We had absolutely reach the border after
Nefta before midnight in order to stay clear and
already in Algeria to El Ued, departure of the
first special edition of PARIS-DAKAR!
The Algerian customs official, without notice
absolutely shocked our faces, (the temperature
had dropped significantly, and the color green,
I remember dell'Habib, had now degenerated into
a clear blue spots) stamp passports at 23.40.
We had done 580 km of Tunisia in less than 6
hours, and at night. And not all things had gone
wrong, we were already in Algeria, and two steps
from our heroes.
Mounted tendon, sleep was not a big problem.
Arriving at El Ued the scene was apocalyptic. In
the middle of the desert, in an impressive sea
of dunes, hundreds of cars and trucks by warm
colors, teeming in every direction, testing
engines and tires before you leave. Turning our
eyes, all around, even on the highest dune and
farther yet you could see every type of vehicle,
and advertising.
The largest multinational tobacco, liquor and
Hi-Fi were there, colorful, to display the se ',
in the middle of the desert.
And then the cameras and the press, and
helicopters.
And the curious, and us. Within two hours all
this is gone, is left alone in the desert.
The bike had lots soon, and we could see only
the departure of the car, five at a time,
online. Black Bugge Auriol splash of sand in the
street like a rocket, leaving almost the pile of
Vatanen Peugeot.
At the first curve after a straightaway now
devastated a couple of km. , he get a hundred
meters ahead. We never imagined that it would
not have even reached the end of that stage,
which was immediately clear, was tremendous; in
the desert, in front of 300 km. dunes of fine
sand.
Sabine was to reduce his knights.
It was the same sand, the dunes themselves
that two months before I was trapped, like other
60 competitors, with the bike until planted tank
in the second stage of the cursed Djerba 500th
Almost parallel to this, only about fifty km.
further east. In the evening we arrived at the
bivouac in 14th The organizers and the army
found in the following days more than 20
competitors still live scattered, but for the
last three there was nothing left to do. It was
the last rally organized without the "balises"
mandatory.
After Assi-Messaoud and Bordj Omar Driss, the
caravan of our heroes would have stopped and
pointed to Tamanrasset. And there, beneath the
black mountains dell'Assekrem we decided to meet
our pets, or at least the survivors of the
savage stage, the riders that we missed the
departure.
Who could see a Michelin map 953, will have
noticed that the road that leads to Ouargla El
Golea, makes almost a right angle to the west to
reach Gardaia, before falling back towards the
south. But traced a trail that connects directly
with Ouargla El Golea, however with "tracks
interdit". We do not have any desire to do even
dell'asfalto decided to try it, but after an
hour of attempts looking good in all directions,
none of that track record. At this point was not
to go back and find and follow the asphalt.
But no.
Now, in your opinion, what is rationality?
And the spirit of adventure?
And how can one be influenced the other?
And how many other conflicts can erupt in the
mind of a seemingly healthy individual faced
with a situation like this?
At last; in front of us the high desert
ended, and until the horizon was a succession of
gullies and crevices very steep, at the limit of
viability, we stopped the bikes, made the cap
pointing the horizon with the compass, and we
put decided in the hot broth of red sand and
stones, leading up trialisti with two backpacks
and shoulder in front, about 400 km., El Golea!
The rocky gullies ended almost immediately,
to give way to endless chains of dunes soft, and
with our backpacks and everything else was
unwise to cross, it was necessary duplicating
around the cap each time.
Graziano Lenzi with his TT was an able and
experienced riders, but it was the first time
"trying" to Africa and with him, compass, not
even talk about it. Guided very carefully
throughout the day without seeing any sign of
life in a lunar landscape and the evening to be
convinced to less than one hour dall'oasi
continued, using the first big star visible as a
point of reference, and duplicating the cap
every half hour.
When it became completely dark for a long,
sometimes almost by chance, I found to be alone.
Graziano was no longer there.
And with that traces the dark, not even thinking
about it.
How long had you stopped? 10 minutes? 20 km. and
in what direction? and if he could leave, in
which direction he would go, without compass,
without any reference point?
The situation appeared to me in a moment in all
its drama.
Reached the highest dune, I started to turn the
beacon of my Honda R in all directions in hope
of being seen, and felt the anguish that I was
taking.
And suddenly wonder why I had done, because I
had continued for the asphalt, so I went to put
in that mess.
After quarter of an hour that lasted at least 6
months, the horizon, the distant lighthouse of
the Yamaha appeared and then disappeared dim,
arrancar of the dunes and in the dark in a
different direction.
Montano suffered tendon, deciding to continue
the next day.
The unit of TT and had major problems with this
issue, among others, (if we were not able to
repair it was better to leave the desert and go
into two of my motorcycle, trailer or groped?
And in both cases, the My 600R has resisted the
effort?) ... in a ghostly silence and screaming
to 5 degrees below zero tried, this time less
likely to fall asleep.
What leads a person apparently healthy without
any major problems in life with a family
situation calm enough, to hunt in a similar
situation?
dannatissimo the spirit of adventure?
The imagination and thought driving fast.
The great navigators, Columbus, over the water
and food, in the middle of the ocean, it could
not go back now, what proof? (We had not enough
fuel to return to the starting point).
But he in the end it was to look for the Indies,
commanded by the King of Spain ... ..
And Armstrong and Oldring, the first astronauts
landed on the moon, when they were there, lying
inside the lunar module that "would" have parts
from the moon (but had not ever done before, was
the first time, experience, and minimum
inconvenience, the smallest miscalculation could
compromise all) to join the orbiting shuttle to
colins (aggangiarsi and find it) and then
allocate to the Earth, which then landed in an
acceptable way ... but they, what they tried?
what can be more complex than a space shuttle
the power of a TT?
And the anxiety may be directly proportional to
the technological complexity and the distance?
Yes, indeed there was not easy to sleep and say
the truth, even find some answers.
The spreading morning, we see that the power of
motion of Graziano went haywire when warm, thus
taking a step of 40-50 km. interspersed forced
to stop during which we will replace the
electrical connection with another unit in
stock, she also proved to be deficient, attached
with tape to the American tank.
We reached the road, coveted miracle, which was
now evening, and with gasoline now over, and
when they say the fate, the distributor, just
done full, has broken the pedal is put into
motion my 600 R.
Only those who have one can see how the sand
without putting into motion, it is absolutely
impossible to turn it on. But we arrived just
all'asfalto and playing skillfully alzavalvola
of ignition was possible to push.
The appointment with the black tops
dell'Assekrem and the Dakar had now vanished and
reflections between incredible that they would
heavily, and perhaps positively influenced our
future adventures, we returned to Tunisia, also
in small steps, but this time by asphalt.
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