Suzuki Weekend Away came and went, but not without leaving a lasting impression… Two V-Strom 250 SXs, dirt roads, rain and rocky ascents, we traversed through the mountainscapes of the Mpumalanga region. Add a map with checkpoints and various challenges at each, and you’ve got yourself the perfect adventure weekend.
As with every year, the weekend attracts the faithful crowd as well as newcomers, and everyone is treated to good food, great company and a boatload of fun. This year marked the 15th Anniversary, and in true Suzuki spirit, they created a limited amount of special edition pendants that only a few lucky winners would receive. Talk about motivation.
Battling the Weather
With the weather forecast leaning towards the cooler end of the thermometer, we decided to kick our stands up at 8:00 am in the hope that the cold would’ve subsided a little. Though it was a bit better, the abundant layers of clothes didn’t quite seem enough, at least not on my end. Our first stop was Bronkhorstspruit, where we met up with Shaun Portman (Moto Rider World), who would be tagging along with us for the remainder of our ride. We received a heads-up that Schoemanskloof Road was under construction with plenty of roadworks as well as stop-and-go, so we opted for the longer, road less travelled route. We decided to head through Dullstroom, Lydenburg, up Long Tom Pass, down into Sabie and catch the “22” all the way to Hazyview, where we would spend the weekend at the all-too-familiar Hotel Numbi & Garden Suites.
On our first night, we were treated to a buffet-style dinner out in the boma area surrounded by cosy fires, the perfect end to a day’s riding. Of course, it wouldn’t be the Suzuki Weekend Away without some prizes to be won! So, three teams were selected at random to participate in the ultimate challenge of packing your bike for a weekend trip away. The bike – a Suzuki DL250 SX. The luggage – The Oxford NOMAD Range from DMD (Daniel Mulder Distributors). The goal: who can repack the luggage with precision. The prize: the entire luggage system! The list of items is too long to recite here, but let’s just say that the winner is equipped with enough space for at least a week’s worth of stuff. With full bellies and pumped with excitement for the next day’s events, we made our way to bed.
Adventure Despite the Elements
With morning coffee and a light breakfast, we were set to start the day. After a brief recap on how the game works, I found myself hovering over the “road” and “adventure” route options. They played a short clip of the adventure route to give everyone an idea of what they could expect, and to be honest, my heart was crowding my throat ever so slightly… Even though I trained for this and I altered the baby Strom to make myself as comfortable as possible, I still found myself doubting my ability. Regardless of my beating chest, I ticked “Adventure”. There was no going back now—my main goal was “do not drop this bike”!
We completed the various challenges around the hotel grounds, one of them being “get into the pool”, and the more of your body in the water, the more points you receive. Keep in mind it is 8:00 am, and we were wearing thermals, long sleeves and our rider jackets… Thankfully, our teammate Shaun was brave enough to take a dip, and kudos to him; we received the full 500 points! Challenges completed, we kitted up and were on our way to track down some dirt.
Our first stretch was a steady incline with a few ruts from the recent rains, and honestly, I was sh*tting myself; little did I know that this section was one of the easier stretches… In a way, I kind of threw myself in the deep end because there was only one way, and that was forward, and with a decent number of bikes behind me, there was no stopping. Thank the heavens, because it definitely pushed me to keep going. I’m not lying when I say that I required a decent amount of self “hype-up” to get up the next hill, which was washed away and accompanied by excessive mud; it seemed like the perfect recipe for disaster…
All the glory of making it up unscathed or being sent down a muddy slip ‘n slide was to the baby Strom, not even the slightest wheel spin as we made our way up. Once I reached the top, my heart was racing, and the amount of adrenaline rushing through my veins was intoxicating—by the time we reached the next section, I was obsessed! I finally understand the hype around adventure riding; with every rut and rock I crossed, my confidence grew, and long before short, I was passing other riders and experiencing the pure bliss of flying through nature (at one point hubby told me to slow down while giving me the nod of approval, “well done, my girl”). Suddenly, all my doubts disappeared, and all I could think about was “I hope this road never ends”.
A Weekend to Remember
Sadly, all roads do come to an end, but with food waiting on the other side, I wasn’t too disappointed. Our next stop was Tiesers; no boys, no dances were offered here… We did, however, enjoy a great lunch and a few additional challenges before hitting the road again. I was on a roll of impressing myself as I also received the highest score of the day in the clay shooting challenge (patting myself on the back), with my teammate Shaun finishing second. Suddenly, “dropping the bike” was no longer in my foremind, and I was simply enjoying every aspect of the ride.
We encountered some rain en route back towards the final destination, but we had challenges to complete, and we weren’t going to back out so close to the finish line. The 40 km stretch back to the hotel certainly was a painful one, with mist, rain and wind that felt like it was piercing through your skin. We finally made it back, and in hindsight it certainly was an adventure of note… I wouldn’t change a thing; well, perhaps I’d switch out my gloves for a winter pair.
That evening, as we sat around the table discussing the adventures of the day, I reflected on the riding I did. Not only did I ride my first-ever adventure route, but I actually enjoyed it! Yes, the first part was one of the scariest things I’ve ever done, but looking back, other sections were so much more technical, which I rode without hesitation. They say that fear is a person’s biggest downfall, and I am so proud of myself for pushing through because it turns out I absolutely love adventure riding. I have come to realise that adventure riding is about so much more than just technical riding; in the end, it’s about the journey as a whole. This year’s Suzuki Weekend Away was the beginning of many adventures to come with the V-Strom 250 SX, and what a great introduction it was.
If you missed this year, be sure to book your spot in 2027, and I challenge you to try the adventure route; you might be pleasantly surprised with your decision, I know I was.
