Karoo Gatskuur. 2023 sees the second running of this iconic event. Let’s give you some background. During the Covid lockdown (it now seems to have been in another age, doesn’t it?) some folks got really busy with all sorts of projects. Well, none more so than Gus and Mariette Maartens.
Being passionate about bikes and adventure biking in particular, they decided to build Grotto to Gravel Bikers Hideaway, a motorcycle-themed Luxury Tented camp and guesthouse on their farm near Magaliesburg. Spend a minute in their company and you realise that they are a wonderful giving couple. Mariette has had more than her fair share of trauma and heartache in her life before she and Gus got together. The sort of experiences that would ruin most women. But not Mariette. Inside her pretty exterior is one tough Kalahari cookie!
They have been involved in fundraising initiatives for various charities and causes. Mariette wanted to be able to give a message of hope to women that, for whatever reason, have suffered trauma in their lives, so she started Throttle Angels, aimed at ladies who ride bikes. Having been knocked down many times in life, sometimes through her bad decisions or perhaps just by not being able to dodge what life threw at her, justly or unjustly, Mariette feels that her life lessons, so painfully learned, can benefit other women.
She and Gus hosted a Throttle Angel Ladies Day event, raising funds for breast cancer amongst others, in 2022 at Grotto to Gravel. It was such a huge success that it spawned another event, the Ball Run, focused on cancer awareness amongst men, which was also a huge success in raising funds and goodies from numerous sponsors who came on board. The other initiative that saw the light of day, apparently after a few rum-laced pink milkshakes, was the Karoo Gatskuur.
Afrikaans is an amazing language. It has certain expressions that carry meaning and sentiment that frankly cannot be adequately expressed in English. “Gatskuur” is a perfect example. Dirt & Trail did a story on 2022 Karoo Gatskuur and tried to describe “Gatskuur” as “riding around”. It is, but it is also so much more! It is scratching the itch in a fun and almost foolish way. It is living life to the full just because you can, and more! So, what is Karoo Gatskuur about?
The recipe is quite simple. Jump on delivery bikes, boxes and all, of under 300 cc, preferably really old ones and go ride 3500 k’s of scenic dirt roads to the Tankwa Karoo and back. This year’s route will include the spectacular Baviaanskloof.
Why the Tankwa? Simply because it is one of those magical places with vast spaces and arid scenery that stays forever in your memory. It has particular significance for Gus and Mariette too, as they were married at the Tankwa Padstal. The dress code is overalls with reflective tape which you can embellish according to your chosen theme. Oh yes, participants are restricted to two sets of underwear. The one you are wearing and a spare set.
Accommodation is a mixture of funky stays and camping. Your bike must get you there and back. Bad tempers and grumpy dispositions get left at home! Gus leads this merry band and participants are required to fall in with his planning. This is not a contest. Gatskuur is a ride for a cause. Participants are encouraged to get sponsors for R1 per kilometre. The proceeds will go to Angels Hotel, a facility for physically and mentally challenged children.
Having been on board with previous sponsorship, Motul did not hesitate to back Mariette for her ride on her 40-year-old Yamaha SR250. I think Motul’s boss lady, Mercia, would have given her eye teeth to have gone along on her own SR250, probably last exercised at Stofskop. Maybe next year?
The fun doesn’t end there. Participants get to choose a “challenge” for each day. Participants are, in most cases, seasoned riders and are also given an opportunity to share a “deep” thought or theme. I know from experience that a long tour on small-capacity bikes throws challenges of its own. Comfort is not great, speeds are low and days are often long. Patience is most definitely a virtue! If one of your buddies has an issue, don’t get irritated, rather see how you can help.
Last year’s event threw massive curved balls with rain and muddy roads which were super tricky on bikes totally unsuited to that kind of travel. Mariette tells of a particularly bad day on last year’s tour where she was paddling through slick mud, blinded by her tears, exhausted by battling the elements. She caught up to the rest of the group at the end of the mud-fest, who broke into spontaneous applause at her gutsy display.
The crowning glory was when her Gus embraced her saying “my skat, jy het balsak!” Praise doesn’t come higher than that! Hey Gus, your missus is from the Kalahari, where they start fires with flares and consider chicken as salads! (don’t ask me how I know) The guys who hail from there don’t shave, they smack the stubble in with four-pound hammers and chew it off on the inside! Little wonder then that Mariette has “vasbyt”.
I have always said that the Adventure is not in the bike, but rather in the trip. Gus and Mariette do their Adventure biking on big BMW GS’s, but their Karoo Gatskuur brings a unique flavour to venturing far and wide on a motorcycle across our beautiful country. It is a ride for a worthy cause where egos get buried, competition is eliminated and people with a miserable outlook on life need not apply.
Make no mistake this is a PROPER adventure! To ride this distance on a small motorcycle not designed for the job is a serious endurance event. It also allows those without buckets of cash to have the trip of a lifetime with like-minded folk without breaking the bank. A friend of mine says “Dave, the hunt is often better than the kill”. And so it is. With Gatskuur you need to decide on and procure a bike. Then the prep starts. What theme are you going for? Even sticking the sponsors’ stickers on the bike requires thought. Is the bike mechanically sound? Will I make it? If you don’t have more questions than answers can you really call it an adventure?
Honda CD200 Roadmasters are a popular choice for Gatskuur. This year will also see the first Indian delivery bike in the form of a Hero Eco 150. Last year Mariette was the only rose amongst the nine thorns, or, as Gus so aptly put it, “nege latte en ‘n platte”. This year she has three intrepid ladies for backup. (We look forward to posting Mariette’s trip report with photos when they are back. Last year’s report was hilarious and very good reading. These Kalahari types clearly have a penchant for storytelling).
I have to admit to having serious FOMO after seeing the bikes in Gus’s workshop, emblazoned with their sponsors’ stickers and all. I will, God willing, apply, cap in hand, to participate in next year’s event. To those who have been accepted for this year’s ride and who leave on the 6th of April, we wish you Godspeed. Ride safe and enjoy. I echo the words of that traditional Gaelic blessing: “May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind be always at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face; the rains fall soft upon your fields and until we meet again, may God hold you in the palm of His hand”.
Footnote:
What I found particularly heart-warming is how companies represented on this unique ride have opened their hearts and their wallets to support this worthy cause. The unseen angels of this event. Mariette gratefully shared with me how Honda SA sponsored two Ace 125s and significant cash for the cause. Similarly, BMW Motorrad made two of their epic 310 GSs available for the videographer and Altus Theart, the ‘celebrity guest’. Yamaha SA dug deep into their parts bin and parted with over R20K’s worth of bits to make sure that the brace of SR250s run like they did when they rolled off the showroom floor some 40 years ago.
Then we have Motul who sponsored shirts for participants, as well as backing Mariette and pimping her ride. In the immortal words of Charley’s Angels – “Good Job Angels, good job!”
