This is the view from our hotel
What a sh1thole, my heart bleeds for youse
Orla, the news this evening is that Street is out. Hurt himself in a fall & is heading home. And watch out, Cyril's up to third
Following the Dakar 2009
- Thread starter Dakar Gal
- Start date
What a sh1thole, my heart bleeds for youse
Orla, the news this evening is that Street is out. Hurt himself in a fall & is heading home. And watch out, Cyril's up to third
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2002
- Messages
- 8,331
- Reaction score
- 10
Hei Orla,
great report keep it coming
I thought yourself and Eoin had been quiet on here for a while but obviously saving it all up for this trip of a lifetime. Keep safe both of you and keep the reports coming, its very much appreciated
AndyT
great report keep it coming
I thought yourself and Eoin had been quiet on here for a while but obviously saving it all up for this trip of a lifetime. Keep safe both of you and keep the reports coming, its very much appreciated
AndyT
capp2101
Guest
The guys are making headlines, featured today on the Dakar website in the "gossip" section. http://www.dakar.com/2009/DAK/LIVE/u...portraits.html
Fair play they're still there and doing well, 107th and 128th is the latest AFAIK.
Fair play they're still there and doing well, 107th and 128th is the latest AFAIK.
ktmBill
Guest
Hi Orla, we met at the Ireland trip with Si Pavey! Billy Biketruck here! I've just heard mr Pavey has blown his engine! You got any details on that? Linley says he's fitted the spare and back on the road - so he's played is Joker so to speak.
Keep up the great work - you two sound like your actually doing your own Dakar!!! Well done guys!
Billy
Keep up the great work - you two sound like your actually doing your own Dakar!!! Well done guys!
Billy
ktmBill
Guest
Jockster, I'm finding it very hard to concentrate on the story - with your Irish band girls swaying away like that...
Cal
Guest
Jockster, I'm finding it very hard to concentrate on the story - with your Irish band girls swaying away like that...
Jasus Billy! Is that what you just spent the last hour and a half looking at?
No update on Philip's times since pre CP1. I hope all is OK.
Cal. (Cathal)
Jockster, I'm finding it very hard to concentrate on the story - with your Irish band girls swaying away like that...
Sorry mate, but it's designed by the devil to divert you from your true purpose. Now, where was I .....?
Hey Billy! Of course we remember you - you'd be hard to forget!! (How's your rear end after Bunclody?
)Yep, new engine went into Si's XChallenge last night. He blew the head gasket yesterday and ended up coming in quite late. Last we saw of the guys last night at almost midnight scratching their heads trying to piece it together.
Luckily we had the 650s parked outside the gate or we might have been missing some parts!Si appears to have taken out all his frustration on todays stage as he's in 37th today
The rest of the guys appear to be doing well today. Next trip update coming soon. No news on Dr. Phil who hasnt been tracked since km95.Hope he is ok, and its just a GPS fault.
Jockster, I'm finding it very hard to concentrate on the story - with your Irish band girls swaying away like that...
Just hit the Esc button if you must
stops 'em dead in their tracks 
Day 8&9 Rest day and Valparaiso to La Serena
Some photos to start with: -
Doesn’t matter how you get there - as long as you get there.
What did you do during rest day Gary?
Now that’s a proper bike!
Gary being interviewed about poor Don Hattons accident on stage 4
The view from the Bivouac in Val Paraiso
There are dogs roaming the streets everywhere here. And they chase the bikes snapping at your heels. While stopped at a set of lights we noticed 3 muts eyeballing us ready for the chase when the lights went green. We entertained ourselves by blipping the throttle,and every time they would move closer, ready to pounce. When we eventually moved off, they went nuts (we had them well wound up)and one took a bite into my foot! Thankfully I had my boots on ‘cos he put a hole in them, and Id be looking for a rabies shot otherwise! Lesson learnt!
We had a lovely spin up along the pacific coast of Chile on our way to La Serena. This is the route that a lot of the Pan Am travellers take and we met countless bike coming against us. Temperatures had cooled of a bit from what we had experienced along the route in Argentina. The views were spectacular. To our left rolling waves of the pacific ocean, and to our right sandy dunes that I’d just love a go in after hearing the fun the guys have in them!
Some little dudes that were really friendly at a fuel stop on the way: The kids just love sitting up on the bikes for photos.
Dunes!
Cars at the end of the special stage 8
Watch out you don’t crash into these! Phil was getting cactus spines pulled out of his hands the other night.
Gsers following the rally
The traffic into la Serena was pretty hectic, so we followed one of the race buggys who crossed a grass median and popped down onto a dirt road which brought us right into the center of town no hassle. Our hotel is as quirky and quaint as they come. Obviously some Irish/Scottish connection as its on Bernard O’Higgins Street and there’s a big Scottish flag hanging in the courtyard.
The guys had actually made it to the bivouac before us and by the time we got up there, all were snoozing in their tents, while Martin, Bernie and Patsy worked on the bikes. Clive was busy changing the brake pads on the Desert rose truck.
About 50 yards from the guys from the guys tents Helis were taking off every 5 minutes
No rest for Martin
Boxes waiting to be collected
We had a new delivery of jelly sweets for the guys. The snack of choice out on the course as they are juicy and provide a source of sugar release over the day. They found todays stage very boring. “just a long trail of fire roads” Although it couldn’t have been that easy as there are a few more out today. Street as you heard is out with a broken wrist. And Christophe the Aussie (#205) who Gary was riding with earlier in the week was sporting a fresh cast from a broken wrist also.
One of the hummers had a big smash today
The guys have these tin boxes that are transported between bivouacs for them. They alternate between 2 boxes every night as the bivouac has two complete setups which leap frog each other as the race moves through the country. They were told tonight that the box they had tonight would have to contain everything they needed for the marathon stage in Fiambala. This is where the assistance vehicles are not allowed in and the guys must do their own maintenance. Slight logistical issue if you have only one sleeping bag! We immediately started the bidding on our two sleeping bags, which Gary and Phil won!
Checking start times for tomorrow
The medical tent - I spoke to one of the medical officers and they said they were very busy with injuries. Nothing major thankfully.
Rally Pan Am Truck - love the logo on the door!
After dinner, we left the guys to catch some sleep before their 5am start and headed back to the hotel. Earlier in the day we noticed Eoins rear sprocket was well worn, and was deteriorating fast. We still have 2500km to travel including a winding climb accross the Andes, so we have opted to get new sprockets shipped from Santiago to La Serena. They will arrive tomorrow here in the morning and we should make it to Copiapo tomorrow night to meet up with the race again.
So today we have a relaxing day wandering around the town of La Serena. Its an absolutely gorgeous town. It seems a bit of a resort that Chileans come to on their holidays. No shortage of good shops and cafes either. It has that South American feel to it, but no shortage of all our modern conveniences.
Every department store also appears to sell bikes. This Chinese import was available for 1,199,980 pesos (1400 Euro) - cheaper than the cost of our bike rental! I spotted a quad for 600 Euro!
La Serena
The people here are very cool too. Very relaxed and easy pace of life. I was crossing town earlier on the bike. Filtering through the traffic and as I passed a bus, I spotted two wheels popping out from in front of it. My immediate reaction was that it was a childs pushchair, and I slammed on the brakes. Luckily it was only a lawnmower, as I didn’t quite make the stop on time and careered into it. Myself and the lawnmower man locked eyes for a moment wondering if the other would start complaining, but we both just had a giggle and carried on our separate ways!
Today was the first of two days that the guys were expecting to be tough. The latest news is that Gary is in and has done well on time. But there is no sign of Dr. Phil since km95, so we are awaiting news on him.
- Just heard by text from home. Philip has blown his engine. He is only 120 km out of La Serena. Efforts are being made to get another engine to him. But it sounds like he’ll need the luck of the Irish and a bit more to get through this one. Fingers crossed!
Simons Xchallenge getting an engine swap out
Some photos to start with: -
Doesn’t matter how you get there - as long as you get there.
What did you do during rest day Gary?
Now that’s a proper bike!
Gary being interviewed about poor Don Hattons accident on stage 4
The view from the Bivouac in Val Paraiso
There are dogs roaming the streets everywhere here. And they chase the bikes snapping at your heels. While stopped at a set of lights we noticed 3 muts eyeballing us ready for the chase when the lights went green. We entertained ourselves by blipping the throttle,and every time they would move closer, ready to pounce. When we eventually moved off, they went nuts (we had them well wound up)and one took a bite into my foot! Thankfully I had my boots on ‘cos he put a hole in them, and Id be looking for a rabies shot otherwise! Lesson learnt!
We had a lovely spin up along the pacific coast of Chile on our way to La Serena. This is the route that a lot of the Pan Am travellers take and we met countless bike coming against us. Temperatures had cooled of a bit from what we had experienced along the route in Argentina. The views were spectacular. To our left rolling waves of the pacific ocean, and to our right sandy dunes that I’d just love a go in after hearing the fun the guys have in them!
Some little dudes that were really friendly at a fuel stop on the way: The kids just love sitting up on the bikes for photos.
Dunes!
Cars at the end of the special stage 8
Watch out you don’t crash into these! Phil was getting cactus spines pulled out of his hands the other night.
Gsers following the rally
The traffic into la Serena was pretty hectic, so we followed one of the race buggys who crossed a grass median and popped down onto a dirt road which brought us right into the center of town no hassle. Our hotel is as quirky and quaint as they come. Obviously some Irish/Scottish connection as its on Bernard O’Higgins Street and there’s a big Scottish flag hanging in the courtyard.
The guys had actually made it to the bivouac before us and by the time we got up there, all were snoozing in their tents, while Martin, Bernie and Patsy worked on the bikes. Clive was busy changing the brake pads on the Desert rose truck.
About 50 yards from the guys from the guys tents Helis were taking off every 5 minutes
No rest for Martin
Boxes waiting to be collected
We had a new delivery of jelly sweets for the guys. The snack of choice out on the course as they are juicy and provide a source of sugar release over the day. They found todays stage very boring. “just a long trail of fire roads” Although it couldn’t have been that easy as there are a few more out today. Street as you heard is out with a broken wrist. And Christophe the Aussie (#205) who Gary was riding with earlier in the week was sporting a fresh cast from a broken wrist also.
One of the hummers had a big smash today
The guys have these tin boxes that are transported between bivouacs for them. They alternate between 2 boxes every night as the bivouac has two complete setups which leap frog each other as the race moves through the country. They were told tonight that the box they had tonight would have to contain everything they needed for the marathon stage in Fiambala. This is where the assistance vehicles are not allowed in and the guys must do their own maintenance. Slight logistical issue if you have only one sleeping bag! We immediately started the bidding on our two sleeping bags, which Gary and Phil won!
Checking start times for tomorrow
The medical tent - I spoke to one of the medical officers and they said they were very busy with injuries. Nothing major thankfully.
Rally Pan Am Truck - love the logo on the door!
After dinner, we left the guys to catch some sleep before their 5am start and headed back to the hotel. Earlier in the day we noticed Eoins rear sprocket was well worn, and was deteriorating fast. We still have 2500km to travel including a winding climb accross the Andes, so we have opted to get new sprockets shipped from Santiago to La Serena. They will arrive tomorrow here in the morning and we should make it to Copiapo tomorrow night to meet up with the race again.
So today we have a relaxing day wandering around the town of La Serena. Its an absolutely gorgeous town. It seems a bit of a resort that Chileans come to on their holidays. No shortage of good shops and cafes either. It has that South American feel to it, but no shortage of all our modern conveniences.
Every department store also appears to sell bikes. This Chinese import was available for 1,199,980 pesos (1400 Euro) - cheaper than the cost of our bike rental! I spotted a quad for 600 Euro!
La Serena
The people here are very cool too. Very relaxed and easy pace of life. I was crossing town earlier on the bike. Filtering through the traffic and as I passed a bus, I spotted two wheels popping out from in front of it. My immediate reaction was that it was a childs pushchair, and I slammed on the brakes. Luckily it was only a lawnmower, as I didn’t quite make the stop on time and careered into it. Myself and the lawnmower man locked eyes for a moment wondering if the other would start complaining, but we both just had a giggle and carried on our separate ways!
Today was the first of two days that the guys were expecting to be tough. The latest news is that Gary is in and has done well on time. But there is no sign of Dr. Phil since km95, so we are awaiting news on him.
- Just heard by text from home. Philip has blown his engine. He is only 120 km out of La Serena. Efforts are being made to get another engine to him. But it sounds like he’ll need the luck of the Irish and a bit more to get through this one. Fingers crossed!
Simons Xchallenge getting an engine swap out
Just found this photo on the ADVrider site. Fantastic view of the bivouac in Valparaiso
Taken from http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/200...kar_rally.html
Taken from http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/200...kar_rally.html
Deleted account 220427002
Registered user
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2003
- Messages
- 20,425
- Reaction score
- 4
Another great report Orla. Thanks.
- Joined
- Jun 26, 2002
- Messages
- 8,331
- Reaction score
- 10
I've just finished watching my first bit of the race on Eurosport and the venue looks superb. I wasn't convinced South America would be as good as North West Africa but from what I saw tonight its equally if not better. Luckily I'm not envious of you two
AndyT
AndyT
LiquidLAN
Registered user
Yep, saw the interview on Eurosport last night, Street announced he was out of the race during a live interview, completely unexpected... the interviewer just kept on asking him questions like "so what do you think the remaining stages with have to offer" Street told him three of four times that he didnt know as he wouldnt be riding them before the interview was over... you get the impression someone wasnt really listening to the answers
Whats Christophe the Aussie doing?
edit: actually, just remembered, Street got slapped with some major penalties yesterday for having his engine swapped out on the rest day. Apparently he was in the Marathon group and should have been running on one engine for the whole rally - seems he wasnt too happy about it.
capp2101
Guest
Philip Noone listed as a withdrawal on stage 9 on Dakar site
http://www.dakar.com/2009/DAK/LIVE/us/900/abandon/ABM.html
Disappointed for him but well done for getting this far after all his trials,
http://www.dakar.com/2009/DAK/LIVE/us/900/abandon/ABM.html
Disappointed for him but well done for getting this far after all his trials,
Yes, saw that alright. Dissapointing 
Havent seen or spoken to him yet as we are still in La Serena. Willl hopefully make it to the bivvy tonight.
As you say Capp - he did very well to get this far given his stories of the night in the desert.
Havent seen or spoken to him yet as we are still in La Serena. Willl hopefully make it to the bivvy tonight.
As you say Capp - he did very well to get this far given his stories of the night in the desert.
Suzi
Guest
Superb
hi Orla, I'm Gary's sister. Thanks for all the photo's and updates its superb hearing everything from someone who actually know's Gary and is there. Lucinda forwarded me the links.
Your time describing it all is appreciated.
hi Orla, I'm Gary's sister. Thanks for all the photo's and updates its superb hearing everything from someone who actually know's Gary and is there. Lucinda forwarded me the links.
Your time describing it all is appreciated.
ktmBill
Guest
Hi Orla, very very sad for Phil - but hey, some stories to come home with!!!
And helo Suzi - I'm Billy Biketruck - I'm the one who put Gary's rally clothes in the Hotel walk in Freezer!!! Oh the smiles in the morning! - After saying that, this was after Gary filled my helmet and boots with hot water! And broke into my hotel room and forced me to drink a pint of guiness at 3am in the morning! Yes - a bizarre tail.
Anyway, just to say we're all really proud of Gary and Phil. So its figners crossed now for Gary to be the one!
By the way Orla, I'm running a Biketruck to North Africa to tour Morocco in March, April and May - you guys should come AND LEAD THE TOUR!!!
See new truck at:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1123461&l=d1af4&id=726680137
Best
Billy
And helo Suzi - I'm Billy Biketruck - I'm the one who put Gary's rally clothes in the Hotel walk in Freezer!!! Oh the smiles in the morning! - After saying that, this was after Gary filled my helmet and boots with hot water! And broke into my hotel room and forced me to drink a pint of guiness at 3am in the morning! Yes - a bizarre tail.
Anyway, just to say we're all really proud of Gary and Phil. So its figners crossed now for Gary to be the one!
By the way Orla, I'm running a Biketruck to North Africa to tour Morocco in March, April and May - you guys should come AND LEAD THE TOUR!!!
See new truck at:
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1123461&l=d1af4&id=726680137
Best
Billy
Similar threads
