The venue for the 1994 rally was the Usk Agricultural College, which provided camping grounds, dormitory rooms and a bar. Doris Porter wrote an article for WIMA News.
260 WIMAs have fun in Gwent
Members booked in from countries all over the world including Australia, Japan, Netherlands, France, Switzerland, Czech Republic, Germany and, of course, all corners of Britain. The Swedish contingent’s arrival become doubtful at the last minute as the ferry they were due to catch had crashed in the harbour and their sailing was cancelled. Undeterred, Annette Ogren and Eva Lundquist made it to Usk after a four-day ride through five countries and arrived in style; local policemen had spotted them in town at 11:30 p.m. looking slightly lost and gave them an escort to the site!
Various planned and impromptu events during the week included competitions to find the top member or “Madame WIMA” for the coming year, visits by the Pontnewydd Male Choir, a local blues and soul band, Rita (Sweden) who taught some belly dancing and impromptu circle dancing, and general campsite music and revelry.
On Monday, the first full day of the rally, around 190 people took part in a “Sports Day” competition, riding a bicycle through an obstacle course.
Tuesday’s Treasure Hunt took rallyists through (at least!) 90 miles of the beautiful Gwent countryside between the castles of Raglan, Skenfrith, Chepstow, Caldicot and Penhow. Unlike the rest of the week, the weather conditions were appalling but more than 80 stalwart riders ignored the temptations of the cafes and pubs along the way to make it to the finish. Points were earned at the venues for leek launching (a leaky kettle replaced real vegetables), blind beanbag target throwing and a walking quiz. For the evening there was an indoor barbeque.
On Wednesday the morning Skills Test involved participants riding their own motorcycle, over, under and through a tricky series of obstacles. Machines involved ranged from a Honda 125 trailie to a fully dressed Goldwing and several outfits. Many of the continental bikes were of the Transalp type and were skilfully ridden to success.
There was an afternoon run to the Big Pit Mining Museum where, having toured the underground workings, the visitors had a ‘Miners Snap’ (traditional miner’s tea) complete with cheese, gibbons (spring onions) and Welsh Cakes (small, round, flat, biscuit-like cookies, cooked on a flat griddle with currants, doused with caster sugar). Back on site in the evening there was a disco.
St Fagans, the Welsh National Folk Museum in Cardiff, took a whole day on Thursday to see. Riders’ biggest problem here was where and how to stash the still soft clay pots they had thrown on the potter’s wheel, but most pots and riders made it back to the site intact. Awards were given out at the Farewell Supper in a nearby hotel. Andrea Beuchlen won WIMA Woman of the Year. A special ‘Trials and Tribulations Award was given to Jutta Dittern, who had had to dash home to Berlin because of a crisis, only to find that it had passed and promptly set off again, returning exhausted on Tuesday morning. That’s dedication! Thanks to the success of the organising committee to persuade manufacturers and other companies to give generously, there were enough prizes for everyone down to 70th place.
