March 2020 Newsletter
Morning All
Well, the world is a pretty different place since our last newsletter as we all struggle to adapt to the rapidly changing reality caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. While in many places it might still be possible to get out on the bike for a ride, it’s pretty clear that the changes to local and international travel and social contact will inevitably affect our bike time and lives in general.
For Ride Expeditions, it’s going to be a difficult time as all our wonderful motorcycling adventures rely on our customers’ ability to travel to amazing locations across the globe, but in the context of such an serious pandemic, epic motorcycling is going to be taking the back seat for a while!
So what does that mean for our customers?
YOUR MONEY IS SAFE
In the face of so much uncertainty, Ride Expeditions’ riders and customers can rest easy when it comes to deposits that have already been paid. Because we use the tried and trusted PTS payment protection system, any money paid for tours is guaranteed safe and will not disappear at any stage. If your tour is cancelled or you wish to cancel a forthcoming booking between now and October because of the current situation, we will refund your money.
No quibbles, no surcharges, just a straight refund.
We are hearing talk of other tour companies refusing refunds and even insisting on payments for tours that will not go ahead. We want to maintain a great relationship with our current, past and future customers and the best way to do that is to be fair in these exceptional circumstances. A lot of 2020 is going to be difficult, but we want to come back better and stronger when things have returned to normal, and we want you to ride with us!
As many of our riders have already done, for those who wish to simply postpone their tours to later in the year or to 2021 and roll forward their deposits, we can sort that out without much hassle at all. Just send Anna an email on anna@rideexpeditions.com and she’ll take care of it.
HIMALAYAN SEASON
So, as we’re not sure how things will pan out for later in the year, our Himalayan season that usually begins at the end of June and runs through until mid October remains in partly in our plans for the time being, although we have had to cancel a few dates already. It goes without saying but we will monitor the situation regarding visas and flights on a daily basis with the hope that things improve and the intention of still running the season – as we’ve been doing already, we will update all our customers as soon as any plans change.
If you have booked we would’ve been in touch already but if you are still not sure whether to go ahead for 2020, please get in touch and we can look at the available options.
CAPE CRUSADER – SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR
The first of the South African tours scheduled for April 2020 has unfortunately been cancelled, but we’ve put in brand new tour dates for later in the year and 2021 which are:
25th October to 6th November 2020
11th April – 23rd April 2021
17th October – 29th October 2021
It’s a truly epic adventure and we can’t wait to get out on those big bikes for one of our favourite tours. If you don’t believe us, have a look at the epic video put together by Ian, our fantastic camera guy!
COLOMBIAN TRAILBLAZER
Our South American adventure was due to shift into 2nd gear in July this year for a full season of tours and we were super excited to get out on the sweet trails of this beautiful country. As a precaution though, we’ve decided to cancel the original tour dates in light of the current situation and will be looking at rescheduling as soon as the world starts returning to normal.
In the meantime, here’s a little taste of what to expect from the rolling hills and cool haciendas of Colombia.
THE WARRIOR'S TRAIL – MONGOLIAN TOUR
As with the Colombian jaunt, we’ve decided to postpone dropping the clutch on our first season in Mongolia for exactly the same reasons. We’re still going to be using those sparkly new KTM 450’s, we’re still going to be riding epic landscapes under enormous skies and it’s still going to be an unforgetable experience, we’re just delaying it a bit and organising a jam-packed 2021 season in this stunningly beautiful country!
And while we’re showcasing some videos, here’s the Mongolian masterpiece.
Fancy it for 2021? Of course you do!
TOBY GOES TANKWA!
Rather than stay in the office and wait for lockdown, Toby bravely volunteered to go riding last week – what a selfless and generous guy he is! Rather than just keeping his visor down and scorching round Chapman’s Peak, scraping the footpegs on his trusty KTM 1090, he went exploring on some wide open gravel roads and even a few off-piste routes deep in the heart of the Cederberg wilderness and the Tankwa. This harsh, hot and dry part of the greater Karoo region offers all the pandemic-fighting fresh air and self-isolation one can get, with hundreds of miles of criss-crossing gravel roads and rocky trails climbing over mountains and through desolate valleys – it’s adventure bike heaven and exactly what the doctor ordered. There might even be a few new gems to add to our South African tours in the near future. Just have a look at a few of these photos and you’ll see why we love this place so much!
UNLUCKY DUCKY
The continuing saga of Ian, our talented video guy and officially the unluckiest man in the world, has not disappointed this month. At a time when transglobal travel seemed to be a bad plan, plucky Ian set off on a tour firstly to the flood battered, if pre-Corona, north of England, and then on to the Gambia to meet up with his parents celebrating their wedding anniversary. His UK visit went without too much misfortune, but as soon as he landed in Africa, he was immediately informed that he had to leave the country, the sum total of his time in the country spent in the airport before returning to be stuck in the UK for a few months before he can attempt to fly home to Cambodia!
At least he doesn’t have to worry about toilet paper supplies – he’s a worryingly keen advocate of the Asian ‘Bum gun’ cleansing system …
BLOG ME UP
What’s Julian been blogging about this month, we hear you ask. Well there’s a bit of an adventure bike theme going on after last month’s tips on adventure bike riding, so this month it’s a look at the all new and rather wonderful 2020 Honda Africa Twin. It’s bigger, it’s better and it’s a beauty!
AND FINALLY ...
In these uncertain times, we all need something to smile about, so this month we’ve gone for some classic Travis Pastrana madness from the Nitro circus team. Foolish endeavour has never been better!
Stay safe folks!