Knysna local realises Dakar dream
Fifteen days to cross 9 000km of deserts, mountains and impassable terrain – sounds almost Biblical, right? But that is exactly what a Knysna local has done, and finished the 40th Dakar Rally.
The 2018 Dakar Rally drew hundreds of participants on motorbikes and quads, in trucks and cars, taking on the expanses of South America, and it was rightly so named “Untameable” by organisers. When taking into consideration that close to 60% of participants did not finish, one can imagine it must have been incredibly difficult.
This also provides insight into what an achievement it is to be able to finish such a race.
The race was held from 6 to 20 January between Peru, Bolivia and Argentina. As most readers will know by now, a South African by the name Giniel de Villiers ended the rally in third place in the car category overall, truly an amazing feat.
What readers may not know, though, is that Knysna’s very own Gerry van der Byl of Thesen Island finished 85th in the motorbike category on his KTM 450 Rally. “In total, about 139 motorbikes started the rally, but at the end only 85 finished, so I was last. I took some serious penalties,” says Van der Byl.
Describing the race as “quite something”, Van der Byl reminisces how he and his riding mates used to watch it on television and talked about “how awesome it would be to take part” in the Dakar – that was two decades ago, he says. But let’s fast forward a bit, from 20 to two years ago.
Van der Byl says that is when he really started working on fulfilling his dream. “Once I decided I was going to do the Dakar, I was preparing every minute of the day. I ate, slept and trained only for the Dakar. Being home is unbelievably refreshing – knowing I have to do nothing is quite a feeling,” he says.
Fulfilling a dream
After so many years of dreaming, all the hard work, and falling ill a month before he had to leave for the race, the first, and most poignant, question for Van der Byl from this journalist – who has always dreamt of the day he could pick the brain of a Dakar competitor – was, how does it feel to finally achieve his goal? “A bit weird,” is his first response. He elaborates: “Walking up to the security gates at the event, they let you in, no questions asked, and then you see this horde of spectators waiting and watching… It was mad! I realised I was not just a spectator, but that I was part of it. People ask you for autographs and to pose for photos – it was amazing,” says Van der Byl.
“I will never be able to match the feeling I got and the emotional gain I got from taking part in the Dakar. Even if I did it again and won, I don’t think it would come close to the feeling I have now. When I crossed the finish line on the last day I just collapsed. It was such a big moment,” he adds.
Again, Van der Byl says what truly amazed him was the 1.2-million spectators at the starting line and the almost 40km stretch of road lined with enthusiasts when he left the starting line in Bolivia.
If space allowed, this journalist would write a day-by-day account of Van der Byl’s journey, so the highlights of his journey would have to suffice.
What stood out for him – good and bad?
Good days
“Day 6, which followed a crazy day 5, was one of the best days of riding in my life. The first 450km were quite boring – it was the liaison part of the race which takes you from one stage to the next, so no racing involved. But the 190km section, the competitive part called the special, was breathtaking. We crossed over a mountain in Bolivia at an altitude of 4 700m. “It’s like you’re on top of the world riding along at speed on these little dirt trails. The scenery was unbelievable, some snow-capped peaks around me, and the conditions just suited my riding style perfectly,” says Van der Byl. He also rates the team he was part of, BAS Dakar, as one of the good parts he will remember.
“The team was amazing. We were a team of five riders, three from the Netherlands and two of us from South Africa. The truck we used for transport and equipment was fantastic, and my mechanic was an amazing guy. I didn’t experience one single glitch on my bike during the entire 15 days.”
Bad days
The bad days were those that caused Van der Byl to collect the most penalties which, he says, put him in 85th position at the end of the journey.
“You want to start as high up as possible in the rankings each day to avoid dust from competitors. The bigger vehicles alter the course, so you don’t want them getting past you either as it could compromise your time. It is also then when you collect penalties,” he says.
On the first day, Van der Byl recalls, he was supposed to finish the special part of the day in about 20 minutes. It ended up taking him 40 minutes to complete as he missed a waypoint. “Each waypoint you miss costs a different amount of time when it comes to penalties. I thought I had worked my penalty out correctly, but when I got to the race officials I found out it cost me two hours. They got me on a technicality and I had to start at the back of the pack. So, exactly what I wanted to avoid is what happened and on Day 2 – all the cars passed me,” he says. Day 4 was the day Van der Byl says he had to face all his inner demons. He had been climbing up the ranks until that point but then got stuck in a hole for three hours. “It was horrific and incredibly difficult. The struggle made me realise that I could not give up, though. I told myself I could live with the pain and exhaustion, but I couldn’t live with quitting and walking away. I knew I had to finish.”
At 20:30 that night, Van der Byl would finally finish the stage. Day 5 was the test of the resolve he had made the previous day.
“On that day a teammate and I got lost for hours, we ran out of petrol and ended up not sleeping or eating properly at all before the next day. I went 36 hours straight on the bike that day,” he says. It was days like these that made it difficult to take in all the beauty around him, as he had to focus all the time. “When I was able to take it in though, it was fantastic. Spectacular!”
Back home and safe
Van der Byl’s wife Gina says the time he was gone was “hectically stressful”.
“I just wished he would cross the finish line. I spent most nights wondering how he was. My kids were the ones who kept me sane, I think,” she says. “But Gerry surprised me every day. I knew he was struggling but he kept going. It was such a relief knowing he crossed that finish line. Really incredible,” she adds.
What’s next for this intrepid adventurer?
“I can’t even answer that question at the moment. Initially it was just a dream, but now I’ve done it. My brain is a blank canvas at the moment and I am enjoying it. It’s too soon to think of another Dakar. For now I’m an average guy who enjoys riding his bike.”