The video for Section 4 of our eight part marathon adventure is now available by clicking here
It's great.
Monday, 1 April 2013
Saturday, 30 March 2013
Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud...
Tanzania has been the most fun place to ride. We were a bit nervous about this
extended off road section after our experiences in Sudan, but riding on the
dark red hard packed earth surrounded by dense green forests has been
wonderful. The route we have taken has certainly been a road less travelled as
we saw very few vehicles over the last 6 days, and those that we did see tended
to be stuck in the mud, going nowhere fast.
As fate would have it, as soon as we turned off the tarmac the rain began. Loosened by the downpours, our wheels kicked up the gritty red sand which would flick into our faces, on our backs and to all parts of our bikes. Quickly the dots of spray would become solid patches of grime, caking our clothes. Finally the heavy mud guards which Thijis has been carrying half the length of Africa came into their own as his shirt remained perfectly Daz white - we can’t say the same for ours!
After two days with bouts of torrential rain the road was completely destroyed in parts. At times the mud was so deep that our wheels would become clumped with it, doubling in size - we’d lift them up to carry them through. Not knowing how long these sections would go on for we shuddered at the prospect of walking 119 km carrying our bikes. But quickly we’d be on the move again, flying along the hard packed dirt, loving the terrain and hurling ourselves through the smaller puddles.
The mud quickly solidified on our bikes, causing all sorts of creaking and groaning, destroying our chains and wearing out our brake pads. We’d wince as we changed gears and our bikes screamed at us to stop the pain we were putting them through.
Jockey wheels and brake pads - the effect of the grit wore our brakes to the nub and sharpened our jockey wheels into deadly ninja stars
Arriving in camp, with the spray of mud thick on us we’d begin the futile exercise of cleaning our clothes, our bikes and ourselves. Each of these tasks required purchasing a bucket of water from an enterprising local (of varying prices from one village to the next depending on the strength of our negotiation skills). It also required some careful analysis of the clouds and bold uninformed conclusions about weather patterns to estimate the window of opportunity for drying (particularly clothes which would otherwise sit in our lockers and become increasingly smelly) before everything would be soaking again. Even if the whole task was achieved (a rarity) within 5 minutes on the road the next day any pretence at cleanliness would be lost as we would become gloriously dirty once again.
All of this reminded us of riding in England – we are not strangers to the constant drizzle, and enjoyed the freshness in the air that meant we were no longer racing to camp to beat the heat. The less popular road meant that for the majority of the time the surface was relatively smooth (free from the corrugation we experienced in Sudan) and took us through some tiny towns and villages, which we otherwise would have missed, even if they did laugh at our mud splattered faces, whilst they pedalled past in their impossibly clean, white dresses. The challenge of riding off-road was so much fun, bending and weaving, trying to find the smoothest and driest line – perhaps we’ll try mountain biking when we get home…
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| MUD.. and more mud. We took time to visit Ypres! |
As fate would have it, as soon as we turned off the tarmac the rain began. Loosened by the downpours, our wheels kicked up the gritty red sand which would flick into our faces, on our backs and to all parts of our bikes. Quickly the dots of spray would become solid patches of grime, caking our clothes. Finally the heavy mud guards which Thijis has been carrying half the length of Africa came into their own as his shirt remained perfectly Daz white - we can’t say the same for ours!
After two days with bouts of torrential rain the road was completely destroyed in parts. At times the mud was so deep that our wheels would become clumped with it, doubling in size - we’d lift them up to carry them through. Not knowing how long these sections would go on for we shuddered at the prospect of walking 119 km carrying our bikes. But quickly we’d be on the move again, flying along the hard packed dirt, loving the terrain and hurling ourselves through the smaller puddles.
The mud quickly solidified on our bikes, causing all sorts of creaking and groaning, destroying our chains and wearing out our brake pads. We’d wince as we changed gears and our bikes screamed at us to stop the pain we were putting them through.
Jockey wheels and brake pads - the effect of the grit wore our brakes to the nub and sharpened our jockey wheels into deadly ninja stars
Arriving in camp, with the spray of mud thick on us we’d begin the futile exercise of cleaning our clothes, our bikes and ourselves. Each of these tasks required purchasing a bucket of water from an enterprising local (of varying prices from one village to the next depending on the strength of our negotiation skills). It also required some careful analysis of the clouds and bold uninformed conclusions about weather patterns to estimate the window of opportunity for drying (particularly clothes which would otherwise sit in our lockers and become increasingly smelly) before everything would be soaking again. Even if the whole task was achieved (a rarity) within 5 minutes on the road the next day any pretence at cleanliness would be lost as we would become gloriously dirty once again.
 |
| Ali claims it's a tanline! |
All of this reminded us of riding in England – we are not strangers to the constant drizzle, and enjoyed the freshness in the air that meant we were no longer racing to camp to beat the heat. The less popular road meant that for the majority of the time the surface was relatively smooth (free from the corrugation we experienced in Sudan) and took us through some tiny towns and villages, which we otherwise would have missed, even if they did laugh at our mud splattered faces, whilst they pedalled past in their impossibly clean, white dresses. The challenge of riding off-road was so much fun, bending and weaving, trying to find the smoothest and driest line – perhaps we’ll try mountain biking when we get home…
Thursday, 28 March 2013
St. Paddy's Day
Wherever you go in the world,
there’s always an Irishman…
As we have settled into the trip and got fitter, we have slowly been staying up later, needing that bit less sleep to recover each night, and having the odd beer. Since Kenya, the group has started looking for excuses to have some celebrations (crossing the equator led to one particularly heavy evening…), and so for St.Patrick’s day, a group of us became honorary Irishmen (under the wing of two genuine paddies on the trip, Phil and Darragh) and decided to spend the day doing challenges as we rode along. The evening before, we came up with a list of dares, with associated points, ranging from getting on a local’s bike (easy) to getting a local to buy you a beer (impossible).
The following morning, we begged, borrowed and stole anything we could find that was green, white or orange to try and look the part (this included sticking pieces of green crop in our helmets) and set off on the road.
The day was spend cajoling locals to lend us their donkey, swapping clothes, sampling as many varieties of beer as possible, which doesn’t make cycling up hills much fun, and trying to get locals’ phone numbers (Lizzie was worryingly good at this). We even managed to form the base of a 10-man human pyramid. However, the highlight occurred whilst we were in negotiations to borrow a local’s clapped out bicycle, when we heard the roar of a motorbike engine and saw Freek, a Dutch rider on the trip, tear down the road with 500cc of power behind him – his power of persuasion are clearly much better than ours.
As we have settled into the trip and got fitter, we have slowly been staying up later, needing that bit less sleep to recover each night, and having the odd beer. Since Kenya, the group has started looking for excuses to have some celebrations (crossing the equator led to one particularly heavy evening…), and so for St.Patrick’s day, a group of us became honorary Irishmen (under the wing of two genuine paddies on the trip, Phil and Darragh) and decided to spend the day doing challenges as we rode along. The evening before, we came up with a list of dares, with associated points, ranging from getting on a local’s bike (easy) to getting a local to buy you a beer (impossible).
 |
| The challenges are set |
 |
| The list of challenges |
The following morning, we begged, borrowed and stole anything we could find that was green, white or orange to try and look the part (this included sticking pieces of green crop in our helmets) and set off on the road.
 |
A leprechaun hides from the camera |
 |
| If you squint, it looks like an Irish flag... hmm? |
The day was spend cajoling locals to lend us their donkey, swapping clothes, sampling as many varieties of beer as possible, which doesn’t make cycling up hills much fun, and trying to get locals’ phone numbers (Lizzie was worryingly good at this). We even managed to form the base of a 10-man human pyramid. However, the highlight occurred whilst we were in negotiations to borrow a local’s clapped out bicycle, when we heard the roar of a motorbike engine and saw Freek, a Dutch rider on the trip, tear down the road with 500cc of power behind him – his power of persuasion are clearly much better than ours.
 |
A Maasai clothes swap |
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| The centre of the pyramid looking nervous |
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The coup de grace – Freek swapped his bike for a motorbike |
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
Ngorongoro Crater
Last week we had a few days off from riding in Arusha, Tanzania (a planned
break this time). We took the opportunity to head to Ngorongoro Crater. Not
only is Ngorongoro the inspiration for The Lion King, which is in its own right a good enough reason to visit (on the off
chance of seeing a cloud shaped like Mufasa) but it is also an incredible game
park.
Due to all the volcanic ash the crater is incredibly lush, enabling it to support a huge number of animals. It has very steep sides which keeps a lot of the animals penned in (although some of them do move in and out using some of the less steep routes). The combined impact of these is that the crater in effect becomes a glorified 35 square mile zoo, where it is relatively easy to spot animals.
We were lucky enough to see four separate lion prides, rhinos, hippos, elephants, hyenas and all the slightly more common stuff, like zebras, that are really exciting the first time you see one, and far less so after the 7,000th. The crater ground consists of ash rather than soil, meaning that in the main it cannot support tree roots so there are no impala and no giraffes there as they are tree feeders.
Whilst staying at a very nice hotel on the rim of the crater, Ali decided to pop the big question to Lizzie, to which she very sensibly said yes. Luckily, having been washing some lycra earlier in the day, her fingernails were clean for the occasion and the ring didn’t look too out of place! This will hopefully give us more conversational material for the long riding days ahead.
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| The Crater's edge |
Due to all the volcanic ash the crater is incredibly lush, enabling it to support a huge number of animals. It has very steep sides which keeps a lot of the animals penned in (although some of them do move in and out using some of the less steep routes). The combined impact of these is that the crater in effect becomes a glorified 35 square mile zoo, where it is relatively easy to spot animals.
 |
| A lion couple's domestic |
We were lucky enough to see four separate lion prides, rhinos, hippos, elephants, hyenas and all the slightly more common stuff, like zebras, that are really exciting the first time you see one, and far less so after the 7,000th. The crater ground consists of ash rather than soil, meaning that in the main it cannot support tree roots so there are no impala and no giraffes there as they are tree feeders.
 |
| A wildebeest domestic |
 |
| Simba and his mates |
Whilst staying at a very nice hotel on the rim of the crater, Ali decided to pop the big question to Lizzie, to which she very sensibly said yes. Luckily, having been washing some lycra earlier in the day, her fingernails were clean for the occasion and the ring didn’t look too out of place! This will hopefully give us more conversational material for the long riding days ahead.
Sunday, 17 March 2013
Halfway Down
It’s hard to believe that we have now done half the distance
of this trip; pedalled through 5 countries and been on our bikes for two months. Several bouts of diarrhoea and some nasty saddle
sores in, we remember days at home when we couldn’t really believe that we were
going to start this adventure, let alone contemplate being half way.
So many lessons have been learnt – Lizzie has learnt not to
tighten all the screws on her bike
(for example those that set the limits for the gear cable) and Ali has fine
tuned his tyre changing with 15 punctures.
We know that duct tape can solve nearly
everything and that if you don’t have any sensation in your left hand for a few
weeks – eventually it will come back; that a tent can often be better than a
hotel and that peeing outdoors is often better than in; that Ethiopians have
great aim; that the race to the front of
the breakfast queue is the most important race in the day; that skinny cyclists can eat A LOT; that Saint
George beer tastes better than Dashen; that beetroot and diarrhoea don’t mix
well; that chocolate can make anything seem better (and that M&M’s keep
better in the heat than Snickers); that it is possible to go from dirty to (averagely)
clean in 3 wet wipes and that you don’t need to shower nearly as often as you
think you should.
We are looking forward to the second half and know that there
are many more lessons to come!
Halfway through the miles, we are also just over halfway towards
our fundraising target. We are so
grateful to those who have been supporting us, and helped us raise nearly
£6,000 for the three charities that we are fundraising for. For those of you who are planning on
sponsoring us, but have yet to find the time – get on it! (thanks)
Wednesday, 13 March 2013
The Sun and the Moon
There is no doubt that our lives have become pretty basic, centred around food, sleep and cycling. This has been matched by the simplicity of our daily routine becoming based around the comings and goings of the sun. This necessity is compounded by the fact that we often camp in the middle of nowhere with no electricity.
Whilst the hours of daylight change slightly as we head south, generally it has been getting light at around 6.30am and dark at around 7pm. This means that we eat breakfast at around 6.45am and set off riding straight after. Depending on the quality of the road and the length of the days riding, we tend to get to lunch between 9.30am and 11.30am, arriving at camp between 12.30pm and 3.30pm with dinner at 5.15pm. Whilst at first these times sounded shocking, we have adjusted to this new routine and generally find ourselves looking at our watches less and less, knowing the times of day by the urgency of our hunger! We don’t miss the call to prayer which woke us up throughout Egypt and Sudan, but it seems to be being steadily replaced by cockerels and other contributors to the dawn chorus.
We only cycle during the hours of daylight, so we are always keen to get moving early in the morning, enjoying the ride while the air is cooler and the sun is getting into its stride. On long days, the lowering of the sun in the sky acts as an incentive to pedal faster, lest it fall dark, we get picked up by the crew and our day’s ride is curtailed.
Once the sun sets, people tend to slink off to their tents as without electricity there is little to do but talk, and the day’s exertion leaves our capacity to do this severely dented! Although if you’re feeling up to it there is often an amicable debate involving an American going on somewhere around camp. It is noticeable how on rest days, when we have power, we can quickly revert to the ingrained routines and timings of our normal lives (not least because the wi-fi works better late at night when everyone else has gone to bed).
One of the highlights of camping in the middle of nowhere is the night sky. The moon, especially when full, has been fantastically bright - we’ve had the pleasure of seeing it rise, big and yellow on the horizon on a couple of occasions. We often leave the flysheet off our tent and it can appear as if someone is standing above us with a head-torch looking in it is so bright (Tessa did actually ask the moon one night who it was and what it wanted!). And the number of stars we can see is breath-taking. Often by the time we get up in the morning, the moon has set and the first few minutes of our routine, taking down the tent etc., are done in the pitch black, before the light from the sun starts to filter through and another day begins.
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| A rider sets out at dawn |
Whilst the hours of daylight change slightly as we head south, generally it has been getting light at around 6.30am and dark at around 7pm. This means that we eat breakfast at around 6.45am and set off riding straight after. Depending on the quality of the road and the length of the days riding, we tend to get to lunch between 9.30am and 11.30am, arriving at camp between 12.30pm and 3.30pm with dinner at 5.15pm. Whilst at first these times sounded shocking, we have adjusted to this new routine and generally find ourselves looking at our watches less and less, knowing the times of day by the urgency of our hunger! We don’t miss the call to prayer which woke us up throughout Egypt and Sudan, but it seems to be being steadily replaced by cockerels and other contributors to the dawn chorus.
We only cycle during the hours of daylight, so we are always keen to get moving early in the morning, enjoying the ride while the air is cooler and the sun is getting into its stride. On long days, the lowering of the sun in the sky acts as an incentive to pedal faster, lest it fall dark, we get picked up by the crew and our day’s ride is curtailed.
 |
| Sunset |
Once the sun sets, people tend to slink off to their tents as without electricity there is little to do but talk, and the day’s exertion leaves our capacity to do this severely dented! Although if you’re feeling up to it there is often an amicable debate involving an American going on somewhere around camp. It is noticeable how on rest days, when we have power, we can quickly revert to the ingrained routines and timings of our normal lives (not least because the wi-fi works better late at night when everyone else has gone to bed).
One of the highlights of camping in the middle of nowhere is the night sky. The moon, especially when full, has been fantastically bright - we’ve had the pleasure of seeing it rise, big and yellow on the horizon on a couple of occasions. We often leave the flysheet off our tent and it can appear as if someone is standing above us with a head-torch looking in it is so bright (Tessa did actually ask the moon one night who it was and what it wanted!). And the number of stars we can see is breath-taking. Often by the time we get up in the morning, the moon has set and the first few minutes of our routine, taking down the tent etc., are done in the pitch black, before the light from the sun starts to filter through and another day begins.
 |
| A bright night under the stars |
Monday, 11 March 2013
Section 3 Video Up for Palme D'Or
We have had some good feedback on our videos so far - it seems people are enjoying them. If there is anything you'd be keen for us to include in subsequent videos, please let us know i.e. more of our grubby faces, less of our posteriors etc...
This video shows a lot of us not cycling, as due to the election we did quite a lot of not cycling. It's become a bit more of a holiday (although the second half of Ethiopia was still very tough!), but hopefully from Nairobi onwards we will be back on our bikes and bringing you more footage from the road.
Click here to watch it.
This video shows a lot of us not cycling, as due to the election we did quite a lot of not cycling. It's become a bit more of a holiday (although the second half of Ethiopia was still very tough!), but hopefully from Nairobi onwards we will be back on our bikes and bringing you more footage from the road.
Click here to watch it.
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