Riding With Valle
- Ant Butler
- Nov 24, 2025
- 4 min read
A story of four days, three bikes, two drones, one Landy.
Riding With Valle
Where do you even start when you meet someone you have only known through a screen? You follow a rider for years, laugh at their jokes, admire their lines, learn from their style, and then one day they step off a plane and they are standing right in front of you.
That was me meeting Valle from Valle on Tour for the first time.
He left Munich on an overnight flight, slept above the clouds, and touched down in Cape Town the next morning. By late afternoon he was on a bike with us, riding Chapman’s Peak for a sunset cruise around the peninsula before dropping into the city along Philip Kgosana Drive. Not a bad welcome to South Africa.
That evening we shared a meal, laughed at the strangeness of meeting someone you already feel like you know, and planned for an early start.
A Helmet Is the Great Equaliser
The thing I love most about riding motorcycles is that it does not matter where you come from or what your story is. The moment you put a helmet on, everyone becomes the same kind of human. The walls drop fast.
Within the first hundred kilometres the three of us were already talking nonsense through the comms, like we had been riding together for years. Meanwhile Dave and Troy bounced along behind us in the support Land Rover Defender, windows down, cameras out, loaded with lenses our luggage and enough dust to fill a football field. It felt like a mini expedition from the first kilometre.
Riding ten hours a day means there is no room for ego or distance. By the end of day one we were already giving each other gears, swapping stories, comparing countries, roads, riders, mistakes, and scars.
I like to think I am a solid rider after fifteen years on a BMW 1200 GSA. But riding next to Valle? Let’s just say I realised there is always room to sharpen a few skills. I would comment on something he did and he would happily give me tips on the fly.
Dronie, Our Fourth Riding Partner
Valle always rides with cameras rolling. GoPros, phones, drone, something is always in the air. Which meant plenty of stops to launch the drone.
This part killed me.
He talks to that drone like it is his lover.
“Come on girl, behave. Follow me. Please dronie, no, no, no, not that way. Come back. Please come back.”
I would be laughing in my helmet like a child. The latest and greatest from Cardo Systems echoing my amusement with the rest.
Karaoke Is Born
By day two we had rhythm. The three bikes flowed. The Defender shadowed us like a loyal dog. The sun was out, the gravel was perfect, the views were unreal.
And then the singing started.
Valle loves 80s and 90s pop. Properly loves it. One word would trigger a soundtrack through our comms. Whitney. George Michael. Phil Collins. The Cranberries. Tina Turner. Every one of them made an appearance.
That was it. His nickname arrived naturally: Karaoke.
Greg and I already have our alter egos. Greg becomes Mad Dog when there is water involved. I become Ghost Rider when the road and the moment line up. Anyone who rides with us earns theirs. Valle earned his fast.
The Silence at the End
Something happens on every multi day ride. On the last day, especially the last hundred kilometres, the chatter starts to fade. By the final fifty there is almost nothing said except a warning about a pothole or livestock.
It is a quiet return to reality. A mental replay of everything you saw and felt.
As we rolled back into Cape Town after four unreal days and 2,150 kilometres, the silence felt heavy in a good way. We parked outside Greg’s house, got off the bikes, took off our helmets, and looked at each other with tired smiles.
We did not need words.
Fist bumps all around. Brothers of the open road. Bonds made the only way riders know.
Explore the Roads We Rode
Before the Pangea Rally begins, you can take a deeper look at the regions we travelled together:
The Journey Continues
We are now less than a year away from the first Pangea Rally. Valle will be back, and this time with a few of his fellow countrymen. Seven nights and seven days riding across the Cape Fold Mountains, the Cederberg valleys, the Karoo gravel corridors, and everything in between.
If you want to ride the same roads we shared on this trip, feel the same laughs, the same silence, the same moments you cannot put into words, this is your chance.
FAQ Section
What is the terrain like on the Pangea Rally route?
A mix of smooth tar, flowing gravel, winding passes, remote desert-like plains, river valleys, and scenic coastal roads. It is one of the most diverse ADV regions in the world.
How long does the Pangea Rally take?
Seven nights, seven days, one incredible journey through the Sea, Berg, and Karoo landscapes.
What kind of motorcycle is best for riding the Cape Fold Mountains?
Whatever you are most comfortable on. Mid-weight adventure bikes like the Tenere 700, BMW F800/F900 GS, Africa Twin, are ideal. Big bikes work well for more experienced riders but lighter bikes are easier on loose gravel.
Do I need gravel riding experience for this type of trip?
Basic gravel confidence helps, but much of the riding is flowing, scenic, and suitable for intermediate riders.
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