Ready To Explore

Lovers of two-wheeled exploring are quickly running out of places to investigate as land owners become stricter on allowing access. Fortunately, our neighbour in the mountains remains a haven for motorcyclists.

- Brian Cheyne

In 1967, the Roof of Africa was contested for the first time. After Lesotho received some international funding in the early ‘60s, a gent by the name of Bob Phillips was tasked with building a road up the Moteng track from Butha Buthe to ease access to central Lesotho. As the road neared completion, Bob bragged to his friend Louis Duffet from the RAC that he had built the world’s worst road. Duffet took it to the sports car club where John Butress was asked to organise a rally crossing Duffet’s Moteng Mountain Pass.

The rally started in Johannesburg, had an overnight stop in Bethlehem before crossing Moteng Pass, following the mountains past Mokhotlong and down Sani Pass before finishing on the Durban beachfront. The rally element was eventually scrapped and a race from start to finish was born.

Motorcycles started competing in the Roof of Africa in 1969 and it was Barry Roady who grasped the first two winner’s trophies in 1969 and 1970.

The Roof is still considered one of the world’s most gruelling motorcycle events and now forms part of a global Hard Enduro Series that includes other events like the Erzberg Rodeo and Romaniacs.

This off-road event has done so much for Lesotho as it has thrust this small mountain kingdom into the spotlight and become a destination for dual sport and off-road motorcycle enthusiasts from all corners of the globe.

Lesotho is the perfect place to lose yourself and go exploring on two wheels. The mountainous terrain offers great technical challenges and good gravel roads that reward riders with stunning vistas. It is real Africa, only four hours from Joburg.

So when I was invited by KTM South Africa to do just that, I kind of wished the call had gone to voicemail.

Riaan Neveling, KTM’s marketing manager, planned to take the entire KTM adventure motorcycle range along so we could sample the bikes back to back. It all sounded like a perfect trip.