More than 50 adventure motorcycle owners and enthusiasts participated in the first edition of the Great Trail Adventure, which was held on April 6-8 in Pune. The three-day event was organised by Ibex Media, led by Koustubh Gadge, an adventure motorcycle enthusiast, who came up with the idea of organising the event open to adventure motorcycle owners of all brands. The idea, says Gadge, came from the fact that handling such heavy machines isn't easy for a newbie or even experienced riders who haven't put these motorcycles through their paces before.
"What the GTA is trying to achieve is to replace the panic with a wide grin inside the helmet of a rider when the rear wheel slides into a corner on dirt," said Gadge.
Adventure riders get hands-on experience to acquire new off-road riding skills
A training course was developed which is in-line with the overall global standards of any off-road adventure riding school. The design of the course and the training was conducted by a veteran rally, motocross and a track expert. During the two-day long training school, the instructors ensured that the participants fine-tune their riding skills and understood the potential of their bikes as well as themselves.
Nearly 50 participants attended the inaugural Great Trail Adventure
The event began on the eve of April 6, where the participants from all over the country came in and checked themselves in at the school. The same evening they were briefed about the proceedings of the event. Day two started early, with extensive training made up of classroom and on-ground sessions. The eventful day was concluded with a barbecue night and gala dinner.
The final day began with further training and practice sessions. The course included hurdle crossings, humps and jumps, and gravel pits. The training session was concluded with a 12-kilometre long trail through the mountains, enabling the participants to put their learning into practice, out in the real world.
Both experienced riders and newbies learn off-road riding skills
"Twelve of us from Mumbai had gone to participate at the Great Trail Adventure, and we really enjoyed the event a lot. I've been riding all kinds of motorcycles, and have owned several of them, from classic bikes, superbikes to quite a few adventure bikes. I have owned bikes like the Suzuki Hayabusa, Honda CBR 1000RR, Honda Varadero, BMF F 650, Triumph Tiger 800 and now the BMW R 1200 GS Rallye. As a hobby, I also try and pass on some of my skills to new riders. The GTA provides the perfect platform for adventure motorcycle owners to learn new skills and to become better riders," said Rasik Narula, a participant.
Several big bike brands, including Triumph Motorcycles, BMW Motorrad India and Kinetic Motoroyale supported the Great Trail Adventure, and also displayed their adventure motorcycles at the event and provided test rides to prospective customers. Ibex Media now plans to take the Great Trail Adventure to different cities this year to reach out to riders in Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Delhi and the surrounding areas.
