Bobcat
03-15-2012, 06:31 AM
We do a lot of block work and concrete for this guy.
From Here to Morocco
Key West cyclist racing in Tuareg Rallye
BY RALPH MORROW Citizen Sports Editor
rmorrow@keysnews.com
KEY WEST -- Brent Teixeira is celebrating his 44th birthday today -- on his way to Spain and from there by ferry to Morocco.
It's sort of a few-days-late present to himself.
On Sunday, the Key West building contractor will be the only North American cyclist competing in the eight-day Tuareg Rallye from Nador, Morocco, to Mojácar, Spain.
"It's a really tough rally," said Teixeira, as he sat poolside at his New Town home a few days ago. "I'm the only one (North American) crazy enough to do it."
Most days, the competitors will traverse about 400 kilometers (250 miles) over rocky canyons, gorges and dry river beds. But the big challenge will be getting up and over the sand dunes.
While Teixeira is an old hand at racing and owns his own bikes, he'll be renting a specially equipped one for this adventure. "I'm renting it from a company in Belgium," he explained. "It'll be a 450 cc Yamaha 4-stroke, a street-legal bike. It'll have a built-in GPS system and a road book of scrolls that detail the distances and where to go." He said the tires, instead of innertubes, will be filled with mousse, a hard substance that will help deflect the rocks.
"The entire race will be about 2,400 kilometers or 1,500 miles," he continued. "We start at Nador. The first day will be mainly for scrutiny and inspection. The eighth day we'll be in a 180 kilometer coastal stage, from Almeria to Mojacar, that is more for spectators than for competition -- like the last day of the Tour de France."
Teixeira will be accompanied by his wife, Joanne, an emergency room nurse, who will join his Dutch support team that takes care of logistics and carrying his gear.
"She doesn't approve of any of this," he joked as she passed by.
His budget for the trip: $10,000.
But, it's something he has looked forward to for many years; almost since he took up moto-crossing at the age of 7 in Klerksdorp, South Africa, where he was born. After graduating from high school, he spent two years in the South African army "fighting Cubans in Angola. I didn't have much choice, since I was conscripted."
Teixeira spent two more years, working in the gold mining industry, before heading to Key West in 1989. "I found the politics in South Africa appalling," he said. "(Nelson) Mandela was still in prison. He was our George Washington -- our greatest president."
When he reached Key West, Teixeira began working on glass bottom boats, then got into construction in 1990, eventually forming his own company.
Teixeira believes he has the experience to compete. In 2009, he participated in the 3-day, 1,000-mile Vegas to Reno race through the desert and the following year in a staged rallye in South Carolina. From September to May, he has participated every two weeks in the Florida Trail Riders Hare Scramble, which is usually a two-hour race on a farmer's land. "I have to drive 8 or 9 hours to get there, then see how many laps I can complete in two hours."
There will be 149 cycles and 150 cars, trucks, 4-wheelers, in the Tuareg. He described one stage. After eight hours of riding, the racers will come to a dune that is 650 feet or 200 meters high. "La Concha (hotel) is maybe 20 meters," he said. "You have to get to the top of it, with or without your bike, because you have to get your card signed at the top. It'll be quite a challenge."
The entire race sounds like a challenge, but this is not the end of it for Teixeira.
"My ultimate goal," he said, "is the Dakar Rallye that goes through Argentina, Chile and Peru. I've been watching it for years and even went down to Buenos Aires one year for the start."
Daily results from the race should be available on www.tuaregrallye.com and www.eaob.eu.
From Here to Morocco
Key West cyclist racing in Tuareg Rallye
BY RALPH MORROW Citizen Sports Editor
rmorrow@keysnews.com
KEY WEST -- Brent Teixeira is celebrating his 44th birthday today -- on his way to Spain and from there by ferry to Morocco.
It's sort of a few-days-late present to himself.
On Sunday, the Key West building contractor will be the only North American cyclist competing in the eight-day Tuareg Rallye from Nador, Morocco, to Mojácar, Spain.
"It's a really tough rally," said Teixeira, as he sat poolside at his New Town home a few days ago. "I'm the only one (North American) crazy enough to do it."
Most days, the competitors will traverse about 400 kilometers (250 miles) over rocky canyons, gorges and dry river beds. But the big challenge will be getting up and over the sand dunes.
While Teixeira is an old hand at racing and owns his own bikes, he'll be renting a specially equipped one for this adventure. "I'm renting it from a company in Belgium," he explained. "It'll be a 450 cc Yamaha 4-stroke, a street-legal bike. It'll have a built-in GPS system and a road book of scrolls that detail the distances and where to go." He said the tires, instead of innertubes, will be filled with mousse, a hard substance that will help deflect the rocks.
"The entire race will be about 2,400 kilometers or 1,500 miles," he continued. "We start at Nador. The first day will be mainly for scrutiny and inspection. The eighth day we'll be in a 180 kilometer coastal stage, from Almeria to Mojacar, that is more for spectators than for competition -- like the last day of the Tour de France."
Teixeira will be accompanied by his wife, Joanne, an emergency room nurse, who will join his Dutch support team that takes care of logistics and carrying his gear.
"She doesn't approve of any of this," he joked as she passed by.
His budget for the trip: $10,000.
But, it's something he has looked forward to for many years; almost since he took up moto-crossing at the age of 7 in Klerksdorp, South Africa, where he was born. After graduating from high school, he spent two years in the South African army "fighting Cubans in Angola. I didn't have much choice, since I was conscripted."
Teixeira spent two more years, working in the gold mining industry, before heading to Key West in 1989. "I found the politics in South Africa appalling," he said. "(Nelson) Mandela was still in prison. He was our George Washington -- our greatest president."
When he reached Key West, Teixeira began working on glass bottom boats, then got into construction in 1990, eventually forming his own company.
Teixeira believes he has the experience to compete. In 2009, he participated in the 3-day, 1,000-mile Vegas to Reno race through the desert and the following year in a staged rallye in South Carolina. From September to May, he has participated every two weeks in the Florida Trail Riders Hare Scramble, which is usually a two-hour race on a farmer's land. "I have to drive 8 or 9 hours to get there, then see how many laps I can complete in two hours."
There will be 149 cycles and 150 cars, trucks, 4-wheelers, in the Tuareg. He described one stage. After eight hours of riding, the racers will come to a dune that is 650 feet or 200 meters high. "La Concha (hotel) is maybe 20 meters," he said. "You have to get to the top of it, with or without your bike, because you have to get your card signed at the top. It'll be quite a challenge."
The entire race sounds like a challenge, but this is not the end of it for Teixeira.
"My ultimate goal," he said, "is the Dakar Rallye that goes through Argentina, Chile and Peru. I've been watching it for years and even went down to Buenos Aires one year for the start."
Daily results from the race should be available on www.tuaregrallye.com and www.eaob.eu.