And suddenly I went down…

(English below)

Dit moes die een of ander tyd gebeur het. My groot val.

Ek was net voor vier by Mariental. Die plan was om die aand by ou vriende op hul plaas te oornag. Ons het afgespreek dat ek hulle moes bel, en hulle sou my by die teerpad kom haal.

Na al die groetery het ons gery. Die Namibiese grondpaaie is goeie paaie waarop mens redelik vinnig kan ry. Ek het die klein
videokameratjie aangesit om die vinnige ry op die grondpad af te neem.

Op een plek moes ons deur ‘n driffie gaan wat vol water is. Hennie het sy seun Ryno, wat my met die bakkie kom haal het, gemaan om vir my te waarsku dat die driffie glad is. Ryno het sy oupa aangepraat om dit vir die “oom” te sê. Oupa het vir kleinseun gesê die oom kan motorfiets ry want hy kom van ver.

So ry ek toe die driffie binne, en die volgende wat ek weet, is dat ek en die fiets plat is en oor die brug deur die water skuif. Dit was ‘n harde val.

Toe ek sopnat opstaan, lê die linkertas agtertoe in die water, afgeskeur. Die koppelaar hefboom het teen die handbeskermer vasgedruk, die spieël het skeef gestaan, en die een flikkerlig was 90 grade weggebuig.

Ek sou Vrydag verder gery het. Dis nou van die baan. Ons sal eers ‘n bietjie sweiswerk moet doen en ‘n paar dinge sal reggebuig moet word.

Ons het vanaand na die videoopname van die val gekyk. Alles gebeur so vinnig dat ‘n mens skaars kan volg wat gebeur. Dan word die water stil. Die KLR lê op sy sy. Die laatmiddagson skyn vredig op die water. Die enigste beweging is die water wat uit my sopnat Zakumi drup. Al die woestynstof is uit hom gewas.

English

It had to come some time or other. My big crash.

I arrived at Mariental at four this afternoon. The plan was that I would spend the night on the farm of old friends. I had to call them when I got to the turn off from the asphalt road, and they would come and fetch me there.

I called and within minutes they were there. Hennie reminded his son Ryno to warn me of a very slippery section across a low level bridge that was under water. Ryno asked his grandfather to tell me, and grandfather told his grandson that I could ride a bike as I came from far.

So we left for a fast ride to the farm. The gravel roads in Namibia are good and ideal for fast riding. Before we left I switched on the small video camera on the handle bar to record the ride over the gravel road to the farm.

Then we came to the bridge under water. I slowed down and rode into the water. The next second I was down and was sliding with the KLR through the water over the slippery surface.

When I managed to get out of under the bike I was totally wet. The one pannier was ripped off and was lying further back in the water. The clutch lever couldn’t move, the one mirror was bent, and the one flicker was bent 90 degrees away.

The plan was that I would continue my ride tomorrow, but now we first have to do some repairs on the KLR. The biggest problem is the pannier.

We watched the video clip this evening. Everything happened so fast one could only see the splash of water when I went down. Then the water surface became like a mirror, with the late afternoon sun reflecting the blue of the sky on the water. The only movement was the water dripping from my Zakumi. All the desert dirt had been washed off.