Jos Kaal is the current tour leader and winner of the first section of the tour - Pharaoh's Delight. Jos is from Holland and is a riding friend of last year's champion Adrie Frijters.
One of last year's top female racers is back again for the first half of the tour, and Janet Alexander from New Zealand is the top female finisher in the first section that has just finished in Khartoum.
Pharaoh's Delight is the section from Cairo to Khartoum. This section was completed in 16 riding days and covered 1960 km.
Race results for this year's tour are now filtering in on a regular basis.
Click here to see the latest stats on the race.
Three days out of Dongola and three days of tailwind on great road, makes riders happy, adds loads of distance and fills our tents with sand…with the sand not ending there; it’s also in our food, eyes, ears and every now then, in our mouths on which to chew.
Last night’s wind was no different as we pitched tents in clouds of sand and then took shelter behind the dinner truck, where we enjoyed an African general knowledge quiz before dinner.
The wind blew all night and this morning was a chilly, beautiful desert morning with sand drifting and swirling gently across the road ahead. Occasionally we would turn slightly left and catch the wind from the side. As an oncoming bus races by, the gentle drift of sand would act as hundreds of biting gnats and then a spade full of sand in the face.
Today was the last racing day before Khartoum and because of the improved road surface and tailwind we will be cruising into town one day ahead of schedule. This means an extra day to spend in town, hopefully out of the sand. As per rider vote we will be having a 20km time-trial tomorrow. We should see some good times if this wind persists getting us into town early enough to see the whirling dervishes on Friday afternoon.
Khartoum and the end of Pharaoh’s Delight here we come.
We are in the desert; nothing but sand, gravel and the occasional xerophyte accompanies us along the two lane road to camp. High winds, either behind or perpendicular, blow ghostly streams of sand across the tarmac. The pelting sand bites our windward leg like pin pricks. Throughout the spattering of stings, the sand falls and collects in our shoes.
Today’s wind has everyone seeking shelter. Tents are scattered, using either the trucks or dunes to deflect the sand laden wind. Sand is finding its way into everything, even in our peanut butter sandwiches and the bottom of our coffee mugs. The grit crunches between our teeth and coats our skin. “Not to worry,†riders are saying, “We are exfoliating.â€
The desert claimed two of our trucks and one rider, but both the trucks and the rider managed to escape with only minor scratches. Although the wind is making camping difficult, we are covering ground fast—140km in less than six hours and our racers were in before the four hour mark.
Two days until reaching Sudan’s capital, Khartoum.
As promised, today was a drastically different Sudan. Gone are the corrugations and the walk of shame out of sand is a distant memory. Today we took back the road.
Asphalt never looked so good. The straight, yellow lines and smooth pavement were a blessing. The road snaked through the desert, passing military checkpoints and a caravan of camels. Enjoying a strong tailwind, tires spun smooth and fast, sending everyone into camp before 13:30.
On another note, today I was reminded that patience is virtue when replacing a punctured tube. Even the most professional mechanic, if rushed, can fall victim to a repeat flat. Buckey replaced three tubes during lunch, shredding two of them. A lesson to everyone, take your time when replacing a tube!
It was a hurried, four days that brought us from Wadi Halfa to our current camp in Dongala’s abandoned zoo. Dongala is approximately halfway to Khartoum and in regards to cycling, certainly the tougher half. This rest day was a time to clean off the dirt, relax and for once stay around camp. There are not many sites to see so people are heading to town for food and an internet connection.
Dongala has also been our first exposure to fairly strict Islamic dress codes. It is something, as a Westerner, that is hard to understand. It is hard to comprehend what it would be like for a Muslim adolescent, never being exposed to a grown woman’s knee, let along a shoulder, or even tight clothing. What would our reactions be? In their eyes, we are as good as naked.
Unfortunately we managed to offend. It is a little hard to bath in a red box without showing a little too much skin and some locals came to camp to say that Islamic dress code extends to all of Sudan, including our camp in an abandoned zoo.
It’s good to remember and be reminded that although there are things that we may never understand, others see the world in different ways and it doesn’t mean that they are wrong. In our case, it’s less about offending and more about respect.
Cyclical Levels of Cleanliness:
Day 1: Shower. Wear 1 set of clean clothes for day, fresh t-shirt to bed. Brush teeth twice. Copious use of hand sanitizer.
Day 2: return to day clothes, same night t-shirt. Brush hair. Use baby wipes to “shower.†Good use of hand sani & t.p. Brush teeth morning & night.
Day 3: Day clothes back on, but after dinner is spent cleaning & repairing bike, too tired to change into night T. Brush hair out of ponytail. Brush teeth twice. Remembered to wash hands for lunch only.
Day 4: Still in same clothes for riding & sleeping (minus spandex). Continue to brush teeth twice. Hair in same style as previous day, too dirty to move, plastered to head w/ helmet, anyway. Brushed teeth. Scrubbed w/ clean desert sand to get grease off fingers after dinner.
Day 5: Plan to wash sleeping bag liner on rest day, b/c still sleeping in same clothes. No need to put clean clothes on dirty, sweaty, unwashed body. Grime accumulating under nails. Forgot about the baby wipes. At least able to brush teeth & rinse toothbrush. Hair hasn’t moved in 3 days.
Day 6: As soon as we make it to Dongola, we’ve got water & a rest day. No need for day’s ablutions—I’ll take care of things then.
“Shower:†a partially-clothed rinse with a public hose, scrunched in a bath in a red box. Due to Degradation and Desperation Levels*, we’re quite happy to be this clean!
*to be defined at a later date.
Other than that, we had a phenomenal ride across the desert, kicking around in the sand, before finally hitting pavement again the last 20k to our ferry crossing of the Nile, followed by said showers & laundry via the red boxes.
Today offered a bit of everything, corrugated roads, deep sand, and lots of undulating hills. It was by far my best riding day thus far. Natural berms and some great hill descents, made it feel more like a cross country ride. Two-thirds through the ride, I could easy tell the difference between very soft sand, soft sand, sand, packed sand and hard packed sand. These days, no ride is complete without the odd stone tossed by a local child. I just hope that Saint Christopher is watching.
Est-ce que tu comprends, toi, pourquoi ces cyclistes sourient encore alors que depuis notre arrivee au Soudan le bitume a disparu pour laisser place aux cailloux, au sable, aux graviers, aux bosses, aux inevitables chutes, au soleil et au vent ???
Je vais te mettre sur la voie… fermes les yeux et sent le soleil qui chauffe ta peau, le vent qui souffle sur ton visage,au loin tu entends quelques hommes parler et des enfants jouer... Maintenant, regarde: a tes pieds, du sable et des cailloux minuscules, tu te croirais a la plage, si tu leve un peu la tete, tu peux voir a ta droite quelques carres de luzerne bien verte qui pousse grace a un ingenieux systeme d`irrigation. Autour, quelques arbustes et palmiers, derriere tu devines le Nil. Au pied d`un palmier : un ane... qui attend patiemment. Puis a gauche, tu vois de jolies maisons de plein pied, couleur sable, avec les volets d`un bleu eclatant. Devant la maison, deux hommes habilles de belles robes blanches te saluent. Quelques enfants s`approchent, ils sont curieux... mais timides... ils t`observent, te sourient...
Enfin, si tu laisses ton regard se perdre plus loin, tu apercois de l`autre cote du Nil des montagnes, bordees d`un sable si lumineux et le ciel d`un bleu a couper le souffle !
Tu l`auras compris, ils ne sont pas fous.. ils en revaient depuis longtemps !
Steep, rock strewn hills surround us and ecru colored sand is everywhere; sand licks towards the crests of the sinister looking mounds. It is as if we are visiting a distant moon or roving across some unknown planet. We see only as far as the hills allow us and follow the craggy, tortuous road to Dongola.
Shaken to the bone, we cycle along the heavily rutted road leaving Wadi Halfa. The deep sand and gravel strewn route was an immediate sign that we are no longer in Egypt. Patches of sand inhaled tires, slinging some riders to the ground or leaving others fishtailing to safety. Unavoidable ruts, caused by infrequent flooding, punished riders without front suspension. We spent the better part of the day keeping a keen eye ten meters ahead and choosing the most solid patches of road.
Africa has shown its face. Some riders are overjoyed in leaving the tarmac while others are realizing just how difficult it will be to cycle across the Dark Continent.
A full moon cast long shadows over camp. Throughout the night, the effulgent disc drifted its way across the night sky, its brightness extinguishing all but a handful of stars. Sudan is still except for several clusters of locals. They are huddled around one of three televisions, all broadcasting the Egypt football match. An Egyptian goal sends the spectators into a craze and they jubilantly pump dark fists and cheers into the night.
Trucks remain on the calm waters of Lake Nasser, or so we are told by officials. Thus today has been turned into a rest day. Riders descended on the town tasting the local brew of milk, honey and sesame seeds or experiencing the nuances of Egypt meets Sudan cuisine. We were surprised to see that the small border town of Wadi Halfa had quite a bit to offer.
Trucks have arrived as of 16:30 and everyone is excited to reacquaint themselves with their red boxes. Talks of new bridges and freshly laid tarmac have everyone in high spirits. We know a difficult road lies ahead, but this extra day of rest, coupled with a new country has everyone ready to hop on their bikes
