If you’re in Cape Town and want to learn more about the Tour d’Afrique and our other trans-continental bicycle events, Henry Gold and team are hosting an Experience/Info evening and will be able to answer all your questions.
Venue: Breakwater Lodge, Portswood Road, Waterfront – Lecture Theatre 6
Date: Tuesday May 15th 2007
Time: 18:00
Please RSVP Theresa 084 353 1975 to reserve your seat
Congratulations to the riders of the 5th annual Tour d’Afrique – the world’s longest and most grueling bicycle event! Photos from the finish our now online!
50 tired but triumphant riders and staff crossed the Finish Line on Saturday in Cape Town to the applause of friends, family, Consulates General of various countries, sponsors, supporters and the media.
With majestic Table Mountain in the distance set against a clear blue sky, the riders set off from Yzerfontein on their final day of the 4 month, 12 000 km odyssey across Africa.
As they cycled into the city, they were joined by the Executive Mayor of Cape Town, Helen Zille, and Andrew Wheeldon from BEN (our partners in bike donations and distribution) who led the riders on a tandem through the streets of Cape Town to the Finish Line at the V&A Waterfront.
Welcomed by drummers and singers, the Arrival Ceremony was a blaze of colour and music, as the riders took the stage to receive their medals.
The Tour d’Afrique Foundation, riders and our sponsors – Toyota, Bokomo, Spekko, Imbo, Squirt and Illovo - donated 30 bikes to BEN and the Rush-Miller Foundation in America donated a tandem bike to the Athlone School of the Blind.
At the Awards Dinner at Ferryman’s Tavern, sectional and overall winners received their prizes and the riders and guests were treated to a multi-media show of their journey.
Registration for Tour d’Afrique 2008 is open – with a record number of riders already signed up. There are a few spaces still available.
For anyone in Cape Town wanting to know more about the Tour d’Afrique, Orient Express and the Silk Route, an Experience/Info Evening will take place in Cape Town on Tuesday 15th May at 18:00 at Lecture Theatre 6, Breakwater Lodge/Graduate School of Business, Portswood Road, Waterfront.
Henry Gold and team will be there to talk about the events and answer any questions. To reserve your seat, please call Theresa Brown, 084 353 1975.
Today we arrived in somewhat of a paradise... the ocean (at Elands Bay) and after 4 months of being on the road (let’s not count Egypt nor the Red Sea) and not seeing it... you realize how beautiful it is... of course the water was freezing cold but some just had to do it! The route was a challenging one today – not because of the distance or the hills but the terrain – a mismatch of paved and dirt roads and just when you were getting used to one... it finished and then the other started. The dirt road reminded most riders of Kenya somewhere (a little bumpy and corrugated in parts) but on the whole it was a non race day, there was the ocean and the weather was perfect. The highlights of the day... delicious fish for dinner plus the innagural TDA granny gear race which was won by Andy Paton. Tonight we were treated to a sunset that rated as one of our best over the 4 months and tomorrow... second last day of TDA 2007.
Please go to the results page of the website to see the unofficial winners of the 2007 Tour d'Afrique Bike race - the most gruelling in the world!! All the riders deserve a big cheer for their fine efforts!
If you are in Cape Town please join us in greeting the racers!!
10:00 – 14:00
The Amphitheatre, V&A Waterfront
Enjoy the music and culture of 8 African countries
14:00 – 14:30
Quay 6, V&A Waterfront
(In front of the Table Bay Hotel, near the statue of the seal)
Welcome the participants as they cross the official Finish Line
14:30 – 16:00
The Amphitheatre, V&A Waterfront
Arrival Ceremony, Welcome by the Mayor of Cape Town, Announcement of Winners, Handing out of Medals, Bike Donation to BEN
Hope to see you there!
Oh lovely mountainous South Africa; bring on the mountains, the fresh air, glimpses of the ocean and loads of sunshine. The road? Well, it was paved, smooth, hilly and the scenery made you forget how the ups and downs were going. Actually most riders were a bit tired in the legs today but they were smiling and relaxed coming into the caravan park which offers a great view of the nearby mountain range and is relaxed, quiet and very green and reminds you of a hacienda in Spain or Mexico! In Rafi’s words today….’I love uphills’ and ‘Today is a good day’! Meals took the forefront in what was good about the day; egg salad, avocado and tuna, and beef sandwiches were all available as well as the usual staples of chocolate sauce, peanut butter and jam with the most juiciest oranges ever. Dinner consisted of t-bone steaks, broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage salad plus garlic mash potato and bottles of red wine. If you’re a food lover then this bbq rocks! Tomorrow we arrive at the coast and the Atlantic Ocean! Many riders have made the claim that they will have a swim in the glacial waters. We'll see about that one but until then, bike heaven does continue….
Another beautiful day in the paradise we know as South Africa;blue skies, big hills, smooth roads, yummy lunches but unfortunately the tail wind had become a cross wind and sometimes a headwind. The honeymoon just might be over on that account. Rolling hills most of the way and fast down hills allowed most riders the opportunity to get halfway up the uphill before pedal power took over. After lunch the crests of the hills gave us glimpses of the Atlantic Ocean which we will meet up with in just over a day. Nels Hagglund took out the final sprint to win the stage today. It must be all the water and ice cream he has been consuming over the last month. The rest of the riders enjoyed the great conditions and, coupled with the fact that we have only 4 riding days to go (cross your fingers that all the bikes make it as wear and tear has definitely taken over), everyone is feeling relaxed and raring to go. Alan even entertained us at dinner tonight with a few songs of his own and we have set up an outdoor theatre to enjoy ‘Napolean Dynamite’ under the stars this evening. I’m sorry…..did someone say bike heaven??
Ai Ais was the location of our final rest day on the tour, a small government-run resort that serves as an entry and exit point for walks in Fish River Canyon. Depending on the location rest days can be a busy, touristy, shopping affair or a day where you catch up on sleeping, reading, do your washing properly, sort out your red box meticulously, eat copious amounts of food and if there is a bar with a tv, then you can indulge in a few quiet ones (sometimes loud) and find out the latest rugby scores (admittedly, tv’s have become more prevalent in the south rather than the first part of the trip). Ai Ais was busy enough with a few overland trucks, plenty of tourists, walkers filtering out of the canyon and the crew from TDA. Our first night there, people stayed around the trucks for the majority of the evening while some hit the small outdoor bar and a few went and made the most of the lukewarm swimming pool. Temperatues had climbed as we descended the corrugations into Ai Ais so it was a great night for staying out of doors and fortunately there were not too many mosquitoes. For once, most people stayed up past 8pm, a rare sight for the last month or so. The following morning, a few folks donned their walking gear and took a 1hour walk up to a view point above the resort scambling over rocky outcrops and up scree slopes to enjoy a 360 degree view of the surrounding area. Others meandered along the canyon floor, choosing to look down rather than look up
To mark our departure from Ai Ais and our arrival into South Africa we decided to have a 22km time trial….all on dirt. Sounds fairly straight forward with the first few kms uphill and then pretty much flat and downhill until the finish line. However, no one had counted on the ripping tail wind that came through today and believe me the talk at the finish line was not how strong the riders felt but how fast they all went. Nels H asked 'Pinch if I am dreaming but that was awesome!’ After the excitement, the riders then headed off for a quick bite to eat with Elaine and Thor at the lunch truck made their way to the border crossing and into South Africa (country number 10!!). Our destination tonight is Fiddlers Creek, a camp on the Orange River. You can swim, play volleyball, the showers are fantastic, the staff super friendly, the bar has a fun atmosphere and the South Africans amongst the group were happy to be on home soil. So, with the rolling hills back in our own back yard and with less than a week to go…..start times are later, distances somewhat shorter, riders are smiling and the tour is now definitely in the home stretch!!!
She grabs her chammy cream
She packs her red box and goes
She checks the washing list on the wall
Curses come from her throat
‘Cause she knows
She’ll be here much too long, scrubbing pots
He smokes his cigarettes
He stays supine ‘till it’s gone
Funny how we couldn’t see it all
Till he won his stage
In Sudan
Wearing steel toed boots and his jeans
And we always say
Cape Town is still a few months away, TDA
And if we keep on pedallin’ like we do
Even with our runny poo
The trouble understand
Is we’ve got bike parts he don’t
He would do anything short of a crawl
And ‘bleat’ like a goat
So we know
Just by what’s been said at a ‘Rider Meeting’
And we always say
Cape Town is still a few weeks away
And if we keep on pedallin’ like we do
Even with a broken left, shoe
Now the race is done
Back in the toilets we pee
Have to ween ourselves from the shovel
And we change our clothes
But we know
The biggest thing we’ll miss, is my flatulence
And we’ll always say
Cape Town is, only a day’s ride away TDA
And if we keep on pedallin’ like we do
A different meat that we will now chew
Well we, always say
Cape Twon is only a few k away
And if we keep on pedallin’ like we do
Bikes held together with super glue
Our butt cheeks turing black and blue
I’m finally done now for listening, thank you
Andy C.
