A Few Thoughts from a Racer, February 24

Just want everyone to know first of all that I really am very happy and having a great time on this tour – I have made some great friends and am just loving riding through Africa. I realize that sometimes I must come across as a bit miserable or as if I am moaning about things so I just wanted to set the record straight!! I am just trying to let you know as much as possible through these blogs and sometimes it is difficult to remember, record and explain everything!!

Another thing! There is a lot of talk about the racers missing out on experiences and scenery and stuff but I honestly don’t think that’s true at all – well not for me anyway! Of course everyone is different! People drop out of the race for many reasons – a lot of the riders decided before they started that they didn’t want to race – which of course is fine – a lot of my friends are riders not racers. But please do not believe that I spend all my time looking at the backside of the person in front of me!! I am able to take note of the fabulous scenery as I race – and honestly be inspired by it!

Personally even if I wasn’t racing I wouldn’t want to be stopping every 50 feet or so to visit another village or go and sit with random people in their homes. Some people enjoy and are good at that sort of stuff – those of you who know me know its just not in my personality!! I just can’t sit still long enough apart from anything else!

I am having a great time. I am loving the race. It is billed as the longest, most grueling race in the world and that is what I wanted to experience when I signed up. Although I will try my hardest to do well as I am very competitive I am still very happy for the experience no matter what position I finish in.

The added bonus is all the wonderful experiences – and yes I do enjoy the coke stops and riding more slowly through villages, taking photos of the scenery and chatting with people on non race days. Just as I enjoy visiting pyramids and temples, castles and monasteries, trying out the local food and drink and getting up close with the hippos and crocodiles. And I am really looking forward to all the sights yet to be seen – seven countries ahead of us yet!! How lucky am I?!!

7 Days of Riding Ahead

Paul told me yesterday "
I had a great week and felt really good - really enjoyed it - won the last day - got away up the climb at the end of the day. We have a hard week ahead - 7 days in a row and 3 of them are mando days - lots of gravel so should be good!!"

Day 1 is completed for him but do not know how he got on or if it was one of the mando days!

By the way Paul did go visit the crocodiles and hippos yesterday sitting amongst them in a very suspect tin boat from what I can gather - see his blog later!! Go to the blog for photos.

A Great Day, February 23

So we got up at 5.30 as planned and enjoyed a really good buffet breakfast. There were about 20 of us staying in the hotel so we all packed in to the group taxi to return to the campsite. We quickly packed our stuff in the lockers and got our bikes ready. Normally we find out about the day’s ride the night before but as we hadn’t been in camp we had no clue so had to find out what was ahead of us. Sounded like a fairly easy day – 105 km with a 15km convoy out of Addis to begin. It was nice riding along with various people – Dennis, Scott, kari and Kendra and all sorts of people – having a chat. It was a good warm up.

That reminds me - I forgot to say – I had a massage yesterday – painful but good!

After 15 km the race started – because of the convoy it meant all the racers started at the same time for a change – about 12 of us. I was hoping for a fairly slow day – didn’t really want to do any pulling – and I think most people felt the same – except for Jorg who wanted to go fast (he is after a stage win but you have to be careful riding fast at the front – you can wear yourself out!)

I felt really comfortable – there was a good climb just before lunch and I could see from my speedo that lunch would be at the top of the hill. We’d been yo – yoing back and forth in the group – nobody pushing too hard – a fairly easy pace. I felt great as did Scott. Horst was hanging out at the back – but he often does this and then can move to the front and be super quick. But he seemed a little different today – wasn’t sure if he was feeling 100%. Anyway I thought I would see what happened. I took off up the hill and Paul came with me – nobody else. The group was split. About half way up I looked behind and decided to slow up despite Paul W wanting me to keep up the speed – but why? I didn’t need to.. So we slowed and rode into lunch – Horst did speed up a little – it was just interesting to see what happened. We had quite a long lunch sitting on the seats watching each other for signs of movement – it was quite funny! Me, Paul and Horst watching to see who stood up first!! In the end we took our time and had a good lunch and then all set off together for the afternoon ride. We set a decent pace – not too fast – but did start to lose people. I felt really good and so did Scott. He took the front for about 5km and really wound the pace up for a while, leaving us a group of 6. I was just trying to get as much shelter from the wind as possible! The roads all day had been super bumpy – pavement but with bumps, ripples and holes all over – almost off road conditions. An interesting ride. Almost felt like a massage through your seat on the downhills and then on the flats really painful on your seat as you were sitting on it so hard!!

There were some pretty fast downhills and didn’t push the climbing too much! Arrived at camp thinking what a great day it had been and how lucky we were!

Camp is a farmer’s field again. We arrived with the trucks so watched them set up. I didn’t feel tired like normal so set up my tent and then sorted a few thing on my bike – changed the chain and put the bigger cassette on as well as putting new cleats on my new shoes! I also reorganized both bags. Had a good dinner of chicken and pasta and am now ready for bed. Have had a really good day and am looking forward to tomorrow – hopefully will get a good night’s sleep – looking forward to using my new pillow from ‘Sea to Summit’.

Mission Impossible in Addis, February 22

Had a good night’s sleep, followed by all you can eat buffet breakfast. We sat there for about an hour as other riders came in and out. There was plenty of food. Then we took our laundry to be done and set off on our mission to collect the packages mum had sent to the DHL office. We got the address from the internet and the lady at the reception desk translated it for us so we could give it to the taxi driver. The drivers always immediately say 100 birr – but we argued it down to 80. We then sat in the taxi for about an hour he obviously had no idea where to go – we finally told him to just drop us off at any DHL office. Of course they needed the tracking number and I don’t remember getting it in the email. Scott had his phone but no credit so we went outside and asked a random guy where we could buy some – he immediately pulls a card out of his wallet and sells us some credit! Great – we phoned mum (sorry – 3am in the middle of the night) and get the tracking number. We sat in a nice café while we did all this and had cake, macchiatos and juice!! We then returned to the DHL office – but now their computer system had crashed so they couldn’t help us. They sent us to another DHL office and told us to follow this random guy – he would show us the way! So we followed this guy through the streets for about 15 minutes and finally get to the second DHL office and they in turn sent us to a third one in order to complete a custom’s form. They advised us to use a group taxi – as they only cost about 1birr 20 – so we walked across the street and got in a group taxi – we’d been told to go to Magenta and then change for Dohl.. After a while a guy comes round to ask for the fare – we gave him 1birr 50 each thinking this would more than cover the cost – 2 stops later – he told us we were there and to get off – we did only to realize we were NOT THERE! Then a friendly local who had realized what happened explained that we needed to carry on – basically the taxi guy didn’t consider we had paid enough and so had purposely told us to get out!!

Anyway with the help of the local we got another taxi, changing to a third one after about 5 minutes and eventually came to the DHL office. Amazingly the paperwork was all ready for us – so that was great. Then another rider came in also trying to track down his packages – so we waited for him thinking we could share a taxi with him to the airport (where the packages were!) However after about ½ hour it didn’t look like he was going to be able to get his – so we set off. His taxi driver offered to take us and so we agreed as we thought he would know where to go as he had been in the office with us!

By the way – I forgot to say – the friendly local who had helped us earlier took us on two taxis, paid for us and waited to see if we were OK – so we gave him 10birr for his trouble – he seemed pleased with that! What a great guy!

The taxi drivers are not so honest or helpful!! This particular one wanted 150 birr for the journey – when we argued he explained the airport was a long drive – about 20 minutes – so we agreed – 5 minutes later he dropped us off at the Cargo terminal – we only gave him 100 birr! We went in and spoke to an official (we thought ) who looked at my forms and passport and explained we had come to the wrong place – he took us outside and flagged down what seemed like an employee shuttle bus – it took us just outside the airport where we had to get another taxi, which cost 25 birr and took 2 minutes!! We were now at the international terminal and so again we went inside to find out what to do – the security guy lets us in but gives our escort a really hard time – as if to say what are you doing with these people? So obviously not the official we thought he was. However he has my passport and forms in his hands – so at this point I quickly grabbed them back from him! We are then told we actually need the Domestic terminal – which we had previously known but had assumed the guy from the first terminal knew better!! Another taxi, another 15 birr, another trip just round the corner!! This taxi driver took my 100 note and only gave me 50 in return – I was so angry that I grabbed my 100 birr out of his hand and we threw a 10 birr note through his window and ran into the airport!!

We still had our unwanted helper with us so all went into the building. Security would not allow either him or Scott through so I left Scott to while away the time at one of the restaurants there. I went inside – no idea what I was supposed to be doing! The lady there asked me if I had an invoice, which I didn’t (that’s because they are with the parcels!) and so decided to type one up for me which took about ½ hour – she then said I had to pay 600 birr (about $40) duty – I tried to argue but there was nothing I could do without an invoice – so I agreed to pay – then I was passed on to another guy for a receipt and another lady who actually took the money. Then I had to go to another counter to give in my forms, which are in turn passed on to another guy who disappears outside – and finally comes back with my parcels!! Success at last. After 2 1/2 hours I finally go outside and meet Scott, who must have been wondering what I was doing in there!!

We had something to eat there at the hotel and then started the negotiation for a taxi back to the hotel. “100 birr “– “no it only cost us 50 here” – But it costs more to go back as you have to pay for parking!” Whatever!! We went outside and found a taxi for 50 birr! I cannot tell you what a relief it was to get back to the hotel!!

We were a little worried about our laundry as were afraid the place might close – so we went quickly to go collect it! Then we dropped everything off at the hotel and went for some food! There was a great pizza place just around the corner! Then we returned to our room, so exhausted we didn’t want to do anything else – we watched some TV, went on the computer and of course opened the packages and had a look through the stuff mum had sent!

By 9pm we were hungry again so we went out for a burger and then returned to use the internet some more – the access was so good we were able to sort loads of stuff! Finally I realized it was 11.15 – and we had to be up in the morning at 5.30 for breakfast in order to be ready for the taxi leaving at 6 am for camp!!

What a day!!!

Addis Ababa marks the end of the Gorge, February 21

Today is the last race day of the Gorge Section – a half day race to lunch with a convoy ride into Addis Ababa in the afternoon.

I woke up after an OK sleep – and a bit behind schedule in getting myself ready – but everyone left at the same time in the end. We tried to broker a fairly slow ride that day but that didn’t really happen in the end. There was myself, Scott, Paul, Horst, Adam & Jorg – and we started off at a fairly moderate speed through rolling hills. About 30 km in we caught up with the Brams and that’s when things started getting interesting. There followed one attack after another, from Paul, from Horst, from the Brams. I felt good on the downs, dreadful on the flats and found a real energy for the climbs!! So I kept telling myself I should stop going so fast – but the day continued in this way – we travelled through lots of little villages and farmland – so many donkeys! We lost Adam and Jorg and I was sitting is second place – Horst would attack and I would close the gap, he would attack again and I would respond – this kept happening for a while. We are now going really fast up the hill and I am wondering who is in the group behind. We are close to the finish line – about ½ km and I am at the front. So I just suddenly decided that since they had been trying to drop me for ages I was going to win this one! I looked over my shoulder and could see them all lined up behind – so as soon as I saw the flag I just took off – and managed to cross the finish line ahead of them all. It was a good morning!!


It felt good knowing the race was over for the day – in fact the Gorge Section was also completed! Now I could relax over lunch – Kendra was there so we had a good chat. We knew we had an easy 30 km ride followed by a 10km convoy into Addis Ababa. After our lazy lunch Scott and I left together. Still rolling hills and we knew there was a climb just before the 30km stop point. We were looking for macchiatos and wanted to do some coke stops. We were enjoying riding through the villages and seeing all the people – all the kids were in school uniform – and appeared slightly less poor – though there was the same madness everywhere – even in between the villages there are still people walking everywhere – as well as the donkeys of course!

We had a good 20km ride and found somewhere to stop - no macchiatos, but tea, coffee and orange – I went to pay – 8 birr (about 50 cents) – I couldn’t believe it was so cheap – I gave her 10 birr – such a good deal!! We stopped at a few other places on our way through looking for macchiatos – we were now passing a few factories as we got closer to the town. It was a fairly good road. We had caught up with a few other people so were now riding in a much bigger group. We finally reached the climb at the end of the ride – not a restaurant at the top as promised but a stand selling drinks and bananas. We had to wait here for all the riders to arrive – about 2 hours. Finally we were ready – 10km downhill into Addis – we had to go really slowly – my hands were killing me from braking so much. They were stopping traffic for us – people everywhere waving and clapping and wondering what was going on! We had to pass right through the centre of town and eventually reached the campsite after about an hour! What a relief! We immediately went to the bar for some drinks, then quickly unloaded our bags as we were really hungry as usual – about 10 of us set off in a taxi for the hotel. It was a really nice hotel – Scott and I shared a room – there was WIFI and so we had really good internet access for achange. We went straight out for food and found a great burger place – we decided the burger we had was the Ethiopian equivalent of a Big Mac, plus chips and a freshly squeezed mango and pineapple juice – very good!!

We then returned to the hotel and hung out there for a while – then a large group of us went for another meal. The restaurant was rather disappointing – it had been recommended by the Lonely Planet Guide – but it was nothing special just overpriced! However there were about 12 and we ordered some wine and it was good fun. We met the new sectional riders – Kendra’s friend Kari, Heather and Bastiaan’s girlfriend, who is not planning to bike just ride the truck and maybe do some running.

Back to the hotel and off to bed!

Day of Rest

Looks like the riders have a rest day today in Arba Minch after an unexpected? 60 km off road yesterday!!

Arba Minch

As you can see Paul's tracker shows him as having arrived in Arba Minch, day 4 of this section. Apparently it has been very hilly over the last few days and yesterday there was a 50 km section over gravel - with many punctures!!

The Longest Bathroom Stop, February 20th

Last night I just could not get to sleep – did not really enjoy the meal very much – just not what I would choose to eat – and so I pigged out in my tent – ate chocolate bars, cookies and Pringles – and then I just could not settle to sleep (go figure!)

This morning I was as slow as always but I had to be ready to be in the race with everyone else – even Dennis had taken his castle tent down before me – but I managed to get everything packed away and in my locker in time!

I felt OK, had some porridge for breakfast and today was a short day – a good sign!

I also had to pump up my tyre from yesterday when I got a slice in it and so had to change it out. We all set off together – a good group again – going fairly well over the same terrain – it was a good speed – not too difficult. It was flipping cold in the morning however – which was a bit annoying – I had to wear my jacket and long gloves and still felt freezing! However I finally warmed up so I wanted to take my jacket off and also needed the bathroom – so I told the others and sprinted on ahead up the hill – I also needed to quickly reconnect my brakes. Longest wee I’ve had in ages!! All the racers suddenly came whizzing by and so I jumped back on my bike and ended up having to chase like mad for about 5 km to catch them up. Scott told me” Yep – they just took off!!” Bit of a pain! After that I just sat at the back - I wasn’t going to do any work for a while if they were going to take off on me like that!! So I sat at the back and recovered. We were a little confused by our data – we knew lunch was at 57 km and 3200m – and we were only at 2500 m and couldn’t see where the climb was. Finally we did start to climb up to 3000m – lost Adam going up the hill. Jorg (who really wants a stage win) was really pushing the pace – a shame as we were all tired after yesterday and were hoping for a slower day – but anyway he kept pushing. However we lost him on the next climb. Finally we could see ahead where we were going to gain the extra elevation and it ended up with Scott, Paul, Horst and myself rolling in to lunch together.

We were soon joined by Adam and Jorg and enjoyed a leisurely lunch together. I had a PBJ sandwich and tried to eat an energy bar. After lunch we headed out knowing there wasn’t too much left for the day – a long way to descend. After about 10km of rolling hills where I got too hot in my jacket again, we started to go downhill. So I decided to take my jacket off, sitting up on my bike with no hands to do so. The guys got about 50/100 m ahead of me at this stage. And could I catch them again? I was pedaling like crazy and just couldn’t seem to catch up. It will be good to get that bigger chain ring!! Anyway I did finally catch them and we had a great 20/30 km downhill – great scenery, great views. Finally reached our campsite on the lip of the gorge overlooking the canyon – pretty amazing camp site – must take some photos!

We put our tents up quickly – it was an early finish so we had plenty of time to wander into town, We stopped at a place that had COLD pepsis for the first time in ages – actually came out of a fridge! Then we wandered down to another restaurant where we stopped for macchiatos and also had a spaghetti Bolognese which was so good we had a second one. We just sat there for a while, hanging out as a few more riders came in and joined us.

It was a 15 minute walk back to camp where I had a lie down in my tent for a while (all that food!). Then I decided to swap out some of the energy bars I didn’t like – I swapped 2 for 1 – they give us plenty so I didn’t need them all. I only use them on the longer riding days – so now I’ve just got the decent flavours! I carried out some bike maintenance and hung out chatting with Scott. My chain is a bit worn so needs changing, my wheel was a little bent so I straightened it up and I need to redo the grip on my handlebars.

We had a good meal of pasta and tuna and I am ready for bed.

Tomorrow is just a half race day of 65 km to lunch, followed by a short ride and then a convoy into Addis Ababa. I am feeling good – legs a little sore today – not as strong as they felt yesterday when I was able to push harder and harder and there seemed to be no pain for a change – so hopefully I will soon get back to feeling like that every day!! Tomorrow should be fairly easy and then a rest day – time for a good recovery!!

Blue Nile Gorge, February 19th

Morning Ride: didn’t sleep that well last night – don’t know why – just wasn’t tired. Woke up and as it wasn’t a race day I was in no hurry to actually get out of my bed – shocked that everyone else was! Anyway so I was really slow in getting myself ready – there were eggs for breakfast – which I didn’t realize at first and so made myself some weetabix – then suddenly I realized there were eggs on offer so I had an egg sandwich as well, which was really great! So a pretty decent breakfast for a change! After I finished packing away my tent Scott and I left on our own – it was off road for a little while – gravel – pretty awful – and then we got on to the road. The road was kind of smooth, but also very bumpy – as if the tar had melted and drifted – so a smooth road but bumpy!!! Just the two of us riding along quite slowly – we caught up with the odd rider now and then – people everywhere as usual. The scenery had really changed – more and more trees. The morning was was mainly rolling hills. After a while, maybe about 10 km, Meghan, who was in front of us, ran into a baby goat and fell on the road. We stopped to check she was OK – she hadn’t scraped herself at all but had banged her head. She seemed fine so we carried on leaving her to ride with Len. Later we discovered she had started vomiting and so Len had called for the truck as she had concussion. She was OK later. Scott and I continued, taking it fairly easy – we did go up one hill pretty fast as a warm up but then slowed down again at the top. We were trying to get all the kids to say “Hello, hello” instead of “You, you” – hopefully they will continue to say that instead! Met a few kids with more vocabulary than “Give me money” and chatted a little with them.

Came upon a town with a factory – the first we had seen - there were a lot of people out and about there! Then we heard shouts calling us over – it was Kendra and Steve having coffee – so we joined them for a macchiato – little shot of coffee with chocolate on top and milk – really good! After this it was only 1 more km into lunch. There were a lot of people at the lunch stop.
We then had a 20km downhill into the gorge. The gorge was amazing – reminded me of the Grand Canyon – seemed very similar except of course you cant ride down the Grand Canyon – and we were riding down this gorge. So – it looked like the Grand Canyon and we were riding down it on our bikes – just imagine!! There were lots of switchbacks and the road again was smooth but bumpy as if it had melted and moved. Very odd. Then there were large sinkholes where the road just seemed to have dropped or sunk a foot or so. Still it was tarmacced! It was great fun – fantastic views. There were lots of people walking up – they were unbelievable – no idea why they were walking, where they had come from or where they were going to. Always people everywhere walking. There were a lot of dirt tracks to the side of the main road, taking out the switchbacks and again people walking up the dirt carrying massive baskets on their heads – going to market maybe?

The downhill actually became quite painful. You had to keep slowing down and watching carefully where you were going. My hands were hurting – from the pressure – I kept trying to switch them around and move them backwards and forwards. My shoulders were also hurting – it wasn’t like a normal downhill where you let it roll and just brake at the corners. You had to constantly brake and watch where you were going – pick your line – avoiding people, bumps and holes in the road – and all the time half looking at the view as it was so amazing. After about 19km we stopped at a little waterfall – it had been talked up a lot – but we had a wander up to look at it – a little waterfall through the cliffs. We continued on our way across a brand new bridge at the bottom over the river where we stopped to get ready for the time trial.

We were taking it in turns for the time trial – it was supposed to be in reverse order from the standings but that plan had got messed up as we all arrived at lunch at different times. I arrived with Adam, Scott and Steve and really wanted to go last – so I guessed I messed around for a while taking my time with a bathroom break, taking photos and admiring the views across the river. Then we decided on our order – Steve, Scott , Adam and then me – good as I would have people to chase!

We set off one at a time and I was trying to take it easy – keeping my heart rate low and set up a good rhythm. I felt really good but I didn’t want to hurt my legs today so I had decided to slow down if my legs hurt or if my heart rate got too high. But I was able to stand up on my bike quite easily and started to catch a few people. After about 5km I caught Adam. We knew the record for the 20 km climb of 1350m was 1 hour 15 minutes (actually I hour 19 mins set in 2009) so we figured 1hr 45 minutes would be a good time. This meant a speed of about 12/13 kmph – something like that. Anyway so I was watching my speedo – it was about 13kmph so as long as I kept it thereabouts I was quite happy. There was a lot of changing gears, standing for a bit, sitting for a bit – really having to push through. Would be really nice if I had a few more gears – Scott has mountain bike gearing and a couple of other people have mountain bike rear cassettes – I have completely road gears – so it was challenging. Just would have been nice to have a few more gears to spin out. But I felt strong and I felt I was riding well. About half way up the climb it flattened out a bit for a while which was really nice! I got in my lower bars, in my drops and got my speed up to 25kmph – it was a little flat section with a bit of a tailwind so I whipped through there quickly! The views were unbelievable. Overtaking trucks which were moving so slowly, still being very careful avoiding people and donkeys. I had my music on which was quite nice – blocked out the “You, you , you ..” for a while. I realized I don’t pay much attention to the actual songs – its just nice to have some music going!

I caught up with Scott. I thought Lincoln had said something about a separate climb 2 km from the top – but there wasn’t one – I shouldn’t have tried to listen to that advice and just ridden as it was a bit confusing! It was definitely harder towards the end – unpaved gravel – very hard to get any traction – and that sucked the energy out of you. I had wanted to sprint for the finish but I was trying to ride smart so I just rolled in – and ended up finishing in third place in 1 hour and 30 minutes. A great result for me!!

Adam's Stage Win February 18th

Actually slept really good last night. Woke up to some dogs barking but Len had given me some ear plugs - so I put them in and fell back to sleep. When people started to wake and move around in the morning I decided to get up too rather than lie there and listen to them as I sometimes do. So I got all my stuff packed up pretty quickly – had some breakfast – and was ready to go pretty early. Had plenty of time, wasn’t rushing at all, even did a little bit of stretching. And so a group of us clocked out together at the same time – Paul, Horst, Dennis, Adam and myself. I took a couple of bananas with me to eat while riding – I felt pretty good. Same terrain as before – busy roads and lots of kids shouting the usual “You, you, you …” along with “Where are you go?” Wasn’t really in the mood to chat to the kids too much today! We arrived at a hill that was a little steeper and longer than the previous ones and as I felt really good I decided to go up it pretty fast – I did and managed to drop Dennis ( he’s the person just ahead of me in the overall standings so I really wanted to try to gain some time on him). Down the other side and then another good climb – now there were 4 of us. I ended up at the front pulling for about 15 km to make sure the gap was pretty good. Then there was a pretty tough hill on the way to lunch so I backed off and Horst took the front – he went full speed up the hill – that hurt after all the pulling I had done!! But it was good to get to lunch and have a break. We all sat around for quite a while – enough time to actually eat our sandwiches ( I just had to keep an eye on them that they didn’t leave without me) – filled up my water bottles and then we left, before Dennis had arrived. We all rotated at the front about 5km or so each. Then Paul approached me and told me that he and Horst were having a day off – basically this meant they didn’t want to use up their energy pulling – it was up to us to do so. I didn’t really care about a stage win but I knew Adam did so the to of us agreed we would work together – Adam would have the win and I would gain some time on Dennis. So we worked together pretty well for a while. The rolling hills continued and the going was quite difficult but I was able to encourage Adam along. There was a good down section to about 110km followed by an unpaved section. Paul and Horst were out front but we had kind of agreed that it was Adam’s win – so I continued to try to egg him on – it was hard work and possibly the three of us could have sped up alone. I just wanted to finish at this stage. Anyway we got over the dirt and then there was a pretty tough climb when the end flag came into sight. There was a right turn with a little bit of off road and Adam was able to sprint to the finish! Well done Adam – Stage winner!!

It was a really nice camp in a forest with plenty of shade. I actually felt really good so set up my tent. I had been really hungry for the last 15 km of the ride today – just hadn’t eaten enough over the last few days with being sick. Now I am hungry and my legs are pretty dam sore – but I guess everyone’s legs must be feeling sore! Outside of my calves in particular! Got my tent up and then set about trying to eat as much as possible – Pringles, chocolate bars, soup – as much food and drink in me as possible! Then I had a lie down in my tent for a couple of hours while riders continued to arrive at camp. I rested till about 4 pm (we’d arrived at camp at about 12pm), then went to yoga which was followed by the rider’s meeting where we were told all about tomorrow’s time trial. 20 km all uphill – its going to be interesting. We had a really good meal of chicken and pasta (not quite as good as last time as the chicken pieces were smaller – but I got seconds so that worked out OK)

Earlier Bastiaan had turned up at my tent with a bench he had acquired, sat on it and managed to pull it apart – it was interlaced bamboo – so I spent some time helping him to put it back together again! After the meal we were all horsing around and he decided he wanted to burn it – however he disappeared so I have gone to my tent – I need to charge my ipod for tomorrow. The time trial is in reverse order – so Dennis, Horst and Paul will be the only ones behind me. So I should be able to catch up with some people ahead of me and hope that Dennis doesn’t manage to catch up with me – Paul and Horst might – in fact probably will!! It will be nice to have my music in and get a good rhythm, a good speed going. I tried to look today at what I thought that would be – I think if I can keep my heart rate to about 160 that should be good.

Lake Abaya - Beware of Crocodiles!

Paul has checked in for the day. Day 3 of the third section now completed. The tour has been riding through rolling countryside and after passing Mount Guraghe has reached the northernmost tip of alkaline Lake Abaya. In central Ethiopia the Great Rift Valley splits the Ethiopian highlands into northern and southern halves, and the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes occupy the floor of the rift valley between the two highlands. Most of the Ethiopian Rift Valley lakes do not have an outlet and as such form small pockets of water in the land which the local people have come to live off.

Apparently Lake Abaya is the longest rift valley lake in Ethiopia.
Around the rivers and lakes can be found the Ganjulle and Gujji tribes, who live primarily from the resources these lakes provide. Crocodile populations are high and the crocodile market at the mouth of the Kulfo River is an incredible sight to visit, as is the crocodile farm on the shores of Lake Abaya.

Mando Day February 17th

Race Day. Dennis and I had already decided we were going to have breakfast at the hotel and so didn’t even bother going up to camp for it. I ordered eggs and pancakes, Dennis ordered an omelette – 4 eggs turned up, followed by another 3 – we’d been having a lot of trouble ordering our food here – losing a lot in translation! However we ate all the eggs, and then of course the omelette turned up so I re-ordered the pancakes and we were both happy! A pretty good breakfast I would say. I was ready for the race.

So it was mando day and a 100 mile race. Had to play that silly waiting game for everyone to be ready to check out. Anyway 6 of us left together – myself, Paul, Horst, Adam, Jorg and Dennis. However we didn’t take enough notice of the directions which was a bit of a mistake because we soon realized we had gone the wrong way – so we turned around, got even more confused, asked the locals and finally found ourselves back on the right road – riders ahead and the trucks passing confirmed this!!

The pace was good but I was still really struggling – my stomach felt bad again after I thought I was better (…….. what? the eggs you think??) Scott had gone the right route and was having a good morning – we eventually caught up with him after about 60 km and rode into lunch with him at 80km. By this time I had to head straight for the bathroom because of my stomach – I had a good rest at lunch – couldn’t eat the sandwiches but had some bananas and oranges and filled up my water bottles. As I was taking so long to recover Paul, Horst, Dennis , Jorg and Scott all left – followed by Tori and Lindsay – so I went from being with the lead group in the morning to being quite a way back. Couldn’t be helped – so I set off on my own and felt I was riding quite well – I felt pretty comfortable. There were other riders ahead as well as the lead group – people who had ridden from the lunch truck. I caught up with Lindsay, feeling a lot better again and riding along at my own pace. It was quite busy – animals everywhere, but the views were great – beautiful countryside. Should have had my video camera recording. The afternoon was rolling hills – I finally caught up with Scott who was suffering – he had felt really strong in the morning (with the added bonus of starting out in the right direction) but not so good now. I told him to follow me which he did – I was beginning to feel a lot better but had given up any hopes of doing well today.

So I just enjoyed the ride with Scott – we did take some video and enjoyed the scenery. There were people working on the side of the road making straw fences and furniture – a lot of furniture! There were some good short climbs – pretty steep – and although my legs were hurting I was still riding OK and Scott was still following. We finally caught up with Kendra and Kristian who had ridden from the lunch truck. Then we got to a pretty dcent climb and passed Gary and then I could see one person up ahead in a white jersey – travelling fast as we weren’t really gaining on him for a while. Then as we climbed we saw two more people – so just before the top of the climb Scott and I decided to go a bit faster and catch them up – turned out to be Hendry, Tori and Dennis – with Adam and Jorg not too far ahead. So we flew down the descent and caught them up so we were all in a group together at the bottom. We pushed pretty hard with a small hill just at the end and we made it into camp with Scott and myself 4th and 5th . So it turned out quite well on a day I had pretty much given up on!!

The campsite was in a nice field – but I had to go and sit in the shade for a while as I was feeling a bit groggy again. I then went for a lie down under the truck but did get up for yoga which helped and I did manage to eat a little before going to bed.

Monasteries and Spaghetti Bolognese, February 16th

Rest Day!! A group of us had coffee and toast at the hotel, then I joined Scott and we went down the road for eggs and coffee. We had a few jobs to do – mainly trying to get on the internet – to be ready to take a boat ride out to the monasteries. We were supposed to be going with Bastiaan, Pete and Len – so we followed them down towards the boats, found the boats, lost the group! Went back to the hotel and found Liam who had organised a boat. After all this fafffing around we decided to head off with Len and Francis as well. It was a tiny boat – and really slow – took about an hour to get across the lake – the monastery was quite interesting – fairly small with some amazing graphics on the walls which looked more like modern caricatures than the 16th century art work out we were told. The 10 commandments were portrayed inside the building – it was all a lot smaller than I had expected. We then got back in the boat to go to the next island’s monastery – this time inhabited by present day monks – women were not allowed to visit. We were taken up to a museum and shown various bible texts written by monks over the years – in big books made out of goat skin – very colourful – pretty cool. We took a wander around – it was larger than the previous one but of the same design apart from the fact that it had a corrugated roof. The first one had a thatched roof – more authentic but not lived in of course!
The return trip home on the boat took forever – in fact it was about a 4 hour outing with three of those hours spent on the boat. Some people had gone to visit the waterfall about 20 k away but there was no way we would have had time!! We then found a restaurant where we thought we had ordered our meal – but the lady got confused and so after about an hour it seemed we ordered again! Had a good spaghetti Bolognese. Then we wandered into town for cake and biscuits, went on the internet again quickly and bought some snacks for tomorrow’s ride. We also checked out the info for the ride – 162 km with 40 km of climbing – it was going to be a hard day!

Then back to the hotel for another spaghetti bolognese!! And some pancakes and now I’m off to bed. I am feeling fairly organized and legs not too bad!

Am planning to get up early as the restaurant opens at 6am – I am going to have eggs for breakfast – and not bother with the TDA breakfast of porridge if a bad day or weetabix if good along with that peanut butter jelly sandwich!! Though hopefully they might have some bananas, which will be good for the ride! Mando Day plans – just try to follow Paul and Horst and see what happens!

Antibiotics for the Ride into Bahir Dar, February 15th

Have started my antibiotics now and am feeling a lot better. Managed to eat half a bowl of porridge, not feeling great but definitely better and ready to ride! I want to ride with the racers today! We are all ready to clock out but having to wait for Hendry who has a flat. As we are waiting I hear the Brams have decided to pull out of the race itself and so they head off for the day. I see Dennis is ready and he is the one I am keeping an eye on at the moment as my closest competitor (Paul and Horst being too far ahead at this stage to worry about!)
But finally get fed up waiting so Scott and I take off knowing they will only be a couple of minutes behind us and then we will just follow them! After about 5/10 km the rest of the race group turn up without Hendry – so I guess he still hadn’t fixed his flat tyre. We all ride fairly well together – not as much taking turns at the front as before – I for one was not ready to take a turn at the front – quite happy to follow. The stronger riders are all out front. It was definitely a more relaxed pace than earlier – rolling down the hills comfortably!! We arrived at the first decent climb and Paul decided to stand up on his bike and go up the whole hill hard – so I sat on his wheel for the whole time and felt fairly comfortable.. Rode down the other side and looked back – everyone was still there (I had kind of hoped to lose one or two!!) We carried on through the rolling hills and it got really busy. We nearly hit a donkey – I had to slam on my brakes as did everyone behind me! A few dropped off but the majority were all still together in the group.

Then we got to the first real climb of the day – the Brams were with us now and I just sat on various wheels. Different people would go ahead for a while then the rest of us would catch up – we got to the top of the hill and I was following Dennis but struggling like crazy – he would pedal fast for a short while and then slow down, so I would catch him up and then have to brake – it was a bit of a pain!! They have more gears than me (hopefully if I can get my 52 t ring it will help) so I let them pull away from me as we were only a short way from camp and a few minutes isn’t going to matter. This turned out well as they were having to brake a lot as it was so busy through the town. Being further back on my own it was easier for me to wind my way through the traffic. We finally arrived at the hotel campsite at about the same time although I had started two minutes before them – so that wasn’t too bad in the end. A relatively easy short 60 km ride!

The camping was mainly on the hotel roof – on concrete – though there were a few spots on the terrace at the side. The concrete was no good for my tent as it needs to be pegged down and I really didn’t feel like messing around with it. So I got a hotel room with Dennis and then we had the rest of the day off. I was feeling a lot better again and ready to eat some food.

We went off to town and looked around the local market – lots of people following us – it was a pretty cool market though – we had been told you could buy just about anything here (not quite true!) – the locals tried to sell us T shirts – all the common makes – Nike etc. We finally went back to a place called STARBACKS and ordered a pizza – waited for an hour for it to arrive and when it did turn up it was awful – my stomach was definitely not up to that!

We went back to the hotel where I dosed myself up on antibiotics and spent some time on the internet emailing mum about a package she is going to send over for us – hopefully to the DHL office in Addis Ababa. I then managed to have asleep for a while. There was a party that evening so I forced myself to wake up and go along. Felt a bit rough at first but then had a couple of beers and felt a lot better!! Sat with Scott and watched the festivities as I didn’t really feel like dancing myself – but a lot of people got dressed up and did join in the dancing. It was a really fun night.

Meltdown Madness, Addis Ababa to Nairobi

Paul has checked in to say he has completed the second day of the third stage. This is what the riders have to look forward to in this section of the tour:
South of Addis Ababa, the terrain changes again to rolling countryside interspersed with alkaline lakes. After passing Mount Guraghe and Lake Abaya, riders will arrive in Arba Minch (Forty Springs), which is renowned for its beautiful views, Crocodile farm, and nearby Nechisar National Park. In Yabello, you can visit the wildlife sanctuary where you might catch a glimpse at some of Africa's rarest birds such as the Prince Ruspoli Turaco. Most of the riding for this stretch is on reasonably good pavement, with one exception - a tough off-road day between Kanso and Yabello through remote villages inhabited by the Borena people.

The crossing from Ethiopia into Kenya at Moyale marks the beginning of the “meltdown” portion of this section. It takes 6 riding days to cross the unpaved lava expanse of northern Kenya’s Dida Galgalu desert, which for long stretches redefines the words bumpy and corrugated. At the midway point the market town of Marsabit, set on the slopes of an ancient volcano, offers a welcome respite before the “road” descends again into the arid lands that are home to the Samburu people and their herds of camels and cattle. Approaching Isiolo, riders rejoice at the sight of pavement, and the opportunity to have a well deserved beer or ice cream bar. From there, the route ascends and then descends the western slopes of majestic Mount Kenya, before crossing the equator in Nanyuki, which is a short day’s ride from Nairobi, East Africa’s largest city.

The “Meltdown” features some of the most diverse changes in scenery and riding conditions, from plateau to desert to savannah. Cycling the “Meltdown” in its entirety is an impressive accomplishment for any cyclist.

Recovery Riding Day February 14th

After two days off it was time to go again. I got up early and was ready quickly – just couldn’t eat any breakfast though. We rode out of camp and down into town again – I hadn’t written down the instructions so was a bit unsure as to whether we were going the right way or not – finally somebody said yes – back the way we had come but turn right instead of left at the T junction to continue on our way. That was good – it actually made sense – so felt better after that! However at this stage I was shivering like crazy – didn’t feel good – wasn’t looking forward to the day’s riding!
Scott and I ended up in quite a good group – about 10 of us – we worked well together. There were no major climbs – just rolling hills all the way to lunch. At lunch we saw Dennis leaving with Paul and Horst ahead of us – but I am trying to recover today so not bothered about racing those guys!

We set off in a smaller group in the afternoon – about 6 of us again through rolling hills until we reached a pretty good climb. Hendry was pushing the pace and I was able to sit with him. My heart rate was a little high but two days off seems to do that. (being ill probably didn’t help either!) Scenery is really cool – a lot greener vegetation, crops growing, lots of villages, really busy, donkeys, carts, people – and of course all the kids. Everywhere they just keep shouting “You, you, you …” – it’s driving me nuts!! If they said “Hello” it would be OK but no they just keep screaming “You, you , you..” So I was a bit fed up with the kids today – at least really annoyed with whoever taught them to say “You, you, you ..” all day long!

On the way up the climb I was going fairly well and then suddenly could see someone ahead of us – and immediately think to myself, “Paul, Horst or Dennis?” Well if its Dennis its definitely worth me catching up with him so I speed up – turns out to be Francis – I hadn’t even realized he had left lunch before us – so that was a bit of a pain!! Good though – we caught him at the top of the climb – which was followed by a really nice downhill – wide roads, no traffic – we were moving pretty fast at about 50/60 kmph. There was just myself and Hendry at this stage. The others had stopped for some photos. When we got down to the bottom of the hill the wind got up and it was kind of tough. I just wanted to be done! My belly didn’t feel so good! I just wanted to be at camp so I was pushing to be finished. Hendry was good – he was strong and seemed to pull more than I did. The headwind was annoying but at least it was mainly downhill and so we finally made it to the Farm Camp…. (go figure…)

Camp was at the side of the road – all taped off – this was the second time we had camp roped off like this. All the locals would stand around and simply watch us!! There were tribes of kids racing around the perimeter with sticks – plenty of adults there as well. We also had two toilet tents for the first time – which was a welcome addition – nice not to have to take the shovel and dig yourself a hole!

So – my toe this morning was awful – I kind of poked at it and it wouldn’t stop bleeding – not good – has been a week now and doesn’t seem like it is healing. So I went back to the medical truck and they gave me some stronger antibiotic cream – I also persuaded them to give me some antibiotics as Scott and a few others had recommended they would help me feel a lot better. Right now my belly is bad, I have a blocked up nose and I am super tired so I am going to bed!!

When I got to camp today I put my tent up quickly and had a lay down for 2/3 hours. Struggled to eat dinner and missed yoga – but the sun has now finally set and I am ready for bed. Tomorrow we have a short ride – only about 60 km so we should be done in less than 2 hours!! Good night!!

Lord of the Rings or Robin Hood February 13

Well I couldn’t lay around for two whole days so I was determined to do some sightseeing today with Kendra and others. Like many others was still feeling awful – you have probably heard enough by now about our sickness and diarrhea - trying to eat but just not feeling well. Anyway after breakfast we walked down to town and bought some bits and pieces (always important to stock up when possible) to visit the castle. So glad we did – it was amazing! Seemed like an old English castle – reminded me of Robin Hood stories! (despite the Tolkien sounding names) Amazingly well preserved – always makes me wonder how many people actually used some of these places – could still see tool marks in the floor – it was great – I think I managed to get some good photos. It was built around 1640 and the battlements, towers and turrets definitely have a European influence. Was really pleased to have achieved something on this second day off – but was ready for another early night and hopefully recover enough for tomorrow’s ride.

Mr Misery in Gondar February 12

Wake up this morning and I am annoyed – paid quite a lot for this hotel - no air conditioning. Loads of clapping and music from a nightclub just behind us into the early hours. Shower had been bad the night before but I’d hoped the pressure would be better this morning. So all in all kind of annoyed – just want to pack up my stuff and get back to the campsite. Actually to be honest the way I was feeling I probably would be annoyed anywhere!
Actually had quite a good breakfast – including French toast – and also a pizza before returning to camp. While there I found someone to do my laundry and somebody to clean my bike! Then I spent some time trying to get on the internet – was feeling pretty awful so pleased just to chill out in this way. True to my mood nothing seemed to be happening internet wise.
Guy came to tell me he had finished with my bike – sure enough the frame and non important pats were shiny clean – not so with the more important moving parts eg gears!!! Not happy! My laundry was hanging up at least! Truth was my stomach felt awful and so I went to bed nice and early – about 7pm!!

Massage in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Just had a good massage - it hurt! It was a very difficult day getting the package as you will see in the blog!
Other than that I am great and feel better - just a little sore - though hopefully that soreness has now gone!
Blogs on their way!

Addis Ababa

Spoke to Paul earlier today (middle of the night for me actually!) as they were trying to locate the parcels sent via DHL. Apparently therein lies another story! But they did eventually get them - I hope they were worth the effort! He sounded very well and in good spirits. Since then I have received some updated blogs which I will need to sort out and some photos and a very short video. Am hoping he will have time to send more! Scott is also currently busy updating his blog (Round and round we go ...) which you can access via the TDA links button on the LHS of the home page. I will also add some links from facebook! Tomorrow they start the third section of the tour - Meltdown Madness - as they set off for Nairobi. Enjoy the rest and civilisation in Addis Ababa!!

Updates

Read Kendra's update blog by selecting the title and then clicking here



Other blogs can be accessed via TDA Links in the left hand column on the Home Page

Last Day of Second Section

Today is day #38 / Stage #30 with a 66 mile (105km) ride from last night's camp to Addis Ababa. Today is the last leg of the second section (The Gorge - Khartoum, Sudan to Addis Ababa, Ethipoia) of the tour and only the morning section was raced. This explains why Paul's tracker still shows him some 40 km away from Addis Ababa (unless they left him behind!) It's a little late to expect to hear any more news today but hopefully they will find some internet access tomorrow on their day off - when they aren't doing their laundry that is!!

Highest Altitude

Paul has checked in to say he has arrived in today's camp. Today was the highest altitude day on Tour, with a peak of 3122 meters just after lunch, followed by a sweet downhill to a camp near the famous Debra Libanos monastery. 90 km ride in total!

Blue Nile Gorge

Received Paul's check in message to say he had completed today's challenge of the legendary Blue Nile Gorge - be interesting to hear how he got on!!

Bahar Dar February 16

Don't think it was the juice that made us ill - it was quite a few days later and we were told the juice was fine!!
Everyone always gets sick when the trip crosses into Ethiopia

Tomo is another mando day of 162 km and has a 40km climb its going to be a hard day
Never made it to the waterfall as it is 20km away but the monasteries were good
Just trying to eat as much as possible!!
Can't upload anything the conection is so slow.
I will talk to you from Addis

Thanks good night

Tonight's Forest Camp

Screenshot from Google Earth showing where the riders are camped tonight.

Where on Earth is My BIKE? Trailer

Here is the Trailer for Where on Earth is MY BIKE? Its give you a better idea of the content to the film along with some of the key people we interviewed in the course of shooting the documentary. There is a screening copy available to people who would like to view the full documentary for film festival or public perfor

Forest Camp

Today's section completed and race results up till yesterday are now updated on the TDA page. Paul is currently third in this section and fourth overall. Wow!!
The tour has travelled from a bush camp to a forest camp today (be interesting to hear what the differences are) and the riders tackle the legendary Blue Nile Gorge tomorrow.


This is the description of tomorrow's stage from the TDA website:
From a cycling standpoint, the highlight of this section will be the Blue Nile Gorge, a 1600-meter precipitous descent and ascent on a newly paved road that will test the mettle of cyclists of any caliber. Once you have conquered the Blue Nile Gorge, the beautiful terrain of the central Ethiopian plateau will whiz by as you spin towards the capital city of Addis Ababa. The descent from the eucalyptus forested hills that surround Addis into the downtown core is an experience you will not soon forget.

Schedule until Next Rest Day

Well we can see from the tracker that Paul completed today's ride of 162km from Bahir to Bush Camp in fairly good time. There was a lot of climbing to do!

Sea to Summit

Many thanks to Sponsors Sea to Summit for the goodies they sent to help Paul out with his camping needs. I have just mailed a few things off to him for collection in Addis Ababa next Tuesday - I think he is particularly looking forward to the 'luxury camping pillow'. Show your appreciation on Paul's behalf by visiting and liking their facebook page (also a chance to enter a free competition!)

Sea to Summit

Another Big Day Tomorrow

The riders have had a rest day today in Bahar Dar and Paul has enjoyed visiting the local monasteries via a boat trip on the lake. But the next few days are billed as some of the most difficult of the tour mainly because of the amount of climbing involved! Paul wrote me an email a few minutes ago saying that tomorrow is another Mando Day (all the racers must include this days time in their overall result) of 162km with a 40km climb. That will be followed by 4 more days of intense climbing and racing before their next Rest Day in Addis Ababa next Tuesday.

Donate to TDA Foundation

Changing scenery of Ethiopia February 10

Slept Ok last night but woke up really warm - didn't use my sleeping bag at all. It was pretty early when I got up and I wanted to try to be ready to leave with the guys today. So I got everything together - in fact I ended up being ready before everyone else and spent ages waiting for them. I did some stretching for the first time for ages so that was good. My bike was all good and so in the end I decided to leave and warm up slowly and let the other guys catch me up. So I left - I knew I was going to struggle today as I still didn't feel at all well - breakfast had been difficult and I had only managed half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Was feeling awful. Did about 10 km before the guys caught me up - Bastiaan helped - he pulled me into the group. But I just sat at the back - there was no way I could go any quicker - no way I was going to take any turns at the front - I just felt awful! As the day progressed I started to feel a bit stronger and slightly better in myself. The pace was fairly consistent - I had expected them to be going a lot quicker. So considering how bad I felt I didn't find it too difficult to stay with everyone. Rode pretty well into lunch. At lunch Adam rode straight through so Paul and Horst went with him - Bastiaan tried to persuade me to go after them but I said "No way! I need some lunch" had a quick lunch and then set off. Got a little way down the road to find Adam, Paul and Horst fixing a chain so we overtook them - rode fairly slowly waiting for them to catch up - did about 20 km at a fairly slow steady speed. Starting to look a bit more scenic - the villages have changed – saw thatched roofs at a 45 degree angle on the huts - they have a lot more rain here! We went from village to village - there were kids everywhere, all over the road, all trying to wave at you! It was hard in the morning when I was on my own going through a village as I felt obliged to wave back at all the kids. At least in a group as long as somebody waved I didn't feel so bad if I didn't - we kind of took it in turns!

Finally Paul and Horst caught up with us and sped up for a bit. We followed them and then they eased off so we rode together - me, Tori, Bastiaan, Jorg, Dennis, Paul and Horst. We carried on though rolling hills and then about 15 km out from camp came the first big hill - Paul and Horst took off, Tori slowed down a little and that left me Dennis and Jorg at about the same speed - trading places at the front. I kind of got worked up a bit and got up the hill first but when I got to the top I thought "What am I doing? I don't need to ride like this - a couple of minutes is not going to make any difference. I am not going to win as Paul and Horst are way out front" so I slowed up and let Dennis and Jorg overtake me. But I didn't really care. I rolled into camp and felt Okay about the day!!

Half Day Race - Border Crossing into Ethiopia - February 9

Slept on and off last night and finally woke up late. Luckily I didn't have my tent to take down as I struggled to eat some breakfast let alone do anything else. Felt really awful - sickness, diarrhea, the works! Got my stuff packed and on my bike - it was just a race till lunch time. I had really wanted to leave with Paul and Horst but they had already left by the time I was ready. I was second to last to leave again. My foot was killing me from when I kicked the tent peg - as it had all the day before!! I was miserable. It was off road at first but when I got to the paved section I took my foot out of the shoe and rested it for awhile on top of the pedal. Felt a lot better - although a paved road it was fairly bumpy and it also seemed like there was a headwind. From what other people said there actually wasn't but it felt like it to me and I struggled like crazy. I pushed as hard as I could knowing I was going to lose time today - just didn't want to lose too much time.

Pedaled as hard as I could trying to work out as I went that if I could possibly average 30 km/h I wound be done in 2 hours - but I wasn't actually managing that. I was thinking the leaders would probably be done in an hour and a half and had to tell myself it didn't matter. I just rode as hard as I could - didn't really look up from the road just kept my head down. Struggled all the way through the morning and finally made the lunch truck at 60 km after about 2 hours 20 minutes - so wasn't that bad in the end.

When I arrived though I felt so sick I just sat there thinking I was going to throw up - didn't but still couldn't move. My foot was killing - Clare gave me an anti nausea pill and another for my headache - what a state! Finally I came round a little bit and ate some grapefruit - couldn't manage any solids. Sat there for an hour and a half waiting for everyone else to come in. Scott arrived and he was just as bad as me - feeling awful too. He also was dosed up with some pills and we pretty much sat there at lunch for as long as possible. Then we had to leave. I felt better by then - my headache had gone and I didn't feel quite so sick - but I had no energy. I rode with Bastiaan and Kendra struggling to ride 20 km/h. We were riding towards the border - road was not that busy but had some really nasty pot holes in it. As we got closer to the border we started to see lots of random soldiers in huts by the side of the road and all over the place - with their guns very visible of course. We were pretty much at the back of the riders - just a few behind us. We did overtake a few but then Bastiaan had a flat so we stopped to repair it. I felt sick again so sat underneath a tree for a while. I seem to feel better when I am riding but just couldn't go very fast. We finally arrived at the border where we had to sign some paperwork and get an exit stamp from Sudan. Then about 100 m down the road we went into another office to get our passports stamped for entry into Ethiopia - we ended up sitting in the office ( air conditioned) for a process which seemed to take forever. Again they wrote everything down by hand - I just lay on the floor under the desk and fell asleep - we were probably there for a couple of hours but finally completed all our paperwork. Rode out through a strange little border town - people were buying beer - in fact lots of people were drinking beer while we were waiting for our passports - pretty cool sitting in immigration drinking beer! Not me though - I couldn't stomach it! In the town there were little shacks everywhere restaurants, hotels, bars - a bit of a change from Sudan. It was about 1 km on e other side of town to our camp.

Camp was like a truck lay by. I felt absolutely awful still. We decided not to put our tents up - I just sat around like a zombie all night. I tried to eat but struggled and didn't manage yoga.luckily I didn't need to do anything on my bike so I really did just sit around and do nothing. Charged my Garmin ready for the next day and went to bed.

Day 3 in the Dirt, Sudan February 8

Not the best nights sleep - would wake up hot and then not manage to go back off again! I was very slow getting myself organized this morning - was finally ready and was the second to last person to leave camp. Which I didn't really mind. I knew Paul and Horst had left 7 minutes before me so my goal was to make up that 7 minute a.rode pretty good and soon passed about 10 riders but then I got confused as the route - there were a lot of left/ right turns - we were meant to have seen flagging and hadn't seen any! Went down one track and then realized there were only two tire tracks in the dirt and there should be about 50 riders ahead of me! So I stopped and a couple of riders came up behind me - we discussed it and decided to go back - found a route that looked like it had more tracks so headed down that. I left the other guys behind again. Didn't see anyone else and there were twists and turns all over the place. I was trying to follow the tracks but there were times when it seemed that 10 went one way and 10 the other - all,very confusing! Quite a few locals tried to point me in the right direction. Finally after about 29 km I saw some other riders - turned out to be Tori, Paul, Horst and Adam - we rode together for a while trying to figure out if we were in the right place or not. Then we saw Dennis ahead - and he was the one person who had left camp after me!! He obviously went a different way and sure enough he had indeed seen lots of flagging! He had covered 27 km to my 31!! Bit of a pain.

Anyway I started to speed up and expected Paul and Horst to follow but they didn't. I didn't push myself too much and rode into lunch alone. I had a quick lunch, filled up my water bottles and headed off. I was unsure if I was the first on the road or not but it seemed like it from the lack of tire tracks. There were a lot of people I hadn't seen today - in fact I had only actually passed about 20 - but I guess we had all taken slightly different routes this morning. The afternoon went really well for about 20 km and then I hit the worst road ever - a cracked, bumpy dirt road riding against a headwind - insanely hard! I kept looking behind but couldn't see anyone. I felt quite excited that I was ahead as I had been behind in leaving. So although it was proving a difficult ride I was in extremely good spirits. I was trying to calculate how long it would take at this slow speed and taking into account the extra 4 km we had added earlier. There was a rest stop at about 75 km but as I was well stocked I didnt need anything. However a little further down the road I stopped for an energy bar and saw the truck come by. A little further again I stopped for a wee and then I looked back and saw Paul and Horst coming!! It was so demoralizing - I had been so convinced I was way ahead and I was really going to make some time on them! So I hopped back on my bike and rode quickly but they soon caught me up, rode past me and started picking up the pace. faster than I had been going. It really hurt and my heartbeat was faster than it had been all day. But I carried on pushing hard. Finally they left me just before we got to a village but as we rolled into the village they slowed as if to wait for me. They were being nice and probably could have got back the 7 minutes I had gained. Anyway we rode into the next village together. They suggested a coke stop but neither Paul nor myself had any money - Horst very kindly offered to pay so we found a nice little place to stop. It was so good! And it was quite fun for the three lead racers for the day to take time out for a coke stop. That last 15 km after they caught me up had been so difficult - I had been so disappointed I had simply lost all my energy and power. We rode slowly out of town and then I struggled up a hill behind them but I caught up again and we rolled into camp together. Another win for me but I did feel it was nice of the pair of them to let me have it. Sure I would have chased them if they had continued to race and maybe kept some of the 7 minutes but it would have been pretty painful so I am very grateful I didn't have to. It worked out good!!

At camp I was absolutely exhausted - felt completely destroyed! I had been so excited at the prospect of putting some time on those guys - they are both just so fast! I can't figure out how to beat them! I was hoping I might be stronger than them on dirt but after today it doesnt seem so. At least I have had a couple of wins now and have put some time on the other guys which is good. Hopefully I should be getting closer to third place overall. But we are back to pavement tomorrow.

So I ended up crawling under the truck to get some sleep - I felt really awful, dizzy, nearly fainted, felt sick - just kept drinking as much as possible - tea, juice and electrolytes. Finally felt a lot better after lying down but didn't feel like putting my tent up. I really wasn't moving very fast but I had to change my tires for the next day's pavement but i never did manage to get my tent up! Did have a good spag bol for dinner though. Bastiaan was planning to sleep outside tonight as was Kendra so I just threw my sleeping bag down on the tarpaulin for a night under the stars. One less thing to think about in the morning.

The Shores of lake Tana

An easier stage today of 61km to the provincial town of Bahar Dar on the shores of Lake Tana. A chance to relax and reenergize!!

Valentine's Day

No tracker today apart from a single signal sent out this morning. Hopefully nothing more sinister than a dead battery!! Spoke to Paul by email - he was planning to take it easy today while he tries to recover his strength and is hoping to take some antibiotics to help him over this stomach bug which has hit him for 6! He sent over loads of blogs which I will update a few at a time. There is also a message from Deano on YesHesMad Facebook page!!

Dirt Track Day 2 Sudan February 7

Woke up this morning really not having slept very well - I was really slow at getting ready. I had already decided in my head that I would be the last to leave camp today - that means I could chase people all day - and that suits me better. That was my plan but the truth was I was just really slow this morning anyway. Seemed to take me ages to put my tent down, fill my water bottles etc. Everyone else left camp and finally I was ready with all my stuff in the truck - I'd actually had to rush in the end. We'd had semolina for breakfast which although not great is a lot better than Bran Flakes. Got my button ready, checked out and jumped on my bike ready to go - looked down and realized I hadn't set my computer or my SPOT. So had to get off and quickly find my GPS and put the SPOT on. By this time of course I was way behind but that was good as I was ready to chase hard all morning. It was only a 50 k race till lunch time but I had all 65 riders to chase. But it was nice as I slowly made my way through the field and as I started to catch up with some of the faster racers it made me feel really good - much better to catch people!! When I caught up with Scott he told me that Paul and Horst were together up front and then Kendra told me there was about 23 minutes between me and Paul - it was rather fun getting little reports along the way! The road was fairly bad at this stage - familiar corrugated surfaces.

After about 20/30 km we left the road and were basically riding alongside the train tracks. I could see a road off to the right and had not overtaken anyone for quite a while - I calculated there were about 10 riders ahead of me still. They were all fairly quick and had left camp quite a way ahead of me so I probably wouldn't catch them. But I am still riding pretty hard. However I am looking around and getting rather worried as I hadn't seen any flagging and according to the days instructions I should have - also I was expecting the route to be twisting and turning far more but in actual fact we had pretty much followed the railway track - but looking in the dirt I can see earlier tire tracks and so carried on. I did move out to the road for a while but it was really terrible so bumpy. I moved back to the train tracks and carried on riding. I was trying to average about 20 mph and I felt pretty good. But it was a hard ride - bumpy with a headwind. Anyway I made it into lunch with a time of about 2 hours 20 minutes and Paul seemed to think that would be good enough for another stage win. That would be nice - two wins in a row. So I felt really good!

I knew that Kendra had had a hard day - she had been really sick and had just started on some antibiotics and so decided I would wait and ride the afternoon with her if she wanted. I waited a couple of hours for her but she decided to ride in the truck in the end. So I set off in the afternoon riding quite slowly - it was quite tough going - went over a railway bridge and through a village- it got really hot and the road corrugated - but I was overtaking the odd rider. I stopped and helped Pierre when his saddle came off and found a few other riders out on the road. But finally I just couldn't take it any more - it was so hot - I sped up. There was about 40 km left so I wanted to get a move on - I really don't know how those guys do it - I had completely recovered at lunch time but now in the afternoon was dehydrated and drained. There was a welcome grapefruit stop at about 25 km and then the road improved - smooth sand so I was able to speed up again - I just wanted to get in to camp! What a relief when I did!!

At camp we had bought a huge drum of water for 32 Sudanese pounds - which meant we could all have a shower!! Then the locals came along and there was a football match followed by a great meal of pasta and chicken. So all in all a good night!!

Statistics Update February 13

2 flats at camp,
2769 km completed,
123959 calories burned,
146 bpm average heart rate,
11647 m total climb,

5 days feeling sick

Dirt Track Day 1, Sudan February 6

Desert camp again - pretty slow to get get going in the morning. Scott and I have already decided we will try to ride together today without anyone else. Bran Flakes for breakfast again which I hate so it was peanut butter and jam sandwich again - not the best start to the day.
We were quite slow getting packed up but it didn't matter as most of the riders had gone out individually today and most had already left ahead of us. We had written the directions down as there was a bit of zig zagging to do today. - with about 13k on the road before hitting the off road section.

We travelled out through a town and then over a big dam over the Nile which was quite cool. Then we started on the dirt - it was quite good to start with. Scott and I were riding together and trying to help each out a little bit. We were riding along the railway tracks and going pretty good but not too hard - trying to take it easy and keep our heart rates low. We had no idea about the people ahead - just wanted to ride fairly easy. I felt really good - however after about 25 k Scott hit a rock and fell and hurt his hip. We stopped to get him right and started off again. It was corrugated bumps - really had to pick your line so we were doing a lot of weaving in and out - we were also overtaking people which was nice. However after about 30 k or so Scott fell again and really hurt his hip this time - he told me to go on ahead so once I made sure he was OK I set off on my own.

I was feeling really good - it's nice to be in the position where you are chasing people. So I carried on going - feeling really good and riding pretty hard. Slowly ticking off some of the other competitors. We were still riding along by the train tracks with a varying terrain.

At about 50 k I caught up with Jorg and Adam - ahead of us all were the two race leaders, Paul and Horst. I didn't really expect to catch them but suddenly I spotted them in the distance - so I pushed myself a little bit more but still felt fairly comfortable - still felt in my comfort zone.

They arrived at lunch just before me so I was pleased to have caught them up as they had started ahead of me. I had made time. Also we had lost a little time with Scotts falls so the fact I had actually caught them up made me feel really good. So I decided to eat lunch quickly and go straight out again. Horst and Paul followed me - they are both really good road bikers but at this stage I had no idea how good they were off road. I went pretty hard for about 10 k - only trouble was it was into the headwind and Paul was behind me and definitely getting a bit of a rest off that. After about 10 k I realized I wasn't going to lose them so I sat back for a while and rode on Paul's wheel for a change - then he ushered me forward so I just moved over and sat on Horst for a while. It was good to get a bit of a rest!

Then we slowed down through a village and I realized Paul had disappeared - didn't quite understand what was going on. I carried on at a steady speed and then just as suddenly Horst also disappeared. I kind of thought " wow have I lost them? This is amazing!" So I sped up a little bit but then the road got really bad so I slowed down again and seconds later there they were! They suddenly came flying by and pressing the speed a bit! I followed and after a while we all calmed down again. Paul turned and said to me " well looks like you're the stage winner then" and I took that to be a little cue to say " let's stop racing and just ride it in now!". Fine by me!!

It was a 100 km day and it was really really hot - we had been guzzling gallons of water - I had drunk both water bottles and and all my camel bak in the morning and refilled at lunch.

Oh I forgot to say that I totally kicked a tent peg - one of those big ones off the kitchen tent - put a hole in my toe. Had to get it bandaged up - it looks very pretty. Hopefully that will be the only time I have to visit the medical truck. It doesn't actually hurt and I am sure it will be fine tomorrow.

Blood, Sweat and Tears

Here is an extract from Paul Wolfe's blog update - Paul is the Race leader.



Just had  8 straitght days of racing..3 of which were  on Sudanese washboard ,thorn laden and rutted , paths used occasionally by small trucks and Donkey carts hauling hay, water or whatever.. The temperature has quickly risen to 110-120 F in the PMs..We all arrive at camp in various degrees of dehydration. Some have even gotten lost for short periods of time. They come in delirious...Flats are common even with the most bullet proof tires..some having up to 10 flats in a day .... these thorns have  pierced shoes...trying to find the hole in the tube, patching the tube ,locating the evil thorn in the tire ,then having to struggle to pull it out ,all without shade has tested the resolve of many.........................

Second Rest Day in Gondar

Today, Sunday is their second rest day in Ethiopia - sounds like it was much needed by all. Paul has fallen victim to the stomach bug that has attacked so many in the group. Can't imagine what it must be like to have to get back on your bike and ride in that heat and terrain when you are feeling so ill - so much respect to all the riders out there. Paul has sent some blogs which just need sorting and then the blog can be updated.

Several of the other riders have already managed to update, but looks like Scott is also needing to take a little time to recover first. Here is one from Kendra:

Gondar, Ethiopia

8 consecutive days out on the road and more than ready for a well earned rest day! Hopefully the riders will also find time to hit the Internet and share some of their experiences!

Matema to Bush Camp

95 km of paved roads completed today - big day tomorrow - not only is it mando day but the last day of riding before their first rest day after 8 days on the road!!

Khartoum to Gondar

The following is a description of the first 8 days of the second section of the Tour - The Gorge - the riders will arrive in Gondar tomorrow.

Heading south from Khartoum, the Tour first passes through the Gezira region which is the “bread basket” of the Sudan. After the town of Sennar you will ride on rough off-roads through the fascinating gauntlet that is remote Dinder National Park, known for its wildlife, where lions can be heard at night and possibly even seen during the day. The countryside gradually changes as you cycle towards Ethiopia and witness the transformation from the Arabic Muslim world of northern Africa to the more tribal and traditional nature of the Horn of Africa.

Once in Ethiopia, the ride of your life begins. Ethiopia contains some of the most spectacular landscapes in the world as well as one of its most unique and ancient cultures. This section will challenge your body more than any other due to the high altitude riding, not least during the first two days in country when the Tour takes the rough but slowly improving road up onto the plateau from Metema to the Gondar road junction. The second of these days features the most climbing – some 2500 meters - of any day on tour.

Entering Ethiopia

After enjoying three consecutive stage wins off road for Paul it is back to paved roads today (Wednesday) with a ride from Doka to Matema as the tour leaves Sudan and enters Ethiopia. This is their Sixth consecutive day of riding and no Internet access so looking forward to hearing all the news in a few days time!

Fun in the Dirt

Paul obviously enjoyed his 85km dirt track race on Tuesday

Another 100 km of dirt today -received Paul's check in message earlier


Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/4CvO2/13.44317/34.9909

Riding Dirt Track

According to Paul's check in message he has had a good day. It was a 100km ride on dirt from Sennar to Dinder ........

No Messing in the Mornings - January 27

Slept well last night - though still got up really early.Seems we could lie in bed longer but everyone seems to be up and about. We are supposed to wake to the radio/music from the trucks but as I say generally people are awake way before that! I seriously try to stay in bed a bit longer!! So this morning everyone was ready to go except for one so I decided to set off anyway - punched my button and left. Ended up riding the first 15 k on my own - it was quite nice though - just eased along - warming up slowly for a change - instead of going flat out straight away. It was really nice!
At about 15 km all the racers turned up and we gradually got faster and faster. Same sort of terrain as yesterday - slightly up and down and eventually really hot. Still fairly chilly in the mornings though - but there's no point putting bib shorts on before the bathroom trip! It's quite annoying - you can't afford to mess around in the morning - need to have a good order to your routine. Yesterday I managed to rip my tent bag a little in my rush to pack it away - today I was a lot better and packed it into the bag properly.
The group got faster and after about 40 km caught up with the second group - some people switched between the groups. I slowed down and ended up riding the last 20 km into lunch on my own. The flies there were terrible - I couldn't take it so I grabbed my sandwich and jumped back on my bike. Managed to chase down the racers and rode with them for about 10 km - but felt uncomfortable - didn't want to do it so dropped off again.
We hit a headwind section so I just rode it really slowly for about 20 km - enjoyed the views. For about 50 m by the side of the Nile there is an oasis of greenery and trees - then there is desert with the mountains in the background.off to the side are lots of dirt tracks - you can see 4 wheeled drive tracks all over the place. There were some guys with metal detectors following some diggers which appeared to be smoothing their way! Not quite sure what was going on there!
I rode 20 km pretty slowly expecting the group behind to catch me up. But they didn't appear and with 10 km to go I cycled into camp at about 35 km/h. Towards the end we turned off the road onto the sand and followed a 4 wheeled drive truck for a while - it was very bumpy and I bounced around for a while - a good indication of things to come! Bike was fine except it is still making a lot of noises. Yesterday I took it all apart and gave it a good clean - the sand gets everywhere! Added to that the seat decided to squeak today - you notice the noises a lot more when you are riding alone! But anyway it was all OK.
In the end I came in 6th and was happy with that. I felt a lot more comfortable going at today's speed - perhaps some of the others are comfortable going that little bit faster? We will see what the mountains and off road bring!

We camped by the side of the Nile again - lots of flies here. There was a big tree providing shade so quite a few people had chosen to put their tents there - but there seemed to be so many flies and so we pitched our tents nearer the trucks - fly situation seemed a lot better there! We did go for a swim in the Nile - a proper swim as it was deeper and we could jump in. Pretty cool! Have spent the rest of the time sorting out my tent and stuff - was going to switch my two bags around but it was too windy in the end to do that!

Rufaa to Sennar

No details about today's stage except the riders met their first off road section - gravel roads I think. Received Paul's check in message so know he arrived at camp OK.

First Day in Sudan. January 26

Woke up early this morning even though the clocks had changed so could have actually got up an hour later. But everyone was up early! It was good to have proper seats and tables as well as music from our trucks. Got packed up and ready for today's 150 km. There has been a bit of confusion and messing around over the clocking out and in -deciding when to press the button and when to go!! So today we just set our buttons and set off - quite slowly at first. There was me Scott, Paul and Bastiaan - just waiting for the others to catch up. Paul and Scott were ahead going slightly quicker and starting to get ahead of us. We didn't think too much of it - others caught up with us and by now Paul and Scott were well away! There was indecision in the group as to whether to close them down or let them go. Two people on their own for the day is hard work.

After about 50 k the group decided to try to chase them down so went faster and faster - only stopping for a 2 minute lunch - time for the bathroom, fill up the water bottle, make acsandwich and then back on the bike eating and riding with one hand.

Finally just as I ate the last of my sandwich the rest of the group caught me up and off wecwent again! Averaging 40 km/h - then nearly 50 km/h - flat out - I was quite encouraged that I could stick it out longer than some of the others. We were working together but going very fast - gradually lost Dennis, Adam, Jorg and Hendry. After about 130 km I struggled like crazy up a hill and rode with Scott for a while for a 5 k recovery. Scott was really tired - he had done about 120 km with Paul - who he said was on a real mission!! Riding at 40 plus km/h Scott finally gave up. Then he told me to go ahead so I did about 15 km on my own - which was quite nice and finally arrived 5th into camp - I was really happy with that!!

The Gorge Section Begins

This is their schedule for the next week:

TdAfrique 2011 -"The Gorge" Khartoum, Sudan to Gonder, Ethiopia
Fri Feb 4 Stg 16 Khartoum to Rufaa Paved 145 Km
Sat Feb 5 Stg 17 Rufaa to Sennar Paved & Dirt 155 Km
Sun Feb 6 Stg 18 Sennar to Dinder Dirt 100 Km
Mon Feb 7 Stg 19 Dinder to Village Dirt 100 Km
Tue Feb 8 Stg 20 Village to Doka Dirt 85 Km
Wed Feb 9 Stg 21 Doka to Matema Paved 96 Km & Alcohol
Thu Feb 10 Stg 22 Matema to Bush camp Paved 95 Km
Fri Feb 11 Stg 23 Bush camp to Gonder Paved MANDO RACE DAY 107 MILES
Sat Feb 12 Rest Day in Gonder

Weetabix for Breakfast January 28

Had a good nights sleep! We were off the road and there was no prayer call but people are still getting up very early. I tried to stay in bed till they put the music on which means you can go into the trucks. I never made it had to get up and go for a walk with the shovel. If you need to use the shovel its better to go in the dark you dont have to walk as far and if there is a light off in the distance people stay away from you. It does take a bit of planning - you need to look around when it is light so you know which direction to go and avoid the tracks. We did have a bit of a bon fire the night before and when I went to bed they were all singing songs. Peter the Plumber has some good ones - bit like the ones grandad used to sing.


Was excited at breakfast - there was weeta bix but no hot milk still! There was also a strange powder stuff will have to find the name of that.

I guage my packing in the morning but how far along the other racers are - I always look for Castle Dennis - he has a big tent and struggles to get organized in the morning. He also has too much stuff and can't get it all in his locker. At the moment I have taken a bag of inner tubes and put them in my locker for him. I did tell him I was going to sell them back to him when he wants them - he thinks I am joking.

The day before I was all ready but had to wait 5 mins to get into the truck to put my bag in my locker. There are a lot of people having a lot of difficulty fitting all their stuff - mine fits fine! I did think i would have had a bit more room but thats fine I am going to change my bags over to make my day bag the the one with more pockets in.

The first km today was off road over the dirt which I really enjoyed - after that we were back on the paved roads!


We start to ride and get in to a good steady speed of around 30-35km and catch up with Mike with all the bikes and Jorg at about 10km.
Mike with all the Bikes is called that because he lost his bike in Boston airport on the way out and was told that they had no idea where it was so he ordered a new one but it would have to be built and sent and it would take a while! So he went and bought a new one in Cairo. Then after 2 weeks they found his bike still at Boston air port so now he has 3 bikes! But they wont send his other one to Sudan so he will have to wait for Ethiopia. Jorg, German, is a really nice guy - he has been in the lead group most of the time but been dropped the last few days like me. So we get together and start going very well finally at 50km the racers catch us and pass us. We decided not to cycle with them today and instead stayed back and rode together to lunch just the 4 of us.
We had a really quick lunch with the racers leaving just seconds before us!
There was no sign of Bastiaan - and we hope he is going for the win! He looked very serious when he set out with his music on!
We learn that he is the reason the front racers are going so fast - trying to catch him!
After lunch we catch up with Tori and Adam and ride well together. The wind shifts a little and we get some head wind and then it moves from side to side. We are still in the desert but it is getting more busy and we are seeing more buses and people! Its also getting a lot hotter! At least it is a short day - 107km. Lunch was at 60km. I like it when it is more than half way.
With about 10km to go Mike was hurting so we slowed a little which was good. I was following Adam and had to be careful as we had already touched tires the other day. I felt good and so did Scott so we were doing long pulls on the front - about 5km at a time. It was weird as it was almost nicer being at the front and just riding than being in the group and having to watch your space on the person in front.

The directions changed a little so we were not fully sure we were going the right way but we had an escort and we were close - only around 5km to go. There was a police car out front and one out back and a pick up with the new crew in the back with 2 camera men - felt like I was in the Tour de France. Then for the interesting part of the directions - down the bank over some gravel and back onto the road. We lost the police for a minute then a tuk tuk wanted to race. So I did and left him for dead - that was fun!! Then the police were back with us and we went flying through the town - right then left, then right until we could see the finish line ahead and the zoo - our camp for the night in Dongola