My Bresil

Jan 10, 2023

When I was 11 years old, at school, my teacher asked the students to choose a subject for a presentation. It should be something that inspired us. Anything at all. My choice was clear: I chose ''Brésil". In this presentation, as a football fan, I of course talked about the "auriverde". But I also talked about Brasilia and its airplane shaped city, the corcovado, the Amazonia and the land's vast coffee production. If I had to do it again,I would choose the exact same subject. However, today, I would mention a thing or two about the Brazilian beach breaks and its people.

MARESIAS

It's the 11th of October and I am landing in Sao Paulo. My eyes cannot believe how big the largest city in Brasil is. It seems like an infinite desert of construction. As soon as the airplane wheels kissed the tarmac, I received a text message from Alexandre with very specific instructions about the driver who would be picking me up. I should be looking for a woman named Valeria who would be wearing a bright yellow dress holding a sign saying: Tom Le Mong. He always gets my name wrong.

I exit the arrival area of Sao Paulo International Airport not only with my own bag but also with three other bags and a baby stroller from a single mother whom I had just met and was in need of help. Here I am, looking for Valeria, pushing a baby and these huge bags and the first person I see in the crowd is Alexandre who decided to surprise me.

I say YES, but he seems confused and I can see he is thinking about running away as he sees me pushing a baby around the airport. It had been seven years since we had seen each other. Last time was in Denmark, where we used to work together. I was teaching surfing and he was making coffee at our friend's coffee-surf shop.

The 2 hour drive from Sao Paulo city to the north coast of the state went by quickly as we had so much to catch up about. So many things had happened but nothing had changed, really. Soon enough we arrived at Maresias where I finally met Fabi and Coffee-boy (Alex's loves).

So 4:30 AM comes around and I'm doing my first surf check with the help of the jetlag. Okay, it only took me a 30 sec walk between my bed and the ocean gate. That's my personal record. Maresias is a small town with a 5km long beach, famous for its good beach break waves, surrounded by cute mountains. This would be my residence for the next 3 weeks.

Even though at this time of the year there are still plenty of south swells reaching that coast, at the end I didn't get the pumping barrels Maresias is known for. Nonetheless we got to surf very fun waves almost everyday around the neighboring beaches.

THE ISLAND

At some point of the trip Alex introduced me to his childhood friend Fransisco, a.k.a "Titcho". We immediately connected and within 5 minutes this guy was already one of my best friends. During the game night that followed, after a few gin-tonics, Alex and Titcho decided that with the arrival of the east winds it was time to adventure out of Maresias to a secret surf spot in one of the nearby islands.

Getting there was a mission in itself. After an hour's drive we jumped into a fast boat piloted by a young local guy called Michael. Michel is a maniac. He didn't care about the rising swell and strong winds. He just thrusted that little boat to its full potential, reaching speeds of above 25 knots against the changing weather.

At some point we finally arrived at a little bay that hugs a beautiful beach, which name I will keep for us. This place has no supermarkets, no shops, no phone signal and the only other way to get there is a 5 hour hike adventure through the rain forest. Luckly, Titchos' family owns a small and cozy old fisherman's house on the beach with everything you need: a bed, a fridge and a coffee machine.

Right after we settled in, the boys took me to a waterfall to shake off the intense ride and we got to enjoy some true unspoiled nature, just the way I like it. On the way back, I realized that I was being followed by mosquitos. The situation was abnormal. I was almost being carried back home by the hungry little fuckers. The guys had only then told me about that small mosquito detail. And that explains why the local people are all wearing pants and socks at the beach. Thanks guys! I was there barefoot and wearing only my boardshort. After dutifully providing some of my french blood to the local fauna we went surfing. The waves weren't that good on that fist session, but it was a great opportunity to escape the mosquitos and get the hang of that wave.

The day after we woke up early with the swell starting to properly fill in. The winds soon turned offshore and we got this place as good as it gets. Now I understood what they had been talking about. What makes this wave great is the fact that the swell hits a deep wall and, as it reverberates off the wall, it meets the next swell creating a beautiful wedge situation. We surfed the whole day trading green triangular shaped waves with a few guys out. I felt right at home and decided to stay a few more days until the mosquitos won the battle and sent me back to Maresias. By that time I had gotten so many bites that my body got sick, I cried and had to go see a doctor.

FERNANDO DE NORONHA

Two months before landing in Brazil Alex said: “if there is a swell at the beginning of November we might go to Noronha.” So one week before I was supposed to go back to France he told me: ''Tom, it's happening. Change your tickets”. Okay, I admit my brain was so ready for baguettes and croissants but I knew the reputation this place has and I knew I might not ever have another chance to go there. One life, let's go. Two days later Alex, Titcho and I were heading to the airport with a backpack each and a few boards.

Fernando De Noronha is a small chain of islands located about 200 miles off the Northeast coast of Brazil. It's basically a small piece of land in the middle of the 2nd largest Ocean of the world. The airport landtrack is sick! From the airplane you can see the rocks “Pedra dos Dois Irmãos” contrasting with the yellow sand beach of Cacimba do Padre and the deep blue ocean behind it. What a view!

As soon as we left the airport, Alex had another surprise for us. To get around the island he made a reservation for a buggy - a local flintstones-esk type of car people drive around over there. The surprise was not the car, which is pretty cool in itself, but its bright pink color. THIS? I looove!

Alex is a partner of a restaurant at the island called Benedita and he has two hometown friends - Vinicius and Alan - who now live in Noronha and work at the restaurant. Every morning, as we left the main village and headed to the beach we picked up Vini and Alan in our pink buggy to go surf with us. They were pretty stoked on that because normally they have to hitch-hike. Even though the promised swell didn't arrive as expected we surfed all day, every day. On the few times we opted not to surf, Vini and Alan were kind enough to show us around all the good spots to dive and rock climb.

The crazy part of that wave is that at this time of the year there are sharks swimming in the white water. I saw one swimming under my feet and was like: "well okay". I also remember when I was sitting on my board waiting for waves and Alex was ready to go for a swim when a shark made a big splash between us. The normal reaction would be to freak out and head up to the threes, but no not here. The locals don't care about the sharks, they are like honey badgers. "They don't bite'' said this 12 year old local kid to Alex. At the end we got used to the sharks as well and I ended up surfing so much that late one night I cried on my bed once again because of the big rashes I got from the boardshorts.

After 5 days in that paradise it was time to go back to reality. We all had to go back to work and honestly I missed my wetsuit.

Until next time, Brésil!

Thanks for reading.
- Tom Le Moing.

ENGLISH TEXT BELOW

Sabtu pagi, 17 Juni 2023, menjadi hari yang ditunggu-tunggu oleh 250 peserta reli sepeda motor dan 80 kontestan flat track race di Bali. Itu merupakan acara Rally & Camp Tasik Adventure keempat yang diselenggarakan oleh komunitas pecinta motor trail vintage yang lebih dari sekadar menggemari motor dual purpose era 80-90-an. Dikenal sebagai Trail Asik Adventurer, AKA… Tasik Adventure yang telah menunggu setahun untuk merencanakan dan mengerjakan nya demi tidak mengecewakan siapapun yang ikut berpartisipasi.

Coba kamu bayangkan , ada dua sisi koin berbeda pada event kali ini. Yang pertama adalah Reli. Mereka memberi nama Challenge "Tantangan", menjadikan setiap peserta sebagai "Penantang" Challenger. Jadi, di tempat parkir Sangeh Monkey Forest, sambil menikmati keteduhan pohon jati raksasa yang awet muda, 250 Penantang parkir untuk menerima kode QR untuk etape pertama rute reli. Seluruh perjalanan adalah 3 etape dengan 3 titik pemberhentian. 4 jika Anda menghitung tujuan.

Ada beberapa motor keren di sana, Honda XR, Yamaha DT, Suzuki TS, Suzuki DR, dan beberapa custom modern, motocross dan scrambler. Sekitar sepuluh atau lebih, mereka berbaris di titik start dan memulai rally dari sana. Misi setiap orang adalah menyelesaikan setiap tahap dan berhenti di 3 titik pemberhentian untuk mendapatkan kode QR untuk bagian berikutnya. Keindahan Bali selalu menjadi pendamping, saat kami terbang di sepanjang kombinasi jalan aspal, jalan pedesaan, dan jalan tanah di daerah Tabanan. Kami perlahan-lahan terbang tinggi dan semakin tinggi ke perbukitan dan pemandangan sawah dan hutan akhirnya habis, sebenarnya lebih seperti perlahan menjadi satu ketika kami sampai di tujuan. Bali Outbound Farmstay (BOF) yang juga menjadi tempat berkemah semalam. Jika Anda mengumpulkan semua kode QR Anda, Anda mendapat medali Rally sebagai bentuk penghargaan.

Sisi lain dari koin yang disebutkan sebelumnya, atau event kedua, adalah balap jalur datar (flat track). Atau dalam hal ini jalur dengan landasan yang tidak rata karena tempat mereka membangun jalur itu berada di atas tempat yang dulunya terdapat dua sawah terasering. Jadi titik start finish lebih tinggi dari jalur lurus pertama dengan penurunan pada tikungan pertama dan sedikit menanjak pada tikungan kedua. Saat kami masuk ke BOF, kami sudah bisa mendengar suara motor flat track dan sorakan penonton yang berkumpul. Kami parkir dan membuat jalur jalur seperti lebah.

Keseruan seutuhnya pada acara, disaat tingkat kesulitan tambahan dimasukkan ke dalam jadwal sore hari menarik perhatian yang sangat luar biasa. Mereka berhasil menarik sekitar delapan puluh peserta, terbagi dalam 4 kelas: Kelas Mesin Horizontal, Kelas FFA 4T Max 250cc, Kelas FFA 2T Max 250cc Flat Track, dan Kelas FFA Big Bore.

Antusiasme untuk balapan flat track sangat terasa. Kegembiraan tumbuh saat kami melewati babak penyisihan dan membangun sesuatu yang luar biasa untuk final setiap kelas. Tidak ada kata menahan, mereka hadir untuk memenangkannya. Pembalap dari setiap komunitas bersaing sengit di setiap kelas. Nama-nama seperti Maulana Sandi, Dewa Dimas, Harris Manasi Ride, Nova Rider Sing Mebekel, Ferry Rider Sing Mebekel, Bontok Giga MX, dan lain-lain tak main-main, sebagian besar dari memamerkan skill mereka tanpa mengesampingkan sportifitas dan keselamatan.

Trek dengan permukaan tanah liat merah keras yang kering memberikan tantangan. Di awal, para pembalap disuguhkan dengan bagian menurun pada tikungan pertama, setelah itu mereka memeras gas di bagian trek lurus sebelum berputar ke kiri lagi tapi kali ini menjadi bagian menanjak pada tikungan kedua. Itu memaksa mereka untuk menggabungkan keterampilan balap trek datar mereka dengan banyak teknik motocross. Pada akhirnya, semua pembalap bersenang-senang dengan debu tanah liat merah yang menutupi segalanya dan semua orang.

Saat matahari terbenam ke arah cakrawala, saudara dan sahabat motoran kami meraih pecahan cahaya terakhir untuk mendirikan tenda mereka dan dalam persiapan untuk berkemah malam. Matahari menghilang di balik Gunung Batukaru memberi semua orang pemandangan yang menakjubkan, tetapi segera menyelimuti kami dengan udara yang jauh lebih sejuk dari dataran tinggi di Baturiti Tabanan ini.

Percakapan tentang rute reli dan balapan flat track mengalir dari pintu tenda semua orang yang berkemah, yang lain membaringkan tubuh mereka yang lelah untuk mengantisipasi perjalanan keesokan harinya, perjalanan yang relatif santai ke Pantai Pasut.

Dengan begitu, acara Rally & Camp Tasik Adventure 2023 pun berakhir. Sampai bertemu lagi tahun depan, salam untuk semua penantang, pengalaman yang luar biasa.

Berikut daftar pemenang Kelas Flat Track:

Flat Rack Horizontal Engine Class Winners:
1. Chiko GTT Bali
2. Panduk Pisaga Delodan
3. Andika Monkey Brothers

Flat Rack FFA 4T Max 250cc Class Winners:
1. Nova Rider Sing Mebekel
2. Ferry Rider Sing Mebekel
3. Bontok Giga MX

Flat Rack FFA 2T Max 250cc Class Winners:
1. Sandi Maulana
2. Dewa Dita
3. Eponk Road Country

Flat Rack FFA Big Bore Class Winners:
1. Dewa Dimas
2. Haris Manasi Ride
3. Sandi Maulana

Saturday morning, June 17, 2023, was a highly anticipated day for 250 motorcycle rally participants and 80 flat track race contestants in Bali. It was the Fourth Rally & Camp Tasik Adventure event organized by a community of vintage trail motorcycle enthusiasts who love more than fanging about on their dual-purpose motorcycles from the 80s and 90s. Known as the Trail Asik Adventure Community, AKA… Tasik Adventure people had waited a year for the follow up and none were disappointed.

Just so you can get it straight in your head, there’s two very different sides to this coin. The first one was the Rally. They hung it under the banner of “Challenge”, making each partaker a “Challenger”. So, in the carpark of Sangeh Monkey Forest, which enjoys the shade of giant ageless teak trees, 250 Challengers parked up to receive the QR code for the first leg of the rally route. The entire ride was 3 stages with 3 stop points. 4 if you count the destination.

There were some amazing bikes there, Honda XR’s, Yamaha DT’s, Suzuki TS’s, Suzuki DR’s, and some custom modern motocross and scrambler bikes. In lots of ten or so, they lined up at the starting point then let them out for the event. Everyone’s mission was to complete each stage and stop at the 3 stop points to get the QR code for the next bit. Bali’s beauty was the constant companion, as we flew along a combination of asphalt roads, rural roads and dirt tracks in the Tabanan area. We slowly winded up high and higher into the hills and the views of rice fields and forests finally ran out, actually, it was more like blurred into one when we reached our destination. Bali Outbound Farmstay (BOF), which was also to be the overnight camping spot. If you collected all your QR codes you got a Rally medal as a form of appreciation.

The other side of the aforementioned coin, or second event, was the flat track. Or in this case staggered track because where they had built the track it was over a spot that had once held two rice terraces. So the Start finish straight sat higher than the return straight with a drop on the first turn and an uphill bit on the second. As we were pulling into BOF we could already hear the flat track bikes and the assembled crowd cheering. We parked up and made a bee line track side.

What an absolute corker of an event, the added degree of difficulty jammed into the afternoons schedule made for the most marvelous distraction. They’d managed to attract around eighty participants, split over 4 classes: Horizontal Engine Class, FFA 4T Max 250cc Class, Flat Track FFA 2T Max 250cc Class, and FFA Big Bore Class.

The enthusiasm for the flat track races was palpable. The excitement growing as we whittled down through the heats and building to something of a crescendo for the finals of each class. There was no holding back, they were in it to win it. Racers from each community fiercely competed in each class. Names like Maulana Sandi, Dewa Dimas, Harris Manasi Ride, Nova Rider Sing Mebekel, Ferry Rider Sing Mebekel, Bontok Giga MX, and others were letting nothing slip, flaunting their skills without compromising sportsmanship and safety. Mostly.

The track, with its dry hard red clay surface, presented challenges. Off the start, the racers were presented with a downhill section on the first turn, they hit the gas on the bottom straight before spinning left again but this time into an uphill section on the second turn. It forced them to combine their flat track racing skills with a slew of motocross techniques. In the end, all the racers had fun with the red clay dust lay across everything and everyone.

As the sun dipped towards the horizon, our compadres and accomplices grabbed the last shards of light to set up their tents in readiness for a night of camping. The sun disappeared behind Mount Batukaru affording everyone a magnificent view, but immediately enveloping us in the much cooler air of these high grounds here in Baturiti Tabanan.

Conversations about the rally route and the flat track race flowed out of the tent flaps of all those who camped others bedded their weary bodies down in anticipation for the next day's ride, a comparatively leisurely meander down to Pasut Beach.

With that, the Rally & Camp Tasik Adventure 2023 event came to an end. Until we meet again next year, greetings to all challengers, what an amazing time.

Here is the list of the days winners:

Flat Rack Horizontal Engine Class Winners:
1. Chiko GTT Bali
2. Panduk Pisaga Delodan
3. Andika Monkey Brothers

Flat Rack FFA 4T Max 250cc Class Winners:
1. Nova Rider Sing Mebekel
2. Ferry Rider Sing Mebekel
3. Bontok Giga MX

Flat Rack FFA 2T Max 250cc Class Winners:
1. Sandi Maulana
2. Dewa Dita
3. Eponk Road Country

Flat Rack FFA Big Bore Class Winners:
1. Dewa Dimas
2. Haris Manasi Ride
3. Sandi Maulana