Rallye Training Day at Desert Rose

Having booked to take part in the Hellas Rallye in late May 2022 with our sister company Desert Rose Racing, 4 riders joined us at the Riding Academy to start their preparation in earnest. None of the riders were new to off road riding, but this would be the first rallye they have taken part in. One of the distinctions between a rallye and a raid is that the rallye is a competitive, timed race where podium positions are up for grabs. Having opted for a rallye, the riders knew that their riding would need to be dialed in, so that they could concentrate on navigation, using road books for the very first time. Riding skills were honed through the day with all 4 tackling everything from body positioning exercises, bike handling, hill ascents, stream crossings and everyone’s favourite titanic moment, not for the faint hearted, followed by a little towing exercise.

The day was broken down into a number of elements that would help riders new to the rallye and rallye raid world. The bike handling skills would be a recurring theme running through the day and thrown into the mix was some basic fault diagnosis and bike maintenance. Bike won’t start 120 KM into a special stage and what do you do, call the Desert Rose Racing mechanics back at the bivouac, but you will still need some knowledge and to get hands on. Whether it’s a blown fuse, stuck kill switch or something more tricky to find, it’s good to know what to check. There was cause for some actual track-side mechanical knowledge with a drowned bike part way through the afternoon, but what happens on tour stays on tour – no names!

Paul King
10th February, 2022

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10/06/2026

Desert Rose New Experience Centre for Zero

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Desert Rose at BikeShed Show 2026

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12/05/2026

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