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2012 Tour d'Afrique Final Report




The tenth Tour d’Afrique, the longest timed stage race in the world, came to a conclusion on Saturday when 37 full tour riders crossed the finish line on a picture perfect day in Cape Town. The race started on 14 January when 43 cyclists set off from the Pyramids of Giza in Cairo.

Though the majority of the participants entered as expedition riders, simply there for the experience and to see Africa, 27 registered as racers and competed for a stage win at some point in the race. Six women and 11 men notched up at least one stage win during the race with the eight sections being split between three men and three women.


Top Men Racers: Raffael Schrof, Christian Sailer, Bryce Walsh

In one of the closest finishes yet in the tour’s ten year existence the two top men were only separated by two hours. These cyclists pushed each other to the limit on every race day and records were broken in every important time trial and significant day, including the climb up the Blue Nile Gorge and the longest day on tour (207km). Though German Raffael Schrof won six of the eight sections up for grabs, Christian Sailer from Switzerland built up a substantial lead in the one section he claimed when Schrof suffered mechanical and health issues. This proved to be too big a gap to make up in the end and Schrof could only come within two hours of Sailer’s finish time.


Top Women Racers: Jen Davenport, Femke Nelissen, Esther Borg

In the women’s race things were more relaxed and Femke Nelissen from the Netherlands dominated the race from beginning to end to take the overall victory.



Participants were overwhelmed by the welcome they received at the finish line and tears of joy were aplenty as they were reunited with loved ones after four months on the road. After the official medal ceremony everyone had a couple of hours to get rid of as much dirt as possible before heading to the final TdA celebration of this year.

Champagne was flowing and tunes pumping and the dancing continued until the early hours of the morning as Cape Town lived up to its reputation as one of the best party spots in South Africa. Despite feeling a little worse for wear on Sunday everyone agreed that it was a fitting end to what has been an absolutely incredible and unforgettable trip.

Overall winners



Men

1.    Christian Sailer (Switzerland)        348:05:59   
2.    Raffael Schrof (Germany)            350:13:47
3.    Bryce Walsh (USA)                      365:52:32

Women

1.    Femke Nelissen (Netherlands)        514:54:34
2.    Jenny Davenport (United Kingdom) 572:59:48
3.    Esther Borg (Australia)                   588:56:51

Sectional winners

Pharaoh’s Delight: Raffael Schrof and Femke Nelissen
The Gorge: Raffael Schrof and Claar Schouwenaar
Meltdown Madness: Christian Sailer and Femke Nelissen
Masai Steppe: Raffael Schrof and Gizele Price
Malawi Gin: Raffael Schrof and Gizele Price
Zambezi Zone: Raffael Schrof and Gizele Price
Elephant Highway: Adam Lister and Femke Nelissen
Diamond Coast: Raffael Schrof and Femke Nelissen

EFI Riders 2012



Carlos Aleman (Spain)
Esther Borg (Australia)
Alaric Britz (Namibia)
Jenny Davenport (United Kingdom)
Herman de Grave (Netherlands)
Jana Dumas (Canada)
Alan Emerton (South Africa)
Adam Lister (Canada)
Jurgen Meijer (Netherlands)
Marita Reilly (Ireland)
Christian Sailer (Switzerland)
Miguel Teixeira (South Africa)
Bryce Walsh (United States of America)

  -- Catharina Robbertze

Posted May 14, 2012 by Guest Author
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That is a wrap




The sight of Table Mountain in the distance hasn’t been as sweet for such a big group of people in a long time.

After four months of ranting about the beauty of Africa I know I’ll be repeating myself when I try to tell you how beautiful this sight was so I’ll keep it short: Combine Cape Town, champagne weather, euphoria and a few glasses of bubbly and that should give you an idea of how we experienced our arrival in the Mother City of South Africa.



What made it so much more special though was the presence of loved ones and after four months on the road quite a few tears were shed when old faces were seen for the first time. There were hugs, kisses, smiles and shouts of joy. But deep inside there was also a little bit of sadness as we all realised this was the end of our time together. Our family of almost 60 people has been broken up and though some of us may see each other again back home or keep in contact via e-mail we will not get to fight over who gets breakfast first, who ate the most at lunch or who should do the dishes tonight. No more giggling in the morning with whoever is sitting next to you or pitching the tent of a friend with diarrhea.



We have had good times and bad times. Laughed together, cried together and gossiped together and now it is time to face the real world again.



Will we survive? Of course! Africa eats the weak, and we all survived this. Watch out world, we’re heading back out there, leaner and meaner than before and ready for whatever you may want to throw at us.


   -- Catharina Robbertze

Posted May 13, 2012 by Guest Author
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The Real Africa




As we head further south and things appear to be more and more western some riders are relieved while others are disappointed. Camp sites have become more sophisticated and showers are becoming the rule rather than the exception. This also, is a welcome change to some while others are of the opinion that we are no longer in the “real Africa”.



This question has become a topic of conversation on many an occasion on this trip. The question: “Is this the real Africa?” has been asked many times and most riders are sure to have the question posed to them when they head back home… “Did you get to experience the real Africa?” or “What is it like?” But this question is so much more difficult to answer than you might think.



Why? When most people think of Africa they conjure up images of starving children, mud huts with no electricity, wildlife roaming the streets, Massai warriors in tribal dress and wide open spaces. While these are correct and do appear in some parts of Africa (and we got to see most of them) there is no reason why this should be the only image the rest of the world has of this continent. Truth is, Africa is a place of such variety and potential none of these images can grasp an entire continent in one image or a fleeting moment.



This is a place of success and failure, poverty and riches, corruption and honesty. It’s a place where a businessman in suit and tie has to be able to converse with a tribal spokesperson without batting an eyelid and vice versa. People live in high rise buildings, mud huts and Bedouin tents. When driving in your car you have to share the road with donkeys, camels, horse-drawn carts and bicycles.



So when riders comment that they do not feel they’re in the “real Africa” any more I strongly disagree. The “real Africa” is not one place or image. It is not one nation and not one language. It is this continent in its entirety, with all the good and bad, from north to south. All of the cultures contribute to this strange place millions of people call home. From the Arabic north to the western south with everything in between, there is no reason why one country should represent a whole continent and when something doesn’t fit in with your idea of what Africa is, doesn’t mean it isn’t the real Africa.



The unique Ethiopian culture, Kenyan tribes, Serengeti plains, Sudanese deserts, southern savannas, Arabian nights, elephants next to the highway and little villages with pool tables. All of these are a part of the continent and contribute to this wonderful place together with millions of other images we saw and did not see.

If there is such a thing as the real Africa, this – all of it – is it and it has been a privilege to get to experience it firsthand.

  -- Catharina Robbertze

Posted May 09, 2012 by Guest Author
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The TDA Family




Take a group of say 40 people together from all over the world. Different occupations, different backgrounds, different ages, some who have done a lot of cycling before, some barely any, some who have been all over the world, some who have never left their home country before, some who have never camped before others who go camping all the time. 

Put them all together, get them to ride and average of 125km/day every day through extreme heat, up steep long hills which sometimes seem like they will never summit, freezing cold mornings, strong head winds, through sand, through dust, over the bumpiest most corrugated roads imaginable.  The fact that the reason why each individual is undertaking this intense challenge is different doesn’t matter.  The fact that some will ride slow, some will race, some will stop at every coke opportunity they get and others will ride flat out camp to camp is also mostly irrelevant.



At the end of the day we’re all in this together.   Everyone looks out for each other – everyone is willing to lend a hand when a hand is needed.   In just four months massive changes occur – true friendships are forged and at the end of the day the group is more like a giant family than anything else.

Sadly our journey is coming to an end.  In six days’ time our family of friends will break up and go our separate ways and will never be together again. The memories however, will last forever.


  -    Claire Pegler

Posted May 08, 2012 by Guest Author
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Cape Town Finish Line Information




Tour d’Afrique Finish Line/ Accommodation/Dinner Saturday May 12th  2012   

Finish Line

The Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant

Between 13:30 and 14:00 The official TDA 2012 Finish Line will take place at The Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant next to the Waterfront in Cape Town. This will be followed by an official welcome, a medal ceremony, and an announcement of the race winners.  

Family and friends of riders who would like to attend should contact Theresa Brown so they may be put on the guest list:

See the location here. 

E-Mail: Theresa@tourdafrique.com
T: +27 83 526 5145 

Accommodation

The Breakwater Lodge Portswood Road, V&A Waterfront, Cape Town

The TDA cyclists will be staying at the Breakwater Lodge, Waterfront,  just a few  minutes away from the Finish Line.

 Celebration Dinner

The Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant

Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant Beach Road • Mouille Point

Tel: 021 440 5736

Scheduled for 19:00

The final celebration dinner will take place at the Cape Town Hotel School Restaurant situated near the Waterfront – one minute away from the Breakwater Lodge.

Have a look at the link http://active.cput.ac.za/CTHS/public/index.asp?pageid=801

There will be a full cash bar available. Family and friends who would like to attend will need to pay R165-00 each on arrival.   Due to limited space, booking is essential.

Please contact Theresa Brown:

E-Mail: Theresa@tourdafrique.com
T: +27 83 526 5145

Posted May 07, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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TDA 2013 – An Extra Rest Day in Aswan


With the 2012 Tour d’Afrique now in its final stretches, we begin to look towards the 11th annual tour.  

The 2013 tour details are now online – with prices, and dates, and all the juicy details.

One of the changes is that we will start a day early in Cairo on a Friday – which means we get an extra rest day in Aswan! This is great news because Aswan is a fantastic town.

In the words of travel blogger Norbert of GloboTreks: 
Of the major touristic cities in Egypt, Aswan is, in my opinion, the one that still keeps a sense of slow pace and warmth that allows you to experience the city without much hassle.

Here are 7 things you should not miss while in Aswan. And believe me, you won’t want to miss them.
Read Norbert’s full post here.

With two rest days in Aswan, Abu Simbel will now be within reach for our cyclists if they wish to arrange a tour to this stunning site.

Don't miss out! Register Now for the 2013 Tour d'Afrique.

sites of Abu Simbel
Flickr photo by eviljohnius

Posted May 01, 2012 by Shanny Hill
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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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The Naked Kilometre




After more than three months on the road it is inevitable that people will go just a little crazy and when riding for hours without seeing another living soul it has become tradition for riders to let it all hang out in the Namib Desert.
This week it was time for that tradition and this year’s riders did not disappoint.



Several records have been broken on this year’s tour: The time trial up the Blue Nile Gorge was shattered by Pal Fritsvold and the longest day record now belongs to Raffael Schrof but one of the hardest ones to break is the Naked Mile one which Lisa Kingsley-Correia can now call her own. She managed to ride the full stage of 84km in her birthday suit while almost all the other riders did more than 10km stark naked and one group even stopped for a Coke at a roadside lodge… where they managed to get a free shot from the owner!
Needless to say the clinic has been overrun by sunburn complaints but everyone agrees the experience was empowering and a whole lot of fun.

  --- Catharina Robbertze

Posted April 30, 2012 by Guest Author
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Cinelli BOOTLEG Bicycle Test Rider Report




I had waited to ride in Africa for so long and finally the time had come. The flight landed in Lilongwe and I was ready to run the Zambezi Zone section with the Tour d’Afrique Bicycle Expedition.



In order to test one of the BOOTLEG Cinelli bikes that had been prepared for the rigors of the world’s toughest race/expedition I faced a 1250 km ride across Malawi and Zambia, ending at the legendary Victoria Falls.

As most of the route was on paved roads crossing a seemingly endless string of rolling hills, I was able to test the qualities of speed and smoothness of the BOOTLEG Cinelli - especially the level of comfort over long distances - up to 180 km per day.



The  Zambezi Zone section turned out to be one of the most suitable sections for the characteristics of the BOOTLEG Cinelli bike. The frame is super stiff which I enjoy. When you stand during a climb there is no rear end flex when under power. The stiffness, however, entails a lower comfort level, especially on Zambian asphalt that is very wrinkled. The wheels of the BOOTLEG Cinelli and the carbon fork did absorb most of the annoying vibrations, so my back and shoulders arrived at the end of any stage in good condition. My Cinelli bike has been a great travel friend, very reliable and easy to maintain a good speed without particular problems. 



Riding on the hills of Zambia was an incredible adventure and experiencing it  along with the other Tour d’Afrique riders was a real pleasure. The Tour d'Afrique is truly unique! There is so much harmony between the riders and the spirit that emerges is that of "Grande Ciclismo".



I've collected a lot of feedback directly from other riders who rode the Cinelli along the rest of the route in very different conditions from those areas of the Zambezi Zone: off-road, sand, mud, etc… While there are many things to improve in the next year’s model all those who have tried the bikes have really appreciated its racing character.

Now I'm back in Italy and sharing with the Cinelli team new ideas that will make the BOOTLEG Cinelli bike even more powerful and suitable for the Tour d’Afrique Bicycle Race & Expedition.



Africa, it seems, has taught me a lot and given me some positive energy!

Thank you Tour d’Afrique!

In bike we trust! 


  -- Dario Toso  

Posted April 24, 2012 by Guest Author
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Rider Profile: Nicole Winders (Nairobi - Mbeya)




Age: 35

From: Toronto

My name is Nicole.  I am 35 years old from Toronto Canada and I work in marketing. I came to know about TDA last year when I was searching on the internet for a cycling tour in Europe. After reading about the tour I got hooked and there is nothing like the present, so I signed up for the Massai Steppe section.

My body is holding up ok but I have saddle sores and my hands are also hurting because it’s the first time in my life to ride my bike for more than 100km a day. The best thing about my bike is that I haven’t had a flat the whole way from Arusha to Mbeya.

The best thing about the tour is the soup of the day in camp. Also the chapatis and chai in the local restaurants are very tasty.

The best thing about Africa that I will take home with me is the smiles on the children’s faces and the animals. I would like to come back on a safari in the future. This is Nicole signing out saying keep on riding. Safe travels. 

Posted April 17, 2012 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
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