With a tailwind cranking this morning the riders enjoyed a fast, smooth (they are loving the tarmac) ride into the lunch stop, with most of them enjoying a dance (the lunch truck has some great tunes) as well as some food. The wind changed direction slightly after lunch but that didn't stop the speed of the racers or the expedition riders. The whole contingent was in camp by 3pm. The BIG news today is......we have a new womens stage winner today - Eva Nijssen took out line honours in a super fast time that had some of the men fighting to keep up with her. She summed up her win by saying 'I don't know.....I just felt so good today!' Well done Eva! Tonight we have been treated to a talk on video cameras as well as our resident super coach Chris Maund giving us a great talk about heart rate monitors, eating like athletes and training!

I got thinking about the Tour and the unique style of having a race and an epic tour all in one, and I think it works because the campsite life equalizes everyone. There are no divisions in camp between these groups, everyone talks together about their day and about what it is they do when there are not on the Tour d’Afrique. The group is like a nomadic village that packs up each morning to settle again that afternoon some 120 km further south. And whether it takes them 3 hours or 12 hours to get there, they all stay together, eat together, and support each other. The expedition riders applaud the racer and shake their heads in disbelief at the times they cross the line at, the racers cheer on the expedition riders as they come in later to camp – having exerted themselves perhaps even more than the racers in simply trying to complete each days distance. Then there are the expedition riders who are the curious explorers, who are fit and fast, but couldn’t be bothered to race, but instead want to explore every village they pass by, shop in the markets, talk to the people and get a little better insight into the places they’ve been. There are many different goals of the participants – to simply complete the Tour, to win the race, to be ride EFI, and so on. But they all have common things that perhaps inspire them – Africa, the adventure, travel, the challenge the tour presents, the unpredictability, and the joys of camping and meeting new and interesting people.

A cold start in the desert this morning with nearly everyone wearing their arm warmers and jackets. The ride today was fast and mostly flat along dirt roads and the smoothest of brand newly laid tarmac which allowed everyone to kick into their top gears and enjoy the speed again without too many bumps. The wind was behind us for most of the morning…..thank goodness for tuna salad and Black Cat peanut butter sandwiches for lunch because we had a cranking head wind along the road after lunch. The racers zipped on through to the finish while the expedition riders played soccer with local school children, stopped in villages to take photos but everyone enjoyed the cold pepsis at the truck stop near the finish flag as well as sweets and yummy grapefruit! Another starry night here in northern Sudan, with the wind dying down and riders enjoying another one of Mile’s great meals!

Yesterday, we enjoyed a ‘Rest Day’ in Dongola, a relaxed little village town on the Nile River, complete with yummy pastries, exceptionally good falafels, palm groves and friendly, friendly locals. Our place of residence is the old zoo….with old cages, old toilets and an old turtle!!! Someone forgot to tell him that the zoo had closed down. Everyone has been enjoying the easy going nature of the day, cleaning themselves (the zoo has a great outdoor shower – a pipe hanging over an old light post that spills out water at least 18 hours a day), their bikes, their clothes (after 5 days in the dust everything was pretty filthy) and enjoying the food and atmosphere that Dongola has to offer. Darryl, one of the riders even found a bike shop that sells bike parts and bikes for $20 US so the riders have been making the most of it! Yesterday, we completed our desert crossing on probably the hottest day we have experienced so far. In preparation for the crossing, we had an earlier start than normal and crossed in a convoy. Only a few 100m into the crossing it was clear enough to see how easy it was to get lost out there. For us though, the sun hid behind some clouds for most of the morning and although the soft sand sometimes wreaked havoc, it was a smooth crossing…..and no one got lost! Afterwards, we had a simple twenty something km ride through several villages to the ferry that would take us across the Nile River and put us a final 25km from Dongola. Abdul, our Sudanese guide must have decided that the Desert Crossing was far too easy, so he took us an indirect route through several villages, hoping to skirt all of them. (and another few km’s longer than the intended route) What a sight we would have seemed…..40 something bikes, complete with brightly colored lycra outfits, crisscrossing canals, getting bogged on sandy tracks and taking photos. After going a few km’s out of our way, we landed in a busy market square and it was decided that this was a good spot to have lunch…..can you just imagine a 4WD full of peanut butter sandwiches, energy bars, staminade and water plus riders, support staff and bikes taking over the square…..then….the big surprise compliments of Shanny, cold pepsi delivered via donkey and cart!!! After lunch, and a trek though winding sandy streets and locals calling out ‘Welcome’ and ‘How are you’….we hit the ferry, loaded up, made room for a donkey and set sail for a quick 30 minute trip to the other side. Dipping your hot sweaty feet into the Nile was a pleasure and the ride was over far too quickly so it was back on the bikes in anticipation of meeting up with the tarmac in Dongola……a hot afternoon, lots of water stops, a few spills and finally seeing Betsy (the African Routes lunch truck) and the boys telling us 3km’s to go to camp. Yay! Unfortunately, Doris, the other truck had gotten a bit stuck in the crossing so she was late getting in and it was decided that we would order dinner in that night. While riders showered and cleaned, Miles and I headed off into town and bought the whole place out of Beef Shwarma’s and falafel sandwiches and pepsi – needless to say we did make friends with the local café owner after an order that big. Stage 14 began this morning…..cold and brisk but with tarmac so the racers were ready; everybody a little excited and the bikes clean again and running smoothly. While most of the racers are doing last minute checks on their bikes and getting sorted, Gunther who is currently in 3rd position overall for the men’s division, sat casually on a camp chair, lycra on, camel back full of water, bike ready…..smoking a cigarette and tying his hiking boot laces (he prefers to wear these rather than bike shoes)……but despite this each day he is one of the first in…..the other guys cannot believe it! For today’s stage, we had 50km of tarmac (riders’ bliss after the previous bumps and sand) then we hit the dirt roads again, a few sandy patches and a herd of camels, for another 50km. A fast day with the whole contingent in at camp by 2.30pm. Unfortunately mother nature decided that she would whip up some good crosswinds that are exceptional at covering everything in a fine layer of dust and filling your tent with sand so here we sit……in an open desert camp, bikes trying to be cleaned, people reading their guide books, Sudanese villagers bringing bags of oranges to sell, playing cricket with a wooden spoon and shovel and trying not to get your eyes filled with sand (too late for most of the tents). Bumps, grazes and injuries being cleaned up as well as a few saddle sores. Elaine, the tour nurse is started to get busy. Another day in beautiful Africa!

Deep sand, hot weather and cold cokes 3km from the campsite were the highlights of today's stage. Once again the people of all the villages we passed through were welcoming and gave their usual wave, smile and greeting. Riders enjoyed the cold drinks, a swim in the Nile and and early night in anticipation of tomorrows 'pure' desert crossing into the town of Dongola.

We left Aswan, our final destination in Egypt on the morning of the 22nd, climbing up towards the dam wall, a convoy of about 40 bikes and police cars all competing with the tourist buses and regular traffic. The 40km ride turned out to be about 20km ending with us arriving at the ‘chaos’ that was the port as it was the only day each week that the ferry sailed to Wadi Halfa. There were fully loaded trucks competing with market sellers, competing with people, competing with a million boxes of TV’s and fridges and finally competing with the Tour D’Afrique contingent and their gear and 40 bikes….all to get aboard the ferry. If you didn’t get on it would mean waiting until the following Monday! After clearing through the official process, aided by our trusty guy on the ground we started loading the bikes. That was the easy part as everyone gets out of your way when you have a bike but things changed dramatically when you only have a bag and there are another 400 people trying to get on board. If you were left guarding the load of gear on the port…..people offered 1000 Red Camels for you which apparently is a compliment as Red Camels are considered to be the pedigree of camels in this part of the world. When we were finally on board and off (3 hours after the scheduled departure….patience is a necessity here), we were able to enjoy the view of the stars from the upper deck and the sound of the water against the boat. The fact that every second person smoked inside the ferry (despite the ‘no smoking’ signs) and there were only 4 toilets (non flushing) for 400 people, didn’t matter too much as it was just nice to rest, read and listen to music. Part of the process also involved the crew taking turns in ‘watching’ the hallways where all our cabins were as there were no locks on the doors and our gear is still in it’s shiny and new stages…..not for much longer though! The arrival in Sudan was somewhat similar to the departure in Egypt…chaos, but the immigration authorities were all friendly and although the process was long, after 16 hours on the ferry…..what’s another couple of hours? Once that was all over and we’d paid our entry fees and collected our stickers (on every item of luggage, including the bikes), everything was loaded onto the big colorful trucks and we were off for a 3km ride to our first campsite in Sudan…..an unused football field on the outskirts of the port town of Wadi Halfa. There, we were greeted with our company and support for the next few months down to Cape Town, a company called ‘African Routes’. The crew consists of Vimpy, Rory, Errol, Hank, Thor – a group of guys so at home here in Africa and so familiar with the Tour…..it’s almost like a holiday! The other person to meet up with us was Miles, our resident chef and Tour D’Afrique staff…..now, this is starting to sound like a luxurious package! After a delicious meal, the rush began to clean and prepare the bikes for our first leg in Sudan as well as pack our ‘Red Box’ – a large red plastic container that stores ‘our life’ for approx a week…..you think trying to read Arabic was hard…..try to pack a red box with everything you may need for a week – needless to say, there hasn’t been a person who hasn’t said ‘I accidentally left it in my permanent bag!’. The permanent bags stay under a tarp on the roof of one of the trucks and the African Roots boys are firm in their sanding of ‘no access’ until our rest day in Dongela…a mere 5 days away! Day one in Sudan began with the 6am call to prayer by the dozen or so mosques in the town….this went for about 30 minutes and the excited ‘eager beavers’ and ‘last minute packers’ were up and moving early! After breakfast, the race began and the first difference between Sudan and Egypt was apparent…no tarmac!.....the second difference….increase in temperature (it was hot!) and the third…..dust (and lost of it)! Gone were the tourist buses, the cars, the donkeys; all replaced by sandy, bumpy roads and a landscape of rugged mountain outcrops that made you feel like you were on another planet but still….the racers raced on and the expedition riders pedaled on…to lunch and the welcome sight of ‘Betsy’ the lunch truck and loads of peanut butter sandwiches complete with ‘Guns and Roses’ playing from the stereo – where else would you rather be? Although, the distances each day have been cut by half, the bumps (big enough to swallow any bike and rider), the sand, the rocks and the heat mean that the going can be quite slow even for the support vehicles. Needless to say, people are beginning to use their spare tubes! The sunsets and sunrises are amazing as well as the stars in the night sky. You definitely have a feeling of remoteness out here. The Sudanese people are a friendly, happy bunch who are only too willing to offer you help, a big smile and a ‘hello’. I mean where else can you flag down refrigerated truck carrying yoghurt and the next minute have 40 people lined up buying cold yoghurt in the middle of nowhere? Tomorrow brings another day….of sand, dust, bumps and more African sun. The riders have all disappeared to bed early…tired, suntanned (we have amazing tan lines happening here) and full of food (and yoghurt). Words cannot do justice to the experience that we are having here…..you just have to be here!

An epic day in the Sudan! Sand, sun and bumps testiing out the riders' stamina as well as their bikes! The ever-changing surroundings, scenery and conditions produce excellent photo opportunities. Everyone is looking a little tired in camp this evening but happy to have completed another day in the Sudan!

Today we arrived in Aswan, a beautiful tourist town situated near the Aswan Dam which is our destination for the 18 hour ferry crossing into Sudan tomorrow. It was a beautiful ride this morning as we travelled through small towns that bustled with donkeys, sugar cane trucks, buses, taxis and of course...bicycles! Children in bright coloured clothes were all waving and screaming 'hallooooo' at the top of their lungs and everyone was waving...even the police! The racers had a very competitive stage today with people trying to take off throughout the 3 - 4 hours they raced and they had their first taste of some true 'off road' - only a 2km stretch but it gave the mountain bikers Andy and Gunther a real chance to mix it with the lighter road bikes! The rest of the riders enjoyed a more leisurely pace taking time to have photo shoots and tea stops. Our campsite is an old, unused hotel on the outskirts of town with the real luxury being the hot, hot water. Most have made the best of the sunny afternoon to send last minute emails, do some shopping and look around the large market area. We cross into Sudan (at the port of Wadi Halfa) on the 23rd Jan and all going well with immigration we head off from Wadi Halfa on the 24th.....into the 'Sands of Sudan' (not the real name but......there will be alot of sand!) Tomorrow, we also say goodbye to our wonderful Egyptian support crew from Emeco Travel. The six boys of Rizek, Ezat, Shady, Amed and Khalid have done an amazing job of looking after us in the last week and we will miss them. IN Wadi Halfa we are going to meet up with Miles (another TDA staff member) and the African Roots crew who will be our support until Cape Town. Our next major destination will be Khartoum on February 2nd.....wish us luck as we travel through another country, a new landscape and another few weeks of African adventure.

Luxor is the first rest day for the riders! Nearly everyone is taking advantage of the tours available here: East and West banks of the Nile, Valley of the Kings and Queens, temple of Karnak, etc. Tour cordinator Shanny Hill summerizes the first week - "Cairo was a busy place for everyone - and not just because its a bustling chaotic place either. Those long lists of things to do and things to buy slowly were worked through and before we knew it the Giza pyramids were disappearing behind us and we were headed for the Red Sea, the first of two major bodies of water we follow in Egypt. The first 3 nights were desert camps, giving riders ample opportunity to practice their new shower and toilet procedures. Day 4 was brought us to Safaga, with a camp right next to the Red Sea. Then another desert camp next to a police check point where some 30 officers kept us company. Finally, to Luxor, cycling the second half of the day next to the Nile, which we will now follow for quite some time. There were some great stage finishes for the race! On a couple occassions there was a tough sprint to the line. The winners of these stages are on cyclocross bikes, but it will be interesting to see if some of the mountain bikers start to pull out some wins once we hit the sand in Sudan. Week one has been a great success. The riders are starting to get a little more comfortable with the distances, and the Emeco staff who carry our gear and cook our meals have been great. A big week ahead as we cross Lake Nasser by ferry and head straight into the tough tough desert stages.

We are currently enjoying ourselves in the small beachside town of Safaga where aided by a big tailwind, the riders made the most of their short day today(110km) and are now enjoying an afternoon of sun, sea, food and internet cafes. The bikes and lycra have been put away to be replaced by flip flops and shorts and many have enjoyed the chance to have a hot shower. We are on Day 4 of our journey south and since leaving Cairo on the 13th January in freezing temperatures we have been blessed with beautiful sunny conditions, views of the Red Sea and rugged mountainous terrain. We managed to cope nicely with the big second day of 170km and since then everyone had been on a roll with the sprinters amongst the group enjoying the tailwinds and tarmac between each desert camp. (as well as dodging fast moving cars, buses and trucks who seem to get excited at the sight of about 40 bikes cruising up the highway) Yesterday we camped by the ocean and most people made the most of an early finish to take a swim, relax and enjoy the beach. The wind picked up in the afternoon and from that point on people spent the rest of the evening either putting more and more rocks around their tents to hold them down or chasing their tents as they blew away. (or should I say catapulted away) The Emeco Travel boys have been brilliant in feeding us each day and entertaining us with their cheeky arabic words and actions as well as treating anyone who travles with them in the bus to egtptian dance music.(an experience to say the least) I don't believe that anyone had gone hungry yet and each days meal gives us a great balance between arabic and western food - so delicious. They have been trying to teach us arabic words but we are a bit skeptical as to what type of words they are given the reaction of others that we have practised on. So, we are heading south towards the bottom of Egypt in the next week, we are discovering our biking legs and our faces are taking on a more sun kissed look, compliments of the African sun. The bikes are being checked over, gear sorted and washed, scrapes and cuts cleaned up and the guide book checked over for what is coming next. It is an exciting journey ahead and 3 days in, you can only wonder what the next few months will hold. (not too many punctures, crashes or bent frames we hope!) I don't think there can be a better way to travel than on a bike!