Going over to the BMW side

The first thing to greet you at BMW's Enduro Park in Hechlingen are two giant, larger than life posters of Orlando Bloom and Brad Pitt. I was obviously going to be in good company during our off-road training then. And though there was a dearth of internationally famed movie stars about during the two days we spent riding the park, I had an immensely enjoyable and constructive time in central Germany.

[Me, somewhere in Germany]

It was at Adam's suggestion that we found our way to Hechlingen. He is, I think, a bit concerned about my timidity on uneven trails. I like to think of it as prudent caution, but to Adam, my slow speeds on anything other than smooth, dry, perfect asphalt smacks of fright and he was anxious that I receive good coaching on some basic skills to overcome off-road obstacles that we are likely to face in the miles ahead.

It was at Hechlingen that I was forcibly reminded of just how good a rider Adam is. He possesses fundamental skills that when paired with his self-confidence seem to allow him to effortlessly ride through gnarly terrain and be unafraid of tackling steep slopes. The group of instructors are a class unto themselves and though Adam doesn't reach to their standard, it is nonetheless a pleasure to watch him delight in his own skills on the bike.

[Adam's KTM hanging out among the BMWs]

I self-selected to the beginner group. This may have been slightly understating my experience off-road as I had after all ridden logging roads back and forth between Thunder Bay and Atikokan, and tackled a challenging route outside of Wawa, but in the end I was glad that I opted for the newbie class. We were a small group of five and so received more personalized instruction and advice from Thom, our instructor. The intermediate group numbered close to a dozen and so my impression is that their learning would have come from time and miles on the course rather than through individual coaching. Very generously, my group agreed to be instructed in English and made an effort to include me when technical talk drifted back into German.

I opted to ride a rented BMW 650 for the two days. I was perfectly happy with it in the park but mildly resentful that it seemed intent on killing me on pavement – the back tire had an alarming tendency to skitter on downshifting. In the park, the 650 puttered away and proved difficult to stall which is always nice at slow speed when I'm busy enough trying to concentrate on weight displacement, and balance between front and rear braking, and throttle, and keeping my eyeline high. We were very lucky with the weather, the rain primarily falling outside of course hours and serving to keep the dust down.

My group did not progress much beyond the fundamentals but I have made note of the practice drills and look forward to the chance to repeat them once we find some space away from pavement again. Unlike the rest in my group, I got a bit of experience in the sand pit but only because I initially failed to exercise sufficient control when climbing hills, and instead of gently reaching the crest of the rise, caught good air and sailed straight over the top of the short hills into the sand pit. Then had to ride my way out. The sand seems far more friendly than my nemesis, pebbly rail ballast, but I hardly had enough time in it for a definitive assessment. This will have to wait.

Whether or not I have gained enough skill to shed my timidity remains to be seen, but I feel better armed to tackle uneven terrain ahead. I'll keep my KTM though. The time on the BMW 650 did not develop into a love affair.

[The valley departing Germany]