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!!
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