Lowveld offers the ultimate adventure

This is an annual event where adventure and dual sport motorcycle riders gather to share a weekend of fun and adventure riding their bikes on routes through the beautiful Lowveld.

This was the 8th LDBA to be held here in the Lowveld. Rika De Bruyn, founder and creator of LDBA, and event partner Mark Taylor have been growing this event since its inception in 2012.

This year there were 133 entrants present, representing all provinces with the furthest coming from Cape Town. LDBA has become a very popular event on the motorcycle calendar and is well supported by sponsors and riders alike.

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This year the main sponsor was the Produkta Group with Jeep, KTM, Honda, and Suzuki along with many smaller yet significant sponsors. Dealer principal, Colin Nell said, “It was a truly well organised and supported event and an excellent opportunity for us to showcase our products especially the new brand, Jeep, in the Produkta stable and yes, we will be back in 2020.”

The route master, Mark Taylor, set the routes this year mostly in the Numbi area, close to the Kruger National Park border. There were Green, Red and Black routes for the riders to choose from. Green was the easiest, open scenic gravel and tar, to the challenging Black route, designed to test a rider’s technical riding abilities on jeep tracks, cattle and goat tracks and off-road riding, with Red being the moderately difficult route.

With GPS’ loaded, the riders tackled the routes with enthusiasm. Although there was the occasional fall and a drop off the bikes, this is all part of the adventure. Judging by the big smiles and the dusty faces at the end of the day, everyone had a great time.

The Lowveld offers spectacular, challenging riding with beautiful views and scenery being part of the attraction. This year’s routes took full advantage of these features, adding to the riding experience.

The participants were also treated to a choice of accommodation packages, from luxury to budget at the Winkler Hotel as well as first-class scrumptious meals. Lunches were out on the route, with one lunch served out in the bush under the trees with a Mexican theme and scrumptious spicy Mexican tacos served Lowveld bush style!

The evenings were a festive occasion where riders could see photos and videos of the day’s riding up on the big screen where both fines and prizes were handed out. The last night’s entertainment was really special, where supper was served outside under a massive tree in the grounds of the Winkler Hotel. After two days of riding it was time to load the bikes and head for home.

A great weekend meeting old riding buddies and making new ones. This is what LDBA is all about, like-minded riders doing what they love, sharing the joy of the open road, the trail and the ride.

Rika and Mark extend their appreciation to all the participants – the Winkler Hotel and all those who worked hard behind the scenes.

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