A RUTHIN mechanic was badly injured whilst attempting to ride 1,000 miles along South Africa’s gruelling east coast.
Phil Edwards, 26, set out on his eight day charity motorbike ride in October, but broke his collar bone after being flung over his bike’s handle bars.
“I was trying to get up to a good speed to get down a dirt track which was dry and dusty, but when we came over the hill, the weather had taken the road away and many of us fell,” said Mr Edwards, from Llanrhaedr Ruthin.
He was taken to hospital to be told his collar bone had snapped and would not be able to join the other bikers on the rest of the trip.
“I was coming down the hill and many people had crashed and I was shot over the handle bars,” he added.
Mr Edwards was riding through some of the region's most isolated areas in aid of children's charities in Africa, and was warned of the breathtaking ride on extreme terrain, which will be physically and mentally draining.
He raised £2,875 for four charities, UNICEF, Nelson Mandela's children's fund, Sentebale and Touch Africa, and enjoyed his week out there so much, he’s decided to go back to South Africa to attempt the 1,000 mile bike ride again, to raise even more money for charity.
He said: “The ride up until the fall is the most amazing thing I’ve ever done.”
Mr Edwards works at RMF Auto Centre at Turner Trading Estate in Ruthin, and has been a keen motorcyclist for the last four years, but had never been off-roading before.
He was joined with 120 other like-minded adventurous motorcyclists taking part in the unique Enduro Africa 2011.
Mr Edwards had to ride from dawn to dust each day along the wild coast of South Africa, which has one of the continents most stunning landscapes, but also one of the most dangerous and will is prepared to go back in 2012.
“I was absolutely devastated to come home, but the guys out there are helping me to do it again,” he said.
He enjoys riding on the roads of North Wales with his father or with friends, and had been going to the gym, swimming and attending karate sessions to get himself physically fit for the trip.
“I would like to thank everyone that donated money and all the local businesses that sponsored me,” he added.
A spokesman for Enduro Africa, said: "Whether negotiating one of the amazing river crossings, riding flat out up the beach past the spectacular Jacaranda shipwreck, or tackling a steep ascent with the waves roaring 200 feet below - riders will find the experience of Africa exhilarating and memorable and raise vital funds at the time.”