Paul's tracker seems to be sort of working today - shows them as having set off from Chitimba climbing away from the Lake for a while. This is a description of what lies ahead.
After crossing into Malawi the Tour follows the shoreline past fishing villages to Chitemba Beach, which has been a haven for Africa Overlanders for many years. Malawi is especially well known for its skilled hardwood carvers, and here they will find a large crafts market with beautifully made walking sticks, chairs, “trees of life,” Chitemba Beach offered a wonderful respite from the journey.
Leaving Lake Malawi there is a climb up the escarpment into the central plateau en route to the provincial capital of Mzuzu. Here it is quite normal to be pedaling alongside some of Malawi’s many cycling farmers, as they transport chickens, grain, and just about anything between their villages and the nearest market. Then the riders swoop back down to the shores of Lake Malawi and a well-earned rest day at Kandi Beach.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Chitimba Beach
Todays rest day on the beaches of Lake Malawi sounded idyllic according to other bloggers. However still awaiting news from Paul directly. Apparently internet access is not too good!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Masai Steppe Results
Results are posted. Although Paul has had a slower stage and mando day the overall standings have not changed too much. Scott just missed about by about a minute on the mando day from winning the section. He was beaten to the post by Jorg, who is in third place overall. Rest day tomorrow.
Malawi Gin
Today is the first day of the next stage - the Malawi Gin. The tour has successfully crossed the border into Malawi. I know the riders are still tired from their 8 days in the mud and I also know Paul in particular is looking forward to the next rest day after tomorrow's ride - he has been trying to recover from the latest bug which has hit him and desperately needs some rest. Unfortunately he hasnt been able to send his blogs for those 8 days - hopefully we will get a full report from him tomorrow and news he is feeling better. Chris Fenar's blog can be read here.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Rather Worrying in Mbeya
Heard only briefly from Paul yesterday during their rest day in Mbeya after 8 days non stop riding. In his email message he simply said " never made it to internet today feel really sick but just two days ride till another day off hope i make it". Can't find much news/updates from other riders either so looks like we will have to wait another two days to find out more. His brief message was probably sent via his kindle. Be well soon, Paul.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Not Dirty Enough
Just finished day 7 of 8 before a rest day in Mbeya. Seems they only had one day of muddy riding but otherwise this "off-road " section has been on fairly smooth dirt roads that have dashed their hopes for taking time. Tomorrow is a mando day. If either Paul or Scott can win the day then Scott should take the section. Good luck boys!! Hopefuly we will hear more when they get to Mbeya.
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Half Way Recap - Arusha, Tanzania - March 18, 2011
Thought I would just say a little about the trip so far as I have a little more time than usual here at the Karama Lodge in Arusha, Tanzania.
The ride started off in Egypt at a crazy fast speed - I had never ridden that fast on my bike before! I had my 48 T chain ring on my bike expecting speeds to be a lot slower! Sometimes I just didn't have enough gears so it was great when I received my larger ring quite a few weeks later in Addis Ababa!! The first week I really struggled to keep up with the guys at the front - it was the quickest I had ever had to go. I really still expected the pace to slow down but in the second week it was just as fast and just as difficult. That's when we started to leave a little earlier, catch them up and then just try to hang with them as much as possible. It was the same when we headed into Sudan - our strategy was to limit our losses - not to ride the whole day with them and also to try not to help them. Wee just didn't want to go that fast! We then had a couple of days off road which I did quite well on. Then people started dropping out of the race - it was kind of annoying that it was those who had really been pushing the pace from the beginning and hurting everyone who were now the ones not in the race anymore??!
Anyway I enjoyed the dirt in Sudan. We then entered Ethiopia and everyone got sick. Hit me really badly and so felt pretty rough for a while - as did a lot of people! Whilst the people in Egypt were quite friendly they did hassle you quite a bit, whereas the Sudanese were just great - very friendly and generous and always gave a fair price - no haggling. Ethiopia was kind of a mix of the two approaches. For a long stretch in Ethiopia e roads were extremely busy with traffic and people - and the kids were very intense - it was good to leave all that behind. The possibility of getting hit by rocks being thrown was very annoying - although we were luckier at the front and did not get caught so much. There was a lot less off road/ gravel riding here than I had expected. Of course we then got to the lava road which gave me a chance to show what I was made of. Just seemed to suit me - I was surprised I did so well off road in these conditions as I hadn't performed that well in the mountain bike races in Whistler last year!! Anyway it was good especially the time I made on the second Mando day.
There was a spell in Ethiopia when I felt really strong and comfortable - it was just before Horst dropped out of the race. Camping is hard work when you are racing. In Sudan it was so hot it was difficult to put your tent up. When we finished the days ride we just wanted to sit under the tarp to recover - it would take a few hours to do so. You would want to lie down and there wouldn't be anywhere - even if you put your tent up it would be far too hot inside it. It still takes me so long to really wake up in the mornings and get myself going - the simple process of packing away my tent takes me ages as does getting myself organized and putting things away. I've never liked eating so soon after I wake in the mornings so that's been kind of hard for me also. The mornings I really struggle with which is why I am happy to get a hotel room whenever possible - not having to mess with a tent just gives me a little more time to eat breakfast and wake up before getting on my bike!!
Reaching Kenya our first day was off road - very difficult 115 km - and then there was the road! Just like that a perfect road started - seemed like an illusion. Apparently because we had crossed into a new district!! Then of course we had the "Mugging day". We discovered later that they had utilized escorts in the area before - that locality is in a terrible drought which is why it is now so dangerous. People there are desperate. Even buses and trucks have been held up at gunpoint. It was all a bit of a shock - but the resulting non race days were a blessing and certainly helped with recovery. There was a decent mix of paved and off road sections here but by now I was feeling so very tired and desperately needing the half way break! The countryside is so different and we are not feeling as isolated as we have been - some places we have literally been in the middle of nowhere - desolate places like the barren waste in Sudan and the grueling lava roads in Ethiopia. Recently every other night we have stayed in real camps with showers and hot water - definitely ready for that "luxury". The roads in Northern Kenya have been less busy but the driving is terrible - overtaking towards you as you are riding and the drivers would definitely run you off the road if you don't move out of the way quickly enough - very scary!
From Nairobi to Tanzania we had. Good days riding and a great border crossing. That is something else that is improving as we travel south - the eSe of the border crossings. The first couple of ones from Egypt into Sudan and then into Ethiopia were dreadful - lots of pieces of paper and long waits. But the last two crossings have been much easier - much mote efficient with the use of computers and in fact there was even a passport scanner in use when we crossed from Kenya to Tazmania! It is also now much easier to use credit cards and ATMs and there are more supplies in the shops. Northern Kenya was probably the worst for buying supplies - the problem is we need so many calories each day it is essential to supplement the TDA allowance - noodles, choc bars, cookies and even Red Bull. The PVM drinks we are given don't always hit the spot! Buying snacks and eating lots of extra meals during rest days is extremely important. This was a problem in Northern Kenya! However here in Arusha there is a plentiful supply - we are all stocked up! In fact later today we are going to try to buy some protein powder if possible. I actually went on the scales yesterday - although Scott doesn't think they are quite accurate - but according to them I now weigh about 170 lbs - that would be 25 lbs lighter than last time I weighed myself in Roswell, just before I left. That would be a huge weight loss for me!
The trip so far has gone well and overall I am pleased with my performance. I am a little disappointed I am so far behind Paul - which was really a direct result of the extremely fast early pace set - I just couldn't keep up at the time and Paul W could. He hung on well and then was helped so much buy Horst who could pull him along all day. If I could have done it differently myself I might now be in better shape - but never mind. Hopefully this next 8 day dirt section will be good for me. There is still a long way to go and a lot of racing to be done!
I am looking forward to the second half!!
The ride started off in Egypt at a crazy fast speed - I had never ridden that fast on my bike before! I had my 48 T chain ring on my bike expecting speeds to be a lot slower! Sometimes I just didn't have enough gears so it was great when I received my larger ring quite a few weeks later in Addis Ababa!! The first week I really struggled to keep up with the guys at the front - it was the quickest I had ever had to go. I really still expected the pace to slow down but in the second week it was just as fast and just as difficult. That's when we started to leave a little earlier, catch them up and then just try to hang with them as much as possible. It was the same when we headed into Sudan - our strategy was to limit our losses - not to ride the whole day with them and also to try not to help them. Wee just didn't want to go that fast! We then had a couple of days off road which I did quite well on. Then people started dropping out of the race - it was kind of annoying that it was those who had really been pushing the pace from the beginning and hurting everyone who were now the ones not in the race anymore??!
Anyway I enjoyed the dirt in Sudan. We then entered Ethiopia and everyone got sick. Hit me really badly and so felt pretty rough for a while - as did a lot of people! Whilst the people in Egypt were quite friendly they did hassle you quite a bit, whereas the Sudanese were just great - very friendly and generous and always gave a fair price - no haggling. Ethiopia was kind of a mix of the two approaches. For a long stretch in Ethiopia e roads were extremely busy with traffic and people - and the kids were very intense - it was good to leave all that behind. The possibility of getting hit by rocks being thrown was very annoying - although we were luckier at the front and did not get caught so much. There was a lot less off road/ gravel riding here than I had expected. Of course we then got to the lava road which gave me a chance to show what I was made of. Just seemed to suit me - I was surprised I did so well off road in these conditions as I hadn't performed that well in the mountain bike races in Whistler last year!! Anyway it was good especially the time I made on the second Mando day.
There was a spell in Ethiopia when I felt really strong and comfortable - it was just before Horst dropped out of the race. Camping is hard work when you are racing. In Sudan it was so hot it was difficult to put your tent up. When we finished the days ride we just wanted to sit under the tarp to recover - it would take a few hours to do so. You would want to lie down and there wouldn't be anywhere - even if you put your tent up it would be far too hot inside it. It still takes me so long to really wake up in the mornings and get myself going - the simple process of packing away my tent takes me ages as does getting myself organized and putting things away. I've never liked eating so soon after I wake in the mornings so that's been kind of hard for me also. The mornings I really struggle with which is why I am happy to get a hotel room whenever possible - not having to mess with a tent just gives me a little more time to eat breakfast and wake up before getting on my bike!!
Reaching Kenya our first day was off road - very difficult 115 km - and then there was the road! Just like that a perfect road started - seemed like an illusion. Apparently because we had crossed into a new district!! Then of course we had the "Mugging day". We discovered later that they had utilized escorts in the area before - that locality is in a terrible drought which is why it is now so dangerous. People there are desperate. Even buses and trucks have been held up at gunpoint. It was all a bit of a shock - but the resulting non race days were a blessing and certainly helped with recovery. There was a decent mix of paved and off road sections here but by now I was feeling so very tired and desperately needing the half way break! The countryside is so different and we are not feeling as isolated as we have been - some places we have literally been in the middle of nowhere - desolate places like the barren waste in Sudan and the grueling lava roads in Ethiopia. Recently every other night we have stayed in real camps with showers and hot water - definitely ready for that "luxury". The roads in Northern Kenya have been less busy but the driving is terrible - overtaking towards you as you are riding and the drivers would definitely run you off the road if you don't move out of the way quickly enough - very scary!
From Nairobi to Tanzania we had. Good days riding and a great border crossing. That is something else that is improving as we travel south - the eSe of the border crossings. The first couple of ones from Egypt into Sudan and then into Ethiopia were dreadful - lots of pieces of paper and long waits. But the last two crossings have been much easier - much mote efficient with the use of computers and in fact there was even a passport scanner in use when we crossed from Kenya to Tazmania! It is also now much easier to use credit cards and ATMs and there are more supplies in the shops. Northern Kenya was probably the worst for buying supplies - the problem is we need so many calories each day it is essential to supplement the TDA allowance - noodles, choc bars, cookies and even Red Bull. The PVM drinks we are given don't always hit the spot! Buying snacks and eating lots of extra meals during rest days is extremely important. This was a problem in Northern Kenya! However here in Arusha there is a plentiful supply - we are all stocked up! In fact later today we are going to try to buy some protein powder if possible. I actually went on the scales yesterday - although Scott doesn't think they are quite accurate - but according to them I now weigh about 170 lbs - that would be 25 lbs lighter than last time I weighed myself in Roswell, just before I left. That would be a huge weight loss for me!
The trip so far has gone well and overall I am pleased with my performance. I am a little disappointed I am so far behind Paul - which was really a direct result of the extremely fast early pace set - I just couldn't keep up at the time and Paul W could. He hung on well and then was helped so much buy Horst who could pull him along all day. If I could have done it differently myself I might now be in better shape - but never mind. Hopefully this next 8 day dirt section will be good for me. There is still a long way to go and a lot of racing to be done!
I am looking forward to the second half!!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Arusha for Relaxation and Recovery! March 16,17,18
It was a little damp when we arrived at camp after the last day of racing, so I left my bike in the tent and let the air out of my tyres so they didn't pop. Our hotel was only just up the hill about 1 mile away. It consists of lovely wooden cabins situated on the hill side - all individual built up on stilts. There is a good restaurant here, a laundry and a masseuse. Everything we need. We hardly moved the first afternoon! The next day after a great sleep we headed off to town but I was feeling really unwell. Seceded harassed by local tradesmen in town and I just wanted to go back to bed. I had a massage and then was able to use the I teensy to catch up on blogs and photos. There were quite a few people around for dinner still that first night, before disappearing off on safaris and tours the following day. Yesterday I felt awful - stomach, throat and chest pains - but started my antibiotics and went to bed. Slowly felt better during the day - by afternoon I could eat better again. Slept well again last night not having left the hotel argali during the day. It was so nice to just relax - my legs are definitely feeling a whole lot better - I have been sitting with my feet raised for as long as possible!
Today is our third and final rest day - we have plans to go into town at about 11 am- basically to find some food - we have exhausted the menu here. Then we are going to pop in to camp, organize our bags and pack our tents away, before returning here for the afternoon! We have already organized early breakfast for tomorrow - now we just need to arrange a taxi ride back down the hill for tomorrows race! So it has been a pretty good restful couple of days - just a shame I didn't feel do well - but I am feeling much better now. Hopefully I will be fully recovered for tomorrow - and ready to race!
There were all sorts of safaris planned and on offer for these three days. The TDA one was rather expensive. Scott was going to try to organize something and I was willing to go along with anyone who had a good idea! For the TDA one you had to pay in American dollars which I no longer had. I wanted to be able to pay on my credit cared and I wanted to decide the day before. So in the end we did nothing - which was great as I felt so ill. Then we were going to organize something yesterday for today. But with me not feeling well and the others not so bothered it was great just lounging by the hotel today, doing nothing. So although I am a little upset that I didn't get to go on safari at the same time I am really pleased I was able to sit around to relax and recover. Hopefully I will feel a whole lot better when I get to ride again.
Today is our third and final rest day - we have plans to go into town at about 11 am- basically to find some food - we have exhausted the menu here. Then we are going to pop in to camp, organize our bags and pack our tents away, before returning here for the afternoon! We have already organized early breakfast for tomorrow - now we just need to arrange a taxi ride back down the hill for tomorrows race! So it has been a pretty good restful couple of days - just a shame I didn't feel do well - but I am feeling much better now. Hopefully I will be fully recovered for tomorrow - and ready to race!
There were all sorts of safaris planned and on offer for these three days. The TDA one was rather expensive. Scott was going to try to organize something and I was willing to go along with anyone who had a good idea! For the TDA one you had to pay in American dollars which I no longer had. I wanted to be able to pay on my credit cared and I wanted to decide the day before. So in the end we did nothing - which was great as I felt so ill. Then we were going to organize something yesterday for today. But with me not feeling well and the others not so bothered it was great just lounging by the hotel today, doing nothing. So although I am a little upset that I didn't get to go on safari at the same time I am really pleased I was able to sit around to relax and recover. Hopefully I will feel a whole lot better when I get to ride again.
Half Way - Arusha and Coffee in Bed - March 15
Slept pretty good in last nights hotel. There is a border crossing to deal with today. It is only a couple of km to the border and the race will start as soon as we are checked through. I arrived at the border a little after the main group and go in to do my stuff. I am talking to Scott while I wait for my passport and papers on the Tanzanian side when I see Adam, Jorg and Paul badge out and set off. Luckily I then hear my name called so we are able to finish the process and run over to our bikes.we dawdled a little bit here and probably should have just grabbed our bikes and left. Anyway we hopped on our bikes with the guys probably only about 1 km down the road. Scott says not to kill ourselves by riding too fast - we don't need to catch them immediately. So we ride fast but not too fast! However we are not gaining at all so need to speed up. So now we are going full speed and realize that they are setting a really fast pace ahead - definitely not waiting for us. Must be Paul pushing as Jorg and Adam would not ride that fast first thing. Paul obviously wants to ditch us. We are riding like mad - a couple of times I say " Scott, I can't do this any more ". He let's me sit behind him to recover enough for a little surge. Luckily the road is smooth - rolling hills - but I am too busy to take much notice of the scenery!!
At about 27 km Scott started to drop me - I told him to keep going. And he made a gap between us. However slowing just that little bit made me feel so much better that I was actually able to maintain that gap and recovered a little. We hit some roadworks which slowed the front group and we eventually caught them at about 30 km. Checking the speedo I noted we had averaged 37.5 km/h for that 30 km distance. Fast going!
We then joined the group and started taking it in turns at the front. It was fairly easy going now. Paul takes the front and speeds up - then I do and slow it down - the rest of the guys keep about the same speed as me. Then it's Paul again and he speeds up. I follow but the other guys don't and so we have a little gap. When he let's me in at the front again of course I slow down and expect the group behind to catch us but they don't. We carry on like this. I realize they just don't want to ride with us. Paul doesn't like me slowing the pace so he takes the front and does most of the work. The others are just sitting behind! Our average speed has dropped to about 25 km/h. We arrive at lunch after about 1pm of roadworks to contend with. I am feeling tired and ill - the chase in the morning was hard work.
After lunch we are all back together but I immediately have to accept the fact I simply have no energy and M not feeling too good. The 30 km chase this morning, 30 km chase yesterday afternoon and the 60 km chase the previous day had together left me drained. My legs had given up. There was a climb and my heart rate went up to 175 - I decided it was not worth killing myself to stay with the group and slowed down. Jorg was going to wait for me but I told him I was fine. As soon as Paul noticed me dropping he took off big time and Scott and the others followed. I just accepted the fact I was going to lose some time today and already felt better. I just rode the next 40 km fairly easily, trying to keep my heart rate down. The hill wasn't as bad as I expected and there were a couple of good descents. Then reached the unfinished section where the road was terrible. There were different options you could take - the main road down the middle they were working on - some parts rolled smooth already and others all ground up - the right hand side was the main detour road with a lot of traffic - the left hand side was the local minor road and it was this one I decided to take for a while. It was terrible - a bad idea! Ended up changing roads quite a few times. I was in no hurry now. This went on for about 10 km - then we were back to a smooth road - but very busy - sped bumps and traffic. Now I had to think about the directions. I finally saw some flagging tape on my left so kept going. I seem to remember there should be a right turn ahead. Then suddenly I find Adam is behind me asking for directions. Not sure where u he came from as he had been in the group in front of me! So we take the right turn and I am fairly convince this should be followed by a right turn. Sure enough there is the flagging tape at the roundabout. We just ride along comfortably not too sure where we are going or what the distances are. About 4 km along the road we see the flag and roll into camp. Scott tells me I am about 20 minutes behind. Ok - that is fine!
I am very happy now. Ready for three days off! We put up our tents and I leave my bike in mine and we then wait for more people to arrive so we can get an organized ride to the hotel. The hotel is really nice - I am sharing a wooden cabin/lodge with Scott. Everything we need is there. In the afternoon I eat/lie down, eat/lie down, eat/lie down ....... In the evening about 10 of us enjoy a good dinner at the restaurant and then I am ready for bed. I am in desperate need of a good nights sleep. We have even arranged coffee in our room for the morning. What luxury!!
At about 27 km Scott started to drop me - I told him to keep going. And he made a gap between us. However slowing just that little bit made me feel so much better that I was actually able to maintain that gap and recovered a little. We hit some roadworks which slowed the front group and we eventually caught them at about 30 km. Checking the speedo I noted we had averaged 37.5 km/h for that 30 km distance. Fast going!
We then joined the group and started taking it in turns at the front. It was fairly easy going now. Paul takes the front and speeds up - then I do and slow it down - the rest of the guys keep about the same speed as me. Then it's Paul again and he speeds up. I follow but the other guys don't and so we have a little gap. When he let's me in at the front again of course I slow down and expect the group behind to catch us but they don't. We carry on like this. I realize they just don't want to ride with us. Paul doesn't like me slowing the pace so he takes the front and does most of the work. The others are just sitting behind! Our average speed has dropped to about 25 km/h. We arrive at lunch after about 1pm of roadworks to contend with. I am feeling tired and ill - the chase in the morning was hard work.
After lunch we are all back together but I immediately have to accept the fact I simply have no energy and M not feeling too good. The 30 km chase this morning, 30 km chase yesterday afternoon and the 60 km chase the previous day had together left me drained. My legs had given up. There was a climb and my heart rate went up to 175 - I decided it was not worth killing myself to stay with the group and slowed down. Jorg was going to wait for me but I told him I was fine. As soon as Paul noticed me dropping he took off big time and Scott and the others followed. I just accepted the fact I was going to lose some time today and already felt better. I just rode the next 40 km fairly easily, trying to keep my heart rate down. The hill wasn't as bad as I expected and there were a couple of good descents. Then reached the unfinished section where the road was terrible. There were different options you could take - the main road down the middle they were working on - some parts rolled smooth already and others all ground up - the right hand side was the main detour road with a lot of traffic - the left hand side was the local minor road and it was this one I decided to take for a while. It was terrible - a bad idea! Ended up changing roads quite a few times. I was in no hurry now. This went on for about 10 km - then we were back to a smooth road - but very busy - sped bumps and traffic. Now I had to think about the directions. I finally saw some flagging tape on my left so kept going. I seem to remember there should be a right turn ahead. Then suddenly I find Adam is behind me asking for directions. Not sure where u he came from as he had been in the group in front of me! So we take the right turn and I am fairly convince this should be followed by a right turn. Sure enough there is the flagging tape at the roundabout. We just ride along comfortably not too sure where we are going or what the distances are. About 4 km along the road we see the flag and roll into camp. Scott tells me I am about 20 minutes behind. Ok - that is fine!
I am very happy now. Ready for three days off! We put up our tents and I leave my bike in mine and we then wait for more people to arrive so we can get an organized ride to the hotel. The hotel is really nice - I am sharing a wooden cabin/lodge with Scott. Everything we need is there. In the afternoon I eat/lie down, eat/lie down, eat/lie down ....... In the evening about 10 of us enjoy a good dinner at the restaurant and then I am ready for bed. I am in desperate need of a good nights sleep. We have even arranged coffee in our room for the morning. What luxury!!
No Real News
The tracker seems to be working fine and shows Paul having stopped near Kinumbi, Tanzania on Stage 53 - 5 days of riding in the mud since the 3 rest days in Arusha. There are 3 more days to go before the next rest day. However can't find any more details just yet although TDA have published a few photos and a couple of blogs on their site.
Monday, March 21, 2011
Hot and Cold Sweats - March 14
Slept OK ish - but kept getting cold, then sweaty like before. Used my sleep sheet but still kept sweating like crazy - not sure what is wrong with me! My throat really hurts this morning. Kendra wakes me up early to help her with Kari's stuff - also we have all our permanent bags out and they had to be packed away again. It was a slow morning. But today we are all waiting for Scott who in turn is waiting for Dennis - however Dennis had already left which we finally figure out and so set off. Scott takes off immediately - Bastiaan we drop immediately. So ends up with Paul, Adam and myself riding together.
The first climb after 5 km just kills me - not sure what is wrong with me today - along with a sore throat i have a sharp pain lower down in my chest and a jabbing pain in my stomach. First little hill and my heartbeats jumps sky high. I was so out of breath I thought I was going to get dropped immediately. Managed to just hang on. Luckily there was some traffic and speed bumps which kept our speed down.
Paul was doing most of the work today. Eventually there was a left turn at about 18 km and we turned on to one of the worst paved roads ever. Lots of pot holes some of which had been badly patched some just holes!! Seceded zig zagging all over the place trying to find a decent line - sometimes we rode on the sand trails at the side. This lasted for about 35 km - it was good with Paul out front - he realized there was no way I was going to chase down Scott and so thats why he was out front trying to push the pace. Adam was also out front a little - we werent going that fast. We were going at a steady speed with no intentions of trying to win the stage. At 55 km we took a right hand turn into a village and got on to a very nice smooth road with the wind more behind us. We had earlier caught up with the Brams who had led us through some villages for a while - we had lost them when the road got more bumpy but they had now caught up with us again on this smoother surface. We picked up the speed and rolled into lunch at 70 km thinking that Scott, Jorg and Dennis would be in a group together - but we learn they are all riding solo. Although Jorg may have caught up with the kenyans.
We had a decent lunch and headed off together for the afternoon - a decent group cycling along rolling hills at a decent speed which was pleasing me as hopefully would shorten the day! We all took turns pulling at the front - even the Brams - I didn't think they'd want to get involved but they did. We continued riding at a decent speed without the stress of chasing anyone down. Paul did a good pull at the front and then waved me rough - I was just going to take the front when I saw the refreshment stop Sonia shouted for us all to stop. We all got off our bikes except for Paul - this was where things got interesting. Paul slows up and sits up on his bike as we stopped for drinks and I kept an eye on him as he slowly rolled along while I got my drinks. He is just down the road going really slowly. As soon as I walk back towards my bike he is off - I eat my PVM bar as I see Paul gradually get further away. I probably shouldn't have stopped - next time if he rolls through a stop I will go with him. What a pain though. So I then ended up chasing the rest of the ride - he is so fast on a solo like that. The head wind picked up again also - he is able to hide well in the wind with his slim frame he manages to get under it. Whereas I am bigger and act more like a sail - also I really hate the headwinds and literally let them get in to my head! There were 30 km of rolling hills left - I averaged 35 km/h for that last section. Of course Paul was already there by the time I arrived - I was annoyed at myself for losing those 5 minutes for no reason at all. Maybe i'll get a chance to win them back on the dirt coming up next week. But if he has to be sneaky like that ........... I managed to get a room for the night - only $10. Been trying to eat and drink this evening to make me feel better - just going to get some noodles and then have a sleep. I need to feel better - just don't know what is wrong!
The first climb after 5 km just kills me - not sure what is wrong with me today - along with a sore throat i have a sharp pain lower down in my chest and a jabbing pain in my stomach. First little hill and my heartbeats jumps sky high. I was so out of breath I thought I was going to get dropped immediately. Managed to just hang on. Luckily there was some traffic and speed bumps which kept our speed down.
Paul was doing most of the work today. Eventually there was a left turn at about 18 km and we turned on to one of the worst paved roads ever. Lots of pot holes some of which had been badly patched some just holes!! Seceded zig zagging all over the place trying to find a decent line - sometimes we rode on the sand trails at the side. This lasted for about 35 km - it was good with Paul out front - he realized there was no way I was going to chase down Scott and so thats why he was out front trying to push the pace. Adam was also out front a little - we werent going that fast. We were going at a steady speed with no intentions of trying to win the stage. At 55 km we took a right hand turn into a village and got on to a very nice smooth road with the wind more behind us. We had earlier caught up with the Brams who had led us through some villages for a while - we had lost them when the road got more bumpy but they had now caught up with us again on this smoother surface. We picked up the speed and rolled into lunch at 70 km thinking that Scott, Jorg and Dennis would be in a group together - but we learn they are all riding solo. Although Jorg may have caught up with the kenyans.
We had a decent lunch and headed off together for the afternoon - a decent group cycling along rolling hills at a decent speed which was pleasing me as hopefully would shorten the day! We all took turns pulling at the front - even the Brams - I didn't think they'd want to get involved but they did. We continued riding at a decent speed without the stress of chasing anyone down. Paul did a good pull at the front and then waved me rough - I was just going to take the front when I saw the refreshment stop Sonia shouted for us all to stop. We all got off our bikes except for Paul - this was where things got interesting. Paul slows up and sits up on his bike as we stopped for drinks and I kept an eye on him as he slowly rolled along while I got my drinks. He is just down the road going really slowly. As soon as I walk back towards my bike he is off - I eat my PVM bar as I see Paul gradually get further away. I probably shouldn't have stopped - next time if he rolls through a stop I will go with him. What a pain though. So I then ended up chasing the rest of the ride - he is so fast on a solo like that. The head wind picked up again also - he is able to hide well in the wind with his slim frame he manages to get under it. Whereas I am bigger and act more like a sail - also I really hate the headwinds and literally let them get in to my head! There were 30 km of rolling hills left - I averaged 35 km/h for that last section. Of course Paul was already there by the time I arrived - I was annoyed at myself for losing those 5 minutes for no reason at all. Maybe i'll get a chance to win them back on the dirt coming up next week. But if he has to be sneaky like that ........... I managed to get a room for the night - only $10. Been trying to eat and drink this evening to make me feel better - just going to get some noodles and then have a sleep. I need to feel better - just don't know what is wrong!
Here Comes the Rain - March 13
March 13
Rest day at Indaba campsite just outside of Nairobi. Doesn't really sound as though there is anything too exciting going on - which is good as I am way too tired! I walked down to a shopping centre close by - it's like being back on America with a mini North Point Mall. Went to a cafe with Internet access for breakfast # 1 of French toast - half hour later I had breakfast # 2 - an omelette. Although the Internet was great I failed miserably in trying to send any files over!! Ended up trying for about 5 hours - including lunch of course!
I then wandered back to camp to clean my bike and just hang out for a while - also tried to sort out my tent and then headed back for some more food at about 6 ish. Think I left it too long - wasn't really up to it. Went with Kim and Kim and to be honest they didn't seem too happy either - we hardly spoke during the meal. Afterwards they went off to shop and I returned to my tent. Just before I fell off to sleep I realized my feet were getting wet - it was raining!! I quickly made sure the outer cover was secure and was soon dry and asleep!!
Rest day at Indaba campsite just outside of Nairobi. Doesn't really sound as though there is anything too exciting going on - which is good as I am way too tired! I walked down to a shopping centre close by - it's like being back on America with a mini North Point Mall. Went to a cafe with Internet access for breakfast # 1 of French toast - half hour later I had breakfast # 2 - an omelette. Although the Internet was great I failed miserably in trying to send any files over!! Ended up trying for about 5 hours - including lunch of course!
I then wandered back to camp to clean my bike and just hang out for a while - also tried to sort out my tent and then headed back for some more food at about 6 ish. Think I left it too long - wasn't really up to it. Went with Kim and Kim and to be honest they didn't seem too happy either - we hardly spoke during the meal. Afterwards they went off to shop and I returned to my tent. Just before I fell off to sleep I realized my feet were getting wet - it was raining!! I quickly made sure the outer cover was secure and was soon dry and asleep!!
Crossing the Equator - Remember to Look Around ..... March 11
Another good night's sleep. Was freezing at breakfast though so I grabbed my porridge and ran back to the room with it. Waited to the last minute to leave as a group to ride to the equator. I wore my big rain jacket as it was so cold! It was only a few km. Those of us with GPS systems set them to 'navigate' mode to see exactly where the equator was - just about 10m short of the official sign!! Pretty amazing though - crossing the equator!! Lots of photos! Leaving winter and now in summer - don't think we are going to notice too much difference there though!
The race then started. Quite a few people badge out before me - and I keep an eye on Paul - he badges out and I follow suit. He is just ahead of me and then pulls over and stops to sort something out. So I slow up and get chatting with Matt. Dennis then comes flying by followed by Paul. Instead of reacting straight away which I should have done and a mistake I paid for for the rest of the day - I carried on chatting for a while before saying good bye to follow the other guys! They were a few hundred meters down the road. As soon as I got to the back wheel of Paul, Dennis decided to sprint off. Not feeling so great I had just used up all my sprint and all my energy in catching them over a short distance. So they now opened up a gap - I put my head down and tried to chase but they just seemed to get further and further away. I ended up completely on my own for the next 25 km, pedaling as hard as I could! Every time I looked up the gap seemed to have increased. The two of them were working together - I was on my own. It really makes a difference. It was killing me - just looking at the ground and pedaling as hard as possible. Exactly what I didn't need!
At about 25 km I caught up with Bastiaan who I knew would try and help. I was annoyed -so annoyed that I'd been left and annoyed they were riding so quickly. I couldn't understand why. Normally we set out steadily and even if you are a few minutes behind you cam easily catch up. Today that wasn't happening - I assumed they were just taking advantage of the fact and trying to lose me. I was riding as fast as I could.
Anyway Bastiaan realized the situation and immediately starts pushing. The two of us work together really well for the next 25 km or so. We were flying along at 40kmph. I keep thinking " I can't do this any more”. One thing I have learnt during this race so far is to suffer - way better than ever I could before. And I am suffering like crazy - but then we are going ridiculously fast.
Finally I see the group again for the first time since about 5 km. Getting closer and closer to them and feeling better - I know I am slightly stronger on the hills normally . Bastiaan doesn't like the ups so much - we are taking it in turns to lead. Both of us pedaling as fast as we can. Finally at about 50 km we get to a decent hill and he shouts out " see you later - good luck!". So I head off up the hill still trying to catch the group - so close but not quite there. I keep thinking I will just give up and let them go - but manage to keep going. I am battling with myself. My legs are killing and I am super tired - not sure how I am still moving. Just before lunch at 60 km I catch Tori and then Dennis. I roll into lunch, the guys are just stopping. I immediately hop off my bike and just stumble around, disorientated - I nearly fall over. Think to myself “OMG whats going on?” I can hardly breathe and can't talk. Realized I hadn't been drinking enough during the ride. I was in a daze - trying to figure out what I should be doing. Washed my hands ready for some food when I look up to see Scott walking back towards his bike - so I immediately turned round and hopped back on mine and off we go. I wasn't going to lose them having spent all day chasing to this point. Scott, me, Paul,Dennis and Adam. Dennis is trying to talk to me but I am too exhausted to reply.- amazed that this is happening. I keep riding, head down. I am angry. Angry that I missed the start, that I paused when I should have just left with the others but also angry that the group had started so quickly - racing full out from the go for no real reason.
Finally after about 20 km in the group sitting on the wheels of Scott and Dennis I recover enough and calm down. I knew that Paul was pushing, trying to take advantage of the fact I was behind. Anyway then I hear from Scott the reason the front group went so quickly was because the three new Kenyan riders were at the front and pushing the pace - straight from the off. And that is what I had missed by not being in the group. Any other day I would have caught them and it would have been fine!! Never mind I was there now and I was slowly recovering - I had a red bull which seemed to help a lot and gave me a boost - considering I hadn't had time for any lunch. So I started to feel better though still very annoyed and angry. However I knew that Paul had also had to chase all morning so must also be feeling pretty tired - he didn't seem like he was going to take any initiatives. Scott and Dennis were up at the front - so I surged ahead and took the front for a while and sprinted, hoping that would start Dennis off and he would also sprint and maybe we could tire Paul a little more. So I rode the front, sprinted and then dropped back and sat on Paul's wheel, hoping that Dennis would go but he didn't have it in him either. Scott took the front for a while and then Dennis and I sat at the back until I got bored and then sprinted at the front again. I was hurting but ok. It had been such a difficult day I thought I might as well go for it and get it over with. So I went up front and pushed a little bit more - I guess I really wanted to show everyone what I was made of! Anyway I hit the front and then dropped back behind Scott. The road was smooth and we were flying at about 35 km/h. When we saw the flag I did a little sprint to just before it and then pulled to the side to let them pass for the win. All in all it was a pretty awful day for me – seriously hard.
To be fair half way there I had remembered Kendra saying “Remember to look around while you are riding” No way!! I completely stared at the road in front of me today – in my drop bars – my lower bars – for the whole day. Going as fast as I could for most of the day. In the end I did about 100km in about 3 hours – that’s pretty damn quick!
The Finish flag was on the`road and camp was a couple of km down a little track to a great campsite on the river. In fact camp is like an Adventure Centre down by the water, with really nice grass for the tents. There is a bungee tower, which I did quite fancy but it cost $50 and I do plan to do the one in Victoria Falls and Cape Town so I figured I really didn’t need this one! Then it hit me – I was so tired!. I didn’t want to put the tent up yet as it gets so hot but I lay it out ready! Then had a sleep on top of it!! In fact after some local food – beef curry – I slept for a couple of hours, woke up and ate the TDA dinner ready for bed again!! That and the heat probably explains why I didn’t sleep so well that night!!
The race then started. Quite a few people badge out before me - and I keep an eye on Paul - he badges out and I follow suit. He is just ahead of me and then pulls over and stops to sort something out. So I slow up and get chatting with Matt. Dennis then comes flying by followed by Paul. Instead of reacting straight away which I should have done and a mistake I paid for for the rest of the day - I carried on chatting for a while before saying good bye to follow the other guys! They were a few hundred meters down the road. As soon as I got to the back wheel of Paul, Dennis decided to sprint off. Not feeling so great I had just used up all my sprint and all my energy in catching them over a short distance. So they now opened up a gap - I put my head down and tried to chase but they just seemed to get further and further away. I ended up completely on my own for the next 25 km, pedaling as hard as I could! Every time I looked up the gap seemed to have increased. The two of them were working together - I was on my own. It really makes a difference. It was killing me - just looking at the ground and pedaling as hard as possible. Exactly what I didn't need!
At about 25 km I caught up with Bastiaan who I knew would try and help. I was annoyed -so annoyed that I'd been left and annoyed they were riding so quickly. I couldn't understand why. Normally we set out steadily and even if you are a few minutes behind you cam easily catch up. Today that wasn't happening - I assumed they were just taking advantage of the fact and trying to lose me. I was riding as fast as I could.
Anyway Bastiaan realized the situation and immediately starts pushing. The two of us work together really well for the next 25 km or so. We were flying along at 40kmph. I keep thinking " I can't do this any more”. One thing I have learnt during this race so far is to suffer - way better than ever I could before. And I am suffering like crazy - but then we are going ridiculously fast.
Finally I see the group again for the first time since about 5 km. Getting closer and closer to them and feeling better - I know I am slightly stronger on the hills normally . Bastiaan doesn't like the ups so much - we are taking it in turns to lead. Both of us pedaling as fast as we can. Finally at about 50 km we get to a decent hill and he shouts out " see you later - good luck!". So I head off up the hill still trying to catch the group - so close but not quite there. I keep thinking I will just give up and let them go - but manage to keep going. I am battling with myself. My legs are killing and I am super tired - not sure how I am still moving. Just before lunch at 60 km I catch Tori and then Dennis. I roll into lunch, the guys are just stopping. I immediately hop off my bike and just stumble around, disorientated - I nearly fall over. Think to myself “OMG whats going on?” I can hardly breathe and can't talk. Realized I hadn't been drinking enough during the ride. I was in a daze - trying to figure out what I should be doing. Washed my hands ready for some food when I look up to see Scott walking back towards his bike - so I immediately turned round and hopped back on mine and off we go. I wasn't going to lose them having spent all day chasing to this point. Scott, me, Paul,Dennis and Adam. Dennis is trying to talk to me but I am too exhausted to reply.- amazed that this is happening. I keep riding, head down. I am angry. Angry that I missed the start, that I paused when I should have just left with the others but also angry that the group had started so quickly - racing full out from the go for no real reason.
Finally after about 20 km in the group sitting on the wheels of Scott and Dennis I recover enough and calm down. I knew that Paul was pushing, trying to take advantage of the fact I was behind. Anyway then I hear from Scott the reason the front group went so quickly was because the three new Kenyan riders were at the front and pushing the pace - straight from the off. And that is what I had missed by not being in the group. Any other day I would have caught them and it would have been fine!! Never mind I was there now and I was slowly recovering - I had a red bull which seemed to help a lot and gave me a boost - considering I hadn't had time for any lunch. So I started to feel better though still very annoyed and angry. However I knew that Paul had also had to chase all morning so must also be feeling pretty tired - he didn't seem like he was going to take any initiatives. Scott and Dennis were up at the front - so I surged ahead and took the front for a while and sprinted, hoping that would start Dennis off and he would also sprint and maybe we could tire Paul a little more. So I rode the front, sprinted and then dropped back and sat on Paul's wheel, hoping that Dennis would go but he didn't have it in him either. Scott took the front for a while and then Dennis and I sat at the back until I got bored and then sprinted at the front again. I was hurting but ok. It had been such a difficult day I thought I might as well go for it and get it over with. So I went up front and pushed a little bit more - I guess I really wanted to show everyone what I was made of! Anyway I hit the front and then dropped back behind Scott. The road was smooth and we were flying at about 35 km/h. When we saw the flag I did a little sprint to just before it and then pulled to the side to let them pass for the win. All in all it was a pretty awful day for me – seriously hard.
To be fair half way there I had remembered Kendra saying “Remember to look around while you are riding” No way!! I completely stared at the road in front of me today – in my drop bars – my lower bars – for the whole day. Going as fast as I could for most of the day. In the end I did about 100km in about 3 hours – that’s pretty damn quick!
The Finish flag was on the`road and camp was a couple of km down a little track to a great campsite on the river. In fact camp is like an Adventure Centre down by the water, with really nice grass for the tents. There is a bungee tower, which I did quite fancy but it cost $50 and I do plan to do the one in Victoria Falls and Cape Town so I figured I really didn’t need this one! Then it hit me – I was so tired!. I didn’t want to put the tent up yet as it gets so hot but I lay it out ready! Then had a sleep on top of it!! In fact after some local food – beef curry – I slept for a couple of hours, woke up and ate the TDA dinner ready for bed again!! That and the heat probably explains why I didn’t sleep so well that night!!
The Calm After the Storm - march 10
Woke up this morning after a GREAT sleep - strange but good. The bed was kind of hard but somehow comfy - in fact the comfiest one we have had so far! Didn't wake in the night until 4am for my night pee and 'midnight' snack. In fact it was funny as Scott awoke at about the same time so we lay in bed eating kit kats and having a little giggle. Had another hour or so sleep before breakfast. Today's race had been cancelled to further allow people to regroup and recover from yesterday's events. Breakfast time was extended - was good to actually take my time for a change. In fact I also had time to re-pack my permanent bag and sorted out a lot of stuff.
Scott and I headed off together when we were ready. Good not to have to worry about racing today - my legs were sore! Our mission was to be on the look out for wildlife! We were able to ride alongside a variety of people which was fun. It was only a 75 km day - so we assumed it would be fairly fast as well as short! I didnt have that much to eat as breakfast as I was expecting to be done pretty quickly. However .... In the morning there was a gradual uphill climb against a headwind and we were only managing about 12 km/h. I was worried it was going to be a long day after!!
After about 20 km we took a coke stop. We knew we still had a fair bit of climbing to do - basically all the way to lunch - downhill in the afternoon. But the road definitely got smoother and allowed us to pick up speed - it was no longer a constant climb -a few flats/slight downs to allow us to pick up speed. We pretty much overtook all those again who had passed us at the coke stop - there were just the two of us. The wind turned - sweet. In fact at about 40 km just before lunch we were whipping along at about 45 km/h even going slightly uphill - pretty awesome! We rolled into lunch - it was very windy and a bit chilly but with fantastic views of Mount Kenya. Had two sandwiches and relaxed for a while - longest lunch break I've had for a while!
Left the lunch stop for downhill with a tailwind - we were flying! We slowed down to look around a village - cool! We were wondering about the buildings - painted with advertisements for Coca Cola, Fanta, Dasani etc - all professionally done! Seemed strange way out in the villages !! Felt great - just rolling along. Suddenly I heard a loud bang behind me! What the ...? Turn around and Scott's tyre seems to have exploded - he saw it come off the rim, slowed down and the inner tube just went pop!! So we fixed that and carried on.
It was a relaxing, easy afternoon with great views. Seemed a more prosperous area - big farms with tractors, massive greenhouses full of flowers/plants. We went past a British military training camp - lots of army presence in the area. The day finished in another really nice hotel campsite. Kendra and Kari offered me their floor - will save me fighting with the tent in the morning!! After a cheeseburger or two we relaxed by the pool - strange to think a few days ago we were in the middle of the desert and now here we are lounging poolside!
Went for a massage and had a walk into town to stock up with snacks and just now am waiting for the rider meeting before going to bed. Race day tomorrow which I know is going to be hard as my legs are so sore! The day after is just a ride and then we have a rest day in Nairobi!
Scott and I headed off together when we were ready. Good not to have to worry about racing today - my legs were sore! Our mission was to be on the look out for wildlife! We were able to ride alongside a variety of people which was fun. It was only a 75 km day - so we assumed it would be fairly fast as well as short! I didnt have that much to eat as breakfast as I was expecting to be done pretty quickly. However .... In the morning there was a gradual uphill climb against a headwind and we were only managing about 12 km/h. I was worried it was going to be a long day after!!
After about 20 km we took a coke stop. We knew we still had a fair bit of climbing to do - basically all the way to lunch - downhill in the afternoon. But the road definitely got smoother and allowed us to pick up speed - it was no longer a constant climb -a few flats/slight downs to allow us to pick up speed. We pretty much overtook all those again who had passed us at the coke stop - there were just the two of us. The wind turned - sweet. In fact at about 40 km just before lunch we were whipping along at about 45 km/h even going slightly uphill - pretty awesome! We rolled into lunch - it was very windy and a bit chilly but with fantastic views of Mount Kenya. Had two sandwiches and relaxed for a while - longest lunch break I've had for a while!
Left the lunch stop for downhill with a tailwind - we were flying! We slowed down to look around a village - cool! We were wondering about the buildings - painted with advertisements for Coca Cola, Fanta, Dasani etc - all professionally done! Seemed strange way out in the villages !! Felt great - just rolling along. Suddenly I heard a loud bang behind me! What the ...? Turn around and Scott's tyre seems to have exploded - he saw it come off the rim, slowed down and the inner tube just went pop!! So we fixed that and carried on.
It was a relaxing, easy afternoon with great views. Seemed a more prosperous area - big farms with tractors, massive greenhouses full of flowers/plants. We went past a British military training camp - lots of army presence in the area. The day finished in another really nice hotel campsite. Kendra and Kari offered me their floor - will save me fighting with the tent in the morning!! After a cheeseburger or two we relaxed by the pool - strange to think a few days ago we were in the middle of the desert and now here we are lounging poolside!
Went for a massage and had a walk into town to stock up with snacks and just now am waiting for the rider meeting before going to bed. Race day tomorrow which I know is going to be hard as my legs are so sore! The day after is just a ride and then we have a rest day in Nairobi!
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Lake Manyara, Tanzania
Paul looks as though he is ready to set off for the day - the tracker is on!! Goodnight from Roswell - good morning in Tanzania and happy birthday to Matthew for tomorrow (Sunday)
And Now the Rain
145 km in heavy rain today after three days off the bike!! The next 8 days of riding will take the Tour to the end of the fourth stage in Mbeya, Tanzania:
"Heading south from Arusha, the red-cloaked Masai tribesmen will be your constant companions as you spin along roads with relatively little traffic, keeping an eye out for zebra and giraffe. At Lake Manyara you trade the tarmac for several challenging days of ascents and descents – the Masai Steppe – on a rougher gravel road, that can be treacherous in places if the rainy season has arrived. However the friendliness of the villagers, the roadside banana stands, and the sheer beauty of this unique and verdant land ensures that come rain or shine, this stretch is one of the most memorable on Tour.
And in 2011 we have changed the route to make it even more incredible. Riders will now head into western Tanzania, cycling through isolated villages and skirting some of the country's most unknown game reserves. A highlight will be the last day on the section where cyclists will climb 1300m to the the 'World's End' viewpoint before speeding down 800m into Mbeya."
Friday, March 18, 2011
A Crazy Day in Kenya - March 9
Finally back on tarmac road – didn’t think I would be pleased to be back on tarmac – but I really am! I am in so much pain – wrists and ankles hurting and the worst saddle sores ever! This makes sitting on the saddle difficult naturally but as I said before standing also makes your feet hurt!! So – yes all in all I am kind of happy to be back on the road!!
As I ate my porridge this morning I wondered if we would be back riding as a group again today. In the end 5 of us left together. The road was not actually that great – fairly bumpy tarmac – laid with big stones so not exactly smooth! After 10 km or so we passed Kendra and a few others. At about 30 km Dennis catches us – he left about 20 minutes after us so had been chasing all morning to catch up. We reached a bridge and decided to break for a coke stop – much to the annoyance of Dennis as he hadn’t needed to chase so hard to catch us if he had known we would be stopping!! Never mind! This bit of road was said to be dangerous – we had been warned there could be bandits in the area – but I hadn’t really thought much about it. There were a lot of people at the coke stop – many already there when we arrived. It was rather nice. The scenery has changed and we heard stories of people spotting giraffes crossing the road which would be amazing and ostriches off to the side. So we are definitely on the look out for wild life as we cycle along! It is very remote – not really a proper road and certainly not very much traffic using it. So we carried on as a group to lunch. We all agreed to do a 2 km stint at the front – which worked quite well – except for a certain person who only seemed to manage 1 km at a time. I pointed this out and stopped Jorg from taking over until he had done his full 2km. My legs hurt and had no power but everyone was hurting – that is why we were trying to share the load. Bastiaan sped off at the front and looked back at me – I just shook my head thinking “Please don’t go that fast – I am hurting like hell” So he slowed down – it was killing me going up the hill!
So – we roll into lunch together, exhausted!. And the first thing we hear is that Kendra has been shot!! Shot?! Oh my God – unbelievable – nothing else – just shot. Thankfully we then hear another report saying she is OK. Thank God – no more details. I immediately tell everyone I think we should cancel the race – it is unsafe with bandits on the road. Just as we are discussing this Tori and Adam are about to leave – so I shout at them to come back. We decide to ride together as a group for the afternoon. Not to worry about the race or the possibility of being attacked. More riders arrived at lunch and we received more news – other riders have apparently been mugged and robbed but no-one is shot – this is at least a lot more reassuring. Though the whole situation seemed unbelievable. Then a group of about 20 riders arrive – there was the option now to get on the truck if you felt uneasy about riding. But EFI – even if the race was cancelled we still needed to ride the distance. So to make room for the others at lunch a group of about 9 of us set off for the remainder of the day’s ride and head off down the road.
It was a long day of about 150 km so we had quite a bit of distance to cover still. There was a headwind in the morning which had slowed us down considerably so we already knew it was going to be a long day – especially as we are all hurting still. Jorg and Dennis are the only two with lots of energy and seemed happy to push the speed.
The views are amazing – with the mountains close by. Everybody was saying this is how they expected Africa to look – I guess that’s true – definitely looks more like Safari country here. With giraffe and ostrich sightings and the villagers in their tribal gear it was all pretty cool stuff!
But the afternoon was going to be hard – over 100 km and not feeling too good! The miles are clocking by slowly even though we do get a tail wind and are able to speed up a little – it’s just that I feel drained of energy! After about 120 km I decide to let the faster riders go for it and slow down a little – we are back in a built up area which seems quite safe after the drama of the morning. We didn’t feel as if we were in any danger. We did also have a second coke stop which helped somewhat although it was difficult to find the motivation to get going again after the rest! The miles are still dragging but camp is supposed to be 8 km the other side of the next village which came upon us sooner than expected. Everyone is feeling really tired and dropping back. Tori is hurting, Paul is hurting, Scott is hurting, Adam is hurting and I am hurting!! Only Jorg and Dennis seem to have any energy left!
Finally we see the flag – such a relief! Thank goodness! There was also a car wash sign just before so we made plans to go there later. It looked like a really nice hotel campsite but as soon as the ride was complete I ran off to try to get a hotel room!!
I was waiting in the reception area with Dennis and Tori, having secured the last few rooms, when Ruth cam bursting in looking for a room. We tell her sorry but there aren’t any left and she is like:” I’ve just been shot at – I need a room!!” And eventually we hear more of the story regarding the day’s events. After hearing what happened to her we were only too glad to offer her one of our rooms which reassured her but then Sharita announces that TDA has booked one for her already. So that is good! We are still worried about Kendra though because she was out in front of the group that was mugged and we still do not know what happened to her. Sharita then explains that she was hit very hard by a rock and is in the hospital with a suspected punctured lung. She had been coughing up blood so they were checking her out.
I had forgotten to say that in the afternoon there had been a huge military presence on the road – every second car seemed to be an army truck – they had been mobilized from a nearby British base to patrol the road!
We didn’t really hear much more so after checking in we went off to get some food and then took our bikes to get cleaned at the car wash. The whole time we were a bit vague as to what was what. Eventually Kendra turned up and she was able to tell her side of the story. It was all very scary and I could hardly believe what she was saying. But I am just glad that she and the others are all OK. An unbelievable experience and we offer to help her in any way we can. She eventually goes off to bed and Scott and I chat for a while about the day’s events.
We have a briefing from the Tour leaders – nothing like this has ever happened in the 8 years of the Tour. They had had escorts before in this area but had been told that it was safe from recent reports. The Kenyan Wildlife Service blamed it on the recent drought in the area - desperate farmers had resorted to these sort of attacks on that particular road. Several trucks had been held up recently – so this was not the first time – and the authorities had a vague idea who was responsible.
Time for bed after a crazy day!!
Paul says he has not gone into detail about Kendra’s and Ruth’s stories as he feels they are theirs to tell not his – but you can read Kendra's account at the following link and more are posted on various other blogs. Kendra is doing really well but is not allowed to ride for a few weeks! She fully intends to stay with the tour!
Kendra's account.
As I ate my porridge this morning I wondered if we would be back riding as a group again today. In the end 5 of us left together. The road was not actually that great – fairly bumpy tarmac – laid with big stones so not exactly smooth! After 10 km or so we passed Kendra and a few others. At about 30 km Dennis catches us – he left about 20 minutes after us so had been chasing all morning to catch up. We reached a bridge and decided to break for a coke stop – much to the annoyance of Dennis as he hadn’t needed to chase so hard to catch us if he had known we would be stopping!! Never mind! This bit of road was said to be dangerous – we had been warned there could be bandits in the area – but I hadn’t really thought much about it. There were a lot of people at the coke stop – many already there when we arrived. It was rather nice. The scenery has changed and we heard stories of people spotting giraffes crossing the road which would be amazing and ostriches off to the side. So we are definitely on the look out for wild life as we cycle along! It is very remote – not really a proper road and certainly not very much traffic using it. So we carried on as a group to lunch. We all agreed to do a 2 km stint at the front – which worked quite well – except for a certain person who only seemed to manage 1 km at a time. I pointed this out and stopped Jorg from taking over until he had done his full 2km. My legs hurt and had no power but everyone was hurting – that is why we were trying to share the load. Bastiaan sped off at the front and looked back at me – I just shook my head thinking “Please don’t go that fast – I am hurting like hell” So he slowed down – it was killing me going up the hill!
So – we roll into lunch together, exhausted!. And the first thing we hear is that Kendra has been shot!! Shot?! Oh my God – unbelievable – nothing else – just shot. Thankfully we then hear another report saying she is OK. Thank God – no more details. I immediately tell everyone I think we should cancel the race – it is unsafe with bandits on the road. Just as we are discussing this Tori and Adam are about to leave – so I shout at them to come back. We decide to ride together as a group for the afternoon. Not to worry about the race or the possibility of being attacked. More riders arrived at lunch and we received more news – other riders have apparently been mugged and robbed but no-one is shot – this is at least a lot more reassuring. Though the whole situation seemed unbelievable. Then a group of about 20 riders arrive – there was the option now to get on the truck if you felt uneasy about riding. But EFI – even if the race was cancelled we still needed to ride the distance. So to make room for the others at lunch a group of about 9 of us set off for the remainder of the day’s ride and head off down the road.
It was a long day of about 150 km so we had quite a bit of distance to cover still. There was a headwind in the morning which had slowed us down considerably so we already knew it was going to be a long day – especially as we are all hurting still. Jorg and Dennis are the only two with lots of energy and seemed happy to push the speed.
The views are amazing – with the mountains close by. Everybody was saying this is how they expected Africa to look – I guess that’s true – definitely looks more like Safari country here. With giraffe and ostrich sightings and the villagers in their tribal gear it was all pretty cool stuff!
But the afternoon was going to be hard – over 100 km and not feeling too good! The miles are clocking by slowly even though we do get a tail wind and are able to speed up a little – it’s just that I feel drained of energy! After about 120 km I decide to let the faster riders go for it and slow down a little – we are back in a built up area which seems quite safe after the drama of the morning. We didn’t feel as if we were in any danger. We did also have a second coke stop which helped somewhat although it was difficult to find the motivation to get going again after the rest! The miles are still dragging but camp is supposed to be 8 km the other side of the next village which came upon us sooner than expected. Everyone is feeling really tired and dropping back. Tori is hurting, Paul is hurting, Scott is hurting, Adam is hurting and I am hurting!! Only Jorg and Dennis seem to have any energy left!
Finally we see the flag – such a relief! Thank goodness! There was also a car wash sign just before so we made plans to go there later. It looked like a really nice hotel campsite but as soon as the ride was complete I ran off to try to get a hotel room!!
I was waiting in the reception area with Dennis and Tori, having secured the last few rooms, when Ruth cam bursting in looking for a room. We tell her sorry but there aren’t any left and she is like:” I’ve just been shot at – I need a room!!” And eventually we hear more of the story regarding the day’s events. After hearing what happened to her we were only too glad to offer her one of our rooms which reassured her but then Sharita announces that TDA has booked one for her already. So that is good! We are still worried about Kendra though because she was out in front of the group that was mugged and we still do not know what happened to her. Sharita then explains that she was hit very hard by a rock and is in the hospital with a suspected punctured lung. She had been coughing up blood so they were checking her out.
I had forgotten to say that in the afternoon there had been a huge military presence on the road – every second car seemed to be an army truck – they had been mobilized from a nearby British base to patrol the road!
We didn’t really hear much more so after checking in we went off to get some food and then took our bikes to get cleaned at the car wash. The whole time we were a bit vague as to what was what. Eventually Kendra turned up and she was able to tell her side of the story. It was all very scary and I could hardly believe what she was saying. But I am just glad that she and the others are all OK. An unbelievable experience and we offer to help her in any way we can. She eventually goes off to bed and Scott and I chat for a while about the day’s events.
We have a briefing from the Tour leaders – nothing like this has ever happened in the 8 years of the Tour. They had had escorts before in this area but had been told that it was safe from recent reports. The Kenyan Wildlife Service blamed it on the recent drought in the area - desperate farmers had resorted to these sort of attacks on that particular road. Several trucks had been held up recently – so this was not the first time – and the authorities had a vague idea who was responsible.
Time for bed after a crazy day!!
Paul says he has not gone into detail about Kendra’s and Ruth’s stories as he feels they are theirs to tell not his – but you can read Kendra's account at the following link and more are posted on various other blogs. Kendra is doing really well but is not allowed to ride for a few weeks! She fully intends to stay with the tour!
Kendra's account.
Long Day out of Marsabit March 8
Slept badly – it had been windy and quite cold. But as soon as I pulled the sleeping bag closer I would get too hot and sweaty!! Hot/cold, hot/cold – bad night! Was feeling quite rough and a little sick so just as well I didn’t have to cope with my tent. I was slow. Everybody else in comparison seemed to be on a super early mission!! Anyway by the time I was nearly ready there were about 6 riders left and then Nick shouted that the trucks were leaving so we would all now get the same start time. This announcement made them immediately take off – whereas I was still a few minutes away from being ready. As it turned out the truck was still there by the time I left so that was a bit annoying as I could have badged out normally!!
Anyway I already know today is going to be long and difficult. I head out to the main road which is actually OK – downhill – a bit sandy, quite smooth. So off I go – a really nice little run for about 10km – I am on the look out for wildlife. We seem to be in the middle of nowhere. I slowly pass the earlier group and get to the point where I know Scott is ahead of me – Paul I had passed on the earlier descent. I catch up with Jorg, Adam and Tori and they tell me that Scott is absolutely flying – which I sgreat – no need to chase him. Then I saw the lunch truck on adifferent track to us – along with the local trucks. So I decide to try it – every now and then it became really soft and sandy and so brought you to a complete halt – but definitely seemed quicker than the corrugated main road. I then caught up with Jorg on the same track and we hit the main road – he then cut across to another sandy track but I didn’t quite make it so stayed on the road. He quickly disappeared into the distance which convinced me that it was quicker so next time I would do likewise. He was about 200m ahead when I saw him go one way then change his mind and retrace his steps – it looked like the sandy track zig zagged off in a different direction at this point and so he decided to go back on to the main road. I did the same. It was a terrible road with really deep corrugation and no lines for about 10km. We were about 50km into the day – not yet at lunch and already the day is wearing thin for me. It is difficult! Anyway we arrive at lunch and I am just enjoying my sandwich when Paul turns up – he tells us he stuck to the sandy road which turned out to be a short cut saving him at least 10 minutes. Paul was the only one who took it!! You win some – you lose some!! Shame as he I snow at lunch with us!
I leave the lunch stop hoping to get away from Paul – but that doesn’t happen! He is following and he keeps talking. Well you know what I am like when I am in a bit of a mood ……….. I do not talk - I am fed up! It is too long a day – my back hurts and as I am standing on my bike a lot my feet hurt – and my wrists are also aching!! Yes, Marie – Mr. Grumpy!! Just hating it – and wondering how Scott is going so well!!
We go through a few small villages – there are still a lot of villagers around all dressed up in their tribal gear and holding spears – really cool!!
We get back to the awful road again. Finally at about 95 km there is a rest stop. Paul is ahead of me as I had slowed for a power bar and I see him get off his bike and think he is going over to the sandy road. It is not till I get close that I see our water stash up in the trees. But I do not need to stop as I have plenty of water. Thinking it might give me the chance to get away from Paul. But no – he doesn’t actually stop in the end either and immediately is back on my wheel. I am so fed up – screaming inside my head. I want it to end. Get to 100, 105, 110 km – the road gets a little better and I am looking for the flag. We get to 115 km and a girl with a pink umbrella fools me for a moment. 116 km – then finally there it is at 117 km and along with the flag is the end of the dirt and the beginning of a brand new paved road!! We later learnt it marked the end of one district and the beginning of another!!
Finally at the end of the day I came in third along with Paul – Scott was first with Jorg second. For a day that I had hoped to take easy it ended up being a very, very hard one for me. Anyway I pitched my tent and just went and lay down – fell asleep for a couple of hours. I was exhausted – just seemed to me to be too long a day on dirt!!
The only trouble was that where I had put my tent was right in the pathway for the villagers to walk to get their water – so there was a constant flow of people all wanting to talk. It was fun to see the kids walking by in all their gear – but they would then be followed by kids in torn T shirts asking for money. I think every single child who passed by asked for money.
Eventually went off and had dinner and then changed tyres for tomorrow’s paved road. I am seriously tired and worried about how bad I feel after yesterday’s rest day. It is going to be a long week!!
Anyway I already know today is going to be long and difficult. I head out to the main road which is actually OK – downhill – a bit sandy, quite smooth. So off I go – a really nice little run for about 10km – I am on the look out for wildlife. We seem to be in the middle of nowhere. I slowly pass the earlier group and get to the point where I know Scott is ahead of me – Paul I had passed on the earlier descent. I catch up with Jorg, Adam and Tori and they tell me that Scott is absolutely flying – which I sgreat – no need to chase him. Then I saw the lunch truck on adifferent track to us – along with the local trucks. So I decide to try it – every now and then it became really soft and sandy and so brought you to a complete halt – but definitely seemed quicker than the corrugated main road. I then caught up with Jorg on the same track and we hit the main road – he then cut across to another sandy track but I didn’t quite make it so stayed on the road. He quickly disappeared into the distance which convinced me that it was quicker so next time I would do likewise. He was about 200m ahead when I saw him go one way then change his mind and retrace his steps – it looked like the sandy track zig zagged off in a different direction at this point and so he decided to go back on to the main road. I did the same. It was a terrible road with really deep corrugation and no lines for about 10km. We were about 50km into the day – not yet at lunch and already the day is wearing thin for me. It is difficult! Anyway we arrive at lunch and I am just enjoying my sandwich when Paul turns up – he tells us he stuck to the sandy road which turned out to be a short cut saving him at least 10 minutes. Paul was the only one who took it!! You win some – you lose some!! Shame as he I snow at lunch with us!
I leave the lunch stop hoping to get away from Paul – but that doesn’t happen! He is following and he keeps talking. Well you know what I am like when I am in a bit of a mood ……….. I do not talk - I am fed up! It is too long a day – my back hurts and as I am standing on my bike a lot my feet hurt – and my wrists are also aching!! Yes, Marie – Mr. Grumpy!! Just hating it – and wondering how Scott is going so well!!
We go through a few small villages – there are still a lot of villagers around all dressed up in their tribal gear and holding spears – really cool!!
We get back to the awful road again. Finally at about 95 km there is a rest stop. Paul is ahead of me as I had slowed for a power bar and I see him get off his bike and think he is going over to the sandy road. It is not till I get close that I see our water stash up in the trees. But I do not need to stop as I have plenty of water. Thinking it might give me the chance to get away from Paul. But no – he doesn’t actually stop in the end either and immediately is back on my wheel. I am so fed up – screaming inside my head. I want it to end. Get to 100, 105, 110 km – the road gets a little better and I am looking for the flag. We get to 115 km and a girl with a pink umbrella fools me for a moment. 116 km – then finally there it is at 117 km and along with the flag is the end of the dirt and the beginning of a brand new paved road!! We later learnt it marked the end of one district and the beginning of another!!
Finally at the end of the day I came in third along with Paul – Scott was first with Jorg second. For a day that I had hoped to take easy it ended up being a very, very hard one for me. Anyway I pitched my tent and just went and lay down – fell asleep for a couple of hours. I was exhausted – just seemed to me to be too long a day on dirt!!
The only trouble was that where I had put my tent was right in the pathway for the villagers to walk to get their water – so there was a constant flow of people all wanting to talk. It was fun to see the kids walking by in all their gear – but they would then be followed by kids in torn T shirts asking for money. I think every single child who passed by asked for money.
Eventually went off and had dinner and then changed tyres for tomorrow’s paved road. I am seriously tired and worried about how bad I feel after yesterday’s rest day. It is going to be a long week!!
The Delights of Marsabit - March 7
This morning after breakfast we remembered we had dropped off our laundry the evening before and as we had to be out of our rooms we had to go collect it – so this got us up and about quite early. Went for a wander down town to do the usual – eat, buy snacks, find somewhere to use the internet, and eat again! The guys couldn’t quite decide what to do this afternoon but I decided to go back and try again to send some files on the internet. They went back to camp to sort out their bikes and I stayed in town and spent a couple more hours on the internet. I had been unable to withdraw any money earlier and so had very little money on me and also the two restaurants I knew about had basically run out of food from our earlier visits. So I started my search for an alternative place to eat and bought some snacks and chocolate milk to tide me over. Just as I had decided to return to camp I bumped in to Nick who thought he knew of another bank on the other side of town!! So we trudged through some very dodgy dirt streets feeling as if we were leaving the village completely but sure enough we managed to find the ATM which WORKED! Nick also knew of a place which served chips so we went there to eat fried egg and chips – great!! Of course I now felt a whole lot better. Taxi back to camp was on the back of a motorbike. Decided not to bother with my tent again this evening – Jorg is doing the same and maybe Kendra also. At camp we find out about what lies ahead tomorrow – 115 km of dirt – so could be a good day for me! They say that the first 20km is really bad but then it does get better – but nobody really knows! I guess we’ll find out – I’d better go to bed to be ready for another tough day!!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Arusha - Time to Reflect
Had a long chat with Paul on skype earlier - he has been feeling a bit poorly the last few days so is really appreciating the opportunity to have a few days off. Quite a few of the riders have taken this time to go on safari or go hiking but Paul is hoping to do that later in the trip and for now just take the time to recover a little after a very difficult few weeks!! He still assures me all is well and the tour is everything he wanted it to be (hard work!!) Internet has worked well so I will be able to get his blogs up to date over the next day or two. He is also able to catch up with all your messages of support on facebook and on his guest book - they really mean a great deal so do please keep them coming (along with those donations!!)
Typical of Paul though - he spent quite a lot of time talking to me about his next project - more of that later!!
After this break they have 8 days of riding ahead of them - so we hope you manage to get a really good rest Paul and feel better tomorrow!!
Typical of Paul though - he spent quite a lot of time talking to me about his next project - more of that later!!
After this break they have 8 days of riding ahead of them - so we hope you manage to get a really good rest Paul and feel better tomorrow!!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Mando Day from Hell - March 6
Slept quite well last night – had camped next to Adam who usually gets up quite early (which I wanted to do this morning) but he wasn’t quite as early today as he wasn’t feeling too good. But I was still up with plenty of time – got the tent packed away and myself ready – filled myself up a good breakfast – I would need plenty of food today! I am still a bit tired from yesterday but ready for another hellish day!
People were leaving in dribs and drabs as I am eating breakfast – for the first time Paul leaves on hi sown – which was interesting. Scott made sure to mark his time so we would know when he left for later. Then just before we were ready to go I needed a second bathroom visit – oh dear – not promising – this could be a bad day if my stomach was upset!! Anyway by now I really am the very last person to leave – Scott had left with the others.
The road is terrible from the very start and my bum is killing from yesterday. There was a slight headwind early on but not too much – however the road was horrendous. There were huge deep wells in each track and golf ball sized holes elsewhere with big bits of volcanic rock sticking out everywhere. Sometimes it was slightly better all the way over to the left or the right but then it could be really difficult changing lanes. So even when I caught up with another rider I would have to wait until there was a good spot to actually pass. But I got going pretty good and caught up with Scott and co and also passed Paul. After about 15 k I passed Bastiaan who then immediately sped up to offer me some help and encouragement – he wanted to draft for me, which was really nice of him – so I did follow him for a while but eventually passed him – which suited me as I had my own plan of how to cope. At about 25 km I finally caught Gary who had also been early leaving camp – the road got a bit better with some smoother sandy bits. However it was all very deceiving especially since the headwind got really strong and just when you found you could change gears you needed to change them back again!! The superstrong wind directly in your face was really hellish. So I kept thinking to myself “ You’re out in front so just keep going!” but I also kept thinking about that time Paul had caught me up before and how annoyed I was. I then thought “He’s going to catch me any minute now” which wasn’t good either. I would then try to reason – “I overtook him and maybe he’s had enough of all this also!” It was 42 km into lunch – not even half way. I was fed up – it was brutal. I didn’t even want to ride any more – the worse riding conditions ever – my backside was killing, everything was hurting as I was being bounce around like crazy! I was riding in my second easiest gear on the flat!! Ridiculous. But I had made it to lunch and so sat down with Matthias and had a leisurely sandwich and just hung out for a while – taking my time – watching for the next riders – but nobody came. I made sure I drank loads of water while I was there. I was trying to make sure I didn’t get dehydrated and that I had plenty of food to give me the energy to complete the day. I started thinking to myself again “ I seem to be the strongest for now – even if anyone catches me I started last so am still the fastest” Just as I headed out the two big trucks arrived full of people – I so badly wanted to get in the truck right then.. It was horrible – it had taken my 2 ½ hours to get to lunch and I knew the afternoon was going to be way worse. For the next 15 km or so I just kept battling with myself. My ipod earphones kept falling out, there was sweat dropping into my eyes and if I missed a lane and had to take my feet out of the pedals I had so much trouble getting them back in again. I was really annoyed – fighting with myself big time and thinking “What are you doing? What are you doing?” I was stopping fairly often – eating power bars walking a little, drinking. As I was in the lead I knew there was no need to try and hurt myself to go faster – but I was hating it. Really hating the ride – it was ridiculous. The trucks came past me but then got stuck and I would pass them – I just tried to keep out of their way. There was no line to take – just grooves to get stuck in. Eventually the trucks got clear and took off into the distance. Lucky them!
I had seen Bastiaan arriving at lunch just as I was leaving - the guys in the truck said he was about 10 minutes behind me and Paul a couple of minutes behind him. So I kept looking over my shoulder – even if they caught up with me all I had to do was stay with them and I could still win as I had left last!!
At about 60 km I just stopped completely and shouted out loud at myself. I then sorted out my ear phones and my music, had a power drink and bar, put the volume up and started riding again. Said to myself “Here you are in the lead! Sort it out!”
Eventually I got my head right and started thinking more positive thoughts. The road was no better and then I started the climb. It was on the side of a crater. The number of times I tried to find the next easiest gear and there just wasn’t one – it was insane. “More gears, more gears” I screamed! It became more of a cyclocross race – when it got too steep I would hop off and use it as an opportunity to eat and drink. There was a rest stop at 70 km – which actually turned up earlier at about 66 km. At first I was annoyed it was early but actually it was really good – they had extra drinks, power bars and mango. It also gave me a chance to stop and look back as I had done on the hills – just to check who was closing on me. But I couldn’t really see anyone which was good of course. After a good 5 minutes rest I still couldn’t see anyone so set off again. The road seemed slightly better – more sand and less bumpy – although this meant you could get stuck in the sand as it sucked you in. Just after this I cam upon a tree full of baboons which jumped out and startled me – made me remember the story Scott had told about a baboon killing a small child in South Africa – think what damage a whole family could do. Then there was a dead cow with a load of vultures circling which was also a bit unnerving in my fragile state – not knowing how near of far the next riders were – not having even seen any riders for many km now!! Eventually I made it to the top of the climb – the road now switching between, sandy, smooth sections and bad corrugation. The last 10 km was definitely a bit better – I even managed to find a few lines and pick up speed a little but nowhere near the speed of the morning. But I still couldn’t see anyone behind me and was slowly winning the battle in my head. I was feeling OK but just couldn’t wait for the race to finish. I should have read the directions a bit better in the morning as I thought the end was at 84km – so I was now really counting down – 82 …83 …84….. At 84 km I arrived at the town and I knew camp was on the other side. I saw Sharita as I cycled through town and she told me 2 more km – that way! This spurred me on and I was able to pick up a little more speed – and finally took a right turn down a small lane into a diocese and …. I was the first one in!
It was the hardest ride ever and felt so good to get off my bike – and oh boy did my bum hurt?!! It felt as if half the skin had been torn off and was completely missing.. But at the end of he day it was a win for me and I wondered how far behind the other guys were.
I had arrived before the truck with the electronic timers so Clare wrote my time down – a bit dodgy? – but the timers aren’t always that good either!! Everyone there was really nice – kept saying “Well done, well done” After about 10 minutes the truck with the badges arrived and another 10 minutes after that Paul arrived – which meant he was about 30 minutes behind me (as he had left 10 minutes earlier) I had put half an hour on him plus the 30 minute bonus of course. That felt good.
After about another 10 minutes Scott arrived and the rest of the riders began to slowly crawl in to camp. Everyone destroyed – looking really miserable. Luckily there were cakes and biscuits – in fact I really ate too much. I had been so worried about getting dehydrated all day I had stopped so many times – I definitely did drink a lot but I was still dehydrated. I definitely ate a lot but I was still hungry. But with more ginger beer, water and Fanta we eventually felt good enough to take a taxi into town and get a hotel room with Dennis. We wanted to stay near the restaurants. In fact we had a good meal at the hotel and went to bed – absolutely shattered.
I had actually taken my pillow with me to sit on for the meal as I was so sore. There was hardly any conversation during the meal – everyone was just destroyed. Nobody had any plans for doing anything tomorrow except resting. So we went off to bed!!
People were leaving in dribs and drabs as I am eating breakfast – for the first time Paul leaves on hi sown – which was interesting. Scott made sure to mark his time so we would know when he left for later. Then just before we were ready to go I needed a second bathroom visit – oh dear – not promising – this could be a bad day if my stomach was upset!! Anyway by now I really am the very last person to leave – Scott had left with the others.
The road is terrible from the very start and my bum is killing from yesterday. There was a slight headwind early on but not too much – however the road was horrendous. There were huge deep wells in each track and golf ball sized holes elsewhere with big bits of volcanic rock sticking out everywhere. Sometimes it was slightly better all the way over to the left or the right but then it could be really difficult changing lanes. So even when I caught up with another rider I would have to wait until there was a good spot to actually pass. But I got going pretty good and caught up with Scott and co and also passed Paul. After about 15 k I passed Bastiaan who then immediately sped up to offer me some help and encouragement – he wanted to draft for me, which was really nice of him – so I did follow him for a while but eventually passed him – which suited me as I had my own plan of how to cope. At about 25 km I finally caught Gary who had also been early leaving camp – the road got a bit better with some smoother sandy bits. However it was all very deceiving especially since the headwind got really strong and just when you found you could change gears you needed to change them back again!! The superstrong wind directly in your face was really hellish. So I kept thinking to myself “ You’re out in front so just keep going!” but I also kept thinking about that time Paul had caught me up before and how annoyed I was. I then thought “He’s going to catch me any minute now” which wasn’t good either. I would then try to reason – “I overtook him and maybe he’s had enough of all this also!” It was 42 km into lunch – not even half way. I was fed up – it was brutal. I didn’t even want to ride any more – the worse riding conditions ever – my backside was killing, everything was hurting as I was being bounce around like crazy! I was riding in my second easiest gear on the flat!! Ridiculous. But I had made it to lunch and so sat down with Matthias and had a leisurely sandwich and just hung out for a while – taking my time – watching for the next riders – but nobody came. I made sure I drank loads of water while I was there. I was trying to make sure I didn’t get dehydrated and that I had plenty of food to give me the energy to complete the day. I started thinking to myself again “ I seem to be the strongest for now – even if anyone catches me I started last so am still the fastest” Just as I headed out the two big trucks arrived full of people – I so badly wanted to get in the truck right then.. It was horrible – it had taken my 2 ½ hours to get to lunch and I knew the afternoon was going to be way worse. For the next 15 km or so I just kept battling with myself. My ipod earphones kept falling out, there was sweat dropping into my eyes and if I missed a lane and had to take my feet out of the pedals I had so much trouble getting them back in again. I was really annoyed – fighting with myself big time and thinking “What are you doing? What are you doing?” I was stopping fairly often – eating power bars walking a little, drinking. As I was in the lead I knew there was no need to try and hurt myself to go faster – but I was hating it. Really hating the ride – it was ridiculous. The trucks came past me but then got stuck and I would pass them – I just tried to keep out of their way. There was no line to take – just grooves to get stuck in. Eventually the trucks got clear and took off into the distance. Lucky them!
I had seen Bastiaan arriving at lunch just as I was leaving - the guys in the truck said he was about 10 minutes behind me and Paul a couple of minutes behind him. So I kept looking over my shoulder – even if they caught up with me all I had to do was stay with them and I could still win as I had left last!!
At about 60 km I just stopped completely and shouted out loud at myself. I then sorted out my ear phones and my music, had a power drink and bar, put the volume up and started riding again. Said to myself “Here you are in the lead! Sort it out!”
Eventually I got my head right and started thinking more positive thoughts. The road was no better and then I started the climb. It was on the side of a crater. The number of times I tried to find the next easiest gear and there just wasn’t one – it was insane. “More gears, more gears” I screamed! It became more of a cyclocross race – when it got too steep I would hop off and use it as an opportunity to eat and drink. There was a rest stop at 70 km – which actually turned up earlier at about 66 km. At first I was annoyed it was early but actually it was really good – they had extra drinks, power bars and mango. It also gave me a chance to stop and look back as I had done on the hills – just to check who was closing on me. But I couldn’t really see anyone which was good of course. After a good 5 minutes rest I still couldn’t see anyone so set off again. The road seemed slightly better – more sand and less bumpy – although this meant you could get stuck in the sand as it sucked you in. Just after this I cam upon a tree full of baboons which jumped out and startled me – made me remember the story Scott had told about a baboon killing a small child in South Africa – think what damage a whole family could do. Then there was a dead cow with a load of vultures circling which was also a bit unnerving in my fragile state – not knowing how near of far the next riders were – not having even seen any riders for many km now!! Eventually I made it to the top of the climb – the road now switching between, sandy, smooth sections and bad corrugation. The last 10 km was definitely a bit better – I even managed to find a few lines and pick up speed a little but nowhere near the speed of the morning. But I still couldn’t see anyone behind me and was slowly winning the battle in my head. I was feeling OK but just couldn’t wait for the race to finish. I should have read the directions a bit better in the morning as I thought the end was at 84km – so I was now really counting down – 82 …83 …84….. At 84 km I arrived at the town and I knew camp was on the other side. I saw Sharita as I cycled through town and she told me 2 more km – that way! This spurred me on and I was able to pick up a little more speed – and finally took a right turn down a small lane into a diocese and …. I was the first one in!
It was the hardest ride ever and felt so good to get off my bike – and oh boy did my bum hurt?!! It felt as if half the skin had been torn off and was completely missing.. But at the end of he day it was a win for me and I wondered how far behind the other guys were.
I had arrived before the truck with the electronic timers so Clare wrote my time down – a bit dodgy? – but the timers aren’t always that good either!! Everyone there was really nice – kept saying “Well done, well done” After about 10 minutes the truck with the badges arrived and another 10 minutes after that Paul arrived – which meant he was about 30 minutes behind me (as he had left 10 minutes earlier) I had put half an hour on him plus the 30 minute bonus of course. That felt good.
After about another 10 minutes Scott arrived and the rest of the riders began to slowly crawl in to camp. Everyone destroyed – looking really miserable. Luckily there were cakes and biscuits – in fact I really ate too much. I had been so worried about getting dehydrated all day I had stopped so many times – I definitely did drink a lot but I was still dehydrated. I definitely ate a lot but I was still hungry. But with more ginger beer, water and Fanta we eventually felt good enough to take a taxi into town and get a hotel room with Dennis. We wanted to stay near the restaurants. In fact we had a good meal at the hotel and went to bed – absolutely shattered.
I had actually taken my pillow with me to sit on for the meal as I was so sore. There was hardly any conversation during the meal – everyone was just destroyed. Nobody had any plans for doing anything tomorrow except resting. So we went off to bed!!
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Tanzania
The tracker shows Paul in Arusha, Tanzania and the prospect of 3 days off!! Haven't yet heard of his plans for the next few days but suspect they might involve a safari. He is going to try to phone later and send the missing blogs for me to update!! Hopefully some photos as well.
My First Mando Win - March 5
Mando race day from desert camp to desert camp! Today is the off road and lava day we have all been hearing about for weeks now. We heard from the driver, Steve, that this road is the hardest ever basically – the trucks take a complete beating on it. Yesterday a truck driver had to change the suspension on both back wheels plus a tyre – apparently last year this road caused even worse havoc with the truck suspension. Hard work! This mando day has been building up for a while.
Last night I didn’t use my tent as we were able to sleep under a concrete shelter, which was good as it meant I didn’t have to mess around this morning packing my tent away. I didn’t get up as early as I had intended – there were quite a few people up before me and I had to rush like crazy to get ready in time – I didn’t really know how it was all going to work out this morning – so I just wanted to make sure I was ready! I had a good breakfast – noodles first followed by some eggy bread – or French toast, which was a nice surprise. We ended up standing around for a while after that – seemed like we were all going to leave together but Jorg had a flat tyre so we had to wait for him to change that. I was now completely ready to leave but didn’t want to go out first. Finally we all badge out together – probably some of the last riders to set off. The road is initially corrugated but not that bad – with a bit of a side wind and head wind but again not too bad.
It was a good group – myself, Scott, The Wolfe, Jorg, Adam and Dennis. Dennis attacks immediately but we let him go. I am trying to follow Paul – I discovered later the other guys had made a deal to not let Paul follow them. We were moving at a decent pace – not too fast or too slow. People were taking turns at the front but it wasn’t really helping too much on this surface anyway. Jorg and Adam are going pretty fast and then Paul ends up in front – brilliant – and I sat behind which was great for a while. Then Jorg overtook Paul which did seem a bit strange – just when we had got him out front!! Bit silly but never mind! Finally I get a bit fed up and want to eat a bar so I take off to gain some distance for about 5 minutes – Jorg catches me up to tell me I have a good gap and should race ahead – but I didn’t really want to – I just wanted to see what was possible. So I ate my bar and everyone joined up again. Then at about 20 km in there was a little hill so I did the same again – found a good line up the hill and when I reached the top I ate another energy bar. I was in a good rhythm so kept going and seemed to make a gap. We were still passing earlier riders which is always good – gives you a target to aim for. The road was still very gravelly with corrugated bumps – pretty nasty but still not the lava road we have been warned about – I heard that started at about 50/60 km in. There was a slight climb into lunch – so I just kept going with no-one behind me at first – of course then Paul the Wolfe appears and I arrive at lunch with him right behind me!! I did wonder about skipping lunch and going straight through but as he was right with me anyway it didn’t really make much difference so I stopped. I filled up my water bottles and realized I hadn’t been drinking as much as I should, ate a sandwich and then we headed off for the afternoon. Everyone had been talking about how far ahead Lindsay was – and I thought it would be a shame to push hard all day and then not quite win the bonus – but I had overtaken Lindsay yesterday so as long as I didn’t go too slow I should be able to catch him today. After lunch I decided I would follow Paul for a while – which was quite difficult – there was a slight downhill to start and I tried to stay about 20 m behind. He kept looking back and was going very slow and I was slowly getting closer and closer – so I just sit there behind him and we dawdle along at about 16kmph. I am wondering how long before Jorg catches us as he was the next one in to lunch after us. Off to the side of the road it is sandy and sometimes this is a better surface to ride on – however you have to cross bumpy gravel with big rocks so sometimes changing ‘lanes’ can be very difficult. Basically there are 4 tracks – 2 on each side of the road – so that’s really what you’ve got to choose from for your line. Sometimes the area in the middle is OK and sometimes there is the footpath that the villagers use which you might get a good run on – but as I said you might then find it difficult to get back over when it runs out!! So – a bit of a mix!
About 10 km out of lunch Scott catches us and passes – Paul doesn’t follow so I speed up to go and chat. We rode together for a while, but my little speed up has got me into a good rhythm again so I actually get out in front and just keep going. After a few minutes I have opened up a gap and so decide to keep going at a steady speed – expecting Paul to catch me at any minute. A few weeks ago on a similar gravel road I had been excited to think I was out on my own away from Paul and he had then caught me which totally demoralized me at the time – so I wasn’t going to let myself think like that this time – I just expected him to catch me and then if he did I wouldn’t feel so bad about it. My plan was to sit behind him when he caught up and then sprint it out at the end. Anyway I carried on knowing that Lindsay was still ahead. The wind got stronger and then finally I hit the lava rock. Before that it was corrugated bumps made by the trucks – fairly consistent with loose gravel at the side. But this new surface was just full of rocks – there were still faint tracks from the trucks but with huge chunks of rock all over the place. Picking a line was impossible so I decided to just choose my side of the road and then ride in as straight a line as possible – ignoring everything and just pedaling!!
The miles are ticking away – but very slowly! Eventually I see Lindsay off in the distance – which was great – if I can catch him I will definitely be the leader into camp. I finally pass him. I am doing short stints standing – most of the time sitting – fairly easy gear and just slowly pedaling away. When I stand up its nice as it takes the pressure off my bum but the bike bounces around quite a bit and it is difficult to hold the handle bars. One time my hands slipped off completely when I was standing – luckily I was saved by my elbows on the bars – but that gave me a bit of a shock and I decided I wasn’t going to stand any more and went back to sitting!!
I am really counting down the k’s now – am at 79 km and the finish should be at 84km. I want it to be done now! I am counting the trees at the side of the road – “I’ll just get to that tree there…” I am over it!! My arms are hurting, my wrists are hurting – I want to be done! At 83 km I can finally see the flag in the distance – but still seemed to take ages – I am riding very slowly at about 16/20 kmph and my heart rate Is not high – it is just a struggle! But I finally reach camp and think I am the first there – actually then I see Liam but he is not a racer. So – that is a win for me with the extra 30 minutes. Very good!
Last night I didn’t use my tent as we were able to sleep under a concrete shelter, which was good as it meant I didn’t have to mess around this morning packing my tent away. I didn’t get up as early as I had intended – there were quite a few people up before me and I had to rush like crazy to get ready in time – I didn’t really know how it was all going to work out this morning – so I just wanted to make sure I was ready! I had a good breakfast – noodles first followed by some eggy bread – or French toast, which was a nice surprise. We ended up standing around for a while after that – seemed like we were all going to leave together but Jorg had a flat tyre so we had to wait for him to change that. I was now completely ready to leave but didn’t want to go out first. Finally we all badge out together – probably some of the last riders to set off. The road is initially corrugated but not that bad – with a bit of a side wind and head wind but again not too bad.
It was a good group – myself, Scott, The Wolfe, Jorg, Adam and Dennis. Dennis attacks immediately but we let him go. I am trying to follow Paul – I discovered later the other guys had made a deal to not let Paul follow them. We were moving at a decent pace – not too fast or too slow. People were taking turns at the front but it wasn’t really helping too much on this surface anyway. Jorg and Adam are going pretty fast and then Paul ends up in front – brilliant – and I sat behind which was great for a while. Then Jorg overtook Paul which did seem a bit strange – just when we had got him out front!! Bit silly but never mind! Finally I get a bit fed up and want to eat a bar so I take off to gain some distance for about 5 minutes – Jorg catches me up to tell me I have a good gap and should race ahead – but I didn’t really want to – I just wanted to see what was possible. So I ate my bar and everyone joined up again. Then at about 20 km in there was a little hill so I did the same again – found a good line up the hill and when I reached the top I ate another energy bar. I was in a good rhythm so kept going and seemed to make a gap. We were still passing earlier riders which is always good – gives you a target to aim for. The road was still very gravelly with corrugated bumps – pretty nasty but still not the lava road we have been warned about – I heard that started at about 50/60 km in. There was a slight climb into lunch – so I just kept going with no-one behind me at first – of course then Paul the Wolfe appears and I arrive at lunch with him right behind me!! I did wonder about skipping lunch and going straight through but as he was right with me anyway it didn’t really make much difference so I stopped. I filled up my water bottles and realized I hadn’t been drinking as much as I should, ate a sandwich and then we headed off for the afternoon. Everyone had been talking about how far ahead Lindsay was – and I thought it would be a shame to push hard all day and then not quite win the bonus – but I had overtaken Lindsay yesterday so as long as I didn’t go too slow I should be able to catch him today. After lunch I decided I would follow Paul for a while – which was quite difficult – there was a slight downhill to start and I tried to stay about 20 m behind. He kept looking back and was going very slow and I was slowly getting closer and closer – so I just sit there behind him and we dawdle along at about 16kmph. I am wondering how long before Jorg catches us as he was the next one in to lunch after us. Off to the side of the road it is sandy and sometimes this is a better surface to ride on – however you have to cross bumpy gravel with big rocks so sometimes changing ‘lanes’ can be very difficult. Basically there are 4 tracks – 2 on each side of the road – so that’s really what you’ve got to choose from for your line. Sometimes the area in the middle is OK and sometimes there is the footpath that the villagers use which you might get a good run on – but as I said you might then find it difficult to get back over when it runs out!! So – a bit of a mix!
About 10 km out of lunch Scott catches us and passes – Paul doesn’t follow so I speed up to go and chat. We rode together for a while, but my little speed up has got me into a good rhythm again so I actually get out in front and just keep going. After a few minutes I have opened up a gap and so decide to keep going at a steady speed – expecting Paul to catch me at any minute. A few weeks ago on a similar gravel road I had been excited to think I was out on my own away from Paul and he had then caught me which totally demoralized me at the time – so I wasn’t going to let myself think like that this time – I just expected him to catch me and then if he did I wouldn’t feel so bad about it. My plan was to sit behind him when he caught up and then sprint it out at the end. Anyway I carried on knowing that Lindsay was still ahead. The wind got stronger and then finally I hit the lava rock. Before that it was corrugated bumps made by the trucks – fairly consistent with loose gravel at the side. But this new surface was just full of rocks – there were still faint tracks from the trucks but with huge chunks of rock all over the place. Picking a line was impossible so I decided to just choose my side of the road and then ride in as straight a line as possible – ignoring everything and just pedaling!!
The miles are ticking away – but very slowly! Eventually I see Lindsay off in the distance – which was great – if I can catch him I will definitely be the leader into camp. I finally pass him. I am doing short stints standing – most of the time sitting – fairly easy gear and just slowly pedaling away. When I stand up its nice as it takes the pressure off my bum but the bike bounces around quite a bit and it is difficult to hold the handle bars. One time my hands slipped off completely when I was standing – luckily I was saved by my elbows on the bars – but that gave me a bit of a shock and I decided I wasn’t going to stand any more and went back to sitting!!
I am really counting down the k’s now – am at 79 km and the finish should be at 84km. I want it to be done now! I am counting the trees at the side of the road – “I’ll just get to that tree there…” I am over it!! My arms are hurting, my wrists are hurting – I want to be done! At 83 km I can finally see the flag in the distance – but still seemed to take ages – I am riding very slowly at about 16/20 kmph and my heart rate Is not high – it is just a struggle! But I finally reach camp and think I am the first there – actually then I see Liam but he is not a racer. So – that is a win for me with the extra 30 minutes. Very good!
Monday, March 14, 2011
Meltdown Madness Winner
Yes - it is confirmed - Paul has won the Meltdown Madness section of the tour - described as the most difficult section to ride!! He is now officially MAD!! Here is a photo of him being awarded his title!!
Masai Steppe
The riders have completed the first day of the fourth section of the tour - 157 km from Nairobi to Namanga. Sounds as though they have an interesting week ahead of them. Tomorrow they will cross the border into Tanzania and then have three rest days to recuperate and explore!!
One day south of Nairobi, they will arrive at the border of Tanzania and immediately spot the unmistakable Mount Kilimanjaro and its smaller sibling, Mount Meru. From there, it’s a day’s pedal to the rapidly growing and vibrant city of Arusha. As the gateway to such famous attractions as Serengeti National Park, Ngorogoro Crater, and “Kili,” Arusha is East Africa’s safari capital. Here riders are given 3 days off, affording them the opportunities to experience wild Africa at its most spectacular, to shop in the local stores and markets, or simply to rest and replenish their energies.
One day south of Nairobi, they will arrive at the border of Tanzania and immediately spot the unmistakable Mount Kilimanjaro and its smaller sibling, Mount Meru. From there, it’s a day’s pedal to the rapidly growing and vibrant city of Arusha. As the gateway to such famous attractions as Serengeti National Park, Ngorogoro Crater, and “Kili,” Arusha is East Africa’s safari capital. Here riders are given 3 days off, affording them the opportunities to experience wild Africa at its most spectacular, to shop in the local stores and markets, or simply to rest and replenish their energies.
Meltdown Madness Winner
The results are up and so it is official - Paul was the sectional winner for what is described as the most difficult section of the Tour. Click on the title to see the photo of him being awarded his title!!
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Kenya and a Tyre Experiment! March 3
March 3 Kenya
We arrived at the border and quickly got our exit stamp on the Ethiopian side and then went down the road to the Kenyan border control offices – where we were only charged $25 rather then the $50 we had thought to get our passports stamped with our entrance visa for Kenya. So that was a pleasant surprise. The whole process only took minutes and was quick and painless – they actually had computers here!!
I would have liked to have stayed in the area a little longer and spend my remaining birr but everyone was keen to carry on to camp. As Scott said the best way to treat our saddle sores was to remove our bike shorts as soon as possible. I did let them go ahead when I saw a bank though – where I unsuccessfully tried to get some money out of the ATM. I would need to try with my other card which was in my bag at camp so I carried on – a guy on a motorbike came towards me on my side of the rod shouting “Wrong way, wrong way”. But I thought “No this is definitely the right way – I can even see the flagging tape up ahead!”, before I realized he meant I was riding on the wrong side of the road!! OK – that might take a little getting used to - in Kenya we drive/ride on the left hand side of the road (like England of course!!!)
At camp I found a good spot under a large tree to pitch my tent and waited for all the guys to arrive to get ready to go into town.
Headed off to town to find some food – after numerous attempts in various buildings I suggested we try that “big, posh “ building down the road. There was a restaurant in the back with other TDA riders already there. There was not much choice – beef stew with a type of rectangular stodge – potato/rice/bread? – not sure how to describe it but it was very filling!! We wandered back through the village, bought some snacks and ended up at one of the original places we had seen where you could buy beer and meat! A group before us had waited an hour for their order. After 45 minutes wait we were told the chicken we ordered did not exist so we returned to camp. We decided they probably had to buy their meat on demand to order and that’s why everything took so long!!
Back at camp it was time to change the tyres as we are back off road again tomorrow. Alice came over to ask our advice about which tyres she should use – she has some fat knobbly ones and some skinnier but stronger ones so I jokingly said “both”. Actually Steve, Scott and myself had had this conversation earlier – would it be possible to put two tyres on together on one rim? So we decided to try it and actually managed to get both tyres on. So Alice has 1 tube and 2 tyres – so together they should be pretty good for guarding against flats!! Hopefully it will work for her – I am not sure how she will cope in getting the tyre off if she does get a flat though! We shall see how it works!!
Found out that the cook James has been taken to hospital with suspected malaria! Dinner was therefore a little late – however when ready it was absolutely gorgeous! Burritos with beans, mango salsa, rice and eggs – so good!! Especially the mango salsa!! After that good feed I am ready for bed.
We arrived at the border and quickly got our exit stamp on the Ethiopian side and then went down the road to the Kenyan border control offices – where we were only charged $25 rather then the $50 we had thought to get our passports stamped with our entrance visa for Kenya. So that was a pleasant surprise. The whole process only took minutes and was quick and painless – they actually had computers here!!
I would have liked to have stayed in the area a little longer and spend my remaining birr but everyone was keen to carry on to camp. As Scott said the best way to treat our saddle sores was to remove our bike shorts as soon as possible. I did let them go ahead when I saw a bank though – where I unsuccessfully tried to get some money out of the ATM. I would need to try with my other card which was in my bag at camp so I carried on – a guy on a motorbike came towards me on my side of the rod shouting “Wrong way, wrong way”. But I thought “No this is definitely the right way – I can even see the flagging tape up ahead!”, before I realized he meant I was riding on the wrong side of the road!! OK – that might take a little getting used to - in Kenya we drive/ride on the left hand side of the road (like England of course!!!)
At camp I found a good spot under a large tree to pitch my tent and waited for all the guys to arrive to get ready to go into town.
Headed off to town to find some food – after numerous attempts in various buildings I suggested we try that “big, posh “ building down the road. There was a restaurant in the back with other TDA riders already there. There was not much choice – beef stew with a type of rectangular stodge – potato/rice/bread? – not sure how to describe it but it was very filling!! We wandered back through the village, bought some snacks and ended up at one of the original places we had seen where you could buy beer and meat! A group before us had waited an hour for their order. After 45 minutes wait we were told the chicken we ordered did not exist so we returned to camp. We decided they probably had to buy their meat on demand to order and that’s why everything took so long!!
Back at camp it was time to change the tyres as we are back off road again tomorrow. Alice came over to ask our advice about which tyres she should use – she has some fat knobbly ones and some skinnier but stronger ones so I jokingly said “both”. Actually Steve, Scott and myself had had this conversation earlier – would it be possible to put two tyres on together on one rim? So we decided to try it and actually managed to get both tyres on. So Alice has 1 tube and 2 tyres – so together they should be pretty good for guarding against flats!! Hopefully it will work for her – I am not sure how she will cope in getting the tyre off if she does get a flat though! We shall see how it works!!
Found out that the cook James has been taken to hospital with suspected malaria! Dinner was therefore a little late – however when ready it was absolutely gorgeous! Burritos with beans, mango salsa, rice and eggs – so good!! Especially the mango salsa!! After that good feed I am ready for bed.
Rest Day in Nairobi
Had a very brief email from Paul earlier this morning - but apparently internet access was not very good - he did manage to send a couple of blogs through but we are still about a week behind!! Anyway the third section Meltdown Madness is now complete and we are just waiting for the official results to be posted!!
A Painful Day March 2
Woke up in the hotel and just felt so tired – exhausted! Only went to the bathroom once in the night so am guessing I am probably a little dehydrated. I just feel wiped out before we even start the day!
Get myself ready , have breakfast and everything in the locker – there was lots of talk about an easy day – which sounds brilliant! Get on our bikes with lots more talk “lets take it easy today!” Just what we need – yesterday was painful! My wrists are hurting, my legs are hurting, my neck hurts and my glands are swollen. I feel rough!
We leave camp and immediately the road is awful – it is bad! Paved but bumpy - …… I don’t really know how to describe it. Tarmac covered with patches and where there aren’t any patches it’s just rough – where they pray a covering of tar and sprinkle gravel on top – that kind of road!!!
Dennis gets out front and increases the speed but I tell him to slow down – which he does!! On the downhill he surges ahead again and makes a gap on us but I don’t care! Scott and Steve also go with him… I let it go. Adam and Jorg also follow but Scott and Steve seemed to be winding it up. I thought that will be good if they get away and Scott can make some time on the other guys. Dennis is far enough behind just now that I am not worried at the moment. Whenever it was my turn at the front I just pulled aside – finally Paul takes the front and he just winds it up going up a slight hill – faster and faster and faster – seems like we are going about 40kmph. He is right next to me and I am pedaling as hard as I possibly can and I hear him click on a gear – so I immediately react and click another gear myself thinking “ OMG Can I even pedal this gear?” There was a crosswind and I was just sitting inside of him – well behind Jorg initially but he then pulled out and I took his place. We ended up closing the gap pretty quickly but it really hurt to do so. I was in so much pain when we got to them! Thankfully we then all slowed a bit. Jorg and Adam also made up the gap and so we were back as a group. I decided I was not going to let Dennis do that again so I kept watching him and on the next downhill when he set off again I sat on his wheel. But he just pushes and pushes – down thehill like mad!! I had heard Jorg saying on the way up “Pee break” but hadn’t heard anyone agree so assumed it wasn’t happening! When we got down the other side of the hill Scott, Steve and Jorg were not with us. It wasn’t far from lunch at this point so we eased up a little and stopped for lunch at 70km.
It was a hard morning and I am bloody tired!! However I was excited to see tuna sandwiches but less so when I discovered it was mixed with pickles – ended up having a mayo, peanut butter and pepper sandwich – sometimes the food just kills me!! We had caught up with Tori just before lunch so she and Adam left lunch pretty quickly with Dennis not far behind!!
I am just sitting there staring at Paul – I am not moving until he moves!! And likewise he is sitting staring at me!!
Scott, Steve and Jorg turn up – Scott had a blow out at the top of the hill – which meant they really had to chase like mad after that. I waited for Scott to get ready. Jorg announced he wants to ride slowly in the afternoon and Steve wants another sandwich so Paul, Scott and myself leave together. I am still feeling really drained. Every time I get to the front I try to bring the speed down. I keep thinking “Right I am going to give up” but then I do another few km. The hill was supposed to start at 88 km but actually came a little earlier – I managed to climb fairly well – stood upon my pedals most of the way. Got my heart rate down and felt fairly comfortable as we climbed the monster hill from 85 to 96/97 km. We had contended with a headwind all day at about 45 degree angle – with very little room for shelter. Scott is fed up with Paul always following so keeps closing out except when he realizes it is me behind him and he lets me in. But I still spend a lot of time behind him with Paul trying to get protection behind me. Its hard!
Finally we get to the top of the hill where it is really windy and we can just about see Tori in the distance. We had talked about a coke stop earlier and there is one coming up at about 100km. We had caught Dennis on the hill and passed him – so we stopped for a drink and I waited by the side of the road to make sure Dennis didn’t miss us while Scott bought the drinks. It was good to sit there and have a Fanta – these guys seem to quite like their cokes and Fantas – a bit too fizz for me – I had hoped for a macchiato but they didn’t have any – so I just had one soda while the others had a couple!
We headed off again – a group of 4 of us hoping that Dennis wouldn’t surge off and we can ride us a group for the remaining 30 km. There was a bit of a downhill and the road is still unbelievably bad – my bum is killing – really painful!! Rolling hills so it it possible to just hover above the saddle on the downs to take some of the pressure off and then stand as much as possible on the climbs!! Jut struggling through – thinking that 30 km should really take about an hour and a bit but looking down at our speed on this surface and it will more likely be nearer another 2 hours!! I was really struggling to get any speed up – then finally Paul from nowhere just picks up the pace at the front. He has been sitting at the back all day and then suddenly just pushes it – Scott gets really mad. I too was annoyed but just put my head down and followed. We stayed as a group and arrived at camp together. It was a very hard day and I am so tired! Just wanted to give up most of the time but ended up getting the same time as Paul. Scott ended up doing most of the work for the day – I would have helped more but just couldn’t today. He doesn’t mind that – I think – I hope! And I will pay him back and pull him more another day.
Hopefully tomorrow we are going to broker a ‘Go Slow’ day - we’ll see if that actually happens!!
Get myself ready , have breakfast and everything in the locker – there was lots of talk about an easy day – which sounds brilliant! Get on our bikes with lots more talk “lets take it easy today!” Just what we need – yesterday was painful! My wrists are hurting, my legs are hurting, my neck hurts and my glands are swollen. I feel rough!
We leave camp and immediately the road is awful – it is bad! Paved but bumpy - …… I don’t really know how to describe it. Tarmac covered with patches and where there aren’t any patches it’s just rough – where they pray a covering of tar and sprinkle gravel on top – that kind of road!!!
Dennis gets out front and increases the speed but I tell him to slow down – which he does!! On the downhill he surges ahead again and makes a gap on us but I don’t care! Scott and Steve also go with him… I let it go. Adam and Jorg also follow but Scott and Steve seemed to be winding it up. I thought that will be good if they get away and Scott can make some time on the other guys. Dennis is far enough behind just now that I am not worried at the moment. Whenever it was my turn at the front I just pulled aside – finally Paul takes the front and he just winds it up going up a slight hill – faster and faster and faster – seems like we are going about 40kmph. He is right next to me and I am pedaling as hard as I possibly can and I hear him click on a gear – so I immediately react and click another gear myself thinking “ OMG Can I even pedal this gear?” There was a crosswind and I was just sitting inside of him – well behind Jorg initially but he then pulled out and I took his place. We ended up closing the gap pretty quickly but it really hurt to do so. I was in so much pain when we got to them! Thankfully we then all slowed a bit. Jorg and Adam also made up the gap and so we were back as a group. I decided I was not going to let Dennis do that again so I kept watching him and on the next downhill when he set off again I sat on his wheel. But he just pushes and pushes – down thehill like mad!! I had heard Jorg saying on the way up “Pee break” but hadn’t heard anyone agree so assumed it wasn’t happening! When we got down the other side of the hill Scott, Steve and Jorg were not with us. It wasn’t far from lunch at this point so we eased up a little and stopped for lunch at 70km.
It was a hard morning and I am bloody tired!! However I was excited to see tuna sandwiches but less so when I discovered it was mixed with pickles – ended up having a mayo, peanut butter and pepper sandwich – sometimes the food just kills me!! We had caught up with Tori just before lunch so she and Adam left lunch pretty quickly with Dennis not far behind!!
I am just sitting there staring at Paul – I am not moving until he moves!! And likewise he is sitting staring at me!!
Scott, Steve and Jorg turn up – Scott had a blow out at the top of the hill – which meant they really had to chase like mad after that. I waited for Scott to get ready. Jorg announced he wants to ride slowly in the afternoon and Steve wants another sandwich so Paul, Scott and myself leave together. I am still feeling really drained. Every time I get to the front I try to bring the speed down. I keep thinking “Right I am going to give up” but then I do another few km. The hill was supposed to start at 88 km but actually came a little earlier – I managed to climb fairly well – stood upon my pedals most of the way. Got my heart rate down and felt fairly comfortable as we climbed the monster hill from 85 to 96/97 km. We had contended with a headwind all day at about 45 degree angle – with very little room for shelter. Scott is fed up with Paul always following so keeps closing out except when he realizes it is me behind him and he lets me in. But I still spend a lot of time behind him with Paul trying to get protection behind me. Its hard!
Finally we get to the top of the hill where it is really windy and we can just about see Tori in the distance. We had talked about a coke stop earlier and there is one coming up at about 100km. We had caught Dennis on the hill and passed him – so we stopped for a drink and I waited by the side of the road to make sure Dennis didn’t miss us while Scott bought the drinks. It was good to sit there and have a Fanta – these guys seem to quite like their cokes and Fantas – a bit too fizz for me – I had hoped for a macchiato but they didn’t have any – so I just had one soda while the others had a couple!
We headed off again – a group of 4 of us hoping that Dennis wouldn’t surge off and we can ride us a group for the remaining 30 km. There was a bit of a downhill and the road is still unbelievably bad – my bum is killing – really painful!! Rolling hills so it it possible to just hover above the saddle on the downs to take some of the pressure off and then stand as much as possible on the climbs!! Jut struggling through – thinking that 30 km should really take about an hour and a bit but looking down at our speed on this surface and it will more likely be nearer another 2 hours!! I was really struggling to get any speed up – then finally Paul from nowhere just picks up the pace at the front. He has been sitting at the back all day and then suddenly just pushes it – Scott gets really mad. I too was annoyed but just put my head down and followed. We stayed as a group and arrived at camp together. It was a very hard day and I am so tired! Just wanted to give up most of the time but ended up getting the same time as Paul. Scott ended up doing most of the work for the day – I would have helped more but just couldn’t today. He doesn’t mind that – I think – I hope! And I will pay him back and pull him more another day.
Hopefully tomorrow we are going to broker a ‘Go Slow’ day - we’ll see if that actually happens!!
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Nairobi
No tracker today - probably Paul didnt switch it on as it is a non race day - just a convoy into Nairobi where I am sure they have found a hotel, internet access and lots of food!! Hopefully we will get some news from him tomorrow!!
Friday, March 11, 2011
Nanyuki to Sagana
Early this morning the riders cycled across the equator. Paul's check in message came quite late today - I believe they are staying on a campsite by the River Tana with the opportunity to maybe go white water rafting? Not sure - but it seems thats what last year's tour were able to do. Today was the last race day for this section but final results have not yet been posted. Tomorrow is a long ride into Nairobi, much of it in convoy.
A Disappointing Day But All Is Not Lost Yet! March 1st
Camped last night in the river bed. Had a decent night’s sleep eventually although it was really hot at first – didn’t bother with the tent cover. Temperature was a lot more pleasant this morning but I had no need for a jacket!
We headed out for a day I had been looking forward to. It was tough straight away – corrugated with sharp rocks sticking out of the ground. I had my fat tyres on with fairly low air pressure which does help – but I was still getting bounced around all over the place. My wrists are also killing me. It’s hard work!!
Paul, Scott and myself went together although Scott had a few problems before we left as well as an overnight flat. I was expecting him to be fairly slow as he didn’t feel so great – but no he was fine and ready to go. We finally caught up with Steve who then sped up which was great as we followed him for about 20 km. Then he had a flat so we said good bye and Scott took up the front. I knew I wasn’t feeling great as I wasn’t happy with the pace – it wasn’t that it was really too fast but I just felt slightly uncomfortable with it.
When I got out front I felt pretty good though – often think on this off road stuff it is easier just to ride alone. But that’s not really possible any more as Paul now marks me constantly. He mainly sat at the back – I was out front some of the time but to be honest wherever you were it was hard work. The last 20 km into lunch we actually got some speed going – about 30kmph – and made it to lunch in about 2 hours – so a pretty good time.
We left lunch together and waited a while for Paul to pump up a flat. We rode with Kim for a while – he is a very strong rider so it was good to have him lead (as he had done for us a few days ago also). We knew that Jorg and Adam were out front but I wasn’t too bothered as they had left about half an hour before us. To catch up with them we would have to ride at least 2kmph faster for the whole day . We thought we were now only about 20 minutes behind them from what we had learnt at lunch but we didn’t really know and neither did they!! There was a strong headwind in the afternoon which hurts even more if you are out on your own – at least we were a group of 3 or 4 and so got a little bit of shelter. We lost Kim for a while on the next climb and Paul also stopped to sort out his tyre we think. Kim caught us up and Paul was a little further behind – in hindsight we should have maybe pressed a little harder then but at the time didn’t really seem worth it as Paul already was going to have to chase us down. Anyway we carried on at a decent speed. There was a road off to the side which the locals use to walk along – so we decided to nip over to it and see how it felt. Definitely a lot smoother and a lot better for the next climb. But on the descent it kind of zig zagged away from the road we were supposed to be on so we did a little extra. Then it went through a dry river bed where I got stuck so eventually made our way back on to the main road. Scott did this first and went whizzing by – he had about 200m on me – in all this mess Paul of course also turned up again. Overall a bad option – we should have stayed on the main road even though it was more uncomfortable!!
It took me ages to get back to Scott and Paul was content to follow me the whole way. So I was pretty tired when I eventually did – and I think Paul was fully aware of this. I was feeling drained and it was demoralizing that Paul seemed to have caught us up so easily after his stop – he is so strong! I had really thought that today I was going to be stronger – but it wasn’t turning out to be so. Anyway we were back riding the three of us with a fierce headwind getting gradually worse. From about 73 – 80 km we climbed and about half way up Paul comes next to me and I hear the gears go “click, click” and he is off. I try to do the same but no way I just couldn’t go that fast. My legs just aren’t doing it today – I am trying and trying but just don’t seem to have the energy. Scott fell a little behind which was a shame as it would have been good to stay together. I chased Paul for about 2 – 3 km but then gave up as he just kept inching away. I was hoping for the gravel descent they had described from the top of the hill as I know I am faster than him then – so I still thought I would be able to catch him and have a shot at the mando bonus!! So for the last part of the climb I am in my smallest gear but just can’t seem to get any traction – every time I stood up the the wheel just kept spinning under me. Eventually we were on the down with a very annoying headwind right in my face! I was still hoping to catch Paul on the way down! It was a very rough descent so you really needed to be standing on your pedals – which meant there was not as much chance to go faster = pretty much everyone would be going the same speed down it. I was not braking at all but it was a fairly easy down in that sense so I was sure Paul wouldn’t be needing to brake either. But I was chasing like mad, head down, pushing as hard as possible.!! The descent lasted about 5 km but it wasn’t all down – never really enough to get a decent speed going and the headwind also served to slow us down.
At about 85 km we bumped back onto pavement. I was so disappointed as I thought I had now lost any chance of catching him.. Just at this point there was a gravel road off to the right – the directions said there would be a T junction between 85 and 90 km with a right hand turn. Well no T junction so I kept on going – but I wasn’t too sure. I carried on along the road to another intersection but no flagging tape – through a fairly busy village – with me still not really knowing where I am going. So I carry on pedaling as hard as I can – slightly downhill but still with that very strong headwind so not really gaining any ground and just hoping I am going the right way. It was definitely different to the directions we had but I kept pedaling and looking for that right hand turn. Finally at about 89/90 km I saw a sign for a T-junction so I thought “Brilliant – I’m going the right way!” So I was looking out for the flagging tape and instead I see the Finish Flag!! OK – that is the end of the day!! I was kind of hoping for another 10 km of road to try and catch the group ahead – but that was the end of it. 91 km instead of the 98 I had been expecting. But its done now!
We are staying in the hotel grounds tonight so I got myself a room and then went straight to the restaurant to get some sodas and food. I was feeling really tired – maybe my sprint yesterday to win the day by two minutes wasn’t really necessary. When I got in Paul said “Oh I just wanted my two minutes back” – and I thought “Yes and I want my 15 minutes back from the other day when I let you leave lunch early thinking there was going to be gravel to catch you on and there wasn’t!!” So – it’s a bummer – especially as he got more than his 2 minutes with the mando bonus of course!!
So I am a bit upset and a bit annoyed at myself. I maybe need to learn to follow a bit more and not do as much work at the front. This section is not lost yet!! It would be really nice to at least win a section as its proving to be very difficult to even think about winning the whole thing. But a section would be good! At the moment Paul has won two sections and is in the lead for the third. He is very hard to beat!!
I changed my tyres – we are staying in a rather odd place – the hotel is nice with good rooms but there is not much else here and no internet. The town is back about 5 km up the road. I am able to rest in my room and hopefully will get a good night’s sleep ready for tomorrow when we are back on pavement. Hopefully we can ride as a group tomorrow. Strange how I felt so good yesterday but not today!! Maybe I did too much yesterday – but anyway that’s what its all about – a bike race!!
Got my laundry done which is just as well as I am a pair of bike shorts down (now have 5 pairs). I am thinking about some of the unnecessary stuff I brought with me and what I would like to have more of!! More shorts would be nice on these long stretches (of 7 or 8 days riding) – but there shouldn’t be too many of these ahead – more usual to have about 5 days at a time. And if not as long as there is somewhere to wash stuff then it is OK!
Spaghetti Bolognese tonight – I saw them cooking it – which is really great – I am hungry!! Also going into town to buy some snacks!! Bye.
We headed out for a day I had been looking forward to. It was tough straight away – corrugated with sharp rocks sticking out of the ground. I had my fat tyres on with fairly low air pressure which does help – but I was still getting bounced around all over the place. My wrists are also killing me. It’s hard work!!
Paul, Scott and myself went together although Scott had a few problems before we left as well as an overnight flat. I was expecting him to be fairly slow as he didn’t feel so great – but no he was fine and ready to go. We finally caught up with Steve who then sped up which was great as we followed him for about 20 km. Then he had a flat so we said good bye and Scott took up the front. I knew I wasn’t feeling great as I wasn’t happy with the pace – it wasn’t that it was really too fast but I just felt slightly uncomfortable with it.
When I got out front I felt pretty good though – often think on this off road stuff it is easier just to ride alone. But that’s not really possible any more as Paul now marks me constantly. He mainly sat at the back – I was out front some of the time but to be honest wherever you were it was hard work. The last 20 km into lunch we actually got some speed going – about 30kmph – and made it to lunch in about 2 hours – so a pretty good time.
We left lunch together and waited a while for Paul to pump up a flat. We rode with Kim for a while – he is a very strong rider so it was good to have him lead (as he had done for us a few days ago also). We knew that Jorg and Adam were out front but I wasn’t too bothered as they had left about half an hour before us. To catch up with them we would have to ride at least 2kmph faster for the whole day . We thought we were now only about 20 minutes behind them from what we had learnt at lunch but we didn’t really know and neither did they!! There was a strong headwind in the afternoon which hurts even more if you are out on your own – at least we were a group of 3 or 4 and so got a little bit of shelter. We lost Kim for a while on the next climb and Paul also stopped to sort out his tyre we think. Kim caught us up and Paul was a little further behind – in hindsight we should have maybe pressed a little harder then but at the time didn’t really seem worth it as Paul already was going to have to chase us down. Anyway we carried on at a decent speed. There was a road off to the side which the locals use to walk along – so we decided to nip over to it and see how it felt. Definitely a lot smoother and a lot better for the next climb. But on the descent it kind of zig zagged away from the road we were supposed to be on so we did a little extra. Then it went through a dry river bed where I got stuck so eventually made our way back on to the main road. Scott did this first and went whizzing by – he had about 200m on me – in all this mess Paul of course also turned up again. Overall a bad option – we should have stayed on the main road even though it was more uncomfortable!!
It took me ages to get back to Scott and Paul was content to follow me the whole way. So I was pretty tired when I eventually did – and I think Paul was fully aware of this. I was feeling drained and it was demoralizing that Paul seemed to have caught us up so easily after his stop – he is so strong! I had really thought that today I was going to be stronger – but it wasn’t turning out to be so. Anyway we were back riding the three of us with a fierce headwind getting gradually worse. From about 73 – 80 km we climbed and about half way up Paul comes next to me and I hear the gears go “click, click” and he is off. I try to do the same but no way I just couldn’t go that fast. My legs just aren’t doing it today – I am trying and trying but just don’t seem to have the energy. Scott fell a little behind which was a shame as it would have been good to stay together. I chased Paul for about 2 – 3 km but then gave up as he just kept inching away. I was hoping for the gravel descent they had described from the top of the hill as I know I am faster than him then – so I still thought I would be able to catch him and have a shot at the mando bonus!! So for the last part of the climb I am in my smallest gear but just can’t seem to get any traction – every time I stood up the the wheel just kept spinning under me. Eventually we were on the down with a very annoying headwind right in my face! I was still hoping to catch Paul on the way down! It was a very rough descent so you really needed to be standing on your pedals – which meant there was not as much chance to go faster = pretty much everyone would be going the same speed down it. I was not braking at all but it was a fairly easy down in that sense so I was sure Paul wouldn’t be needing to brake either. But I was chasing like mad, head down, pushing as hard as possible.!! The descent lasted about 5 km but it wasn’t all down – never really enough to get a decent speed going and the headwind also served to slow us down.
At about 85 km we bumped back onto pavement. I was so disappointed as I thought I had now lost any chance of catching him.. Just at this point there was a gravel road off to the right – the directions said there would be a T junction between 85 and 90 km with a right hand turn. Well no T junction so I kept on going – but I wasn’t too sure. I carried on along the road to another intersection but no flagging tape – through a fairly busy village – with me still not really knowing where I am going. So I carry on pedaling as hard as I can – slightly downhill but still with that very strong headwind so not really gaining any ground and just hoping I am going the right way. It was definitely different to the directions we had but I kept pedaling and looking for that right hand turn. Finally at about 89/90 km I saw a sign for a T-junction so I thought “Brilliant – I’m going the right way!” So I was looking out for the flagging tape and instead I see the Finish Flag!! OK – that is the end of the day!! I was kind of hoping for another 10 km of road to try and catch the group ahead – but that was the end of it. 91 km instead of the 98 I had been expecting. But its done now!
We are staying in the hotel grounds tonight so I got myself a room and then went straight to the restaurant to get some sodas and food. I was feeling really tired – maybe my sprint yesterday to win the day by two minutes wasn’t really necessary. When I got in Paul said “Oh I just wanted my two minutes back” – and I thought “Yes and I want my 15 minutes back from the other day when I let you leave lunch early thinking there was going to be gravel to catch you on and there wasn’t!!” So – it’s a bummer – especially as he got more than his 2 minutes with the mando bonus of course!!
So I am a bit upset and a bit annoyed at myself. I maybe need to learn to follow a bit more and not do as much work at the front. This section is not lost yet!! It would be really nice to at least win a section as its proving to be very difficult to even think about winning the whole thing. But a section would be good! At the moment Paul has won two sections and is in the lead for the third. He is very hard to beat!!
I changed my tyres – we are staying in a rather odd place – the hotel is nice with good rooms but there is not much else here and no internet. The town is back about 5 km up the road. I am able to rest in my room and hopefully will get a good night’s sleep ready for tomorrow when we are back on pavement. Hopefully we can ride as a group tomorrow. Strange how I felt so good yesterday but not today!! Maybe I did too much yesterday – but anyway that’s what its all about – a bike race!!
Got my laundry done which is just as well as I am a pair of bike shorts down (now have 5 pairs). I am thinking about some of the unnecessary stuff I brought with me and what I would like to have more of!! More shorts would be nice on these long stretches (of 7 or 8 days riding) – but there shouldn’t be too many of these ahead – more usual to have about 5 days at a time. And if not as long as there is somewhere to wash stuff then it is OK!
Spaghetti Bolognese tonight – I saw them cooking it – which is really great – I am hungry!! Also going into town to buy some snacks!! Bye.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Stage 44 Paved Recovery
Have received Paul's check in today after a short paved section of 71km from Isiolo to Nanyuki - a relief after the drama of the last few days!!
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Today's Incident
Just wanted you all to know that Paul has left me a voice message assuring me that he is OK and was fortunately not involved in the armed robbery at the roadside. I also understand that those 6 riders involved are also doing well - our thoughts and prayers with them all. I am sure we will hear more details in due course. Today's race was cancelled (times did not count) but the tour is scheduled to proceed as planned tomorrow.
9th Section Marsabit to Nairobi 575 Km
Tue Mar 8 Stg 42 Marsabit to Bush camp 115 Km Gravel.
Wed Mar 9 Stg 43 Bush camp to Isiolo 158 Km Paved.
Thu Mar 10 Stg 44 Isiolo to Nanyuki 71 Km Paved.
Fri Mar 11 Stg 45 Nanyuki to Sagana 105 Km Paved.
Sat Mar 12 Stg 46 Sagana to Nairobi 136 Km Paved -non-race day.
Sun Mar 13 Rest day
Wed Mar 9 Stg 43 Bush camp to Isiolo 158 Km Paved.
Thu Mar 10 Stg 44 Isiolo to Nanyuki 71 Km Paved.
Fri Mar 11 Stg 45 Nanyuki to Sagana 105 Km Paved.
Sat Mar 12 Stg 46 Sagana to Nairobi 136 Km Paved -non-race day.
Sun Mar 13 Rest day
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Goats and Cows February 28
Woke up in the morning to find there was no electricity in the hotel and there I was with all sorts of junk to sort out! Luckily I was awake early and so started to ship my gear out to the locker. saw Scott who thought it was funny I was up so early!! When I went to pay for the room I tried complaining about the lack of water and electricity - basically the answer was "Tough luck!" It was worth a try!! I was all ready to go and felt good. Ate a little breakfast, stuffed my jacket pockets with bananas and we headed off for our 100 km day. 60 km in the morning, 40 in the afternoon - its quite nice to have lunch nearer to the half way mark! Myself, Scott, Tori, Adam and Jorg set off together. Immediately there was a downhill and Jorg and Adam set off quickly and got out front. We had to chase them down when we reached the bottom. Then as a group we cycled through some pretty hectic villages - think the kids were walking to school - performing a funny little dance for us - going wild, screaming, shouting and running afte us!! We managed to get through it. After about 36 km we took a gravel fork in the road - and that was when the fun started. As soon as we hit the gravel Adam took the front and rode hard for about 10 km - we followed. Lost Scott for a while but he soon caught up. When Adam had enough Jorg took the front for the next 10 km or so. It was pretty good - road was corrugated in places. Had my medium tyres on with quite high pressure - was getting bumped around a bit but not too bad, with a bit of headwind towards the end of the morning. We went through a village - there was loads of activity around a dried up river bed - people everywhere - some sort of market going on. There were lots of girls carrying jugs of water and also lots of donkeys pulling water containers. It was quite a scene!
Soon we were back on to pavement - which we weren't expecting for the final 10 km into lunch. There were quite a few people at lunch and we had a quick sandwich. The charity that Liam is supporting was in the area so they had stopped by to say hello so that was all interesting. Jorg and Adam left lunch slightly before us saying that they were just going to roll slowly for a while so Scott and I followed fairly casually. Paul was also ahead so we caught up with him and the three of us rode together. I suddenly looked up and realized Jorg and Adam were getting further and further away so we sped up to try to catch them. Then we got stuck by some cows crossing the road and then had to chase really hard and didnt catch them until about 70 km. Probably about 6 km of 40 km/h chasing !! We did finally catch up and then rode together as a group. At about 80 km it started to get a bit hilly so I sped up one of the hills just to see how the others reacted - I got away but then slowed down again. Adam was strong but Jorg was struggling a little. Scott and Paul were just rolling along so I joined them. We let Adam climb the hill in front. The gravel was supposed to start against the top of the hill. At the top I was out in front - I know the others are not so keen on downhill especially on gravel so I took off full speed. Scott followed - at the right had turn I checked and saw that Scott was just behind me and the others a little further behind us - so I decided to go for it with only about 12 km left for the day. After about 2 km
I checked the distance - only 90 km - still about 10 to go and I was hurting already!! Anyway we carried on down a very sketchy road to suddenly come upon a herd of cows in the road - breaking hard - nearly skidding with the bike bouncing around like crazy - a rough, rough road!! On part of the downs we were traveling in excess of 40 km/h with the bike bouncing all over the place! I did feel fairly confident though. Then Scott shouts " how far left?" 83 km - about 7 km left. He was right behind and shouted " we've lost them - keep going!". There were some good downs and some short steep ups - we were going flat out as fast as possible- then we came around a corner and found the road full of goats - locked up both brakes and with the bike skidding like crazy came to a stop - we then had to meander our way through the goats!! This obviously slowed us up but we soon got going again. I was hurting like crazy now and counting the kms down - finally get to 100km wondering "Where's camp? Where's camp?" Off in the distance at the bottom of the hill we could see some movement and thought that must be the finish. Finally we arrived and let Scott clock in first .
It was a good win for us - Paul turned up a few minutes behind and the Jorg and Adam a few minutes later. So - a really good day!!
Soon we were back on to pavement - which we weren't expecting for the final 10 km into lunch. There were quite a few people at lunch and we had a quick sandwich. The charity that Liam is supporting was in the area so they had stopped by to say hello so that was all interesting. Jorg and Adam left lunch slightly before us saying that they were just going to roll slowly for a while so Scott and I followed fairly casually. Paul was also ahead so we caught up with him and the three of us rode together. I suddenly looked up and realized Jorg and Adam were getting further and further away so we sped up to try to catch them. Then we got stuck by some cows crossing the road and then had to chase really hard and didnt catch them until about 70 km. Probably about 6 km of 40 km/h chasing !! We did finally catch up and then rode together as a group. At about 80 km it started to get a bit hilly so I sped up one of the hills just to see how the others reacted - I got away but then slowed down again. Adam was strong but Jorg was struggling a little. Scott and Paul were just rolling along so I joined them. We let Adam climb the hill in front. The gravel was supposed to start against the top of the hill. At the top I was out in front - I know the others are not so keen on downhill especially on gravel so I took off full speed. Scott followed - at the right had turn I checked and saw that Scott was just behind me and the others a little further behind us - so I decided to go for it with only about 12 km left for the day. After about 2 km
I checked the distance - only 90 km - still about 10 to go and I was hurting already!! Anyway we carried on down a very sketchy road to suddenly come upon a herd of cows in the road - breaking hard - nearly skidding with the bike bouncing around like crazy - a rough, rough road!! On part of the downs we were traveling in excess of 40 km/h with the bike bouncing all over the place! I did feel fairly confident though. Then Scott shouts " how far left?" 83 km - about 7 km left. He was right behind and shouted " we've lost them - keep going!". There were some good downs and some short steep ups - we were going flat out as fast as possible- then we came around a corner and found the road full of goats - locked up both brakes and with the bike skidding like crazy came to a stop - we then had to meander our way through the goats!! This obviously slowed us up but we soon got going again. I was hurting like crazy now and counting the kms down - finally get to 100km wondering "Where's camp? Where's camp?" Off in the distance at the bottom of the hill we could see some movement and thought that must be the finish. Finally we arrived and let Scott clock in first .
It was a good win for us - Paul turned up a few minutes behind and the Jorg and Adam a few minutes later. So - a really good day!!
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