Arriving in Moyale has brought us to the finish of the abbreviated Meltdown Madness Section. Oddly, compared to previous years, bicycles are being wrapped up and loaded onto the trucks for the trip through Kenya, bags are being packed for a 2 week vacation from a vacation, and cyclists are flipping through Tanzanian and Ethiopian travel books, deciding how to spend their time off the bike. Ethiopia has, once again, proved to be a fascinating and culturally diverse country. This is my third time through Ethiopia with the Tour d’Afrique, and each time has brought the pleasures of meeting the local people in markets, on roadsides, in cafes, at truckstops, and in assortment bushcamps. This year, in particular, brought many changes. Most obviously 6 days of cycling on a different route South of Addis Ababa. Especially intriguing was the route south of our final rest day in Ethiopia, Arbre Minch. The road devolved into a rock infested trail, jolting the cyclists and testing their patience. What struck the eye was the quickly shifting cultures. At times upon this road, within 60km of each other were two very different peoples. Konsul, and Borani tribes, both of whom are unique in dress, language, and beliefs. Within our time in Ethiopia many cyclists have experienced the peculiarity of having stones thrown at them by children. Bizarre in one right, explainable in another. Occasionally the gap between wealthy tourist and half naked child brings such a degree of miscomprehension that stupidity ensues. Though the purpose of traveling by bicycle is to slow down and step beyond the doors of a Toyota Landcruiser; it is still too quick a mode of transportation to bridge the distance in understanding. Days, weeks or even years are necessary for a foreigner to understand the intricacies and beauties of this culture, let’s hope a few stones don’t deter any curious souls from riding a bicycle here, or from taking the time to learn. This brings us into Kenya. Tomorrow, our African Routes crew, two other TDA staff and I will be taking our five vehicles for the transit to Arusha, Tanzania. Different reports have mentioned recent conflict; however, just yesterday, the BBC reported an agreement between the opposing political sides. We expect a safe journey in the trucks, and we look to the skies and hope that the rains do not fall on us. As those who have traveled the East African Highway through Northern Kenya know—don’t try it in the mud!

Who said life should be easy? It has been pretty tough here and the Ethiopian challenge has definitely dented a few peoples ambition to remain EFI-ers. The challenge has also brought out the best and worst in people. There are certain things that will never change: the hills, what goes up can keep going up; the people, whom most of the time are pretty friendly but can be particularly tiring; and of course, children throwing stones. The new route from Addis Ababa had a sting in its tail yesterday with roads that are similar to Northern Kenya. It has been interesting to watch those who can roll with the punches and suck up the tough stuff without complaint. Africa is a tough place and it is what it is. If you expected anything less than tough roads, challenging hills, diarrhea and vomiting, drinking more than six liters of fluid a day and of course a few stones thudding into you, then you came ill prepared. No amount of complaining will change it. Acceptance is key. The cyclist’s bodies have also begun to break down. It has not been just the weight loss that comes with the massive amount of mileage. The “veggies” have had a particularly tough time. A number of them have small wounds that are just not healing well. Miles, our chef, has done wonders with the food but Africa is definitely not prepared for vegetarians, at least not those that intent on cycling more than 100km per day. The two week break in Arusha is going to be particularly welcome. I know that I can’t wait and others will welcome the opportunity for their bodies to recuperate.

As mentioned previously, the Moyale to Nairobi stages of Meltdown Madness are cancelled due to the political situation in Kenya. Thus today marks the completion of Meltdown Madness. In an interesting turn of events, Bernd Prorok takes first place for the Meltdown Madness section with a stage time of 34:02 and moves into the overall race lead. Chris Wille takes second place in this stage with a time of 34:34 with Janet in third at a time of 38:00.

Ryan and I are beneath a tree, enjoying the final cool breezes of morning and putting away the first coffee for the day. Over the rim of my glass, I see a whirl of bright blue and red speed past. A second passes as my brain tries to register what my eyes just saw. Breaking the momentary silence, Ryan manages a sentence, “Was that your bike?” Yes, it is mine, and it is accompanied by another rider’s bike. We leap from our seats, hop a short fence and run along a line of barbed wire. We manage to find a gap and wave down an already crammed minibus. I’m sitting on a woman’s lap and Ryan has managed to squat on someone’s knee with his upper body jutting through an open window. We try to communicate our urgency, but no one understands. Passengers are astounded by our rudeness and are not shy to let us know. I overhear someone in the back repeatedly say “crazy people” but we are too preoccupied to care. I am squinting ahead while Ryan scans each alley. From inside, I am shouting and pointing and Ryan, being half outside, is not hearing a word of it. We continue these antics for five minutes before we decide to turn back, regroup at the hotel and call the police. We switch to an oncoming minibus and return to the café to settle our bill. On our walk back to the hotel, Ryan and I discuss scenarios: did the thieves have the audacity to go into camp, steal the bike, ride down the long dirt road and not be stopped by any of the other riders? Were the culprits in cahoots with our hotel? As we walk, I know the thieves are removing components and repainting my bike. I’m not looking forward to riding the rest of the trip on a different bike. We pass a familiar local in the street. I recognize him by a tie-dyed Jerry Springer Spring Break 2002 t-shirt. Weed or chat, a local narcotic, has blown his eyes into a glassy red stare. He was around the hotel this morning and might remember, depending on the amount of THC in his system, the people responsible. “It will be worth your while to find it,” Ryan tells him. He bobs his head down then up and sets out down the street. Back at camp, Henry tells us to call the police, organize a taxi and begin a search for the bike. We need to determine where it was stolen and then spread the word of a cash reward. Ryan organizes a ride back into town and I’m running to hop into the back of the already moving vehicle. They drop us on the main road and point in the direction of the police station. On the short walk to the building, we pass a restaurant and Ryan notices my bike resting against a tree. How could this be? We walk into the café and see the film crew enjoying lunch in the shade, much like Ryan and I two hours before. We explain the theft while they stare towards their shoes. Still trying to piece together all the information Christian interrupts, “We took your bike this morning. Then we let two locals take yours and another bike to have a quick spin around town.”

This morning started out with much anticipation. Having come off a rest day and only a few riding days left in Ethiopia, I wanted to ride on my day off. I like to ride with the sweep because there are plenty of pop stops and general coasting down hills, nowhere that I would like to push myself. Bucky was the AM sweep and agreed it would be wise to team up and watch each other’s backs. Our route through south Ethiopia has taken us through a sparse part of the country, with both faces and geography changing. Gone are the western styles of Addis. They are substituted with bare essentials or sometimes, shirts or pants missing. The country side has changed from heavy agriculture to dry, unworkable hills. With a day like today, I know I will wake up tomorrow and get the same anticipation about the ride and have another story to tell.

Il y a des femmes, de tout age, souvent en robes verte, poussiereuse, avec un epais morceau de tissu autour de la taille pour les aider a porter dans leur dos des jarres ou des bidons plein d`eau; ou sur leur tetes, des paniers remplis de fruits, de volailles mortes, de bouzes seches (oui oui!), de graines … Il y a des enfants, des groupes d`ecoliers en uniformes, avec leurs gros cahiers sous le bras, qui vont a l`ecole. D`autres, hauts comme trois pommes, un baton a la main, gardent des chevres, jouent sur le bord de la route, s`occupent de leurs freres et soeurs… Il y a des hommes, qui menent des troupeaux de vaches, qui reviennent du marche avec une chevre ou quelques poules, qui portent d`enormes morceaux de bois sur leurs epaules, ou qui conduisent une petite charrette tiree par un ane. Il y a des anes, des chevres et des vaches qui deambulent le long des routes et profitent de chaque moment d`inattention de leur gardien pour traverser la route ou devier de leur chemin, mais le baton est la pour les rappeler a l`ordre. De temps en temps, a notre grande joie, il y a des singes, de jolis oiseaux bleus, verts… Certains ont meme vu des hyenes! Il y a aussi des cyclistes (pas uniquement du Tour d`Afrique!), quelques rares motos, beaucoup de minibus qui transportent beaucoup de personnes, de bagages et parfois d`animaux. Il y a aussi des gros 4x4 blancs avec des touristes ou portant des logos d`organisations humanitaires et enfin, beaucoup de camions de chantiers charges de gros sacs avec des hommes assis dessus. Enfin, autour de ses routes il y a un paysage qui change… il fait maintenant plus chaud et plus humide, le sol est vert, il y a des arbres fleuris : Flamboyants rouges, Bougainvillier violet, et Ylang-ylang (hum ca sent bon!) et enfin, des bananiers et des manguiers (miam miam!).

So they tell me, that even I have to write an update before I go home, which was supposed to have been two days ago. But having suggested that we change the route to Moyale and not having seen the route before, I thought I should delay my departure and see how my suggestion went. And it is a good thing that I did. The route, as expected, is beautiful; the scenery is stunning and the road is mostly paved. Great climbs, even greater descents. What has not changed is the basic conditions, or rather the challenge, of the Tour d’Afrique. Until yesterday morning, the 2008 Tour encountered few problems. Things have been running smoothly and no unexpected issues popped out. Yesterday, 1km before a turnoff to a viewing point of a volcanic lake, one of our riders ran into a little girl. The rider took a bad spill and was unable to get back onto her bicycle. The little girl seemed to have been fine and was taken home by her parents. At first the locals were helping our injured cyclist but soon demands for compensation started coming, and a bigger crowd gathered. With communication being a major problem, pleasantries from the crowd turned to anger and tension grew. By the time I happened to arrive on the scene some of the young men had huge rocks in their hands, but somehow we managed to keep things from getting out of control. A quick trip to nearby police station and a small donation to the parents resolved what could have been a bad scene. But the day was not over. Late in the day, I decided to take out our truck and see how the last few riders on the road are doing. That is when I came upon one of riders surrounded by a crowd—all of them helping the rider. The rider was attacked by a psychopath, who tried to take a camera. The attack was violent; the rider dropped the camera and the attacker ran with the camera. He did not run far. Witnesses ran after him and managed to retrieve the camera. A quick police investigation identified the attacker. The rider, though shaken and in pain, was in high spirits by dinner time and no serious harm was done. The incidences reminded everyone that the Tour d’Afrique is still an expedition and a tough one. Unexpected situations can happen within a second and we all need to be vigilant and supportive. I now see the line for steaks that Miles has prepared (can the former TDA riders believe this…steak for dinner) so I better finish this now.

So I’ve had a few complaints about the website being way too optimistic, not telling it like it is. Thus, here’s a list of things that we could whine about, that drives us crazy, that are annoying or frustrating or discouraging. Number 1: KIDS!! The kids of Ethiopia have been driving us crazy, not only because of the absolute, constant harassment of “you, you, you!” being screamed at you, or “hello, hello, hello!” or “Give me money! Give me money!” Then, let’s add in the kiddos who chase after you, either yelling encouragement or just to race you up a hill or to give you a push or to steal something out of your rear rack. No, all this gets discouraging, just from the repetition throughout the day, as you say “hello” or “salamno” 50 million times, or just try to raise your hand weakly in a quick wave as you cycle up a hill to the 17,000th kid who refuses to stop saying “you, you, you!” despite the response you’ve already given. Now, let’s add to that the violent kids, who like to throw sticks and rocks, either innocently to get your attention, in a misguided attempt to herd you as they do all the donkeys and goats, or simply to hurt you. Kathleen in particular nursed a nice bruise on her thigh, from a rock thrown from a cliff, that must’ve hit with some impact, because it’s the size of a black and blue softball. Of course, it doesn’t help that the adults, if they see kids harassing you, also throw rocks at the kids to scare them off. Number 2: The annoyance of always having eyes staring at you, invading your privacy. We’ve come to the point that we have to put up a perimeter line around the lunch truck and our camps at night, due to how intensely curious people are about the ferengis (foreigners) who’re dressed up in odd costumes, putting up tents, cooking, sleeping, trying to find somewhere to do their business. Even at Coke stops, you’ll be surrounded by an entire crowd of kids and adults, who’re very interested in who you are and where you’re going. That’s another question that gets old after the 86th person asks, “Where you go?” and continues to ask after you’ve already responded with “Moyale” or “up the hill” or “Mars.” Number 3: What goes through your head on a discouraging day. The sun is too hot. My flesh is being broiled as I cycle along. I’m sun burnt today, from that stupid doxycycline (malaria pills). This uphill is never going to be over and my legs are burning, my lungs are burning, my skin is burning. Alternatively, it’s too flat, there’s nothing to look at. I’m bored on the bike. My body is exhausted. Where’s the lunch truck? It’s supposed to be at 70k, but my speedometer says 72.6, it’s nowhere in sight, and I want to get off this bike NOW. What’s that roadkill? I wonder if they’ll have tuna at lunch? Should I do a combo of peanut butter and chocolate, or pb and honey? If I have to say hi to one more person…. When was the last time I put on sunscreen? God, is that another FLAT?! @$#&* I could, of course, go on, but I’ll save more for another day. After all, not every day is perfect and fun and pleasurable.

When you are enjoying the beautiful photos of the Tour d'Afrique 2008 on the web site, please keep in mind that many of them are there due to the talent and generosity of two of the 2008 cyclists, Spiros Analytis and Diana Diaconu! Many thanks Spiros & Diana!!

It seems we keep repeating the same scenario: new stage, day 1 = head wind. Well, fortunately only a head wind until lunch. What we are not repeating is the previous TDA route to Moyale. Our route from Addis Ababa keeps us off the main road/old route and so it is definitely quieter and from what I’ve heard—more beautiful. After two rest days in Addis Ababa many cyclists were keen to get back to the simple routine that has become our way of life. Running around a city in search of decent internet, illegal telephone lines to call home, eating grotesque amounts of food, washing clothes and sorting our bicycles is far too complicated and definitely too tiring for what is supposed to be a rest day. We convoyed the first 18km out of town (something we are getting increasingly good at) and with a few rollers, a strong tailwind and downhill for the last 20km, the first day of the new route was relatively easy. Apparently the next several days are going to be a bit more topographically challenging. We left behind a number of people in Addis Ababa. Many of them are off to Lali Bela and will join us a little later. Maria Abagis and Spiros Analytis are on enforced leave as Spiros fractured his clavicle on the 14th. We wish him a speedy recovery and look forward to the return of all those who have left us. Enjoy the sights!