The ocean rose like a mirage on the horizon. The cold, salty breeze from the Atlantic washed away the dust of the dunes, a welcome reprieve after the unforgiving heat. Here, where the vastness of the Namib Desert meets the endless stretch of ocean, it felt as though we had arrived in a new world—one where sand and sea dance together in perfect contrast, a place where the desert surrenders to the deep blues of the coast.
The riders awoke to a mild morning, but the tranquility wouldn’t last. The day ahead promised both adventure and challenges as they prepared to leave camp.
Shortly after setting off, the route guided them around the rugged beauty of Kleine Spitzkoppe, the smaller sibling of the iconic Spitzkoppe formation. By now, the riders had become familiar with Namibia’s ever-changing landscape. If there were one word to describe the terrain, it would be “unpredictable” — a land where every twist and turn offered a new challenge.
After skirting the edges of Kleine Spitzkoppe, through the sweeping expanse of the national park, the riders arrived at the site of their first special challenge of the day. The warm-up was over, and the real test was about to begin.
The riders awoke to a mild morning, but the tranquility wouldn’t last. The day ahead promised both adventure and challenges as they prepared to leave camp.
Shortly after setting off, the route guided them around the rugged beauty of Kleine Spitzkoppe, the smaller sibling of the iconic Spitzkoppe formation. By now, the riders had become familiar with Namibia’s ever-changing landscape. If there were one word to describe the terrain, it would be “unpredictable” — a land where every twist and turn offered a new challenge.
After skirting the edges of Kleine Spitzkoppe, through the sweeping expanse of the national park, the riders arrived at the site of their first special challenge of the day. The warm-up was over, and the real test was about to begin.
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MotorTranscript
00:00So now, the competitors have been at their camp at Spitzkappe for two days, and on day
00:13four, they're waking up to a ride down towards the coast, where temperatures are going to
00:16drop, scenery's going to change, they're going to be treated to an amazing day on the bikes
00:19with two special stages.
00:21We're expecting 224 kilometers today, with 220 of it being off-road.
00:26We're going to make our way through a tight-slot canyon, lined with spectacular rock cliffs,
00:31to our destination in Swakopmund.
00:43The teams have arrived at the first special stage, the Advantic Pull Challenge.
00:47It's a towing exercise.
00:49One team member must tow the second team member and their motorcycle with a dead engine, through
00:54the sand wash, and to the finish line.
00:56Not only is this a towing exercise, it's also a hypothetical fueling exercise.
01:00The teams need to tow the bike from the start, through the sand, to the finish, where an
01:04empty jerry can is waiting.
01:06And the clock doesn't stop until the entire team and the bikes have arrived in the finish block.
01:25So we ride around the corner, and then all of a sudden, whoa!
01:30These incredible rock cliffs.
01:33Amazing.
01:34And then the track takes us deep into the middle of them, through this narrow slot canyon.
01:39And it's just spectacular.
01:42This is the Kahn River, and here, the competitors will face 65 kilometers of deep sand, rocks,
01:48challenging riding, amazing scenery, and at the end of which, they'll face the second
01:52special stage of the day.
02:11The teams have arrived at the second special stage, the Roy Tafel Trial.
02:15It's a tight, technical trials course, nestled within this breathtaking scenery.
02:21As you can see behind me, the competitors have a very narrow course to navigate with
02:25a series of tight corners and obstacles.
02:27They'll lose points for dabbing, they'll lose points for crossing the border, and they'll
02:31of course lose points for dropping the bike.
02:33And the clock doesn't stop until each rider has individually completed this course and
02:37stopped in the finish box.
02:44Only baboons in the world have been fans of the Baboon Trials since before Observe Trials
02:49was invented.
02:50In fact, earlier we were discussing the original Star Trek inhabitants of this valley.
02:54This is the Kahn River, as you know, and Kahn River was named for the antagonist from the
02:59Star Trek films.
03:01Originally, it was actually the only place that Captain Cook was not able to obtain from
03:06the Klingon Empire, and he eventually did for Star Wars.
03:10I think I got that incorrect, actually.
03:12The two different series, two different science fiction series.
03:15But we will correct that.
03:16Back to the baboons and the trials event.
03:19This is Africa, and I'm wearing four layers.
03:30I am as well.
03:32Welcome to Swakopmund.
03:34Now let's go from layers to leaders.
03:36Let's go check out the results.
03:38And now we come to the female riders.
03:41And leading now, Team France.
03:43Male riders, Team Germany.