Cue long and windy gravel district roads time-warping through the arid heart of southern Namibia, snaking all the way from the Fish River Canyon to the mineral hot springs at /Ai-/Ais Resort.

Most of the pre-ride day was spent within the beautiful weirdness that is the Canyon Road House. Part museum, part restaurant and part ‘Priscilla, Queen of the Desert’, It is a place of retro-automobilia, cold beers and kiff burgers, and just the place to bulk up on bravado before the first Stage Proper.

It is a hard and fast ride, but corrugations, sand, an epic thunderstorm and hectic head wind took its toll, making it a long night in the saddle for the back markers. Hot pools, cold beers, good food and much bantering helped the recovery process along, though .

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