These are the children who attend the school I am fundraising for. To rebuild the school it’s going to cost £43000. If you have been reading this blog to keep an eye on family or friends then please please donate some money towards this worthy cause.

These are pictures of the actual school as it currently stands. The buildings are dangerous with classes being postponed when it rains for safety concerns.

You can donate directly on my fundraising page!

Virgin fundraising page

So in 18 hours we arrive in Cape Town! 120 days, 11700 miles, 4 cassettes, 7 chains, 56 spokes, one hub, one pair of forks, 6 tubes of chamois cream, 9 individual socks, one seat post. Done!

OK, so it has been a while. In Maun the internet decided to not work on our rest day then in Windhoek I was to ill. Then I broke my computer in Sesriem so it has not been a good 3 rest days.

I’ll update day by day when I get to Cape Town for future riders. But for now it will take too long unless I can recover it from my hard drive when I get back to England.

We are now currently sitting on the Namibia/South African boarder, it’s our final rest day and we are getting ready for the final 6 days ridding. I won’t be riding at least one of them unless I make a miraculous recovery between now and tomorrow. My aim is to be well enough to ride in to Cape Town next Saturday!

Even though the final three rest days have been a write off as far as my blog has been concerned the time has been EPIC! From Victoria Falls, to sunset cruises, to flights over the Okavango delta, to the Namibian sand dunes, to the tours longest day, to our camp being invaded by and elephant, our daily rides being interrupted by herds of elephants, and my two near stage wins, one because I was beaten by 3 minutes and the other because my chain snapped with only a 10km downhill remaining!

Day 90/91 Victoria Falls Rest Day

So I had been looking forward to this for the entire trip, my plan was to bungee jump of the bridge. For this you had to be 130kg and I was unsure if I had lost enough weight. I starved myself after arriving the previous day and went to the bridge to get weighed. Unfortunately I was 134kg and was not allowed to bungee jump, however I was allowed to do the bridge swing which, this who did both say it was more scary. I did that twice. The next day was resting in the morning then in the afternoon I booked a helicopter trip to go and see the falls from the air. Well worth doing!

Day 92 Vic Falls to Kasane

Stage 71 81km

So today we crossed the boarder from Zambia to Botswana. The day had very little climbing and was short to allow the riders to take a river cruise in the afternoon. As with most boarder crossing days I rode with the girls. Again they dressed up for the occasion in Mardy Gra outfits with special T-Shirts they had made, 5 for them and then one for Sharita.

The boarder crossing in to Botswana was by boat, and from the boat you could see Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and of course Zambia. The girls managed to get the boarder crossing guards to dress up, something I’m not sure would happen in many other parts of the world. However they got let in and we made camp just in time for the afternoon ferry trip.

Day 93

Stage 72 171km

Ok, so I’m going to just get this out there. The riding in Botswana is boring. Very, very boring, this is not to say though that the time spent in Botswana is not enjoyable.

Everyday is long and flat, sometimes you get headwinds, sometimes cross winds but we never got a tailwind. It’s kind of nice in a way, everyone rides together in bigger groups to share the work load, each day is a test of mental strength to keep going, not because it’s hard, but because your mind thinks why are you even bothering… And then just as you start to give up hope you suddenly see an Elephant or Zebras, or Leopards and Giraffes wandering across the road and you forget about the 150 boring kilometres that have just passed before you.

I started the day riding with Carla and Jen however after around 12km the racers passed us going not much faster then I was going. I jumped on the back of the racing peloton just to see how far I could go, they were averaging around 35kph and to my surprise I found that I could keep up. With a brief pause to stop and take pictures of some giraffes by the side of the road I found I was at lunch without releasing it!

In the afternoon I rode with Herman, Natalie and Femka bake to camp at a more sedate 30kph. That evening an elephant decided to wander in to camp and for once camp was stone cold silent and dispute our briefing the day before someone forgot to turn the flash of their camera!

Day 94/95 Road Camp – Nata – Bush Camp

Stage 73 146km

Stage 74 182km

To long boring days with nothing much to say about them, relatively easy just plodding along. I’m not sure when 182km because easy but never the less.

But like I said the odd elephant sighting brightens things up!

Day 96 Bush Camp to Maun

Stage 75 136km

So with the race being 68km to lunch I thought that if I was going to go for a stage win today would be the day. There were two trains of thought, I could leave early in the morning, and go for it and let the cards fall where they fall, however with the tailwind we enjoyed the day before picking up in the afternoon I though the later I left the better.

My plan of attack was to leave 5 minutes after the racers peloton and catch them within the first few kilometre as they warmed up then the only thing I had to do was just stay with the racers and I would win.

This went to plan up to the point when I caught the racers. They told me another rider had gone for it and if I wanted to win I would have to ride a 68km time trail to catch him. So I did. 68km around 300m of climbing all on tarmac, the guy I was racing was half my size used to race with the racers until he couldn’t be bothered, and has a road bike with aero bars. I averaged 35kph for the two hours solo and mad the 69km in 1hr 57minutes, this however was only good enough for second. The guy weighing half my weight on a road bike with aero bars had managed to average 1/2kph faster then me and beat me by 3 minutes.

TBH if it was me I would be ashamed of only being 3 minutes faster then myself!

Day 97 Maun Restday

Maun was the usual city, two shopping malls and not much else to do, except for a flight over the Okavango Delta. Almost everyone on tour decided to do one and it was enjoyable. Not as spectacular as the trip over Victoria Falls but special none the less. Well worth doing.

Day 98/99 Maun – Bush Camp – Ghanzi

Stage 76 157km

Stage 77 140 km

Two more long flat boring days punctuated by the odd elephant sighting (even though technically we should no longer see them)

The first day being a race day and the second being a time trial which did not count towards the overall race but was more for fun then anything. I didn’t feel well and wanted to get to camp to rest before the longest day in tour so I did not participate.

Day 100 Ghanzi to Buitenpos

Stage 78 Mando Race Day 207km

So today was the longest day on tour. The racers were going to go for the record of 5hrs and 47 minutes averaging something silly like 38kph.

I started the day riding with Herman and Manuel, we were averaging a slow 28kph but I didn’t feel too well and was about as fast as I could break the wind on the front. The scenery was nothing special but at least today was the last day riding in Botswana.

At 41km the girls racing peloton (who were also going for the ladies record) passed us and we jumped on the back. We rode with them to lunch where they filled their water bottles and left, whilst Herman and I sat in for a long lunch. We made sandwiches in preparation for the racers and lined everything up ready for them so they could ride in fill their bottles grab a sandwich and leave. I think they recorded 1 minute 47 seconds of stoppage time for lunch!

After lunch I left with Herman but was suffering for some unknown reason, I fell off the back and waited for the girls who were about 30 minutes behind. When they caught me I jumped on the back of their pellet on and rode with them the rest of the day. Like all good days a wrong headwind picked up int the afternoon and we were forced to battle the final 100km.

As we were refuelling in afternoon refresh we heard that the leading men, Raffa and Bryce had broken the mens record by 10 minutes despite the strong headwind, unfortunately race leader Christian had suffered a puncture and came in 15 minutes later.

We reached the end of the race at 207 and crossed the boarder in to Namibia at around 16:00, the camp was a stones throw from the boarder and we made our way slowly to camp after successfully completing the 208km.

All of the people on tour except for 3 finished the entire day, though technically it might off been dark as they rolled in. As I said, it MIGHT have been dark, or I could of just have left my sunglasses on.

Day 101 Buitenpos – Witvlei

Stage 79 162km

I was going to attempt my second stage win attempt though after the long day the day before I was too tired. I rode the day slowly, well slowly ish, the strong tailwind allowed a cruising speed of 30kph without much effort. The stage winner average 38kph btw. We made lunch and carried on quickly to the town of Gobabis where there was a fantastic bakery and a Whimpy where the Mayor of the town was greeting Alleric, the Namibian rider to Nambia and us to Namibia with free drinks.

When we left the town we turned in to the wind to take us the final 50km to town, I rode slowly not being able to keep up with the girls and rode with Doug the sweep and Mings pace. We got to camp at 16:00 which wasn’t too bad considering I had spent 3 hours in the town.

Day 102 Witvlei to Windhoek

Stage 80 159km

Today I didn’t ride. All these long days and attempts at stage wins had taken their toll and I became ill.

Day 103 Windhoek Restday

Well fever set in on the rest day so I didn’t really see much of Windhoek except for the inside of my hotel room.

Day 104 Windhoek – Weissenfels Camp

Stage 81

I didn’t get a picture of the stage board today, I was going to stay in Windhoek until Sesriem which was only 3 days away, but Sharita advised me not to as I wouldn’t want to miss this section. I packed up my hotel room and moved on to the truck for the day.

Day 105 Weissenfels Camp – Solitaire

Stage 82 124km

So today I felt a touch better but I was still ill, I decided to ride the truck. I went to lunch and then at lunch they decided the truck had to take a diversion because it couldn’t go the route that we were cycling because the downhill was too dangerous for the truck. Well this I had to ride.

I got my cycling kit from the back of the truck and my bike from the top and set out from lunch. I hadn’t had breakfast or lunch so the going was slow as I winched my way up to the Spreetshoogte Pass. About 3m before you reach the pass you could not see anything but as you reached the crest of the pass a different world greeted you. Pictures don’t do it justice however even if you are deathly sick you should ride at least this section just for this view. I’m glad I did.

The rest of the day was easy going, I snapped another chain which was annoying but their was another fantastic bakery at camp to lighten my mood. Another early night ready for the time trail tomorrow.

Day 106 Solitaire – Sesriem

Stage 83 83km Individual time trail

Ok so today their was not much climbing and whilst not 100% I decided to try to get a sub 1hour time on the 30km time trail. So me, who couldn’t average 20kph on the tarred road in Egypt, trying to average 30kph on an off road time trial.

The TT started with a 6km hill, not the best way to start when trying to average 30kph but not deterred I carried on. The 6km hill was followed by a 4km downhill that I managed to average roughly 50kph down, it wouldn’t balance out the slow hill climb but it took a chunk out of what I needed to average. The rest of the time trail was relatively good off raod with a few slight hills and one short steep one. Averaging 34kph for the final 20km was not enough to allow me to break the 1 hour time. But I did manage 1hr 1 minute and 20secs. Not to bad.

The rest of the day was flat off road, but unlike Botswana we had stunning scenery. I arrived in camp at 12:00 allowing enough time to get sorted before organising a trip to the dunes that evening.

Day 107 Rest Day Sesriem

Ok even though we went on the day of arrival it’s being lumped in to this day. One thing you must do whilst at Sesriem is go to the dunes, Climb dune 45 and then watch sunset over the biggest dune in the world. It is one of the best things I’ve done on this trip.

The campsite TDA had booked (the only one in the area) had a rubbish restaurant which couldn’t cope with 50 people ordering 150meals separately. Most people went to the Sesriem Lodge next door for a buffet dinner. Whilst expensive it is defiantly worth a go, 7 different game meats to choose from next to the grill as well as the 4 usual suspects, as well as a starter table, stir fry table and dessert table. Yum.

As for the actual rest day, it was spent chilling out by the pool trying to recover.

Day 108 Sesriem to Betta

Stage 84 139km Mando day

Today didn’t start well, I realised I lost my card at the hotel next door. I ended leaving at 9:00 after checking with them to see if it had been handed in.

This meant I was not going to make lunch by 12:00 and therefore wouldn’t be able to ride the afternoon.

The scenery was once again stunning but the off road conditions were shocking. Loose sand and gravel made hard work, I was managing to average 20kph, faster then most, but not fast enough to make the lucy cut off point.

Again photos don’t do justify of the landscape, those who are lucky enough to ride this section will appreciate it on the day.

The lunch truck picked my up at 70km not to bad for 3 hours riding, only 5km short of lunch and not the last by 10km

Unfortunately, Gernesse had a nasty fall and broke her pelvis, collarbone and a couple of ribs and was flown back to Windhoek. Hope you get better soon.

Day 109 Betta – Konkiep Lapa

Stage 85 153km

So the morning was tough, poor conditions and most of the climbing meant that the pace to lunch was slow. The scenery again, went along way to distract you and time seemed to pass by quickly.

After lunch it was the scenery that passed by quickly due to a tailwind and firmer ground conditions. After lunch was dispatched in a ride time of 2hours and 30 minutes, not too shabby for 73 km.

Day 110 Lapa – Seeheim

Stage 86 126km

Today the racers were planning on stopping in the town, most needed to get money and their was another good bakery. With only 291m of climbing today would be my last chance to win a stage!

I decided at the last minute to go for it, I felt almost 100% after getting over my fever last week. I set of with Miguel who would pace me for the day, We set off at 34kph and maintained this until we hit the pavement at 31km. We sailed through the town and waved to the racers who all but one had stopped. I left 15 minutes after them so this was my chance. We picked up Herman after leaving the town and rotated at the front of our mini peloton every 4km until we hit lunch at 70km. Our pace was good having taken just 2 hours to get to lunch. We filled water bottles and ate oranges before heading back out, 5 minutes down the road we were joined by Alleric and Femka who were going to help me. As the 3 of them broke the wind and paced me up the up hills things were going well.

On the final hill of the day with just 10km of pure downhill to go my chain snapped. Sods law hey, the day pushing it had loosened all my chainring bolts which in turn snapped my chain. I ran to the top of the hill and used Miguels chain tool whilst Alleric and Femka went on. I spent 20 minutes fixing my drive train and jumped back on my bike and raced to camp.

Alleric won the stage by 15 minutes even though he waited for me, Norbert was second and I was 5 minutes behind him,, meaning I would of had the stage win if my chain hand not snapped. Never mind. The effort of going for the win meant my illness from Windhoek reappeared,

Day 111 Seeheim – Canon Roadhouse

Stage 87 92km

So today would be my last chance for a stage win. Claire the tour medic had started me on Antibiotics so how bad could it be. I would leave with the racers and all i had to do was keep up with them, then they would let me time out before them. It was going well for the first 1km as I attacked the first downhill and sprinted up the first climb. Then it was clear that however much I wanted to keep up with them, my effort yesterday and my illness would not allow me to do so. I soon dropped off the back to have a toilet stop when I picked up Jen, Katherine and Shona. The headwind was strong and I pulled them all the way to lunch.

At lunch I was done and fell asleep waiting for the last people to get to lunch, however the afternoon was brightened up by a trip to Fish River Canyon, the largest Canyon in the world. the lunch truck shuttled people to and from camp.

Day 112 Canon Roadhouse to Felix Unit Camp

Stage 88 Mando Race Day 173km

Today was a truck day, some of the people riding said that the morning was the most stunning riding of the tour so far. So people enjoy.

Day 113 Felix Unite Rest Day

There is nothing to do here, except to relax. My aim is to get better so I can ride in to  Cape Town in 6 days time.

Day 81 Lilongwe to Mamarulas

Stage 63 154km

With a long stretch ahead I was weary of starting the ‘week’ too quickly and burning out. However we had had two rest days in a row and the legs were feeling rested.

The boarder crossing meant there was no race today, and as usual the girls donned fancy dress!

Lunch was at 80km and due to a boarder crossing after lunch I set off at a quackish pace, I wanted to allow myself enough time just incase they didn’t let me into Zambia. When I got out of the city I caught Katherine and decided I would ride with her too lunch. The kids were out in force and when they are it feels like you a minor celebrity as they all cheer you on, the worries about the kids being anything like the ones in Ethiopia were short lived.

The morning consisted of rolling hills though not too steep and all in all it was a pleasant if rather forgettable ride, at around 60km I noticed a wobble in my front wheel when I pedalled down and when I checked it I found 12 spokes were completely loose. Lunch being a further 20km I decided to risk riding too lunch.

Katherine and I arrived at lunch at 9:50 3 hours and 15 minutes was not to bad for 80km, however without a total rebuild my front wheel was done which meant that the afternoon would be spent on the truck. This meant that I had to wait for the last rider to get to lunch before setting off. At 13:00 we finally set off in the lunch truck to the boarder at 122km. A disappointing end to Malawi a country with plenty of problems but lovely scenery and people, much like all the other countries we pass through.

Zambia will be the last country where what we recognise as African culture will dominate before western influences start to dominate as we head down to Cape Town. Saying that, when we crossed the boarder we stopped in the town next to camp and shopped at the local supermarket for supplies, sim cards, top ups and lovely cream doughnut fingers! Whilst the choice and fixed prices make things easier I find it sad that we are beginning to see the end of haggling with street vendors for freshly cooked doughnut balls, or freshly made chapatis and the odd look we get when we ask for sugar to go with them.

Day 82 Chipata to Bush Camp

Stage 64 176km

Climbing 1052m
Descending 1243m

Today I felt good, 180km is a long way and being 20km further then I have ridden I was apprehensive. I was the first out of camp and with shallow rolling hills I found the going easy. Even though yesterday I rode the 80km to lunch without stopping today the pace was faster and the terrain slightly more hilly I stopped at 42km for a PVM bar and a sit down. Alan the lest person with EFI remaining passed me and I decided to ride with him until lunch.

The scenery was nothing to write home about (and yet here I find myself doing just that) elephant grass and low lying trees, but the conversation was pleasant and the km soon ticked away despite the 10 o’clock headwind and we arrived at lunch at 9:30 in the morning.

On longer ays we have a second lunch or refreshment point, generally just water/juice top up, fruit and PVM bars. Todays was at 140km and I figured that i would want to stop at around half distance from lunch briefly. I left lunch on my own with the plan for Alan to catch me at my scheduled stop and then I would ride the rest of the day with him. Riding with others makes the long days pass quicker and I was pleased as our plan worked as I was ready to get going again Alan sailed by. Alans’ plan for not stopping was short lived though as he felt tired and we stopped for a coke at 125km, my first coke stop in Zambia.

The level of English is very good here, English is the language of instruction in schools, and we are less of a tourist attraction then in the more northern countries. We were pretty much left to our own rather then most of the village dropping whatever they were doing and coming to gawp. A welcome change. With another 55km to go the stop was short but the road levelled out and the wind stopped and the 15km to the refresh stop was easier then expected. We arrived at the refresh stop at 13:00 not bad considering it was at 140km, fresh pineapple was served up and with the two land cruisers the villagers did stop what they were doing and come over and watch the show.

We were back on the road quickly and it felt like most of the final 40km was downhill. The speed increased and we arrived to our surprise at a lodge with toilets and showers, whilst we were expecting a bush camp. We arrived at 14:15 45 minutes after the racers, a big difference to my first century ride where I arrived at 18:00 and this one was 176km with more climbing. The shower helped ease the stiffening legs and everyone was in camp by 17:30 all with big smiles.

Day 83

Stage 65 173km

Climbing 1468m
Descending 1045m

With an advertised distance of 158km today ended up being a fair bit longer. Yesterday was made 4km shorter due to swapping the bush camp for a lodge camp. That made it 162km, or so everyone thought.

The legs were stiff from yesterday, the first time since Egypt I have had stiff legs in the morning, but a gentle 5km in the morning loosened them up nicely. Again I was first out of camp, and again I rode on my own, there was more climbing today, roughly 50% extra then yesterday and I was weary of holding people up. After the 5km warm up I felt good and was enjoying the riding, the morning scenery was again boring however I was having fun. At 52km Steve over took me travelling at the speed of light.

With 28km to lunch I upped the pace and arrived shortly after Steve , the second to arrive at lunch. This has never happened before…. I sometimes beat the racers, but the fast people who also leave early always overtake me. Not today though. As Ibasked in my glory asking all the ‘slower’ faster people why they were so slow I felt the tiredness set in in my legs.

As I set off from lunch I struggled with the hills and all those slower faster people soon took their rightful place in front of me. My pace on the ups got so bad that after 20km I decided to have a sit down. The views in the afternoon had improved considerably and pausing to admire them felt right. After 10 minutes I set off again and rode around the corner to find a bunch of people at a coke stop. So I stopped there too hoping the coke would give me the boost I was looking for.

I rode out of the coke stop with Saskia, a new Dutch sectional rider, her pace on the ups was much quicker then mine, however I found myself managing to keep pace with her. With this new found speed I felt happier. Unfortunately with nice views, they are generally found in hilly or mountainous regions, and the hills certainly got steeper as the afternoon progressed. Lie the day before riding with Saskia distracted from the riding and we soon found ourself wondering where the bridge was at 160km. About 1km further, just 2km away from camp Sharita turns ups and explains that we actually have another 12km to go.

This in simple terms is a bit like telling a kid to save up 25p in order to buy a pack of football sticker cards. Watching the kid turn up with a smile of his face and then wiping it clean off by telling him the tax has increased and they now cost 30p and he better come back when he has enough. He is unhappy and looses interest in the stickers. Well this is how we felt. After pushing for the final 10km to get to camp before 14:00 we found ourself with another 11km still to go. Due to the lack of interest this turned into a massive slog…. However we hit the bridge at 171km and then went shopping in the local village for beers and coke, after being told by Sharita that the hotel was ripping us off. (They were, in the village a bottled coke was 3000 Quwatcha, in the hotel 14000!!)

We arrived at 14:30 the same time as yesterday, this I found surprising because today was only 3km shorter in the end but had 50% more climbing!

Charcoal for sale on the side of the road.

Day 84 – Mando day

Stage 66 124km

Climbing 1752m
Descending 876m

Today I was tired, the two previous days had almost destroyed my legs, however again I was the first out of camp, unlike yesterday though, I was overtaken by a lot of people in the first 6km, which was all climbing. I love warming up in the morning to a massive climb. Like the mando day last week, and the day yesterday, endless climbing would be best used to describe the ride.

Endless climbing = nice views

Whilst I can now ride a bike up a hill, a big improvement from Egypt, I Never. Ever. Enjoy it. I decided to split the day into sections. lunch was at 60km so I would stop at around 30km and again at 90km. 30km is a simple distance to cover, you can break it down into small chunks and the tick them off as you sail past them. It works surprisingly well.

Unlike yesterday I was in no mood for riding quickly and was happy to just sit and spin up the climbs. I reached the coke stop at 39km, the first we had passed of the day. I arrived at the cokestop at 9:30 which was roughly the same time as I had arrived at lunch the previous two days and only half the distance. Never mind. I procrastinated for 30 minutes before setting off again. I rolled down the hill from the coke stop and then changed gears to climb up the hill only to find that my rear mech was no longer attached to the shifter. I bodged it so that the mech was locked in a higher gear then my lowest which meant that I could limp it too lunch where I could then get the lunch truck back to camp.

The pace was slow, with a gear low enough that I could climb the steep hills it meant that my highest gear would spin out at 18kph. Suddenly procrastinating at the coke stop didn’t seem like a good idea. The sweep soon caught me, and we rode the final 20km in 1hour 30mins arriving at lunch at 12:30. This was 30 minutes after the cut off so even if I wanted to ride I was no longer allowed. I jumped on the lunch truck to get back to camp. My second afternoon of the week on the lunch truck…… At least there was a nice view at lunch!

For future note, they are thinking of moving then Mando day to the day before this one (stage 65)

Day 85 Bush Camp to Lusaka

Stage 67 104km

Climbing 824m

So after having an easy day and the promise of a cinema/wifi/swimming pool etc I decided to push it too camp I set myself the target of 10:30, whilst achievable it would be very hard to actually achieve it.
My climbing legs felt strong and I was powering up the hills out of the saddle in my top gear. This worked and I averaged 2kph across steeply rolling hills. Unfortunately, this took its toll on my front wheel and rolling Carlos up a hill two spokes in my front wheel snapped and it went out of true. At any speed over 25km the shuddering from the front wheel made it unridable. So my riding day was over. With no spare rim anymore I could not risk making this one worse and I rode slowly until the dinner truck caught me up.

I reached 42km before jumping in the dinner truck and being taken straight to camp. On a bright side, I reached camp at 9:50 a whole 40 minutes before I wanted to.

The internet is too slow to even load the photo uploader on the wordpress site, so for the time being just another text update. Photos will be added later.

Day 75 Chitimba Beach to Mzuzu

Stage 59 135km

Climbing 1691m

Descending 854m

So today I felt ill, really ill, I spent more time in the toilet over the weekend then those who had too much to drink 

…. Nevertheless I was stronger now then I was in Ethiopia and I was determine to at least try and ride the tough part to lunch. The day started of with a nice 6km warm up followed by a 20km up hill time trail, as I was not racing I didn’t need to race the time trial. I set off at a pace that would disgust the racers determine to ride the whole hill without stopping except for the occasional photo. 2 and a bit hours and 2 photo stops later I reached the top of the hill. 

As with most things what goes up must come down, but as Sharita kindly reminded me this doesn\’t have to happen on the same day. This was one of this days and the downhill only lasted 5km. I stopped at the bottom to rest after the climb, my legs were weak when I started the day and now all my reserves were used up. Who said riding when ill was a good idea! 15 minutes later I was woken up by the sweep, clearly I was more tired then I thought. However we only had 35km to go before lunch and I could always get in the lunch truck to get back to camp.

The remaining 35km was basically rolling hills following a river up the valley, not too strenuous but the pace was slow at around 20kph and after two coke stops we rolled into lunch at 12:45, later then I had planned but at least I had got there. I dumped my stuff on the lunch truck, however I found out that we only had 400m of climbing for the day left and I decided I could probably make it and therefore I should at least try. 

Rolling out of lunch at 13:30 I was well and trull last, though this meant I was at least ring with the sweep and that is better then riding with no one.  This didn’t last long, 30 minutes later I passed Ming and I was on my own. The afternoon was much the same rolling hills, slow up quick down was the order of the day. I didn’t stop for cokes because I didn’t think i would want to start again and I rolled in to camp at 17:00 with just enough time to pitch my tent before dinner. I was showered and in bed by 17:45 ready for tomorrows big Mando day. 

Day 76 Mzuzu to Luviri School

Stage 60 124km

Climbing 1966m

Descending 1745m

Well what can I say. Today was going to be fun. seriously, 1966m of my favourite thing ever. Yay. I was the first one out of camp, I knew that I would need every minute of the day to get to the end, and after not riding 1/3rd of Ethiopia I was determine to stay on the bike as much as possible for the rest of the trip. 

When the pictures go up at a later date you will be able to read the board, however it says endless climbing all day. The wasn’t strictly true for the whole day but at least for the morning we I climbed all morning with only brief bits of downhill for rest. No flats, no slight downs no slight up hills. Just hills. Just like the day into Gondor, if tis was in Egypt then I wouldn’t of been able to ride it. Another rider Ton counted 54 different hills through out the day. 

The morning was a slog, I turned my speedo off and just got on with climbing, after every crest there would be a short down and then you would comb higher up the hill over and over again. This was the story of the morning. There were some nice views but no time to enjoy them. The first cue stop I found was at 59km and surprisingly there were people still there, Andrew, Mike and the Girls, I drank a cue and set off again after arranging to meet the girls at the coke stop at 68km where we would have lunch instead f the lunch truck at 70km. 

Surprisingly Sharita also joined us for hot chocolate and chips at the coke stop at 68km which was a first for the tour…… I briefly stopped at lunch because one plate of chips wouldn’t be enough to get me through the day. However, due to the lack of stops it was only 12:00 which meant that I was quicker then expected in the morning averaging just over 12kph. Quick for me over the terrain.

After lunch it was much the same, all the slower people then myself took the truck, so it was just me and the sweep. The climbing grew less in the afternoon and the descending increased, the scenery got better and I started to enjoy the day. I felt week in the afternoon however due to the terrain the kilometres just started pilling on, we were going to stop at 20km from lunch, but that turned in to 25, then 30, then 40, eventually we stopped at 50km, just around 10km from camp for a coke, mainly due to the rain that was about to pass over. We sheltered during the rain storm and got back on our bikes when it was over, and the remaining 10km was lovely because 8 of that 10km was downhill with only a short 2km climb back to camp. 

In the final village a dog ran out in front of me chasing a car on the other side of the road, unfortunately there was nothing I could do and I hit it square in the ribs. I went over the bars and the dog scarpered. My first big crash of the tour…. Luckily there was no damage t myself or the bike ], all that crashing practice in the alps really payed off. 

I got in to camp at 16:00, surprising myself. Again I was really tired and was asleep by 17:30 before the staff had even got their dinner. 

Day 77 Luviri School to Kasungu

Stage 61 107km

Climbing 553m

Descending 1048m

Again today I was the first out of camp. I was still not 100% but the anti biopics had started to kick in and I felt 70% power on the flats and downs was great but on the hills I was still suffering. Though with lost twice the down as up today I wanted to get to camp to rest. 

The first goal was lunch, I set of at 6:30 and with 2 quick stops for photos I rolled into lunch 1 minute behind the racers at 8:30 in the morning. Averaging 31kph not to bad. I had a long lunch and at 9:15 I set ff. I found the afternoon more difficult then the morning as energy levels were dropping but I rolled into camp at 10:45, it was one of those moments where all the staff that were preparing the soup stoppe chopping vegetables and poked open mouthed at me. I guess they didn’t expect me in so soon….. I averaged over 30kph for the day if you took out the time I was stopped for lunch. A successful mornings ride.

I did my laundry to save me doing it over the rest day, updated my blog and then slept for the whole afternoon waking up 5 minutes before the dinner. 

Day 78 Kasungu to Lilongwe

Stage 62 131km 

Climbing 908m

Descending 877m

Today I felt ok for the first time since leaving Mbeya. I really think it is those long 8 day stretches that finish me off. I rode with the girls all day long. It was a late start due to April fools, the girls played tricks on all the staff, whilst I played tricks on all the girls. (Yes it was me and not Chad). The girls bought a live chicken yesterday and at 3 am in the morning put it in Sharitas room waking her up in the process, Esther then ran out of the room, tripped over the chicken and stubbed her toe on a concrete barrier and broke it. No sympathy from Sharita. On a happy note. Sharita and the chicken bonded and after spending 30minutes chasing the chicken in the morning after breakfast it was loaded in to the Hilux where it was taken to lunch and never seen again. 

As always when riding cokes stops were the name of the game. we rode to 24km before we decided it was time to send some more April fools jokes, mainly to the bike mechanic saying that my bike was broken (highly believable) and to sharita that we wanted her to have our (insert random African name here) illegitimate love children. 

After the coke stop we picked up a local rider riding a single speed who raced us to the next town at 49km where we stopped again for more coke and chocolate. God knows how I am going to loose anymore weight.  After the second coke stop we made lunch just before 12:00 spoiling the staffs plans to come and pick the girls up in the truck to make them loose their EFI…. 

After lunch we decided to have 1 coke stop at the half way point between lunch and camp, myself and Jana were really tired and were looking forward to it. We stopped in a small bar at 99km and the girls drank beer and I had another coke. Jana had a snooze and we readied ourself for the final 30 km. 

Most of this 30km was downhill into Lilongwe and was coasted down the hill. We stopped at the first shopping mall we came across on the outskirts of the city to buy snacks. We realised that we had no money between us but we were surprised to find out that if your a white Irish lady and you flirt with the manager you can take what you want and just come back later to pay. 4 bars of chocolate, a big bag of crisps and some ice creams later we set off for the final 6km back to cup. We rolled into camp at 16:30 just as the rain started. Our timing was impeccable, and I personally have not ridden my bike in the rain on this trip so far. But I have a feeling that that is about to change!

So after the tough 8 day stretch we had a nice short 2 day stretch that included leaving Tanzania and heading in to our 6th country, Malawi.

I will add pictures too it when we get in to Lilongwe tomorrow.

Day 72 Mbeya to Humidity Camp

Stage 57 128km

Climbing 1027m

Descending 2336m

So today started with a climb out of Mbeya, I rode with Katherine Scottish Johns partner and the going was steady, I was still tired after those 8 days and getting ill again with Gastro round two. The hill climb started at 12km and continued for 10km, and then the hills nearly became rolling…..

Lunch was at 70 km and we made good time, arriving at 11:00.

After lunch the down hill started Katherine rode with John leaving me free to enjoy the downs. The views were stunning looking ver Lake Malawi and I was sad to be leaving Tanzania. I caught Holly at 100km and rode with her until a coke stop 110km where we were joined by Carla, Jen, Steve, John, Katherine, Nola, Bev all spending the last of their currency before the boarder in 4km. Everyone joined me in wishing farewell to a magical country. The ride to the boarder was quick pretty much being all downhill. THe boarder crossing was a simple process and it was free to enter Malawi.

Funnily enough the black market rate for money changing is $1 to 250 Malawi Quatcha at the banks it is 164 Quatcha.

Camp was a steady 14km flat ride from the boarder. We stopped at the first coke stop we found to sample the local drinks, the local beer in Malawi is call Kutchie Kutchie….

Camp was a bush camp surrounded by locals watching the travelling circus. The atmosphere was relaxed as it generally is on boarder crossing days. Tomorrow promised to be a relatively simple day before our rest day on the beach.

Day 73 Humidity Camp to Chitimba Beach

Stage 58 126km

Climbing 470m

Descending 420m

So today we hit the beach, not a beach on the sea but on Lake Malawi and another rest day. I was getting sicker by the day so decided to just get there and relax for the rest of the day.

I was second out of camp straight after breakfast. There was a supermarket at 30km where we were advised to buy snacks because the restaurant at the campsite would not be able to handle the quantity of people. I made good time to the supermarket, only stopping a couple of times to take pictures of the rice fields, not that I have been there I imagine parts of Japan to look like this….  I had to wait briefly for the supermarket to open and then again for the dinner truck to stop so I could load my shopping on to it. Shopping done and loaded I set off on my own to lunch expecting to be caught by people having just finished their shopping.

To my surprise I was caught by no one as I made the lunch stop at 70km by 9:30. It was too hot to eat much but I had one sandwich and set off again for the beach. I was feeling weakfish with only a small breakfast and a small lunch and my pace was slowish around 20kph. I stopped at a coke stop hoping the cokes would give me the kick up the bum needed. Steve caught me here and he said he would break the headwind the rest of the way to camp for me.

We rode to 100km before we decided we needed another break the humidity, headwind and the heat making tough work of what should of been a simple ride. At this coke stop Herman arrived and also joined us, wanting to ride slowly he said he would ride at our pace. Allowing Herman to join us was a mistake, he doesn’t know how to ride slowly… He thinks he is riding slowly, however only the racers would find this slow. Anyway the views were fantastic following the lake and our campsite soon arrived. I was the second man inn after beating Herman and steve in the final downhill sprint and at only 12:30 our one rest day had turned in to 1 1/2 rest days.

Ok so this is a very long post with no pictures, however the internet cost $1 for 10 minutes and it is very very slow.

So when I left Arusha we had our second 8 day continuous stretch.

Day 64

Stage 49

Climbing 600m

Descending 940m

Today is St Patricks day therefor the girls decided to dress up, this time our token Irish maiden was in charge and Irish super heroes  was the theme, with capes, shamrocks, bike decorations and Esthers beard complete we set off late, around 9:00 even after the dinner truck, a first for everyone involved.

The pace was quick but I lead the way out of Arusha. I felt strong after having 6 days off the bike and was confident I could keep up on the climbs. at 19km we stopped for our first coke stop, chapatis and coke were eaten whilst the locals wondered what the hell was going on!

We decided to stop at every other coke stop between now and camp, even with the late start, there was 35km to the next one again I set off at the front, I would break the headwind on the flats then break away on the downhills and the girls would catch me up on the ups, it worked well and averaged 28kph to the next coke stop making it in just under 1 hour 15 minutes.

We rocked up at the coke stop again much to the amusement of the locals, we tried to convince them that we were all off the Irish Tribe and today was our yearly celebration and that what we were wearing was our formal dress. Hopefully next year they will get in on the action!

We set off again but disaster struck after my new rear wheel built yesterday by the mechanic lost tension as every spoke became loose. There was no way to ride the wheel without totally rebuilding luckily. Luckily we were near the back due being last out of camp by an hour and only having over taken a few people, I only had to wait 30 minutes for the sweep to come, luckily for me today it was the bike mechanic so he was able to get it in to a rideable condition. He rode my bike to lunch and I rode his, with 17km of rolling hills between us and lunch it was quickly dispatched in around 40 minutes and caught the girls just as they were leaving.

I jumped on the lunch truck back to camp, unfortunately Dougs bike was too small for me to ride the last 70km to camp.

My wheel was rebuilt ready for tomorrow and hopefully all will be well again.

Day 65

Stage 50 95km Off-Road/Road Mix

Climbing 1474m

Descending 770m

Today I left early, with the promise of two big climbs and plenty of off-road I wanted to tackle today at my own pace!

I set off at a quick pace, a headwind and a false flat made hard work off the first 12km, then the hills started. When TDA said there were two climbs, what they meant was that most of the day was climbing. The climbing began at 12.5km and continued until around 45km and then started straight after lunch until camp!

At 31km the road split, and we took a new route, up a steep off road up hill, through all the small villages, it was wonderful, at this point I was the fourth through the villages and the villagers didn’t really know what was happening. All the kids on bikes decided they wanted to race and the other adults cheered us on.

Unfortunately I made a mistake that I said I wouldn’t make again, I had a tiny breakfast, just two bananas, this didn’t keep me going with all the climbing and I started to slow towards the end of the climbing, luckily with 5km to go before lunch the road descended and with only the occasional up hill stint it was easy going to lunch. I reached lunch at 10am and filled up with Mango, pineapple, yesterdays Bolognese sauce sandwiches and a bit more fruit.

A 45minute lunch meant I was rested and re filled but with more climbing after lunch I was still slow. At 70km the energy had not kicked in yet so I decided to stop for a coke at 72km. I drank two Pepsis and had a snooze. Who knew what they were thinking when a white guy rocks up on a bike, drinks two pepsis in quick succession and then falls asleep for 30 minutes!

I felt back to myself after the nap and for the first time a felt a tailwind. I took off with only 22km left to camp. we started climbing right out of the village but the gradient wasn’t too steep and with the tail wind I managed to average around 20kph and made camp at around 13:30. I must remember to fuel myself properly in the morning from now on.

A bike was stolen from lunch, in broad daylight in front of everyone at lunch. Sharita soon got on the case, and I’m pretty sure a few heads were caved in, however she returned with the bike just in time for dinner!

Day 66

Stage 51

Today started the way all days should start, with a nice 10km downhill. Unfortunately what goes down must go back up. 13km later I was at the top of the climb and for a change still feeling good,the scenery was epic as we were riding on the crest of the hill we had views either side.

The next 47 km was gentle rolling hills and since last year they had the entire road paved. The pace was fast and I had reached 48km by 9:00, I decided I didn’t fancy lunch before 10:00 so I stopped at the coke stop for some freshly made chapatis and a tea. Obviously that was brunch and not lunch.

The remaining 22km to lunch was more gently rolling hills and I rolled in to lunch at 10:15, I wasn’t very hungry and set off quickly, the next 20km to Singida town was pretty much all down hill, I managed to break the 90kph barrier with a new top speed of the tour of 90.6kph, unfortunately I forgot to take a picture.

Another coke stop was taken in town at 95km since it was only 11:30 and only 25km left to camp there was no rush and 1hr 30 mins later I departed. With a strong headwind and more up then down the 25km to camp was the hardest of the day, and I couldn’t help thinking that it was 25km away from being the perfect ride!

The camp site however was lovely, there was no running water or shop or bar, and due to the relatively easy ride everyone was in camp by 15:30. The afternoon was spent relaxing, reading and flying a kite.

Day 67

stage 52

Today I decided that I was going to ride with the girls, I wasn’t alone in this and Al decided that he was not going to race and stop at coke stops and have a look at what africa has to offer. He didn’t have long to wait as we stopped for our first coke stop at 9km.

Chipatis and tea was the order of the day. Soon we were on our way again and the order for the morning was more coke stops and to climb a rocky outcrop as we didn’t take the opportunity yesterday.

We searched for a rocky outcrop and eventually found a 200m cliff face for us all to climb.

After scaling the highest of heights it was about time for another stop and at 32km we had a few cokes. Al had decided that all this stopping was not for him and decided to head off, however by stopping twice he did double the number of times he had stopped before.

After our second coke stop is was a relatively easy 28km or so to lunch and apart from stopping to pick a sunflower and buy some doughnuts for Noah the birthday boy it was straight to lunch. Lunch was amazing shredded chicken and steak left over from yesterday!

After lunch the pavement ended until Mbeya and we turned on to dirt road. Marita had a new found confidence off road and our pace was still high as we rode with sweep to the village at 87km where we found everyone else (except the racers). Today had been another quick day, some people had been at the village for 3 hours by the time we turned up, it’s not that we had been riding slowly but some people don’t stop before lunch and we had stopped 5 times!

The girls stayed and drank beer whilst I had a coke and then rode back to camp with Femka who had had 4 beers to many.

Camp was at a Game post, beer, drinks and bucket showers were available.

Another really nice day.

Day 68 Game Post 1 to Game Post 2

Stage 53 120km

Today Gerrnesse was not feeling very well and wasted someone to ride with, I dually offered my services and we set off at a steady pace. Her stomach was playing up so no coke stops were taken until we started running out of energy at 48km, with 12 km to go to lunch the sugar hit was welcome and we sailed in to lunch at 11:20.

As with the morning, the afternoon con sited mainly of rolling hills with mainly firm grave road to cycle on, a coke stop at 87 km was our target and averaging a steady 20kph we made it by 13:30.

The rest of the afternoon was uneventful, rolling hills again, a bit of loose gravel, and views obscured by the high hedges either side of the road. we rolled in to camp at 16:00, another bucket shower was had and an early night to ensure tat this stage gets ridden fully.

Day 69

Stage 54 127 km

Having not risen with Carla for a while I was beginning to miss our her company on the road. I decided to ride with her, Nat and Jen. However their pace was slow and I was feeling good, so for a change I rode off and left them to their usual antics. Again rolling hills and sandy gravel was the terrain for the morning, and I reached the first coke stop at 25km in just over 1 hour. Whilst I wanted to ride quickly, I was in no rush to get back to camp and decided to see how late I could get in.

1hr 30mins, 4 chapatis and 4 cups of tea later I set off again with ‘The Girls’ and rode with them for around 5km before I decided I wanted to ride faster. The terrain flattened out and the remaining 32km to lunch at 62 was done in an hour. I found Carla at lunch having a new rear mech fitted after hers broke and finally got to use the cable cutters I had been carrying around for the previous 5000km.

I had a relatively quick lunch and set of agin making it to 72km before I got bored and fancied a sleep. I pilled over and made myself comfortable and had a quick post lunch power nap. I was rudly awoken by the lunch truck passing and I decided it was probably time to go before Doug came swept me.

The story of the afternoon was coke stops, I had 3 in total at 77, 80 and 87km. I figured why not. I had a game of chequers at one, with some funny rules that meant there was no way to win. After discussing what I was doing in the middle of Tanzania on a bike the guy who cheated at chequers decided he didn’t believe. I started showing him my photos on my iPhone, however then the whole village wanted to see every photo, all 1600 of them. Around an hour later and stone cold last we departed the coke stop, i was starting to run out of time to make it back in time for the rider meeting, not essential but alway good to be back with some time to spare.

For some reason the going was slow after lunch, it’s not that my legs were tired, its just that I couldn’t find motivation. with 18km to go at 17:00 and only 45 minutes to get back I was wondering if I was going to make it. I stopped and borrowed Dougs iPod whilst he was busy sweeping later and put on some Metallica, this did the trick and my pace increased from 13kph to 25kph. However 12km from camp my bike decided once again that it couldn’t hack the pace and my seat post snapped clean in half where it enters the frame.

I rode the final 12km, luckily only two hills, stood up on the pedals and rode in to camp just as the rider meeting started blaming my broken seat post on my late arrival rather then my lack of motivation. I fixed my bike with my spare seat post and went to bed early hoping that motivation would return for tomorrow.

Day 70

Stage 55 125 km

Today was another mando day, the first of two in the run up to Mbeya. I set off alone and early, mando days, are, by their nature tough though I was confident in my ability to ride all off it.

The first 10km it lived up to it’s name, a slight up hill, headwind and an inch of sand made for slow progress, I managed to average 12kph and if i was to complete the day at this speed it would take 10 hours, not including stops. My legs were feeling tired, I imagine it being the previous 6 100+ km days! Half of which off road,

Luckily it soon pointed down and the speed increased, the surface was a mixture of hard packed dirt and loose sand however there were no corrugations. The scenery was stunning and over every hill there was a new picture to look at. As far as the riding goes this was probably up there with the toughest days, but the people and the scenery are so nice you want to continue.

I was weary of time and at 48km decided to take a brief coke stop to buy a mobile phone top up card, and a coke, but I was done in about 10 minutes and back on the bike.

The remaining 17km to lunch was much the same as it had been before, I started to worry when lunch didn’t show up for 4km but at 69km I rolled in to lunch. The time was 11:30 and we had done over half distance.

After lunch the road conditions got worse, sand mixed with rocky outcrops meant that you had to be on your toes. Another rider, John, fell and separated their shoulder, the third time this tour for that injury!

The afternoons pace was steady, a lot more climbing want that I averaged only 15 kph for the after noon. I had another coke stop with Andrew and Pete and as is the norm we were inundated with kids. I got my iPhone out, which they had never seen and they were amazed at the camera facing them! After about 30 minutes I got back on the road for the remaining 25 km. With about 21km left I crossed paths with Sharita who handed me a cold bottle of water and told me that camp was at 120km and not 125km and she made my day.

The only negative for the rest of the afternoon was a puncture, my 4th of the tour with only 5km to go, but a new inner tube and I was in camp by 15:30. A lovely day even though I hate hills, especially sandy one!

Camp again was surrounded by children but spirits were high and some local musicians played tho us and the crowd.

Day 71

I will up date this in 4 days when we get in to Lilongwe

Ok so we arrived in Mbeya yesterday after one hell of a day riding! Went to the Internet cafe today to upload my blog post for the last 7 days, however the Internet is not working. It’s only two days until Chitimba beach so I will up date it then. If your wondering how I’m posting this with no Internet, well I’m using a iPhone. Ironic much?

Day 53 Marsabit – Laisamis

Stage 42 96km Off Road

Climbing 300m

Descending 1000m

So today promised to be a fun day, I had wished to ride the two days in to Marsabit but I was pleased that Marita had retained her EFI. Today I was going to make up for it. The first 10km was technical off road riding, the first mountain biking of the trip.

I was the last out of camp because I forgot to sort my stuff out after having not ridden for 3 days. Anyway, I was feeling really strong and this was my terrain, so I soon made my way through the pack and eventually caught up with the lunch truck that left an hour before me.

At that point the chain that I bent last week decided that it had had enough all together and bent in another 4 places. It took another 45 minutes to fix so during that time met of the people who I over took over took me! Once back on the road my repair lasted approximately 600m before the chain exploded and wrapped around my cassette, taking out about 10 spokes and bending the cassette… No more riding for me today which was an epic shame because I was really enjoying it.

Camp that evening was just outside a small village, no cold cokes and little shade in camp, however there was a well with a pump so a new version of the donkey shower was devised and everyone was able to wash the grime off there skin!

Day 54 Laisamis – Rangelands

Stage 43 – Cancelled

Due to tribal warefair and some deaths local to us it was decided that this stage would be cancelled and that we would take a bus too the next campsite at Rangelands. Another rest day was welcomed by everyone except for me but the campsite was excellent, a cold bar, warm showers and plenty of shade. Lovely.

Day 55 Rangelands – Nanyuki

Stage 44 – 71km

Climbing 1613m

Descending 743m

My first proper climbing day for a while, 1613m in total registered on Shona’s Gamin, almost all off it before lunch!

It was Carlas first day on the bike since her accident so I set off with her, however she is still a third the weight of me so she left me for dead on the climb and she never waited for me at the coke stops so I didn’t see her again for the day. But I’m sure she enjoyed it….

The climb was gradual over the first 30km and I rode to 20km and had a coke stop where I waited for Heiner and Shona, I spent a while at the coke stop and had a drink with Lisa, when I was about to leave I needed the toilet and was surprised to find proper clean toilets with a flush and toilet roll! Even more to my surprise was a suggestions, now if a coke stop in the middle of nowhere can have a suggestions box then I think the TDA can have one too which isn’t labeled burnables!

After the coke stop with 10km to the top of the climb I set off, the scenery reminded me of England, lots of green hedges and fields full of hey, riding on the left hand side of the road (the correct side) and road signs lifted straight out of England. I rode slowly but didn’t stop and was pleased that I could carry on climbing, it meant that some of the power was back in my legs! At the top of the climb at 30km I stopped at a chip shop, where I was not surprised to find Hiener and shona enjoying a plate of chips. I joined them before riding the final 10km to lunch.

Whilst it meant that temperatures were cooled then normal, unfortunately, there was cloud cover that obscured the view of Mt Kenya!!  A real shame but I guess it gives me an excuse to visit it again!

Continuous climbing to lunch meant that all the downhill was after lunch, the clouds parted a bit (not around the mountain) and progress was fast and effortless. The 31km from lunch taking just 40 minutes. Even after the leisurely morning I was still in camp by 1pm. Another glorious campsite, cold beer, internet, bar and swimming pool. This wee is getting good!

Day 56 Nanyuki to Sagana

Stage 45 105km

Today was a nice day. It started with us crossing the equator so lots of photos were taken by everyone. I rode with Carla and Jen in the morning, the climbing was rolling hills and I can keep up with the, it’s only when it is sustained climbing that I struggle. We stopped regally for tea and chapatis that we had with sugar much to the amusement of the locals. the leisurely pace we maintained through out the morning meant that we were almost last in lunch. The frequent stopping continued in the afternoon and we found ourselves being swept by the sweeper from coke stop to coke stop with a few interesting local craft shops thrown in to the mix. After a while with the promise of white water rafting at camp and left the girls and rode on with out them.

The Brits at the Equator

I got to camp at around 4 pm, later then I had wanted but the day ridnig with Carla again was nice.

Another epic campsite, again a pool, cold bar river etc….. spirits were high in the camp with everyone enjoying the days riding and the campsites, a much needed reprieve from meltdown madness the week before.

Day 57 Sagana to Nairobi

Stage 46 110km

Climbing 1500m

Descending 1000m

Witht eh climbing split evenly over the day I decided to ride on my own, after Mondays wheel accident my rear wheel had seen better days and spokes were starting to snap. I almost didn’t ride, but figured that I would ride to the convoy and if it broke I would just get picked up. I decided I wouldn’t ride the convoy because it can not really stop and it was a risk with my rear wheel and I was out of spokes to fix it.

I made it 14km before I stopped for my first cup of tea and chapati! I was the first out of camp and gradually watched everyone over take me, I was not worried as it was a short day to lunch and knew that the girls were taking it easy. I got back on the rode and got 3 km up the hill before I caught Heiner and a gaggle of women trying to fix his puncture!

I decided to ride with the girls, or try to keep up with them anyway, we started the 12km together and i was surprised to see them only 1 minute ahead of me at the top of the hill. We stopped at a coke stop and waited for Holly to catch us, she was worried that the other quicker riders were getting annoyed at her holding up the start of the convoys. We decided to takle this by being the last ones in! We rode with holly up to 36km then the hills started again, again this time rolling hills and I found myself managing to sty in front of the girls by using the speed I gained going down the downs to get my most of the way up the ups!

Lots of funny names in Kenya

We reached lunch at 12:30, only 5 minutes a head of Holly and I loaded my bike on to the truck for the convoy and settled down in the bar to wait for Ming to come in with the sweep. I managed to drink two beers before I was told that the convoy would now start at 90km and that we could ride the next 40 ourselves. Unfortunatly my decision had already been made and it was too late to turn back on it now.

Luckily for me, the road in to Nairobi is a partially finished 4 lane highway with no road markings and I was secretly glad at not having to ride on it.

A police bike stopping the traffic in the convoy.

We got in to Nairobi at 16:00 after a slow convoy with lots of traffic. The campsite was another nice campsite away from a massive mall that could of been lifted straight from America, a shop that has everything you could want, wifi, indian restaurants etc…. A stark change from Northern Kenya

So what’s next.

Well it is now a day after the rest day and I am still in Nairobi. My new rear wheel has been delayed in customs and I am having to wait for it rather then riding with the group in to Tanzania tomorrow. It’s funny that tonight is the first night I will not be surrounded by 60 new friends. It feels kind of lonely but at the same time it is a nice break, something I feel that they needed from me and that I needed from them!

Hopefully my parcel will clear tomorrow and I will Bus it to Arusha where we have 3 rest days as it marks the middle of the tour in time! Where did those two months go!

This means 6 days off the bike for me, and then a tough 8 day stretch out of Arusha. I will not be updating my blog until the rest day in Mbeya on the March the 25th purely because I won’t of ridden by the time we get to Arusha and then I won’t have internet after that!

The only exception to this is that yesterday I visited the school that I am raising money for and whilst in Arusha I will put together a post on that. But for now, see you later.

So whilst I was ill I have not really been taking many photos, though here are a few I have taken recently

Hiener descending the gorge!

Ross ascending the gorge!

Carla trying to pitch her tent on her own for the first time in two weeks

Kids at the top of the final hill in Ethiopia

The equator yesterday

Miguel climbing the final hill in Ethiopia. Ill!

Some nice campsites

Yes you are!

My top speed of the tour so far

Relaxing in Yabelo

A warthog in camp

Carla broken!

Dust gets everywhere!

Any shower will do

Marita and Femka