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14? Could This be the End PLEASE

So when I think back to what I put the most effort into purchasing, tires was definately it. I rode the tire/rim combination that I am running now, all year with NO FLATS. I thought my Unlucky 13 from the other day would have topped it off. On Yesterday's ride I was beginning to get sick so I wasn't at my best, plus we had rode the Blue Nile Gorge the day before so with several thousand meters of elevation gain this week already I am feeling a little under the weather. We rode a short 90km ride yesterday but with 1120m elevation gain, which made it feel a lot longer than the 90km it was. The last kilometer something was feeling really wrong with my tire. I asked the guy I was riding with to look at it and he said it looked okay. We rolled into camp and I got off my bike, layed it down and walked to get my stuff. I sat on my bag for a little while to regroup before going through the motions of setting up my stuff. When suddenly the camp was stopped in its tracks by a loud "BAM". It was a tire. This rarely happens so people were checking their bikes. Needless to say, it was my bike and the tube had blown up so hard again that it blew the tire off the rim, again. Paul the race director said he thought it was becoming a little dangerous and offered me his new Specialized Armadillo tires. I put them on after careful inspection of the rims, tubes and tires, but because of being sick today I didn't get to try them out. I hope I can ride the day after the rest day (23) and give them a whirl. The other difficult thing about this whole situation is that I have burned through all of my tubes and a lot of my patch kits already. I am looking into the possibility of getting some new things shipped to me in Nairobi, Kenya as my bike cannot run without tubes unfortunately.

The intercontinental hotel is exactly what I needed to cure myself. I didn't want to go initially, probably mostly because of how difficult it will be to leave here, but a good 20min HOT shower is exactly what I needed after a difficult day and night.

Thank you for all the messages of support and donations to the Suncatchers Project. Keep them rolling in!

The Ethiopian Flu strikes me down

February 21, this has been an incredibly long long day and I now find myself sitting in the swank lobby of the Intercontinental hotel in Addis Ababa. Today I lost "EFNT" (Every fabulous night in a tent) and "EFD" (Every fabulous day). I woke up last night at around 1am and had been struck down by the "Ethiopian flu" This thing is nasty and this is the sickest I have been in about 10 years. I spent the night over the squat toilet facing the most intense stomach cramping I have ever had. If this is what contractions feel like, you can be assured I will NEVER have a baby. I had a serious fever and was trying my best to sleep despite the hot cold chills. I could bearly make it out of my tent this morning let alone get on my bike. This was the first time of the whole trip I got up and dressed myself in something other than biking clothes and got my bike, through it on the lunch truck and opted for the back seat where I could lay down. Luckily I have made some very good friends and have an adopted mom and dad here (Geoff and Diane) and they helped me get settled. We drove the 65 brutal kilometers to lunch. At lunch I asked for the nurse to come see me and she gave me Buscopan (the magic little pill that stops stomach cramping) it took a long time to start working and lunch seemed to go on for ever. Smart choice not to ride, at lunch 20 riders also joined me on the lunch truck due to the difficulty of the morning ride. I finally got off the bus at 4pm, and Rick and Jenn loaded me up (somewhat reluctantly) to the intercontinental. $100 per night seemed crazy but now I am here I am very thankful to them. I hope to shake this thing tomorrow. I need to start riding again after Addis. I am still less than 200km short of completing the entire ride. The intensity of this thing is so real now. Every single day to ride 100+ km is nuts and so hard on your body. 5 weeks I have spent in my tent with cold showers and waking up to riding everyday. I hope the fever breaks tonight so I can get over this....and enjoy the hotel.

Blue Nile Gorge

It would be hard to find somewhere in the world that is more stunning or spectacular than the Blue Nile Gorge in Ethiopia. This has been a long awaited riding day by most riders non the tour. We had a 49km ride to the edge of the Gorge, which was only recently (THANK YOU JAPAN!!) paved as of 2008. My hats go off to all the past tour riders that under took this ascent and descent on the unpaved roads of years past, as even the pavement challenged us. As we rolled over the edge, the views were incredible. It was a hairy 20km descent with children armed with rocks and “YOU YOU’s” and cattle and donkeys alike. Large trucks slowly chugging up the hill spewed their hot exhaust against already hot cycling bodies. The temperature was a dripping 39C. I needed to stop several times on the descent to give my hands a break from holding onto my break levers with all my might. Actually as we approached the bottom and the heavily armed bridge over the Blue Nile, I was thankful to begin the 22km ascent out of the gorge, just to give my upper body a break. I never thought I would say this, but I enjoyed the uphill more than the downhill on this section. The climb seemed endless as some of the riders chose to do the time trial up the other side. I opted out of this time trial, instead trying to take in the beauty of the day and the ride. I also think it would have been hard to push myself harder than I already was, as the altitude has been greatly affecting my speed on this section of the ride. I have been coming last or near to last of the riders that have not been on the trucks this last week. There are still several riders that are still suffering greatly with The “Ethiopian flu” ( diarrhea and vomiting), with several riders “bunny hopping” (as it has been termed) ahead to our next rest day in Addis Ababa several days ahead of our arrival there. Several other riders have opted to have a field trip (days off of riding) to Lalibela (a famous historical site here in Ethiopia). I either have been blessed with the immune system of an ox, or I am just taking my unluckiness with flat tires rather than sick guts. I think I would take the later based on the state of some of the riders.

Our stone throwing Ethiopian spectators continue to plague us. With one rider being stuck in the helmet, breaking her helmet and another rider receiving the first stone throwing stitches in his arm, riders are becoming more and more on the ready for our stone throwing spectators as we bike along. Yesterday I was actually punched very hard in the back while riding and another “sweet looking 10 year old girl, grabbed my butt while I was riding and I had to hit her to get her off… I guess you could say I may have been riding too slowly for these things to occur to me, which may be the truth but it is hard to go faster up these crazy hills. One rider was attacked with sticks and rocks while riding through several hundred school children on their way home from school yesterday! I was thinking how much energy it takes both physically and mentally to ride through Africa. I can only compare it to being in a parade, from the time you wake up in the morning until you arrive in camp. The problem is that you are in the parade whether you want to be or not and the spectators can be supportive and kind or angry and aggressive and at all times you need to be prepared to react to either. Instead of candy being thrown in this parade, it is rocks, from gravel size to rocks that you watch the children carry to the side of the road that are so big they can hardly manage them. It can be mentally exhausting. It seems the afternoons are harder than the mornings as the hundredth child comes screaming “you you you you you you” following you up a hill- sometimes walking faster than you can ride. Our local rider from Ethiopia had several spokes broken on his bike by the rock wielding children, so he went to the school and reported them so that they will be punished in front of others. Hopefully they begin to learn the consequences of their actions. Ahhhhh Ethiopia- what a joy! It is unfortunate because the country is stunning and the people generally amazing and hard workers. I have taken to noting the speed at which some of these children can run along side the bikes going uphill. I watch my odometer on my bike and have continuously noted children running along side the bike uphill for a serious length of time going 18km/hr, BAREFOOT! It is not surprising some of the best runners in the world come from this country.

Arriving at the top of the gorge today at 89km was a very satisfying feeling of accomplishment. It was like my climb of the Malahat highway on the island, only 1500m higher!!! I think it would have done me good to ride that a few more times before arriving, but it will seem like a breeze after today when I get home. For a number of riders, this was the most climbing they had ever done in one day. The views and breathtaking scenery and looks on the faces of the drivers passing us made every second worth it. I rode with Georgie and Mark (our sectional riders from the UK). Mark took the opportunity on the descent to propose to Georgie, despite vomiting all night and not feeling so well today. It was so great. It has been amazing to ride with Georgie and Mark this past week. They will be dear friends for years to come and I will be very sad to see them leave in Addis Ababa.

I decided today that everything is relative in difficulty. As I ride my bike up hill after hill after hill, women and men walk past piled high with hey and cow dung, or heavy clay pots of water. They plow the fields by hand and spend countless hours herding their cattle along side the scorching hot pavement roads. On one hill the other day a ten year old girl walked up the same hill I was riding carrying a full bag of cement on her head. The Ethiopian people are incredibly hard workers, it is very impressive and puts my life into perspective on a daily basis. What an amazing perspective of the world you can get from the saddle of a bicycle. I feel like I get to see the real Africa, far from the big cities and tourist areas. The everyday life that goes on. I am thankful everyday for this experience that I am fortunate enough to be having.

Unlucky 13

I should have known to beware after the twelfth flat tire that I had due to the fact that the 13th of anything is supposed to be bad luck. But my luck with flat tires has been absolutely atrocious so far this trip. It is not surprising for me to arrive at camp, having had one or more flat tires throughout the day. It has helped me to get extremely efficient at changing flat tires though which I guess is the positive in this situation.

The 13th flat happened so suddenly I really have to say this one took the cake. I had just left camp and was approximately 10km down the road chatting with Georgie about how much I liked the road that we were riding on as it was a good downhill grade. We decided to slow down to take a photo when BANG! A very loud noise of the tube popping, which in turn blew my tire off my rim and sent a small piece of the tire tube towards Georgie and it hit her arm. It was pretty scary because it brought me to a standstill pretty quickly and if I had of been going faster I definitely would have crashed. I didn’t even actually realize that the tire could come off the rim like that, ignorance is sometimes bliss I think. Unlucky 13, or maybe better yet, Lucky 13. I guess it depends on if you see the glass half full or half empty. I could have been injured but in fact, it just startled me.

Everybody Must Get Stoned

Rest Day-Bahir Dar, Ethiopia- A funky little town on Lake Tanna, the source of the Blue Nile. Palm trees and triple layered juices fill my belly with goodness and my body with the break that my body so desperately needs. The juices have truly changed my life and I will dream of these forever after leaving this country. They consist of Avocado juice, Mango Juice, Papaya Juice and Pineapple Juice Layered in a pint glass. This would cost you at least $20 to make on your own and they sell them for under a dollar. I have had three today, making my daily fruit intake probably in the neighborhood of 30 servings. I haven’t caught the “Ethiopian Flu” yet (Terrible diarrhea which everyone apparently comes down with here) but the juices might help guide me in that direction. Several riders have spent the last two days from Gondor on the bus with flu like symptoms and terrible GI issues. I must have taken my unluckiness in flat tires as I have not been sick yet…. Knock on wood. We have had a delightful two days of riding 117km followed by 61km today, our shortest day yet! We arrived in Bahir Dar at 10am so we almost have two days off! We are getting a lot of rest because we have a long 5 day stretch ahead of us including the famous Blue Nile Gorge, which for the racers will be a time trial, 20km down, 20km up… 10% grades…. We will arrive in Addis Ababa the third highest capital in the world on February 22 and then will be taking a one day shorter route to Northern Kenya due to our truck breaking down North of Gondor. They are having to get a new engine sent from Nairobi so plans have had to change a bit. Instead of riding through Arba Minch, we will ride through Yebello.

Ethiopia has taught us how to be quick witted while riding uphill in the altitude. At any moment in time, no matter where you are you can be ambused by several children. They begin by screaming “YOU YOU YOU YOU” Evidently the only English word they know. Sometimes it is followed by “MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY”… Then other times it is followed by “Where are you go” which we have learned means “Where are you from”… This is often followed by the children moving into the street, making it difficult to predict if you are going to be able to avoid them at the speeds we are biking. The children will have huge smiles on their faces, seeming excited to see you and just as you pass, you get the final treat…Large stones lobbed at you, your bike or anything they can hit. It is a lesson in patience, a lesson in understanding and an extremely frustrating stressful thing to add to the fact you are biking long distances in the heat uphill. I have been hit several times. They are extremely accurate. Being in Gondor the other day actually helped me to understand this phenomenon a little better, they do not reserve throwing rocks for foreigners alone. In fact… Everyone throws rocks at each other. I saw two men get into an argument at a store and as the other man walked away the first man picked up a stone and threw it at the back of the first man’s head knocking him out. I saw a small boy (under 10 years old) get into an argument with his mom and as he walked away he picked up a rock and threw it at her face. It is a learned behavior. In fact the times that adults see the children throw rocks at us as we ride by, they often pick up a rock and throw it at the kids, to “teach them a lesson?”. Pretty scary. The people are great when you are not riding by. We had several hundred “mountain people” surround our camp last night watching very intensely our every move… ready at any chance we were not looking to zip in and steal whatever is lying around. Theft is actually a big problem here and we lock up our bikes at night and put everything into our tents. Something we have not had to worry about in the past. So far I think riders have been pretty lucky. Not losing too many things. We have to continue to be on guard to protect our things though.

Everybody Must Get Stoned

Rest Day-Bahir Dar, Ethiopia- A funky little town on Lake Tanna, the source of the Blue Nile. Palm trees and triple layered juices fill my belly with goodness and my body with the break that my body so desperately needs. The juices have truly changed my life and I will dream of these forever after leaving this country. They consist of Avocado juice, Mango Juice, Papaya Juice and Pineapple Juice Layered in a pint glass. This would cost you at least $20 to make on your own and they sell them for under a dollar. I have had three today, making my daily fruit intake probably in the neighborhood of 30 servings. I haven’t caught the “Ethiopian Flu” yet (Terrible diarrhea which everyone apparently comes down with here) but the juices might help guide me in that direction. Several riders have spent the last two days from Gondor on the bus with flu like symptoms and terrible GI issues. I must have taken my unluckiness in flat tires as I have not been sick yet…. Knock on wood. We have had a delightful two days of riding 117km followed by 61km today, our shortest day yet! We arrived in Bahir Dar at 10am so we almost have two days off! We are getting a lot of rest because we have a long 5 day stretch ahead of us including the famous Blue Nile Gorge, which for the racers will be a time trial, 20km down, 20km up… 10% grades…. We will arrive in Addis Ababa the third highest capital in the world on February 22 and then will be taking a one day shorter route to Northern Kenya due to our truck breaking down North of Gondor. They are having to get a new engine sent from Nairobi so plans have had to change a bit. Instead of riding through Arba Minch, we will ride through Yebello.

Ethiopia has taught us how to be quick witted while riding uphill in the altitude. At any moment in time, no matter where you are you can be ambused by several children. They begin by screaming “YOU YOU YOU YOU” Evidently the only English word they know. Sometimes it is followed by “MONEY MONEY MONEY MONEY”… Then other times it is followed by “Where are you go” which we have learned means “Where are you from”… This is often followed by the children moving into the street, making it difficult to predict if you are going to be able to avoid them at the speeds we are biking. The children will have huge smiles on their faces, seeming excited to see you and just as you pass, you get the final treat…Large stones lobbed at you, your bike or anything they can hit. It is a lesson in patience, a lesson in understanding and an extremely frustrating stressful thing to add to the fact you are biking long distances in the heat uphill. I have been hit several times. They are extremely accurate. Being in Gondor the other day actually helped me to understand this phenomenon a little better, they do not reserve throwing rocks for foreigners alone. In fact… Everyone throws rocks at each other. I saw two men get into an argument at a store and as the other man walked away the first man picked up a stone and threw it at the back of the first man’s head knocking him out. I saw a small boy (under 10 years old) get into an argument with his mom and as he walked away he picked up a rock and threw it at her face. It is a learned behavior. In fact the times that adults see the children throw rocks at us as we ride by, they often pick up a rock and throw it at the kids, to “teach them a lesson?”. Pretty scary. The people are great when you are not riding by. We had several hundred “mountain people” surround our camp last night watching very intensely our every move… ready at any chance we were not looking to zip in and steal whatever is lying around. Theft is actually a big problem here and we lock up our bikes at night and put everything into our tents. Something we have not had to worry about in the past. So far I think riders have been pretty lucky. Not losing too many things. We have to continue to be on guard to protect our things though.

Reflections on Sudan

It has been almost a week since we left Sudan. Most people have been able to dust off the final bits of sand from their chains and cassettes, however it still often shows up in the tent and other places always reminding us of the sand storms and scorching hot desert days. I will remember Sudan for the long stretches of desert riding with not a soul in sight and the relief of the shade found under the tarps at camp. We had easy riding days and we had some of our tough, but they all made us stronger each day. It is funny how we cross a border in Africa and it really does seem like a different place, as we crossed the border into Ethiopia the desert days and flat roads ended and the views turned to mountains and hills with more fertile soil. We will miss Sudan for the lovely people and the amazing ginger tea and coffee and delicious flat bread. It is amazing to think of the genocide that occurred in Sudan as it seems like such a peaceful place with caring people. I feel blessed to have gotten to see this country and would encourage anyone who had a chance to visit here to come. I think we often view Sudan as a war torn country which it has been in the past but it has moved on and it is a beautiful place with a soul. I will remember the caravans of camels coming from Darfur to be sold in Egypt. Khartoum, a dusty, hot city in such an inhospitable hot desert stretch, with its only source of water the Nile floating ominously through the heart of the city. The Riders will never forget the infamous Dinder national park or the difficult scorched earth we biked over for days. Sudan is etched in my memory for several reasons, time went fast here, despite the fact some of our riding days felt like months in themselves. We are a month into our expedition and race and the time is taking its toll on riders. Riders are injured and sick and generally fatigued, the 3000 kilometers we have riden so far has beaten us down and built us up simultaneously. Each day we become stronger riders but each day the kilometers also take their toll on us, with rest days our only chance to recoup and regain the massive amounts of energy we are dolling out on a regular basis. Ethiopia has us anxious and excited - with each new country having a new vibe and with new challenges in themselves.

Ethiopia

Ahh, Our first rest day after the Seven Days of Misery. It feels good to me that I stuck it out, and alas I am tired, to the core of my existence tired. Like I just finished two back to back Alaska Crossings trips Tired. One of the trucks broke down yesterday, actually the breaks broke on a down hill section and they had to use the engine to slow the truck. Luckily no one was hurt but the truck was left behind to get towed in, which means AN EXTRA REST DAY!!! Horray!

Today's ride was very tough. The total elevation gain was 2500 meters. UP and UP and UP we went. I averaged a little under 10km/hr for the day, 107km. Another very long day. The longest hill was 20km with parts on a 13% grade. I didn't think it could get any worse until we approached the top and it became unpaved!! Wow. My heart got the workout of a life time yesterday. When we finally arrived in Gondor we passed the Dashun beer brewery on the way in, four of us decided since twenty riders hadn't even ridden the day and several riders got picked up over the course of the day that we would stop and have a beer before reaching the finish line. Questionable whether this was a good Idea with 14km left, 3km of which took us to the hotel and campsite on a mountain overlooking Gondor. After the one beer I defiantely felt a little wobbily on my bike. Arriving at the hotel felt amazing, just to know we had accomplished the day and for that matter the trip. We learned one rider had crashed into a rider, breaking his collar bone. Really crappy luck. This trip is taking riders out left right and center at this point and people are needing to be very very careful. It was a long day of riding by hundreds of children as the yell "You You You" And "Where are you go?' and then if you don't answer and for that matter, even if you do, they will chase you and grab you and try and take things from your bike and worst of all throw rocks at you...
It is exhausting especially as you move at 7km/ hour uphill...

Ethiopia is beautiful, the Simian Mountains and landscape so different from the deserts of Sudan and Eygpt. I am so happy to be here, experiencing this place this way, despite the difficult riding. This morning we visited one of the riders Charities, Link Ethiopia and had a ceremony at a school he helped pay to build. They put on an amazing ceremony for us including roasting us coffee and hand grinding the beans. It was increadible. We all gave some money to help buy thirty children at the school uniforms and books. It was great to see the difference some of the riders are making for places. It feels really good to give back to the countries that are hosting our ride. We are awaiting anxiously the distances and difficulty of the next week of riding.

“Because I am Loving Every Horrible, Wonderful Minute of This…” Or “7 Days of Misery, A Little For Everyone…”

We have quickly realized that since we left Khartoum our “real” trip has begun. No more Egyptian paved roads or the new roads that the Chinese built for Sudan last year…TIA- This is Africa..These 7 days were worrisome when we saw the distances on the white board as we left Khartoum, and now as we approach the last day of the stretch, the reality has set in and we are getting a true test of what people are made of, and, if in the darkest hour they can dig down somewhere deep inside and find the resolve to carry on. This week has seen many riders at their weakest point, especially through Dinder National Park. Someone said it was the biggest EFI Massacre in TDA history. We are down to only 12 or so riders that have EFI status and a lot of riders with injuries, crashes and illness. Approximately 20 people have chosen to go ahead to Gondor, Ethiopia and not ride these two days to try and recover, from the things that ail them, whether it be physical ailment or a dampened spirit. Despite tomorrow’s “Mando day” which is a race day that cannot count as a grace day in the end due to the difficulty…2500meters of climbing up hill, what Ethiopia is famous for.

This stretch of riding is unique in that it has had something that has tested each rider to the limits of their riding. Endurance, off road, traffic, and hills, something in that mix definitely challenged every rider and we won’t even talk about Dinder in this blog, that will be a separate blog all together.

Leaving Khartoum we faced two very long riding days on tough pavement, 161km and then 163km. The traffic along this stretch was horrendous and everyone rode along anxiously surveying the shoulder to select easy and safe exit points for emergency evacuations. I don’t think there was a rider that at some point didn’t have to exit the highway urgently to avoid a head on collision with an oncoming bus or double wide trailer. Scary, especially since the shoulder was not always the greatest option. Two riders had serious crashes which caused them to have to go to the hospital with several days off from riding and head injuries. Luckily, they are both okay. Over the course of these two days I get two flat tires and a migraine which led me to lay in the ditch for 15 minutes and then ride with limited vision for a long time, I should have known this was only the beginning of a long stretch of challenges.

The next day brought our first day of “dirt roads”… 132km total, 91km on the dirt. This was the first day of the extremely difficult (mentally and physically) days for most riders on this section. The scorched, washboard terrain with loose sections rattled riders arms and bodies to a point that ended with 16+ riders opting for the lunch truck instead of carrying on. There were many places throughout the day that the road split and the “correct route” was marked with flagging tape. Unfortunately the villagers in this area, having never had the Tour D’Afrique come through before thought the flagging tape was very cool and they took the tape. This led to 6 riders getting completely lost and the support vehicles searching for these individuals even into the dark of night. Those of us that are riding rigid frame bikes and opted for No Shocks, quickly learned the value of these. 91km on serious washboard with your forearms as the only shocks, is not promising for the next day on the same terrain. The only thing that I could describe the pain as (even before the end of the day) was that my forearms felt like they were bleeding on the inside. At one point I took my first serious rock hit, a huge fist sized rock lobbed into my back caused me to shout out in pain and almost lose my balance on my bike, the first of many bruises from being hit with rocks over the next few days and I can only imagine the whole trip. Noone is quite sure why the urge to throw rocks at riders as we pass through has become the norm, but it is and it is a difficult situation to deal with, riders have thrown rocks back, shouted, found adults, everything to no avail. Our best bet is to keep your eyes sharp and hope for luck.. By the time I reached the 132km camp after 8.5 arduous hours, my forearms were very swollen and too sore to touch. The only solution to this situation for me was to stock up on ibuprofen to even get on the bike the next day. This long day seemed difficult, however we went to bed really unaware of what awaited us the next day….

The Disastrous Dinder Defeat

“Dinder National Park”, is a new route that the tour decided to take this year to both avoid the heavily trafficked roads south of Khartoum and we were invited by the “ministry of tourism” to ride through the park that has been officially closed for seven years. We should have known that the park being closed for seven years would be an indicator for the type of roads we were about to face… The total distance of the day was set to be 140km, based on the results of the day before, we knew it would be tough to get the distance in. Based on my morning leaving camp, I should have known what a horrible day it would be for me. I started off the morning, unable to move my arms very well due to the extreme abuse of them the day before. As I rushed to get my stuff ready for the day to get out of camp by 7:15am, I noticed my bike computer had died, I tried to change the battery, breaking the entire sensor for the computer off of the frame. In a desperate attempt to fix the situation I duct taped the entire computer back on, to no avail. It would be a long day of riding, having no idea the distance or speed. A very difficult concept for a control freak… Not being able to wear a watch either, due to the fact that the watch greatly irritated the badly swollen forearms. Captain Erin says that it is time to go, and as I struggle to get organized, I get my helmet off the ground and as I go to throw it on my head, see at the last second a scorpion fall out… Yikes, close call. We start the ride. The day starts out with similar terrain as the day before, washboard, and crappy, crappy roads. Little do we know that as the day goes on it will only get worse and worse. Extreme concentration is needed to ride over this terrain as any lack of attention leads to falls, especially with clipless pedals- As many riders and the nurse could attest to later on with late night patching of all the injuries. At 49km we reach the Entrance to the Infamous “Dinder National Park”. They tell us it is essential to ride in groups of 4-6 to keep us safe from the animals in the park… We wait at the entrance until groups are formed and off we go. The roads become HORRENDOUS. Scorched, dry, corrugated, farmer field roads that have not seen water for maybe 100 years, with loose sections of sand and dirt on top, with irregularities and potholes everywhere. The only thing I think you could have done in advance to train for this would be to find a farmers field and ride your bike around in it, although it would have had to be just combined and crappy with no irrigation. This is the most difficult riding I have ever done as was the case for most riders, not to mention the fact my arms still felt like they were bleeding on the inside from the day before. Every single bump led to a winced face trying to suck up the pain from the lack of shocks and the difficult terrain. Minutes turned to hours as we anxiously awaited the 75km point where we could get more water and eat lunch. I have never wanted to be done something so badly in my life and to make matters worse, truck after truck of military vehicles brought “spent and broken” riders past the riders still on the road as riders quit the day opting for any way out of the park. I found this both demoralizing to see these people finished with their agony for the day and encouraging to know that I had the gumption to carry on, while these riders could push no further. We arrive at lunch at 3:00pm, 75km in, they tell us the day has been changed to 118km, which at the speeds we were moving, would still be incredibly difficult to achieve, but everyone has been held here, awaiting a new grouping of people by the park officials to ride in convoys, again, to protect us from the dangerous animals (of which no one had seen anything). At lunch the tour is trying to figure out the logistics of incredible numbers of riders who will no longer ride and want a ride in a vehicle to camp… Very unforeseen to them, it is quickly becoming obvious to everyone that Dinder was not a good idea, but now we are in it, people are upset at losing EFI status and the state of their bodies. The staff is getting abused by tired riders and they are trying to make plans to transport craploads of people. I grab a quick 20 min lunch and decide to head out on my bike, determined to finish- or get picked up trying. Again, truck after truck of broken riders continue to pass by. I am riding with Dave for a long time. At 85km I see some of the best riders getting into a truck. My body hurts and all I want to do is quit but my stubborn nature overrides these thoughts, I ask Jenn for a headlamp as I know at this point I will be riding in the dark and possibly alone and I carry on. Dave and I decide that we will ride to the end or get picked up together trying. At 90km the worst thing happens, it is after 5pm and I get a large thorn puncture my tire, a pssssssttt sound followed by several choice words and a stressful situation. Dave the champ decides this is the perfect time for a cheese sandwich for both of us, I change the tire, as he makes the sandwiches out of scrounged stuff from lunch. Both of the spare tubes I am carrying, one is new, seem to not want to take air. Now it is 5:30pm and I am patching a tube. I put the tube in and as I blow it up, the patch fails. Another flat tire… A couple of riders ride by before I find someone with a tube that will fit the tire. By this point Erin and Dana (my usual group) have ridden by and Wayne finds us and stops. We get the flat changed and quickly get back on the road. The sweep vehicle pulls up and we realize we are going to have to book it if we will be able to finish. I tell Dave to go on, as I feel I am slowing him down and I catch up with Wayne and Erin and Dana. It is getting darker and darker and now we have a truck behind us following us… At any point they can decide it is over. When I get a chance, I power up…and leave the group, knowing if I get ahead alone there is a better chance of finishing because they will have to fuss with the riders and bikes as they load people up in the dark. It is 7pm and dark and I find myself alone in the park, a military vehicle pulls over and tells me it is over, and I need to get in the vehicle because the river is 10km away and the roads are dangerous. There are lions and they are worried. I know they are not in charge of us and don’t make the decisions of when we stop or not, the tour does, and Paul (race director) has told me about 45min ago that we need to get to the EFI line at the river and they will shuttle us to camp from there. I tell the military guys, I am okay and I will not get in the truck. They are very worried. They say “you are crazy lady”… They try again to put me in the truck, I get in my bike and ride away fast so they cannot put me in. It is hard to see now as it is very dark and I am riding with just the headlamp. I am not worried about these so called lions, in fact I decide at this point I would be stoked to see a lion as I had worked so so hard all day to ride through this park only to see the crap road ahead of me…. It is now 7:20 and I reach a small intersection. It is done. I don’t know which way to go, I can’t see the flagging in the dark so I sit on the side of the road waiting for the sweep truck. I am at 103km. I hope the sweep truck will follow us with the lights so we can keep going. Finally at 7:35pm the trucks arrive. I am sad to see Wayne and Dana and Erin inside. Kelsey gets out and says it is over, I have to get on the truck. It is too dark and too dangerous. I am initially devastated and then proud. I was the last person to get put in the truck. Erin and I talked about it the next morning and she said something that I found very valuable and will remember for the rest of this trip. She said “It is funny how sometimes a failure can also be a success”. It was so true. As the four of us rode the truck to reach the camp, we started following a convoy of trucks of bikes and defeated riders. The difference was that in that moment after 12 hours and 35 minutes of riding with a 20 minute lunch, we each knew that we had given that day 100% of absolutely every single bit of energy we had. We were broken, both physically and mentally but we were stronger for it. And every day of this tour will be different for me now. I officially lost my EFI on day two 3km outside of camp but I felt robbed of those kilometers. But the Dinder Defeat was a legitimate loss of my EFI, but I put every ounce of my soul into that day and therefore it was a success. As the convoy of riders converged, and we got out and got into the truck together to go to camp, some having just gotten off their bikes, some having been in the truck all day, we realized that in that day 40 riders had to get on the truck. Peoples dreams of “Every Fabulous Inch” were stolen from them in the Dinder Route. Many people lost their dream of EFI but we will have the memories of the Dinder Defeat forever. There were a lot of tears and injuries and stories of the day, and that is what memories and expeditions are made of. We arrived at camp to learn that some riders had riden the entire 140km to camp! Unbelievable and fully deserving of EFI and the respect of everyone arriving in trucks. I got off the truck to hear “Steph you are on dish duty tonight”. The irony of this situation just made me chuckle. I took 4 ibuprofin for my arms and went to bed. It was a long day, but we had to wake up in a mere 6 hours and do it all again, so the only answer was to put the day behind us and move on. I was battered and sore and I slept in my clothes laying in the hot tent in the desert of Sudan.

Day three on the dirt. It was another hot, hot 45C day on the terrible farmers field corn field washboard. My arms were now at a state that I thought there may be irreversible damage as I have never know the possibility of forearms being so swollen. From the side you could see that my forearms were visibly 1 inch swollen. Erin and I were physically done as were many riders. The lunch and dinner trucks were full before even leaving camp this morning, people had decided if they had lost their EFI already, they were not going to ride, others were injured and others were just dealing with pure exhaustion. I felt like I had all of the above but alas still too stubborn to get on the truck, mounted my bike and rode away. Riders that needed to stop in the morning were unable to mount the trucks because there was no room. At 10km in Erin got a flat (her first) so we stopped and I helped her change it. Our bodies were battered, both of us now (after Dinder) dealing with saddle sores ( my first of the trip) and my arms were in horrible condition, making changing the flats aweful. At 20km I got a flat tire (my tenth!!!) We stopped and changed it. We were done, emotionally and physically. We biked and walked the rough sections, ground that I don’t believe anyone in their right mind would choose to bike over… At one point we stopped and made a video of the difficulties of the last 24 hours. We arrived at the lunch truck at 3pm. Doing an analysis of the time, our condition and the heat (46C), Erin and I both (although we are two of the strongest women I have ever known) decided we would never reach 140km before dark and it would be a fruitless effort. I put my tail between my legs at 65 km and willingly for the first time on the trip got on the truck. Again a failure but also a success of knowing when enough is enough and knowing we had given that day our all. As we drove along in the lunch truck we passed truck after truck of defeated riders and bikes. Another atrocious day, more riders losing EFI and everyone arriving at camp either by truck or bike very late…Heat stroke and injuries plagued riders along the route. Most people arrived in the dark another day in a row. We shared the one squat toilet amongst all 70 of us and then went to bed to wake up and do it all over again, only this time in Ethiopia…

Today was another trying day but in retrospect, a piece of cake. We woke up and 15 riders decided to they had had it and got a mini van to Gondor, Ethiopia, our next rest day, two days out. They were done. The rest of us approached the Ethiopian border (a piece of string tied across the road) and waited for each person’s passport to be checked against a book of hundreds of names not allowed in the country, this you can imagine took time and then we entered our third country of 10. Ethiopia we knew was not going to give us the rest we all desperately need but it is a change. It is notorious for its endless hills, altitude (Addis Ababa- third highest capital city in the world next to La Paz,Bolivia and Quito,Ecuador and the children that throw rocks and steal stuff off the bikes as you ride. Our day today was 98km with 1098 m of climbing. The country started off with a hill right from the border, the hills were hard and the kids relentless but in a weird way, no where near as hard as Dinder. At camp 5 more people decide to forget the riding tomorrow and go ahead to Gondor. It was a quiet campsite tonight with 20 riders missing but it made us see what people are made of. Tomorrow is a mandatory race day, 2502m of climbing, but the beer will taste so much better knowing we worked so hard to achieve it. TIA- This is Africa and so our adventure has begun. 7 days of misery- 905km (of which I rode 814km). Khartoum and that rest day feel like a lifetime ago.

Captain Erin Speaks

Captain Erin Speaks


As time has gone on we have really started to fall into our natural biking groups. Speeds have been determined and riders are becoming more consistent with who they ride with. Of course the fast racers are nowhere to be seen most of the day and the slower riders generally go onto the lunch truck after lunch, it has been difficult to find riders of the same speed and ability as me. I have found myself in a bike group with a very strong rider (Erin) who we affectionately call her “Captain”. Erin is in the Guiness Book Of World Records for being the Youngest woman to run a marathon on all seven continents at the age of 23years old and she is an ironman. She is 26 and very determined. I have met my match and possibly my future ultrarunning partner. She is great, however Erin is very consistent and does not wait for anyone. I have learned this the hard way several times as I delay in the morning or go to the bathroom and get left behind. One morning I told her I was running to the bathroom and she says, “catch up!” which is an impossible task as she is an incredible rider. It makes us efficient in the morning though and and those of us that want to ride with Erin, know to watch her as she eats in the morning to know when we are leaving… It has become a joke as we can now leave whenever, punching in. Our morning routines, seem so natural to us now, however to an outsider may think it is very bizarre. With 58 riders plus sectional riders everything involves trying to figure out the most efficient plan of how not to stand in lines…. My morning generally looks like this, I wake up at 5:15, go to the truck, get the shovel, walk into the field and take my morning toilet trip. I walk back to my tent, put on chamois cream and sunscreen and don my bike clothes, pack up my tent and try to arrive at the door of the truck no later than 6:20am (the line starts shortly after this or some days someone makes it ahead of me…) At 6:30 the truck music turns on (wake up alarm clock if you want to stand in line later on…) then the truck doors open. We head down the two foot wide locker hallway and try and cram all our crap into our lockers as quiclkly as possible to not cause a delay for the other 50 riders, the longer you take the longer the line gets… Then I get off and fill my water bottles, double check my tires, put my newly patched (did I mention I get a lot of flat tires?) tubes into my bike and head back to pick up my hot drink at 6:45, which used to be 7am until I filled enough complaints to get that time changed to the celebration of many riders…( Anyone who has worked in the field with me before knows how near and dear to my heart hot drinks are, and the thought of watching the staff drink their hot drinks before 7 and us having to wait until 7 was pushing me over the edge….). At 7 am breakfast is served and we huddle around the table to avoid being last in line, which means, leaving camp later, which means arriving at lunch and camp later, Every decision has consequences… We scarf down breakfast and then get back in line to put our dishes into the locker…Or in my case see who I can bribe that day to put my dishes in their locker… Then helmets on, bike gloves on, scan in, and on the rode no later than 7:20am (Captain Erin speaks! This is her time of leaving, if you wait any longer you will get left behind!). We arrive at lunch hours later, eat lunch and ride to camp, scan in, get our stuff out of the lockers, set up our tents, and eat soup. Depending on what time you get to camp based on your riding day means how long you wait for dinner. Then we have a rider meeting, learn about the next day and then eat dinner, go to bed to wake up and do it all over again. And that is the day in the life of an African bike rider.

To Khartoum By Bicycle

Another rest day. Another day of hand washing and loading up on junk and showering and preparing our bodies for the next stretch, a long one, 7 days to Gondor, Ethiopia. We will have two century rides, three days of gravel through Dinder National Park and several days of climbing. It is hot, and dusty in Khartoum. We started the day off with a 20km time trial, everyone for themselves as fast as you can go in as much of a sprint as possible, followed by 44 km of riding then a hot, loud LONG 40km police escorted convoy into the sprawling city of Khartoum. I surprised myself in the time trial, moving a lot faster than I thought was possible for myself. Cool that my first ever time trial was in Sudan, of all places. The last few days of hot riding has taxed people and the rest day is a lucky break. The temperature was well into the 40s as we rode past donkey carts and taxi cabs and mini buses. We rode over the bridge which is the confluence of the Blue Nile and the White Nile, an amazing expanse of water in a dry land. It is no wonder 8 million people live in this city so close to the water, because as we can attest, the desert is a tough place to exist.

Last night in camp we had a sand storm, one of the things that my camping skills are not yet solid with. Our tents got tested to their maximum wind ratings and everyone went to bed with small sand dunes inside their tents. Sand and desert has such a romanticized feel until you have sand stuck in every orifice of your body.

The last week of riding has increased my self confidence and strength with my riding. The sun is a whole new element to learn to deal with especially with the start of Doxycycline for Malaria which has a side effect of increased sun sensitivity. Already I have been dealing with extremely bad heat rash on my thighs which I imagine will only get worse as the temperature rises. We have been told we have not seen the hottest temperatures yet. I can only imagine. The unfortunate part of the desert is how freezing cold the mornings are, we huddle together drinking our hot drinks in our arm warmers and leg warmers only to be dripping with sweat hours later, drinking warm electrolyte drink and water from our water bottles…oh the irony.

Magic Clay Pots

Sudan= Desert, Heat, Amazing Sunsets, Sunrises and Moonrises… and Stars as far as you can see in the Desert. The temperatures have been Hot. 45C has been the highs in the afternoon. We are leaving camp by 7:15am and by 11am it is so hot you wished you could have left at 5am. My biking crew have been reaching the lunch stop by around 10am sometimes a little earlier, which makes “the afternoon” tolerable, but it is crazy hot.

Yesterday was one of my most difficult days thus far with two flat tires and a miserable sore throat and a 141 km day mixed with the fact I struggled to do more than 17km an hour for a lot of the day. Luckily I have made enough friends that I had an amazing “nascar pit stop tire change” where I was actually told to get out of the way so the tire could be changed faster… I guess it does pay to be a woman sometimes. Chivalry is definitely okay when you are in the middle of the hot desert.

The only savior from the heat are the “magic clay pots” that exist in small shelters along side the highway for emergency water stops in the hot Nubian desert. These are community pots for anyone to use, and the clay pots allow the water to evaporate out the sides, making the water left in the pot ice cold. It is the perfect temperature to cool an overheating biking body. I am hesitant to use the pots when locals are around as I fear they might lose their mind seeing us white folk roll in and pour this water over our bodies. I am still not sure how the water gets into these pots, but I am sure it is epic. I feel somewhat bad about the “misuse” of this water however I use it sparingly and at the time it feels like it is essential to keep me moving forward. Riders have quickly realized just how much water is required to keep from dehydrating. It is an insane amount. I am definitely upwards of 12 liters easily per day right now and I am lucky if I pee twice. It is a constant battle. So much for the Bikram yoga training!

It is the time of year that the “camel caravans” march their camels from Darfur to Egypt to sell them, which apparently takes 40 days. We have been lucky enough to see some of these camel caravans coming through the desert. It is also so hot here, that some of the camels don’t make it… We have seen several dead camels laying in the desert, and without any worms or vultures or predators, these corpses lay in the desert with their only decomposer being the hot sun.

The honeymoon of the trip is definitely over, as we hear about our upcoming schedule and our “mando days” . These are days that racers must use in the calculation of the overall time due to the difficulty of the rides. Our largest climb will be coming up on Feb 12 with a 2500 meter climb! And our longest riding day will be in Botswana with a 207km day! Yikes. Well hopefully by then that will seem like a drop in the hat. It is actually amazing how the body adapts to this day after day riding. Our bodies are very resilient. We are taking a new route through Sudan which everyone is getting very excited about. Once we leave Khartoum we will head south through Dinder National Park, which has been officially closed for 7 years. We have been invited to ride through this park which is a very big deal. It has meant a change in schedule, long riding days 160km, 160km, and then several days of gravel roads through the park, but well worth it in the end. The park is home to lions, and other large animals and since it is very seldom travelled, we may actually get to see these animals. Camping out in the park we will have “guards on camels?” to protect us from the lions at night, hmmm… don’t think it will be a smart idea for people to go to far alone at night…

We now live for “coke stops” and are told about them the night before our riding days in the rider meeting. Small shops on the side of the road that probably usually get three or four people a day, are now inundated with 70 riders all VERY thirsty and hot. We found out yesterday that if you don’t bike fast enough, these “coke stops” can be very disappointing when you arrive and they are “sold out” of all cold beverages. Just a motivator I guess to bike faster, and harder the next day. Hot drinks are still available in the morning and afternoon at camp so I get my fill of tea which breaks up drinking only water which I have never really been a fan of, and despite the heat, I still love my hot drinks.