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TdA Race & EFI Update – One Section To Go!





As of Windhoek Namibia which marks the beginning of the Diamond Coast, the Tour’s 8th and final Section and the “top of the home stretch” 14 intrepid souls were still “EFI” having ridden Every F*cking Inch since they jumped on their bikes at the Pyramids some 15 weeks and almost 10,000 km ago. Through the heat of Sudan, the long climbs of Ethiopia, the brutal lava rock road of Northern Kenya, the Tanzanian mud, and the long flat Botswana days these 10 men and 4 women have rolled into camp every day, determined to join this exclusive club. And now their goal is almost in sight …
2012 EFIers as of Windhoek
Carlos Baez Spain
Esther Borg Australia
Alaric Britz Namibia
Jennifer Davenport UK
Herman de Grave Netherlands
Jana Dumas Canada
Alan Emerton South Africa
Adam Lister Canada
Jurgen Meijer Netherlands
Marita Reilly Ireland
Christian Sailer Switzerland
Steve Smith South Africa
Miguel Teixeira South Africa
Bryce Walsh USA
 

With 9085 km of racing completed out of 9961 total km since Cairo, Swiss all rounder Christian “Clockwork” Sailer is still in the driver’s seat. After the 5 allowed grace days are factored in, his lead over Germany’s Raffael “Giraffe” Schrof is just under 2.5 hours. American Bryce “Ultraman” Walsh is maintaining his grip on 3rd , with young Canadian gun Adam “Powerhouse” Lister in 4th, and Alaric Britz, now riding across his home land of Namibia in 5th. All the top men worked together on the 207 km “big kahuna” from Botswana’s wild west town of Ghanxi to the Namibian border with the aim of breaking Jos “the Animal” Kaal’s 2008 record time of 5:46. Despite fighting headwinds for the last 80 km they succeeded when Raffa crossed the finish line in 5:41, just ahead of Bryce, with Jon Cowan, Christian and Adam also coming in under 6 hours.
 
  Tour Mechanic Doug Percival pulling the Longest Day Peleton

Among the ladies Dutch dynamo Femke “Fembot” Nelissen holds a huge advantage over her friendly fellow competitors, Brit Jennifer “Mother Hen” Davenport, Aussie Esther “Easter Egg” Borg, and Irish lass Marita Reilly who are more focused on inhaling Africa and maintaining their EFI status than on racing hard, although Femke and Jen also went for it on “the Longest Day” coming in just a few minutes behind Gizzy Gartmair’s women’s record of 6:23.

 
                   Leading Lady Femke Nelissen

With the number of opportunities dwindling, several other racers realized it’s “now or never” and rode like mad men and women to grab their elusive first stage winner plates in Botswana and western Namibia. Now with 14 stages and 1732 km to go – over half of which is off road, it’s evident that Femke will add her name to the list of TdA Race Champions. Christian on the other hand cannot afford to stop putting pedal to the metal or a major mechanical problem.


The Longest Day Race Team: Jurgen, Douglas, Peter, Christian, Bryce, Jonathan, Adam, and Raffael

Here are the overall standings after 80 of the Tour’s 94 stages, including cumulative and adjusted times:




For the latest stage times and overall standings, please visit our race results page here.
























Posted May 01, 2012 by Brian Hoeniger
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A Very Funky Ferry Ride across Four Countries in 500 Meters




Officially the pontoon ferry across the Zambezi River at Kazangula, about 75 km west of Victoria Falls, that the Tour d’Afrique takes each year, is the crossing between the Zambia and Botswana borders. But in fact the midstream point of this sometimes treacherous ride marks the only spot in the world where 4 countries meet, namely Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In doing so a ferry passenger “visits” all 4 countries as the ferry struggles and smokes from one side to the other during the 8-15 minute crossing. At one point the boat does an upstream push towards an island that is in Namibia before drifting downstream to the other side. Moreover the landing on the Botswana side happens on a spur that is actually Zimbabwean soil – the Zimbabwe border fence just happens to have been moved very slightly east so that once off the boat traffic can proceed unhindered over the last 100 yards to Botswana border control.



This fascinating legacy from the colonial scramble for Africa has had a most colorful history. For the past 60 years the four countries have laboured to reach agreement over the construction of a bridge. Given the relatively limited width and depth of the river at this point this would not require a particularly challenging engineering design.



During the Zimbabwean War of Independence, the “rebel” ZANU-PF fighters used the ferry to smuggle arms into then Southern Rhodesia. In response the Prime Minister of the pariah Rhodesian state, Ian Smith, had his air force bomb and sink one of the ferries in mid-stream, in order to discourage this practice. And in 2006, a ferry flipped while carrying a brand new Volvo semi trailer cattle truck. Until recently one could still see the wreck of this boat and the truck on the Zambian shore.



There are 2 pontoon boats typically in operation today, one that carries passengers, cars, regional buses, as well as tourists on excursions from Vic Falls to Chobe National Park. For these customers the wait to cross is typically no more than an hour. The other somewhat larger pontoon slowly shuttles one of the literally hundreds of transport trucks lined up on either side across the Zambezi. In fact by googling “Kazangula ferry” you’ll find that this crossing is now best known for being the major bottleneck in the southern African transport network. One of the reasons for this involves the notorious Zimbabwean regime of Robert Mugabe. Many trucks travelling between South Africa and the copper mine belt of northern Zambia and the Congo’s Katanga province used to use two Zambia/Zimbabwe border crossings – the bridges at Vic Falls and Siavonga . But when Mugabe astronomically raised the tariffs on trucks transiting through Zimbabwe, the trucking companies decided it was cheaper to pay their drivers to wait as long as 7-10 days at Kazangula and avoid Zimbabwe altogether.



Now Zambia and Botswana have entered into an agreement to conduct the feasibility study for a road/rail bridge and a “one stop border crossing” beginning in mid 2012. But whether this project will finally take-off as planned and will not be scuttled by further political bickering remains to be seen. In the meantime all we can say is wow … and good luck to all who clamber aboard. This is indeed a most fascinating and funky ferry.

Posted April 16, 2012 by Brian Hoeniger
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Tour d’Afrique Race Update



Kenyan Mike, Chris & Raffa setting the pace in Tanzania

The 2012 TdA has reached Lilongwe Malawi which marks the end of the 5th of the tour’s 8 sections. With two days off, the riders are trying to keep their tents and clothes dry as they encounter their first real rain, in between visits to the Mabuya camp bar and pool, and forays into Malawi’s capital in search of reliable internet, hardwood handicrafts, and fine dining. Meanwhile the staff are seeing that stocks are replenished and enjoying a rare chance to sleep in.

With 6569 km of racing completed out of 7207 total km since the tour departed Cairo, Switzerland’s all rounder Christian Sailer is still the man to beat. After grace days are factored in, his lead over Germany’s Raffael Schrof is just under 3 hours. American Bryce Walsh has maintained his grip on 3rd , with young Canadian Adam Lister in 4th.  South African Miguel Teixeira and Canuck Andrew Younghusband rode their hearts out and grabbed their first stage wins in recent days.


Andrew Younghusband won the April Fool's Day Stage

Among the ladies Dutch dynamo Femke Nelissen is maintaining a substantial advantage over her friendly fellow competitors. Australian Esther Borg, Brit Jen Davenport and Irish lass Marita Reilly continue to focus more on inhaling Africa and maintaining their EFI status than winning the race.


Canuck Gizele price, Malawi Gin Section Winner

All told 25 full tour-ists are still classified as racers and being timed. Here are the standings after 62 of the Tour’s 94 stages, including cumulative and adjusted times:

TDA 2012 Race Standings Place Total Time Total Time Minus Grace Days Place (Adjusted)
Men          
Christian Sailer 1 231:54:29 205:46:29 1
Raffael Schrof 2 241:47:47 208:42:47 2
Bryce Walsh 3 246:24:12 219:55:12 3
Adam Lister 4 259:22:18 229:24:18 4
Alaric Britz 5 279:12:54 245:43:54 5
Alan Emerton 6 304:05:33 270:42:33 7
Norbert Christ 7 307:31:21 247:31:21 6
Jurgen Meijer 8 322:01:47 278:08:47 8
Jonathan Cowan 9 343:34:51 288:33:51 9
Steve Smith 10 347:12:31 292:10:31 10
Miguel Teixeira 11 348:03:29 304:40:29 11
Robert Rowley 12 378:54:17 336:29:17 12
Andrew Younghusband 13 447:24:51 387:24:51 13
Women          
Femke Nelissen 1 359:16:34 313:44:34 1
Esther Borg 2 401:37:51 352:39:51 3
Jennifer Davenport 3 402:30:48 351:06:48 2
Marita Reilly 4 416:15:18 367:09:18 4
Gizele Price 5 444:24:49 384:24:49 5
Carla White 6 462:50:53 402:50:53 6
Gennesse Beadman 7 489:20:17 429:20:17 7
Beverley Coburn 8 522:23:22 462:23:22 8
Marianne Phillips 9 572:40:10 512:40:10 9
Nola Reynolds 10 620:19:04 560:19:04 10
Shona Bell 11 633:42:00 573:42:00 11
Holly Beetham 12 673:16:00 613:16:00 12


For the latest stage times and overall standings, you can always visit our race results page here.


Alaric Britz checks out at the TimePilot Station

Now the Tour turns west, on the Zambezi Zone section towards and then across Zambia. Distances will be long and conditions will be hot and humid as the race and the tour spins towards Lusaka and the wonder that is Victoria Falls. We wish all the riders happy cycling and good luck as their goal of reaching Cape Town draws a little closer every day.


Jen Davenport is lovin' Africa!

Posted April 03, 2012 by Brian Hoeniger
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Tour d’Afrique Race and EFI Update




The 2012 TdA has reached Arusha Tanzania which marks the midway point of our annual trans-African odyssey on two wheels. With three days off, the staff are seeing that the support vehicles are serviced and the food bins replenished. Many of the riders are on safari to Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater parks while others are kicking back at Masai camp and gearing their energy back up for the 2nd half of their journey of a lifetime. This is the perfect time to recognize some of their accomplishments so far. After 5119 km of racing out of 5521 total km since the tour departed Cairo, Switzerland’s all rounder Christian Sailer has become the man to beat. Stuttgart’s Raffael Schrof, who led until southern Ethiopia, is now in 2nd, with Chicagoan Bryce Walsh in 3rd. They are well clear of Canada’s Adam Lister in 4th and it will take remarkable luck and effort for any of the other men to knock them off the podium before Cape Town.


                  Race Leader Christian Sailer

Among the ladies Dutch dynamo Femke Nelissen has opened up a substantial advantage over her nearest competitors. Australian Esther Borg, Brit Jen Davenport and Irish lass Marita Reilly appear to be more focused on inhaling Africa and maintaining their EFI status than winning the race.

 
                   Women's leader Femke Nelissen

All told 26 full tour-ists are still classified as racers and being timed. Here are the standings after 48 of the Tour’s 94 stages, including cumulative times, and adjusted times  with the 5 allowed grace days deducted. 



For the latest stage times and overall standings, you can always visit our race results page.

The EFI Club: 14 intrepid souls remain

Meanwhile, 14 intrepid souls remain in the 2012 EFI Club which is the designation we dedicate to those riders hardy and fortunate enough to manage to cycle every fucking inch we throw at them.  Through the off roads of Sudan, the long climbs of Ethiopia and the brutal lava rock road of Northern Kenya these 10 men and 4 women have rolled into camp every day so far, determined to join this exclusive club:





             EFIer Miguel Teixeira climbs the Blue Nile Gorge
Tomorrow the Tour starts heading southwards again, on the Masai Steppe section across Tanzania. We wish all the riders happy cycling and good luck as their goal of reaching Cape Town draws a little closer every day.   




Posted March 19, 2012 by Brian Hoeniger
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Tour d’Afrique – It doesn't get any toughest than this!




Whatever your motivation, the Tour d’Afrique is a truly epic Trans-Continental cycling adventure. While most participants sign up for this challenge of a lifetime as Expedition Riders, every year between 15 and 25 combative and masochistic Full Tour-ists and a handful of sectionals take part in what is arguably the world’s toughest bicycle race. The TdA Race covers about 85% of the 11,700 kilometer distance from Cairo to Cape Town. While the format has undergone changes and experimentation over the years, it remains true to its original intent of being a formal but friendly competition where the emphases are always on having fun, riding safe, and pushing beyond one’s limits.

 
2011 Race Winner Paul Wolfe battles Horst Schlenker up a mando stage’s final hill in Gondar Ethiopia

The 2012 Race consists of 94 stages in 8 sections, including 69 full race days from camp to camp, 9 half race days from camp to lunch or lunch to camp, 4 individual time trials including the infamous Blue Nile Gorge, and 12 non-race days. Each full tour racer is allowed 5 grace days, whereby their worst stage times are deducted from their total time. In addition, there are 15 mando days drawn from the toughest stages, which cannot be used as grace days. The top 3 male and female finishers on each mando day also receive time bonuses of 30, 20, and 10 minutes respectively.


2009 Race Winner Allan Benn pulling a group in Southern Ethiopia

So what does it take to achieve the lowest accumulated time and win the Race? In a typical year 1 racer tends to be the fastest sprinter, another the best climber, and another the strongest on the most brutal of the off road days. While each of these specialists has a solid chance of winning, the male and female champions are generally those exceptional all round riders who combine consistently strong riding performance, with incredible mental toughness, and a large dose of luck in staying healthy and avoiding a painful crash. To date the Race has been won by professional and amateur road racers, cyclo-cross riders, and mountain bike specialists.  It’s also been won by muscular men, tall and skinny characters, and tenacious, pint-sized ladies.

 
A lone racer in the Meltdown Madness that is Northern Kenya


Tour d’Afrique Race Winners



As you might imagine, there is also a lot of strategy involved in racing for four months. Working together and supporting one another is essential, as is knowing when your body is telling you it’s time to slow down for a day or two. Stages on pavement will typically see the top group riding in a peleton at a fast but friendly cadence until the last 20-30 km when the pace will suddenly increase dramatically and the contenders will separate from the pretenders, culminating in an all out sprint for the finish line. But on the stages with big climbs, searing heat, or on off road days with sand or corrugation it’s much more likely to be everyone for them self from the get go.


2011 Racers Jörg Hartmann and Adam Stickler in Namib Naukluft Park

Occasionally the racers will reach a gentlemen’s agreement to take it easy all day long, stopping for roadside chai and chapatti breaks, so that they can truly inhale Africa and allow their weary bodies the chance to recover from a tough stretch. This offers a middle of the pack racer the perfect opportunity to put the hammer down all day long in pursuit of his/her dream of winning a stage. For them the appearance of the finish line flag is a joyous sight indeed.


2011 Women’s Winner Tori Fahey

In short it takes a unique package of ability, determination, and perseverance to race across Africa. Whatever their skills and motivation we salute the racers of the TdA past present and future.

Posted March 08, 2012 by Brian Hoeniger
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The EFI Club – One Intrepid Member’s Story




Achieving EFI – riding Every Fucking Inch of the Tour d’Afrique – is a remarkable accomplishment. It requires a unique combination of physical mental and emotional strength, the luck and guts to avoid or overcome serious illness or a painful crash, and a huge dose of determination. In the first 9 years of the TdA a total of 103 incredibly tough characters have been awarded EFI medals, including 85 men and 18 women from 14 different countries.

To date the oldest EFI Club Members as of the day they arrived in Cape Town are: Men – James Hilsinger 66 yrs 338 days in 2005; Women - Joan Louwrens 54 yrs 202 days in 2006. The youngest are: Men - Sunil Shah 22 yrs 113 days in 2010; Women - Alice Rawlinson 23 yrs 324 days in 2007.



The 2006 EFI Club


Canadian Lloyd Strong, who was EFI on the 2009 TdA, is perhaps the slowest rider ever to join the club. But like Aesop’s fable about the tortoise and the hare, EFI is not about speed, rather it’s all about perseverance. Here are some of Lloyd’s tales:



Lloyd after arriving at the Gondar hotel

“The big climbing day into Gondar took me almost 12 hours and I had really a tough time getting in but I did it. I almost wasn't allowed to finish the day because I was about 30 km out when I met Miles. As you know TdA has a policy about riding in the dark and with dusk coming up and me being the last on the road he offered me a ride up to the camp/hotel. We agreed that if I didn't hit the t junction about 20 kms away by the cut off time, I wouldn't complain. I was given a fair chance, it was slightly downhill so I pushed it hard and let the bike fly. When we met at the T junction he waved me on and said that they would wait on the far side of each of the roundabouts to make sure that I got in. Eventually when I got to town, I was really thirsty and wanted a coke. Miles said to keep on riding, that I was really close, he would get me one. He returned with a big smile and with the coldest coke that I've ever had, even to this day! Shortly after drinking the coke, it got dark. I figured that he was going to pull me off the road, not a chance. He pointed to the switchback road going up to the hotel, which was one hell of a climb to one hell of welcome from all the TDA riders and staff. As a side note there was an entry in the TdA web blog....Lloyd Strong EFI forever.....to which folks back home wondered what that meant and called the office to see if I had died and what had happened. Unfortunately I could not email word back home that I was alive and well for a few days.”



“The shot of me with Table Mountain in the background at the end of the ride is also a favorite. To have that photo taken... it took 4 bicycles – the frame on my Da Vinci broke in Ethiopia on Friday the 13th, I bought a sectional rider’s bike to replace it, plus I borrowed 2 when mine broke down. It also took 2 months worth of worm medicine and creams (I got nailed by the sand worm larvae in the centre of my back that took forever to die), tons of flats...my last good tube had 14 patches, and many tough days filled with lots of good memories! I may have had the worst of luck or the best of luck because I remember just about every day through those trials and memories. One day I rode 50 kms into camp with a zip tie and t shirt holding my saddle in place. And I remember other riders by the side of the road or at lunch having their difficulties and how hard they
worked to get to that point. I also remember all the encouragement the other riders gave me. When I look at that photo, it all comes back.”

“This adventure really delivered a lot more than I paid for, and not many days go by that I don't smile in regards to those 4 short months. When I'm asked a question about my TdA, there is never a short answer, but a long intertwined explanation of my epic adventure. I suspect that it will be that way till I complete the Silk Route or another of your tours, which unfortunately has to wait till next year!”

Cheers!
Lloyd

Posted February 17, 2012 by Brian Hoeniger
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Some Cool Facts and Figures about the Tour d'Afrique




In the first 9 years of the tour:

387 full tour riders + 262 sectionals = 649 total riders, representing 28 countries

Ages range from 18 to 70

75 different tour staff members

103 EFIers including 88 men + 15 women = 27% of full tour riders

2003-11 riders cycled an estimated total of 4,769,000 km = 2,980,000 miles = 119 times around the equator or 6.2 return trips to the moon



To these numbers in 2012 we add:

43 full tour riders plus about 35 sectional riders

Mr Ming-Jiing from Taiwan and Alaric Britz from Namibia represent country #s 29 & 30

8 new staff members

The 2012 tour is about 11700 km long = 94 riding stages, 2 travel days + 24 rest days = 120 days total

Average day 123 km, longest day 207 km

Total climbing 74000 meters or 74 km; most in 1 day = 2502 meters; highest elevation 3122 meters



Posted February 05, 2012 by Brian Hoeniger
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End of Egypt Race Report




The 2012 Tour d’Afrique caravan has now completed Egypt and yesterday morn the riders staff and all their luggage and equipment set sail across Lake Nasser bound for Sudan.  



The Top Dogs: Adam, Jurgen, Rüdiger, Raffael, Bryce, and 2 Egyptian Cycling Team members  

In the men’s race Germany’s long-limbed and sprinting specialist Raffael Schrof holds a 5 minute lead after 8 stages and 936 km over fellow countryman and tactician Rüdiger Müller, with American all-rounder Bryce Walsh in 3rd. Canadian Adam Lister won the 110 km Stage 8 from Idfu to the outskirts of Aswan by 23 minutes in an impressive 3:02 when he broke away from the pack after a set of speed bumps and then opted to skip the lunch stop, putting the hammer down all the way to the finish line.  


                                 Femke Nelissen

The ladies race is less intense and full of camaraderie and mutual support with several riders winning stages in Egypt. Currently Netherlands Femke Nelissen leads by 33 minutes but with more than 10,000 km to go no clear cut favorite will emerge for some time among the largest ever female racing contingent on the TdA.  

Stay tuned for more race updates and stage results, the latest of which you can always find posted here.


              Loading the bikes on the good ship Sagalnaam

Posted January 24, 2012 by Brian Hoeniger
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Idfu and the Temple of Horus




Idfu is a town of 150,000 where the tour camps between Luxor and Aswan. It offers a fascinating glimpse into everyday Egyptian life, from its colorful souk to its busy streets and happy people. Horse drawn taxis whisk the tourists from their Nile river cruises into the hustle and bustle of downtown.



For our riders it was a fascinating afternoon of haggling and baksheesh after a 116 km ride paralleling the Nile.



Idfu is also home to what is considered to be the best preserved of ancient Egypt’s temples. The Temple of Horus pays homage to this falcon headed god and was completed during the 1st century BC and the reign of the Ptolemaic Pharoahs.



The hieroglyphics are particularly stunning as witnessed in this photographic essay of Idfu town and the Temple.



Posted January 21, 2012 by Brian Hoeniger
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Cinelli Road Performance Test Ride




TdA Staffer Brian Hoeniger had the pleasure of test riding one of the Cinelli sponsored bikes today on the 108 km stage into Luxor, Egypt. Riding in a small peloton with Dutchman Herman de Grave and 2 other riders they covered the 61 km race distance from camp to lunch in 1:52, including slowdowns for about 12 police check points, numerous speed bumps, and the town of Qena.

After refueling at the lunch stop Herman and Brian completed the 108 km into Luxor in 3:22 riding time, with an average speed, excepting the many brief slow downs, of over 35 km/hr



Herman, who has contributed over Euros 2000 to the TdA Foundation, is a strong rider – he pulled for 15 km leaving camp when it was only 3ºC - who carries 2 large rear panniers, and usually tours by himself with 4 panniers averaging 150-200 km per day.

The lightweight Cinelli bikes are fast and handle really well on the tarmac. Another of the Tour staffers, Dr. Annelot, is currently riding one of the Cinellis after her bike was damaged leaving Cairo.



One small improvement would be to have the holes drilled in the frame for a second water bottle holder as our riders drink lots of fluid every day, and many prefer bottles to camelbacks. It won’t be until after Khartoum in the Sudan that the bike's performance on a rough off road section can be tested but they are off to a great start and Tour d’Afrique Ltd is very grateful for this generous sponsorship.    

Posted January 20, 2012 by Brian Hoeniger
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