You are not Pol Tarres!
On June 7, 2024 it happened again. At least, for me. The start of the second edition of the Ténéré Travel Trophy. On that day, my husband and I left for a hotel in Brussels with 2 large boxes full of goodie bags for the participants. After a dinner together, I said goodbye to my husband and enjoyed my last evening of rest before the hectic pace of the Ténéré Travel Trophy (TTT) would begin.
The goodie bags were for the participants that I would have on the bus. The ones who decided for the dealer package. Their motorcycles had already been transported by truck to the starting location through their dealer in collaboration with the organization. They would travel more relaxed with one of the two touring cars. One left from the Netherlands, the other from Belgium. In my case I traveled with the one from Belgium.
Photo: Greg Vandevyver
On June 8, it was early in the morning to the bus to welcome all participants. There was plenty of time along the way to check all tickets and hand out the goodie bags.
Unexpectedly the trip went very smoothly. We arrived by bus at the first location of Ténéré Town (Mörnsheim, Germany) almost an hour ahead of schedule. The motorcycles of the participants with a dealer package were beautifully arranged in a long row between the camping fields.
But it was also the moment to say hello to old acquaintances, such as Zoë from Two Wheels for Life, after a year of waiting! Catching up and looking ahead to another great adventure with the TTT! We went full speed ahead with the entire team to make it a wonderful week.
Just like during the first edition, the first day consisted of the Experience day. A day full of workshops, riding tracks, challenges, fun and good food. Unfortunately, not all tracks could be ridden all day due to the heavy rain the evening and night before. It did provide some extra challenge for the participants.
Despite the wetness, we had wonderful weather during the Experience day itself and the tracks slowly dried up, making it possible to ride more and more. However, there was another beautiful highlight this year. Last year we were treated to the beautiful Heritage models of the Yamaha Ténéré, including the winning Dakar motorcycle of Stéphane Peterhandsel. This year we were accompanied by none other than Pol Tarres!
Photo: Greg Vandevyver
It was wonderful to see so many grown men turning into young teenagers who suddenly came face to face with their idol. This was most certainly the case during the autograph session / meet & greet. Don’t worry! I also turned into a real fangirl and asked him to autograph my own laptop.
After the meet & greet, Pol Tarres got on his motorcycle and showed his amazing riding skills. It's really impressive to see him ride a motorcycle. The many images and videos on social media hardly do justice to how impressive his riding skills are.
After gawking at his high school of riding skills, the day slowly came to an end. After everyone had ridden back to the campsite and everything cleaned up, we were allowed to sit down for a delicious dinner, presentations and briefing about the first stage!
Stay tuned for part 2!
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