back after dark and Clayton is spending the night at CP3. His 3rd night sleeping away from the bivouac.

Day 6

Rest day and my last day at the Dakar. Clayton arrived around 2.00pm and said he had a great sleep away from the generators and noise of the  bivouac. Out of the 9 team riders that started, just 5 remain.

Day 7

I flew home as we only had 1 space available on the service vehicles and I was finding it hard to get sleep due to the bruising on my body. It was a long journey back to the UK and I felt extremely low. Found it hard not to get emotional - it was over and I have no idea how I can come back and finish what I started. The Dakar has a hold of me.

Dakar Rally

Dakar Rally

Day 1

1st special of the rally started on a man made course with many spectators. Starting in pairs I was surprised to be able to keep my position and all the fear and apprehension built up during the previous 3 or 4 days soon disappeared as I settled into a good rhythm on the fast fire track roads. All going well until in the later stages of the special I couldn't turn the handlebars to the right. Pulled off the course to find the Iritrak had broken free from its bracket and lodged itself between the forks and the fairing mount. Whilst fixing the problem with zip ties and gentle persuasion the other riders nipped past and I was left near the back of the field battling with the dust from the later riders. I decided against risky overtaking manoeuvres and so the next day I would be starting some 40 places down. Not a good place to be.

Day 2

In the morning battled with the quads on the tight turning course. Very dusty and nearly impossible to overtake. A bike bravely overtook me but later ended up missing the corner in the dust and disappeared off the course. The quads stopped to help and that allowed me to push on with a clear track. Lots of supporters on the course cheering the riders on and then we entered soft, sandy, rutted pistes. Suddenly I heard the sentinel for the 1st time. It was Carl, he'd had an off and couldn't start the bike. I offered a jump start but it was of no help. Remembering everyone's advise to push on if there is no serious injury, I was relieved to see a group of supporters round the corner. They enthusiastically went to see Carl and I didn't feel so bad about leaving him. At the fuel stop I was very happy to find out that I had caught up with many bikes and even happier to see Carl arrive 5 minutes later. When I asked how he got the bike going, he told me that he had forgotten to flip the kill switch. The bike was on the rev limiter for the next 20k. I could see clouds of dust and I was catching up with the next rider. Once a safe overtaking manoeuvre was made Carl whipped past me on the LC4-50. My bike could not match the pace and Carl disappeared into the distance. My nav tower at this point was starting to work itself loose. I stopped to make sure it would survive the rest of the day. It got worse but never gave me any real hassle. Back into the fesh fesh tracks I heard the sentinel for the second time, it was a car. The 3rd or 4th time I heard the siren it was because a rider had been hit by a car. Carl was there on the scene and there was nothing I could do so carried on for the day. Lots of cars came past, and there were a lot of riders crashing and generally looking tired. It was over 40 degrees and I was feeling good and riding relaxed. At CP3 more sentinel activity. The stage had been cancelled due to too many riders getting dehydrated. It was too hot. A long liaison home in the heat was horrible. We stopped many times for water. On arrival at the bivouac I was swarmed with spectators. It was hard to move without fear of hurting someone. The support in South America is overwhelming. Later that I night I learnt that The 1st of our team was out of the rally Ralph had broken his finger and was dehydrated from crashing in the fesh fesh.

Day 3

Day started with a long liaison section and I unfortunately passed a rider lying motionless by the side of the road. A car was further down the road and the rider was surrounded by police. Nothing I could do so continued to the start of the special. It contained 100k of dry river bed, fast tracks of zero visibility with hidden rocks, a complicated navigation/riding section riding in and out of gullies/river beds, and then 20k of soft sand/fesh fesh. The Husky's bash plate/water tanks broke off causing the bike to trip up over itself in the river bed, and Clayton had a nasty crash in the fast section. Met Carl and Mikael later on. Carl's bike kept blowing the fuel pump fuse. Mikael towed him for as long as possible without being timed out himself. Carl unfortunately could not find the fault, even though he changed the fuel pump, and was eventually timed out. 2 riders out in 2 days was upsetting. I got in on good time and felt very good. Later we were told the sad news that a fellow rider had died in an accident earlier on in the special. The mood around the camp was pretty emotional. It had been a distressing day.

Day 4

Up at 3.00am, said goodbye to Carl and Ralph in the morning, tried to forget about the incidents of yesterday, and settled down to a long 600k liaison over the mountains. Many had some effects from the altitude but luckily not me. The bike however was down on power due to the lack of oxygen and it was tough passing the service vehicles in the dusty, cold conditions. Fair to say we were a little tired before the start of the special, and what a special it was. The heat was back and the special started with twisty, rocky, tight tracks, and moved into the faster stuff broken up by slippery hill climbs and river bed crossings. Then there was miles of fast, rocky tracks that had me crash a few times. The usual zero visibility and random big stones/rocks hit the bike hard. Had to go fast as the cars were on their way. The anticipation of the sound of the sentinel was unbearable. The cars came past soon enough, but they all graciously passed giving loads of warning and space and by the end of the section I was no longer bothered by their presence. By the time the dunes arrived the bikes nav tower was all bent up, fairing cracked and it had to be taped down to avoid it hitting the handlebars. Loved the dunes. Total chaos with trucks, cars and bikes struggling to get over the 1st set. Much slingshotting was needed to find the speed to get out and over the bigger dunes. 3rd gear, 2nd, and finally 1st on the climbs as the bike struggled to find the power needed to reach the dunes summits. Steep drops the other side, quick on the power, and quick route planning was needed to make the next. Stopping or being stuck was not an option. It was too hot and there was too much traffic. I was in riding heaven, staying smooth, and thoroughly enjoying myself. The sand was soft and rutted and was great fun (thank you James West for you're teachings). 60k of dunes/sand done and I was confronted with a large bowl of sand and quickly noticed others getting stuck. I decided to ride around the bowl and into a hard packed rocky section and fire myself back into the climb on the other side. All went well but as I dropped out of the rocks I was stopped dead by something hidden beneath the sand. It was all rather quick, but I knew instantly that I had broken something. As I fell to the ground in disbelief that my Dakar was over I was surrounded by spectators and Mikael Berglund (who I was riding with most of the day). A splint was made and ice wrapped round my arm/hand. It was hard to make the call to the emergency services as I was surrounded by the noise of the cars, trucks, and bikes going in all directions trying to make it out of the bowl. The helicopter came and my race was done. Back at the bivouac An X-ray confirmed the broken arm (radius). Mikael came in at a good time but we were missing 2 team riders and our good friend Clayton at Nomad Racing. We watched the lights coming out of the dunes late into the night but they did not arrive. The 3 riders had spent the night in the dunes. Also heard Sunderland was out.

Day 5

Back and ribs hurting. Very rough night. The 3 lost riders arrived back in the morning. The 2 Turkish riders looked terrible and their bikes even worse. Selçuk's helmet was all smashed up. They had all had a rough time. We pinched bits of my bike to fix theirs, found a new helmet, fed/watered them and off they went. I have no idea if they will make it today. If they do it will be a late one battling with the cars and trucks. 

Dakar Rally is nearly here

Only days to go now before I start my journey to South America and I was very happy to receive my race jacket and a have a new sponsor this week.

My Jacket arrived just a few days ago and I'm very proud to be displaying my support for Children's Hospice South West. Please help make the most of short and precious lives by giving a donation via my Virgin Giving page here.

Many thanks to first-response.co.uk for becoming my latest sponsor in my Dakar challenge. I have spoken with John (a rider himself) at First Response many times and I'm really excited to have them supporting me.

Many thanks to everyones support so far whether in sponsorship, supporting the charity, words of wisdom, or well wishes. Please, please continue to do so as more than ever I will need you're words of encouragement during the rally. I'm a very average rider, certainly not naturally athletic, & not on a purpose built factory machine. I am stubborn though, I will give it my all, and you're messges could just give me that extra push needed to complete this mammoth challenge. You can send messages and follow my progress during the race at twitter.com/carryoncorky. There will be a daily photo update from the official Dakar photographer, and I will try and update when possible. You can also follow the Torque Racing Team and the LC4-50 project via Jenny Morgan on ADV Rider.

Would also like to mention that we have many riders with the Desert Rose Racing team in the Africa Eco Race starting on the 30th of December. I wish them all a safe and enjoyable rally. Both rallies will be shown on Eurosport.

Thanks again everyone, Corky

Bike finished and on its way to Le Havre

After many long days/nights and a lot of help from others the bike is done and ready for its journey to South America today. Big thanks to Mark at MD Restorations for the brilliant custom bash plate, John at Rally Raid Products for the custom navigation plates, Midwest Racing for the suspension & support, and Torque Racing for fitting the tanks, nav tower, & generally doing what they do.

Merzouga Rally

Merzouga Rally - Another great rally but my run of bad fortune continues.

Arrived the day before and got in some dune training and all felt good. A cautious start due to the recent damaged wrist but was up to full speed in no time.

The next morning was the technical checks and a quick navigation training exercise. There was a lot to take in with the new GPS system but that was the reason for being here. All waypoints hit and I was looking forward to the race.

Took the prologue steady as Edo warned me of broken dunes, and then went riding with fellow Dakar competitor Koray. We took time to watch the shoot-out from the top of a dune for the top ten riders.

Day 1 - All going well in the special until 20k from the end 'the bike ran out of fuel'. There was fuel in the rear tank but it didn't want to take part in the rally! I watched as all the riders I'd passed during the day rode past me to the final check point. A Marshall turned up and we got the bike going again, but I was pretty disheartened. Finished the day early so went for a play in the dunes and did some filming with Keith on his 450RR.

Day 2 - Went well again with some great dune riding but once again the same fuel problem caused me to push the bike uphill to CP2. The navigation was spot on and you really had to have you're wits about you to hit all the way points.

Day 3 - The throttle action was relaxed to gain the distance needed to finish the day with no issues. Any chance of a top finish was long gone so decided to put my efforts into getting the navigation dialled in for Dakar. A comfortable 12th place was achieved with no dramas.

Day 4 - I had been up all night with diarrhoea. Thought nothing of it (been here before) and was the 1st of the team to CP2. Nausea and tiredness finally took its toll on my day and the journey to CP3 was painfully slow. Being unwell caused a crash, dehydration, and during the last 8k dune section I had to constantly take rests watching everyone ride past and into the distance. Again pretty gutted, but hit all way points.

This was the end of my race as I then spent the rest of my time in Morocco suffering from fever like symptoms. Big thanks to Martin at Torque Racing for getting me doctors, prescriptions, water, and finally getting me home.

The Merzouga Rally gave me a good taste of the navigation systems used in Dakar and I'm confident with my riding abilities. The heat still causes me concern so I've got an appointment with a sports nutritionalist in the UK to see if a change in diet may help. The Merzouga Rally is a great event with tricky navigation and beautiful desert riding. I hope I can return for another go in the future.

Back In The Saddle

After 6 weeks of being out of action I managed an hour of off-road riding on the 950 today. The wrist hasn't got all the movement I would like and its a little weak but I'm confident that all will be OK for the Merzouga Rally next month. Cant wait to get back into the dunes again.

Bad timing!

Had a crash on the new Husqvarna 2 weeks ago in training. X-ray's today confirmed that I will be out of action for at least 6 weeks. This isn't great timing as I have the Merzouga Rally coming up, and will miss out on a load of riding training.

I'm staying optimistic but I am also feeling this year is jinked! The Merzouga Rally is a great event and perfect training for navigation and the sand. I hope I can still get to the starting line. My training will continue with running, yoga, and gym work.

John O' Groats To Lands End

As part of my training for the Dakar I cycled from end to end in the UK. We started at John O' Groats, Scotland and finished some 960 miles later in Lands End, Cornwall.

This was my 3rd End To End ride and I'm pretty sure I won't be doing it a 4th time. Scotland was as I remembered it - Very beautiful and friendly. Devon was also as I remember it - very hilly!

We had mixed fortunes with the weather. We had a hurricane named Bertha hit the UK during our ride which was pretty wet and cold, a handful of heavy rain, and unfortunately a strong headwind for a lot of the journey.

The ride was good training with 2 weeks in the saddle causing various aches and pains. The majority of the nights were spent in youth hostels and campsites.

Many thanks to Bugs for accompying me with the cycling and to Tracey who did a fantastic job looking after us. More photos can be found here

Entry confirmed for Dakar 2015

I received this morning the official letter from A.S.O. confirming my registration for the 2015 Dakar Rally. I got a call from my girlfriend explaining that there was a letter from France, and emailed me the contents whilst I was surrounded by sheep in Wales with a broken bike (fuel injector again!). It's been a strange old journey with many highs and lows but the real adventure is yet to begin. I have made many good friends in the last 3 years, run nearly 1,000 miles during training, taken part in 8 international rallies, and broken many bikes! I'm obviously delighted but also rightfully apprehensive. Thanks for everyone's continuing support.

2015 Husqvarna revealed

For 2015 I will be riding a Husqvarna FE450 with the support of Midwest Racing here in the UK.

Midwest Racing have a great racing heritage previously running the Husaberg and now Husqvarna UK race team. I'm very happy to have their support for 2015.

Welsh 2 Day Enduro

Love this famous 2 day event in Wales. Tough but so much fun. Great atmosphere, always meet new friends, and the riding is awesome.

Did the event on my Husaberg 450 which was still in rally trim with the extra fuel tank, and navigation gear. Not the ideal bike for the event but it did the job and I thouroghly enjoyed it. The bike certainly gained some attention with the spectators, marshals, and other riders.

1st day was dry and only lost a couple of minutes helping out a team mate with a sprocket/chain issue. The rain came in that night and totally changed the riding for the next day. Everything was slippery and greasy with mud a plenty. Lost count of the offs in the mud but great fun. Lost a lot of time though in the morning changing/checking the oil filters. Not something you'd usually do in this event, but a mechanical problem in the previous rally meant the bike needed some mechanical sympathy this time round.

Definitely be back next year. Big thanks to the organisers, marshals, and spectators. Just a great event.

More pictures can be found here

John O' Groats To Lands End Map & Itinerary

I'm cycling from John O' Groats to Lands End in August as part of my training for the 2015 Dakar. Here is the itinerary and route map. 

03/08/14. John O' Groats - Tongue
04/08/14. Tongue - Dingwall
05/08/14. Dingwall - Fort William
06/08/14. Fort William - Inveraray
07/08/14. Inveraray - Kilmarnock
08/08/14. Kilmarnock - Annan
09/08/14. Annan - Kendal
10/08/14. Kendal - Warrington
11/08/14. Warrington - Shrewsbury
12/08/14. Shrewsbury - Hereford
13/08/14. Hereford - Clevedon
14/08/14. Clevedon -Cullompton
15/08/14. Cullompton - Liskeard
16/08/14. Liskeard - Lands End

Click on "View Larger Map" below to view the John O'Groats To Lands End Route.



View Larger Map

A Bit Gutted

Now back in the UK and feeling pretty low. Although I've been in training for two and a half year, the last 6 months was a program aimed at taking part in an FIM world championship rally and getting a good result. Being the final race in a series of four, and riding the perfect bike I could really push.

The Hellas before was perfect training with similar navigation (just ICO and road book), tough terrain, more days riding, and on a heavier bike. With three weeks to get ready I was really looking forward to the Sardegna Rally. Another finish was needed to help raise money for the local hospice via sponsorship. Getting a DNF is going to make life a little harder.

Well done to Bruno, Xavier, Alex, and Steph on completing the event. Commiserations to Clayton who went out on day 4 with a problem with his hand, and to Robert who at the age of 60 showed us what true determination, stamina, and sheer bloody mindlessness is all about. He sadly had a mechanical problem 50k into the liaison on the last day.

Straight back into the training this morning with a 10k run. Hopefully I can fix a bike and get out over the weekend. I have some energy to expel! Thanks for everyone's kind worlds and help over the last 6 months. It's much appreciated.

Time To Reflect

4 rallies in 4 months with the last event being an FIM world championship event - sounds simple enough right! The reality is far from easy as I was to find out.
Trying to juggle normal life with rallying is at best challenging and always frustrating. On a budget you have to ride what you have, do your own bike builds, maintenance, and basically beg, borrow, and steal to get to the next event. It's a time when you find out who you're real friends are as they give you their time knowing you can not return the favour. Every evening is spent in the garage working on the bike or on the computer trying to organise flights, transfers, race insurance, fill in registration forms, source parts/spares, etc, etc.
After a rally you're bike and gear arrives quite sometime after you've arrived home and it leaves again well before you fly out leaving little time to do what's needed. You're riding gear needs washing, you're rally box needs replenishing (everything in there will be covered in sand), the bike washed (1 day wasted there), air filters cleaned/re-oiled, tyres/mousses changed, bike maintenance done, camping gear aired, and then the bike altered/modified to suit the needs of the next event. This includes fuel capacity alterations, changes in navigation equipment, wiring, full fairing or rally lite kit, alterations to personal safety/medical kit, etc, etc, etc.
Also during this time you need to physically recover and then get back into you're training regime as soon as possible. You have another race to attend after all! This is when the training done during the winter months comes into play. I'm not naturally athletic and have to put in the hours but it's a must. During a rally you hurt (that goes without saying) but after it's how quickly you can recover. For some riders it takes a long time, for the likes of Coma and co they only get 1 week off after the Dakar! I've also had to sort my FIM licence (nightmare organising the medical tests/total pleasure dealing with the ACU), write/print/send my Dakar presentation, build a web site, design race gear/merchandise, find sponsorship, constantly update the social media sites, etc, etc. All this means that time is not on you're side and it unfortunately becomes the norm to still be doing work on the bike 10 minutes before your start time. This then leeds to the inevitable mechanical failures during an event. People have said I've had a bad run of luck but realistically it's a failure on my part to find time. It's easy to say I could of done better if this and that didn't happen but it's rallying and very few riders have a problem free event. It's all part of the experience! In the Tuareg the clutch plates wore out, and there was a fuelling problem. In the Libya bad fuel caused injector failure, tank leaked, and the clutch lever did nothing. During the Hellas the motor was woefully lacking power, exhaust fell off, and the steering head bearing shot. Finally no working clutch again, and the motor died on me in the Sardegna Rally after only 2 specials and a prologue! I now have 4 months until my next rally so plenty of time......  or is there?
As for the Dakar - my registration is in and now I must wait. I genuinely don't know if I'll get in. There are deals with sponsors and a brand new bike waiting for me. I will be using tried and trusted rally parts making the bike light and strong but its all in limbo until I receive the reply from ASO. I'm happy with my riding, and have more days planned with James West in Dubai to improve my dune/sand riding. I need to be smoother and quicker. My biggest issue is the heat. In all 3 of the last rallies I have constantly found myself needing more water! Lastly, I have no problems with a week in the saddle but the 2nd needs work. I have now 6 months to correct this.

Sardegna Rally

A beautiful rally run by people with a true passion for the sport. Obviously this year was not meant to be for me. I went out on only the 1st day with a major mechanical failure. Luck hasn't been on my side this year, but trying to do a rally a month on a budget is complicated, time consuming, and I guess asking for trouble. Drilling holes in your bike 10 minutes before a prologue is never going to be good!

My rally started from the back of the pack as always. I like trying to work my way through the field - I just enjoy it! The clutch lever once again was ineffective after 10 kilometres in the 1st special and I had an off. It was only in the 2nd that I gained the confidence to ride smoothly without the clutch and consequently gained 9 places.

The riding was great with a mixture of fast fire tracks and technical rocky sections. The day included a wonderful tight section in the forest which included a great climb.

The road book was accurate but nether less you had to concentrate with the navigation. Temperatures were uncomfortably hot. Drinking often was a must and I was constantly running out of water. 45k into the last liaison the bike decided it had enough and stopped without any warning.

Many locals tried to help but eventually we had to throw in the towel and I was collected by the organisation (via a bar, some wonderful Italians, and some interesting methods of pushing a motorcycle with a car).

I spent the rest of the rally with the service team and although I enjoyed helping my team mates it was sometimes hard to hide my disappointment.
The service from Nomade Racing was fantastic and as always I made new friends and was reacquainted with old ones. A big thank you to Team Rally-Raid Products and especially Phill Gunn for getting my bike and gear to Sardinia and back.

It will once again be a rush to get the bike back to the UK and fix it for its next event. I now have 3 months to build my new bike (a 2015 Husky - but more about that later) and get ready for my last rally of 2014 which is the Merzouga. During this 4 month rest from rallying I will take part in the Welsh 2 Day, 24hr Dawn To Dusk, and cycle 1,000 miles from John O'Groats to Lands End. More importantly we are expecting our 2nd child in October so very exciting times ahead.

Click here for more Sardegna Rally pictures

Berg Ready For FIM Sardegna Rally

After some long days and nights in the garage the Husaberg is ready for its journey to Sardinia. Team Rally-Raid Products will be taking my bike, box, and kit to the start line of the FIM Sardegna Rally. I will fly out in 10 days time to take part in my last rally for this half of the year.

Hellas Rally 2014

I was never going to do well in this event, but used it as a lesson in fatigue and how to overcome it. Coming from the Libya Rally (via a few days spent with my son) I was ready for a tough time. Back to back rallying, doing my own bike maintenance, sleeping rough in the Bivouac, and riding a fully loaded rally bike pushed me to the limits of my physical abilities.

By the end of day 2 I was struggling and wishing for a smaller bike. The going was tough, technical, and contained long days in the saddle. Liaisons were sometimes long and sometimes off road. While not an enjoyable week I sure learnt a lot about myself.

The 1st pain was in my hands. I was unable to hold the bike, use the controls properly, and that muscular pain slowly started to travel through my body. When fatigue set in I basically rode like a novice, made silly navigational errors and kept crashing.

I really had to will myself on and dig deep to complete every day. I ended up 64th overall and was just happy to complete all the days and collect my finishers medal. The Dakar is 7 months away and the registration process starts next week. More immediately I have the Sardegna Rally to get ready for in just 3 weeks time! Busy busy then

More Hellas 2014 photos can be found here

Libya Rally

This is my biggest challenge to date. Long liaisons and specials. 2,400 kilometres of riding from Fez to Agadir.

Day 1 - Long day with typical Moroccan terrain. 4.00am start - 6.30pm finish. Had to change the Road book 2 times during the day - lots of navigation! Spent most of the day at a very gentle pace as I normally do on the 1st day. Started racing on the 2nd special mixing it up with many cars, some bikes, and the fastest truck I've ever encountered. Scary but thrilling! The only part on the bike that failed was the steering damper when the front wheel lodged itself in a washout at high speed trying to find a way passed a car.

Day 2 - Time to start racing. Very quick morning and passed many riders. Very exciting riding and all going to plan until I hit the dunes. After 5k the clutch fluid boiled over, the fuel was boiling over, and I was starring to feel sick. It was hot and my heart rate was going up and the breathing was getting shorter. I stopped to rest a moment but the heat was unbearable. Battled on for 24k but eventually the inevitable crash happened. Woke up with the bike on top of me on the downside of a dune, and desperately tried to get out from beneath the bike. I was riding alone and there was no way to warn others of my predicament. Got free and then passed out again! Some cars found me (amazingly they didn't flatten me) and phoned for help. They managed to get me conscious and remove my gear. I then threw up which is the 1st thing I remember - Nice! Breathing was a struggle and I just wanted to sleep again. Long story short I ended up in a helicopter. The medics got fluids in me intravenously. I had heard that many riders had suffered with the heat and didn't finish. A driver and rider were in hospital with various injuries. The mechanics fixed my bike after the sweeper truck picked it up, and I did my road books hoping that the next day I could ride.

Day 3 - Was allowed to ride but only on the condition I did not do the 1st 20k of dunes! I protested but to no avail. The doctor and the organisations decision was final! Thanked the medic, and headed out. 1st part of the day was the usual Moroccan tracks, where the only time you saw a rock was when you hit it! No working clutch again, tank leaking in 2 places, and the steering damper is merely an ornament! Today was supposed to be at a take it gentle day but after the 1st fuel stop there was some 70 kilometres of flat wide open terrain. Had to keep the wire tight! It was lovely. Arrived early but tired. I'm still struggling with the heat. Now have a long afternoon sorting out the bike issues. Just heard another of are team has crashed heavily and in hospital with concussion!

Day 4 - 250k of rocks, which included trials/enduro like sections. This was broken up by a good stint in the dunes around lunchtime. Navigating today was sometimes difficult. Many times I thought to myself "surely they don't want me to ride over that!" No working clutch again but I'm kinda getting used to it! No joke - it was that bumpy today, I lost a filling! The dunes were great and definitely my fav part of the day. A sand storm gained momentum after I completed the dunes and visibility was really poor. I hear they later shut the dune section down for safety. Finished in very good time today and I generally feel good. There have been a few crashes resulting in bruised ribs and a swollen ankle. It's now dark, the sand storm is still happening so well have to service our bikes first thing in the morning. Some vehicles spending the night in the dunes. 440k tomorrow. 340 of those is the special.

Day 5 - Day started with a sea of rocks to get through. After 50k of this I had no feeling in my hands. Fast bit next, then sandy pistes, then the dunes. After was pretty much flat out with some dry river beds thrown in to keep us awake! Finished in good time again. Bike needs some TLC. One rider has broken his wrist coming off the back of a dune. Finished 14th today and now placed 20th overall.

Had time to reflect on the 2nd day incident in the dunes. No working clutch didn't help but no excuse. Really stupid of me too push on like that. The heat was like standing in front of an open oven. Was so determined to get a good result and finish the last 6k! Lesson learnt!

Day 6 - Flying! Caught up very quickly with other riders only to have the bike start playing up and then finally break down just before CP2. Checked the usual things but guessing it's the fuel injector. Was at CP2 for 2 hours. A few riders bailed out at this point and headed back to base via tarmac. Meanwhile the rider (Alex) in 1st place in the rally crashed badly and was flown to hospital (broken shoulder and concussion). The organisation were trying to work out how they could get his bike safely out of a canyon. Long story short - I was back in the helicopter, dropped off next to the bike, and was asked to ride it back to base. There's a little more to the story but that will have to wait for another day! The ride back was 70k of technical and slow riding. Rocks, water, dry river beds, climbs, etc, and on someone else's bike. Got in around 7.00pm. My bike was collected by another service truck along with a quad that snapped its swing arm, and delivered back later in the evening. Position is 17th overall.

Day 7 - Got up early(ish) to replace the fuel injector. Bike working fine. Many riders has similar problems, so I'm guessing there was a bad batch of fuel yesterday morning from a local gas station. Started last on the grid and just went for it! Was around the 14th bike in. Lots of over taking, and perfect navigation. The bike stopped suddenly half way through the special - the rear fuel tank was blocked. A bit if time wasted sorting that out! The last 20k was flat out across a beach. Beautiful! Good way to end a rally. Lots of fun watching the trucks racing each other and drifting in the sand to the finish line. Finished 17th overall and got my best result on the last special of 10th.

Although not a great result I'm confident with my riding and navigation. Fitness wise I'd be happy to race another 7 days. I'm ashamed with the incident on day 2 in the dunes but lessons learnt. I have a mass of information from previous Dakar rides on how to combat the heat.

The Libya Rally was very professional, friendly, well organised, and I will definitely go again. The service team was Rally Maniacs and again they were very professional, massively knowledgeable, and great fun.

More photos can be found here