I’m still buzzing from the weekend!
Great company and great riding, and the weather wasn’t too bad either.
This year the format was a natural terrain scramble track on Saturday, and the proper ride on Sunday which consisted of two separate loops (47km & 26km). There was almost 200 riders in the parc ferme on Sunday, many of them first-timers at Harrow.
I haven’t missed a Harrow Vinduro yet, this year was my first on the DT400 I bought recently.
The usual mix of bikes was on hand. There seemed to be more sub 200cc trail and farm bikes than previous years – CT125, CT185, TS185, DT175, KE175, TF185, XT200, AG175, etc. Just shows you don’t need to spend a heap of money to get in on the fun.
You couldn’t miss Team Ag 1 & Team Ag 2, a group of young blokes riding five Yamaha AG175s, They even brought along a spare AG175 purely for parts! All the bikes were transported on an old Bedford flatbed truck, towing a caravan.
The Saturday scramble track was busy, and you could easily see who the fast guys were. I was not one of them. I did have some fun chasing GMC on the KE, er I mean BMW, for a couple of laps.
All riders set out on Loop 1 on Sunday morning. We passed through some slick riverside trails followed by a quick road leg and back into the farmland trails that are a unique feature of the Harrow Vinduro.
Out of the paddocks, a long trip down a straight gravel road provided an opportunity to open the Yamaha up. I was looking for cruise control when the course changed to deep sandy trails in bushland. The DT400 was fun through the deep sand, just use the torque to power through. There was tight single trail through the scrub too, which was a hoot even though I wasn’t on the most nimble of bikes.
The two log/pallet obstacles at the end of Loop 1 were a surprise and provided some entertainment for onlookers.
Loop 2 was located entirely in Lachie Turner’s property. I set off with a couple of mates for this one. There was plenty of slippery single trail winding in and around the river with logs and deep sand thrown in. Sweeping corners and open sections in the paddocks where I dropped the DT while trying to show off to a mate with a camera. There were some gullies, rocky outcrops, hills, kangaroos, farm tracks and more, followed by a blast back into town.
We decided we had enough time and fuel for another crack at Loop 2, so we did, bringing it home with a dip in the Glenelg River.
I almost came to grief on the river crossing, but luckily was able to correct my course (a bit like steering an aircraft carrier) and only my boot got filled with water.
Catching up with mates was a big part of the weekend too. Like I said, I’m still buzzing, and am very happy to finish my 11th Harrow with a silver medal.
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