The Longest Day - April 2

Feel OK this morning despite not sleeping well – really slow getting ready – but on purpose. Going to just dawdle along today and try to keep my heart rate at about 100bpm. Breakfast was not too good – so I resorted to choc bars and bananas. Got on my bike and set off zig zagging along at the very back with Wendy. She would overtake me on the flats and I would catch up on the climbs. My heart rate was going up to 120 on the climbs so I try to get it down to less than a 100 on the flats. I just free wheel down the hills. There is plenty to look at today – a more wealthy area – lots of farms growing tobacco and corn – nice cars and houses. Obviously we are still passing through smaller villages and the kids are out in force in places. In Malawi they have been bad “give me your money, give me your bike, give me, give me ….” Nothing to do but try to ignore them though I always try to respond to waves and “hellos”. At least the kids here do not seem quite as poor as some we have seen – and the villages are much more active – there seems to be work to do. In some villages we have passed through there have been a lot of people sitting around with nothing to do and that has seemed a lot sadder. I zig zag along with Wendy all morning – we don’t really see anyone else until we stop for coffee. Suddenly there are about 15 of us all piled into a little café – quite fun! Then the sweep came along – I’d never seen the sweep before – the staff member who rides at the back behind the last person. Which at the time was Wendy but had been me for much of the time!! Anyway I drink my coffee and leave so I can get ahead of the group. But they soon all pass me – they are all really nice to me – very concerned – but this is the speed I have decided to stick to – I could of course go a little faster if I wanted to!! But it is really hard – it sucks to ride so slow!! Its OK for 10 km but really difficult for 120 km.

So – we keep dawdling along – free wheeling down and pedaling slowly up. Because you are going so slowly the kids have a lot more opportunity to shout and yell at you. Every single group expects some sort of attention. I try to wave and say hello but there are so many kids – so many people. There are less hills now as we leave the mountains behind – we seem to be crossing valleys – dropping down to a river bed then across the other side and over the top to the next one. It is all very green with lots of farmland.

We get to lunch – the group I’d had coffee with are all there. Lunch is awful but they pull out a slab of cheese – so I end up eating cheese, salad cream and oranges!! Off we go again – its going to be a long day!! The guys all overtake me once again – only Wendy is behind me!! At about 80 km we had a coke stop – but I wasn’t very chatty I am afraid. There was a tailwind that afternoon which helped and the rolling hills less steep. Then we were at camp. Lindsay had got me a hotel room so I was able to go straight to bed!!