Breaking in a New Lead
The trip began under the threat for rain. Everyone was on time and ready to go by 2:30 so things were off to a great start. Timing was crucial since we had the potential to finish after dark.
I began the briefing, set the convoy order, reiterated the safety standards, ensured that the potential for darkness was not an issue for anyone, performed the radio checks, , and we were off.
We were delayed getting into the sand by what appeared to be some new tree plantings on the side of the road, but that only was about an additional kilometer, so not a major issue. We entered the sand and began on the flat that eventually turned into some nice rolling dunes that turned into a very technical area. The skills of the group were excellent as were bobbed and weaved through the seemingly endless holes, deep ditches, and soft sand.
As we progressed to the next few points along the route, things opened up and we were able to increase our speed and do some side sloping, straight crests, and some switching. With some suggestions from my second lead Tiago, the next leg I moved off about a kilometer to the West and we enjoyed some long rolling dunes that we could crest and switch for a great distance as we made our way to the exit point.
As we neared the exit point raindrops began to fill the windshield and I asked if anyone minded that we finished about 20 minutes early so that we couple air up and stow our flags before it began to rain heavy. All agreed and we exited at my selected point for the trip.
The trip was fun with a great pace and a mix of technical and long smooth dunes. The drivers all performed above expectations with few second tries or stucks other than mine breaking the create or making the trail.
Thank you to Tiago for the awesome Second Lead and Preggy (sweeper extraordinaire) for keeping the convoy moving in the back. Communication, teamwork, and driver skills really made for a great day. Thanks to Tiago, Preggy, Sid, Lendyl, and Amir for joining me, well done.
8 comments on Breaking in a New Lead
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Congrats Mike !!!!! Well done 👍
A well deserved debut run old friend. Your lead was immaculate as we were riders in the storm. You should have a part 2 soon for the same drive in similar weather conditions as it was chilly & windy out there. Great job preggy n tiago for support. It was fast paced with fewer rigs in the sand. Also great seeing you two again, lenny n amir.
Hope to ride with you sooner @coppercon
Great debut Mike!
Keep up the good work!!!
Leader Mike I truly missed the great debut trip😍
Thanks for a great drive Mike! Looking forward to drive again together soon!
This drive was a surprisingly pleasant end to the weekend. Everyone arrived on time and the convoy would have gotten moving at exactly the scheduled time if it wasn’t for me replacing a defective valve stem core. Once that was sorted out the convoy hit the sand directly into a very technical area which Mike navigated extremely skillfully. He led the convoy through this section like he was driving on a street that he’d been driving up and down all his life, and took the opportunity to make the drive a little more interesting by hitting every side slope in sight. The convoy performed exceptionally well and we made it through this area without incident. By this time we were greeted with some fleeting drizzle but it did not wet the sand enough to affect our drive.
We then moved on to an area with bigger dunes and plenty of virgin crests which we flattened without hesitation. Once again the entire convoy moved like a single chain effortlessly weaving its way over and across the dunes. At one point Tiago performed a smooth and gentle snatch recovery off a crest and the convoy was off again. We exited the desert on the solar park road slightly before the scheduled exit time but this was agreed by the entire group since the rains had returned, and this time with a little more persistence. Despite the heavy cloud cover, there was still sufficient natural light during inflation.
Mike’s inaugural lead was enjoyed by all. Congratulations Mike, you were a rock star ( don’t get swollen headed)😜. The rest of the fellas did a brilliant job keeping the flow. Just the way we like it👍.
Congratulations Mike👏👏👏 Looking forward you your next trip
Thanks Mike for an excellent debut, we were blessed with very pleasant weather & rainy conditions.
It was fun following you and i look forward to more cresting & switching.