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Pushing the limits

A family tests their mettle on a ride across the Western Hemisphere

By Michelle Dobrovolny

Months of planning had finally come to fruition for Sean Noble and his sons, Ryan, Rob and Justin. It was early May 2007 and they were at last setting out on a 28,300-kilometre motorcycle trip that would take them from Ushuaia, Argentina, to the end of the Pan-American Highway in Deadhorse, Alaska.

The first few kilometres, however, proved more difficult than expected: a delay in their schedule meant that they were breaking in their brand new Suzuki V-Strom 650 motorcycles at night, under rainfall and on an ice-frosted highway winding through the southern Andes. The conditions were less than ideal, but the Nobles couldn’t afford to wait. They were attempting to break the world record time for a Trans-American motorcycle trip: a 35-day ride accomplished by Kevin and Julia Sanders in 2003.

Despite the difficult roads, the Nobles were still making good progress as they climbed to the highway’s highest point at Garibaldi Pass. Then, suddenly, Ryan—the least experienced rider of the group—lost control of his bike.

“He had more than doubled his lifetime experience on motorcycles at that point,” said Sean. “He got into a high-speed wobble beside a great big semi and he didn’t know that he should just let go of the gas and back off; he thought he could power through it.”

The family watched in terror as Ryan and his bike—along with their chance at breaking the world record—spiralled down the mountain road. Less than 30 kilometres into their journey, it seemed their ambitious ride had already come to a screeching halt.

But the Nobles weren’t ready to give up; it was going to take more than a potentially fatal accident on a stormy night to quell their determination. Ryan—thankfully suffering little more than a bruised ego—scraped himself off the highway while his brothers righted his bike. Undeterred, the Nobles then continued on, riding well into the night in their resolve to reach Alaska in record time.

A sense of adventure

What made the Nobles decide to undertake such a quest?
They are, it seems, genetically predisposed to adventure. A developmental psychologist by profession, Sean, aged 55, also has a wild side that in his youth led him to hitchhike from Utah to B.C. Later on in life, he found that riding his motorcycle provided an outlet for his wanderlust, and thought nothing of hopping on his bike to ride from the Nobles’ hometown of Red Deer, Alberta, to Mexico or Alaska.

It’s not hard to understand, then, how all three of Sean’s sons would exhibit the same daring behaviour. The youngest, Justin, 23, is the most impetuous, once riding a motorcycle to Utah just for the hell of it. Rob, 25, the middle child, has made a life for himself working in Alberta’s rough-and-tumble oilfields, while Ryan, 26—a self-professed “computer nerd”—is the least outdoors-inclined of the three. (By most standards, however, he would still qualify as quite the adventurer, having joined in the family backpacking trips that have taken the Nobles everywhere from the Alaskan coast to the Grand Canyon.)

So when this intrepid family got together for a few beers in Red Deer in celebration of Rob’s and Justin’s upcoming university graduations, it wasn’t long before they were tossing around grand schemes of the ultimate family trip. Would they hike Mount Kilimanjaro? What about a motorcycle ride across Canada? better yet, across North America? Many Google searches later, they had actually developed a feasible though fantastic plan: they would break the Guinness World Record for a Trans-American motorcycle ride, following the guidelines used by the previous record-holders, all the while raising money for the Kids Cancer Care Foundation of Alberta.

Challenges and high points

That was, essentially, how the Nobles found themselves on a plane headed for the world’s southernmost city, rather blissfully unaware of the challenges that lay ahead. Riding a bike every day may sound like a dream holiday, but squeezing in almost 1,000 kilometres daily was no leisurely ride: tendinitis, sunburn and sheer exhaustion afflicted the riders.

“Until I got used to holding the throttle and the handlebars for 12 hours a day, when we’d stop for gas, I would have a hard time opening my hands off of the handlebars,” said Ryan.

Added to the strenuous physical activity were the trials of making their way through foreign countries. The Nobles’ minimal knowledge of Spanish resulted in some interesting situations, like the time they rented a hotel room in the red light district of a Colombian city, only comprehending the front desk’s reluctance to rent a room to four unaccompanied men after they saw the erotic decor of their room.

“It wasn’t until we were actually in the facility that we realized it was what was referred to as a ‘love hotel’ with rooms that were specifically by the hour,” said Sean with a chuckle.

Then there was the troublesome matter of getting across the Darien Gap, an unrouted 55-mile stretch between Panama and Colombia that divides the Pan-American Highway. While they did manage to find a pilot to fly them over the marshy wilderness, the flight was nerve-racking, as the Nobles found themselves boarding the plane just as a sudden and severe tropical storm was descending.

“Loading the planes in Cartagena (Colombia) was pretty crazy,” said Ryan. “It was the worst rainstorm I’ve ever been in and we were loading motorcycles on this rickety old plane.”

But the trip was also unbelievably rewarding, bringing the Nobles into the kinds of landscapes that they had before only seen in National Geographic magazines. They were awed by Colombia, where twisting roads unmarred by harsh winters provided absolutely perfect pavement for riding, set against a landscape resplendent with tropical trees.

“It was gorgeous countryside and awesome roads,” said Rob. “The rainforest there is really thick. It’s so grown over that it’s like you’re driving through a tunnel. The trees completely encanopied the highways.”

The end of the line

On the 29th day, as the Nobles approached Deadhorse—feeling elated if not overwhelmed at having crossed two continents and 12 countries in less than a month—they encountered yet another challenge: Justin hit a caribou along the last kilometres of the Dalton Highway. It was a freakish accident, one that left him stunned, covered in animal blood, and feeling incredibly lucky; most often, it’s these massive creatures that walk away from motor vehicle accidents.

“Out of nowhere, this caribou head and eye turns and looks at me—as I’m driving through it,” said Justin. “I was in total shock. I got off my bike, and knew what had happened, but was in total disbelief.”

Justin walked away with only a few scratches, but his bike was badly damaged—nearly unrideable. With less than 50 miles to go, however, the Nobles had to press on, with Justin puttering along behind on his wrecked bike.

“Those last 40 miles were probably the hardest of the trip,” said Justin.

It was an anticlimactic end to their journey. They had completed the trip in a total of 29 days, 10 hours and 40 minutes—beating the previous record by six days. The occasion seemed to call for some kind of celebration, but the Nobles could just barely muster the energy to take a photo to commemorate their accomplishment. Wearily, they posed under a weatherbeaten Deadhorse sign that—after having crossed deserts, rainforest and mountains—seemed markedly unimpressive.

It’s not that the Nobles weren’t awed by the distance they had managed to travel in such a short time; but what they had originally intended as a record-breaking achievement had instead turned into a very profound experience. Getting to Deadhorse—getting anywhere—had become irrelevant; arriving at their destination, merely an afterthought.

The journey as a whole, however, was an incredible experience for the family.

“It was a phenomenal bonding between my sons and me—and between them,” said Sean. “We swore at each other; we yelled at each other; we would complain about what we were doing; but 30 minutes later when you were in the ditch, you had three guys helping you out.”

Long distance riding 101

A long-distance trip can be incredibly rewarding, but requires serious planning. Here are some rules of thumb from Sean Noble.

• Pack extra gear: Bring a portable compressor, tire plugs, extra fuel, fuses, a spare chain, zip ties, duct tape and ratchet straps.

• Ride at your own pace: Too many riders get into trouble trying to maintain the speed of a more accomplished rider.

• Stick together: The rider in front is responsible for keeping the following rider in his rear-view mirror. If you can’t see the rider behind, you’re too far ahead.

• Keep hydrated: We used a CamelBak water system.

• Think ahead: Have a contact person whom everyone can call in case you get separated.

• Wear protective gear: It truly does save limbs and even lives.

• Stay oriented: GPS units really do help, particularly when navigating through large cities.

• Stay flexible: Having a daily goal is good but don’t let it be your master; there are times when quitting early is a wise decision.

• Keep in touch: People back at home will worry. It’s considerate to phone home daily.

• Remember your ride: A journal and a camera will provide a treasure of future memories.

 

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