Morning Newbie Desert Drive - "Learning to Fly": Newbie Training Camp - Dubai - 11 Jun 2022

[Anirudh Dayma]

it was perfect choice of the area today morning.

I have learn good lesson what to do & not ?. Keep learning more.

Thanks to @Ale Vallecchi,@Brette,@Maynak.

Always good to learn in ur umbrella @Brette.

have a great weekend and see you the next weekend again.

[munkybizness]

Like a fresh university entrant, who's been away from it for some time, I've been auditing Newbie drives over the past couple of weekends. Where last weekend was a double feature in the sands of Sharjah, this weekend too came in twos - except that it was the pleasure of joining @Ale Vallecchi on two extreme ends of the spectrum. Having averaged 27km/hr this morning vs. the 28.1 km/hr in the IM drive, I think the Newbies showed us up. And with good reason. With fresh knowledge from the master himself, the drivers today could see exactly what practicing theory looks like.

Therefore, a return to the classroom - in the field - with Ale, as a cool breeze wafted through Al Qudra this morning was the perfect pick-me-up after he had washed us through almost 90 kms last evening. I came away from today, with a lot of my fundamental knowledge bolstered through affirmation and new information that had previously been more hand-me-down than academic. So many drivers just jump into the seat and get driving, but it is only when you truly break apart the individual physical forces, the effect of the prevailing winds, the context of where you are, only then do you realize that there's more science to this than just pushing a pedal and swinging a wheel. Thank you Ale, for firstly just taking the immense amount of time that you do to host these drives, but then to also leave us at the end, enriched by it all.

This morning, we also had the extended honour of @Brette joining our convoy. Having driven with him last weekend, and seeing him again this morning, I recognize now why he's the gatekeeper for Newbies. Cool as a cucumber and a calming force in the convoy, he immediately helps take away any of the nervousness that you are bound to face when you're just starting out. Where last week he was far up ahead in the distance finding fresh tracks, sitting a few cars behind him today meant I also got to see his lines. They mirror his personality. Soft, confident, and collected. For my cross-crested situation, he was on the radio in a heartbeat, having given me the adequate amount of time to do a self-recovery. And as soon as my hand went up, he was there, lining up to pull me out.

Sweeping in the back gives you plenty of time to contemplate about life. Up front, the elasticity of the convoy feels almost electric as it heaves and thrills. And where the marshal defines where to go by seeking fresh sands, the sweep sees the wake of what this herd is leaving behind. This is a unique opportunity, and one I enjoy in great detail. It also enables me to live out that naughty side of me that I couldn't muster to showcase in a strictly academic environment. Here, in the back, I'm up to my monkey business.

If there's anywhere where the academic importance of the concepts of "momentum" were felt the most, it was in the bottom end of the convoy. With the day coming upon us, the sand began to lose any remaining moisture, and softened up even further under the blending motion of the wheels running through it. This practical experience of how much power is enough power was an excellent lesson for the drivers in the back. @Azam V2.0 and @Nitin Mohan both had to deal with their share of losing steam - either due to hesitation or simply not choosing a cleaner line. Neither of you should feel anything about this. This is completely natural, and every driver has been through it. As you get more adept with your machine, you'll find where those limits really are. Currently, your mind is imposing even bigger limits. In most cases, as you gents did, reversing and trying again is the best solution. I would only advise that unlike tarmac, where you will get instant grip and traction, increase the length of your run-ups. After backing down, give yourself an additional 10m to 20m if it's available to you. It will make all the difference in carrying more rolling momentum as you ascend.

@Jad Moussalli, after the last weekend where newbies were limited from climbing higher due to safety, sitting behind you and seeing the lines you were choosing was a nice comforting place for me to be in. In most cases you had enough momentum, and even if you didn't you reversed and gave it another shot. This is good presence of mind. You're going to be scaling through these next drives quite quickly.

For the gents in the back, and up front, the only lesson I can implore you to practice more and more in your subsequent drives is to get comfortable riding the ridge. Regardless of the steep drops on either side, the day you crack riding the ridge, with just enough power to gently coast through, it will become the most pleasurable experience of your drive. And it will make criss-crossing even more fun. You should feel completely levelled out at the top of the ridge. If you're leaning in either direction by more than 5 degrees, you should be preparing to exit out or quickly levelling yourself up.

Once again, thank you @Ale Vallecchi for correcting some of the incorrect notions I've been carrying with me with that informative classroom session.

For the rest, thank you for a wonderful day out.

See you all out in the sands again soon

[ 🐵 ]

Edited June 11, 2022 by munkybizness

[Azam V2.0]

@Ale Vallecchi, @Brette, and everyone else.

Thank you guys for a great experience. My family and I  have enjoyed the drive immensely. When we were on a roll, the pace was very exciting but also challenging. There were few important lessons from this drive such as crisscrossing, momentum and distance-to-ideal-momentum.

I look forward for more drives like this.

 

[Nitin Mohan]

 @munkybizness thank you for keeping a eye and guiding through the challenging areas. Ridge riding is definitely a game of maintaining balance and a lot I suppose mind game. Looking forward to more drives ahead.

@Ale Vallecchi it's only the second time riding in your convoy. I would say both were different experiences learning something new each time. Thank you for keeping the convoy safe as well. 

 

[Ale Vallecchi]

Learning to Fly - Newbie Drive Report

"You have escaped the cage. Your wings are stretched out. Now fly." - Rumi

The cage was the immaterial one represented by one's insecurity in oneself and in his mechanical mean's full potential, as well as by the command of one's yet undeveloped skills to face different desert challenges.

The wings were those stretched out through learning about both the theory, but most of all the practice, of overcoming straight climbs, side slopes, approaching ridges, and crossing dunes, in a safe, secure, and effective manner. 

And flying we did, after the initial schooling, not devoid of stucks, recoveries, pop-outs, redirections, throughout an uninterrupted rush back to the starting point, from the southernmost reaches of drive. To me, this last part of the drive, when the element of speed was added to all the challenges the terrain would throw at the convoy, was the most satisfying. I did not hear any communication over the radio, and did not see any hesitation throughout the convoy. The driving was smooth, accomplished, and devoid of any mistakes or hesitancy.  Clear indication that drivers had safely taken off from their Newbie's nest, and had not fallen to the ground. 

The drive's statistics are the telling tale of the learning process, and successful implementation, that was necessary to accomplish the goal - 61.3 Kms were covered in 4:26 hours, of which however, "only" 2:11 were actually driven. Almost 2 hours were spent on a detailed briefing, guiding drivers through a number of well done self-recoveries (where both @Brette and @munkybizness showed their calm and competence), some rope recoveries, and fixing a pop-out. All the proper off-roading recovery equipment was displayed and used. Thanks to the planned, and unplanned, learning moments, the last stretch of the drive, flawlessly executed, allowed the convoy to clock a moving average speed of 27 Km/h, one of the fastest I have recorded with Newbie drives.

Very well done to the whole convoy, with the Fewbies ( @Mike., @george charbel and @Nitin Mohan ) aided by with the invaluable @Brette and @munkybizness, further tutoring the Newbies ( @Yogesh Chaudhary - very good Second Lead - @Anirudh Dayma, @Zubair, @Jaro Tuzinsky, @Azam V2.0 and @Jad Moussalli ) in finding the right lines, patches of clean sand, and showing the proper momentum.

Looking forward to flying with you all again in the desert.

 

[Zubair]

@Ale Vallecchi, @Brette & @munkybizness

 

Thank you guys for the great drive.

Crisscrossing & driving on the ridge was a great experience and enjoyed a lot 

 

looking forward for the similar excitements in the coming weeks