Tour d'Afrique Ltd.

So Long Sudan - We hardly knew ya...

Two weeks. That’s all it takes to fall in love with a place.

50 Riders have fallen in love with the landscapes and the culture, but most of all, the people of Sudan in the short amount of time they spent here.

Despite temperatures almost reaching 50 degrees for most days, corrugated roads like not many people have seen before, deep sand and even less showers than usual Sudan and everything about it has been a highlight for TDA riders.

Highlights include being invited to have tea and dinner in locals’ homes, riding into Khartoum during a massive sand storm, conquering rutted roads through cornfields, welcoming song and dance in the smallest of local villages, free donkey rides, cooling down and cleaning up in Nile canals and having a donkey shower – possibly not the most hygienic of showers, but most definitely one of the best you’ll ever have.

Now, as they cross into Ethiopia, a new challenge awaits. On the cycling front there will be climbing, a lot of climbing, until they reach almost 3200m above sea level – the highest altitude they’ll reach on tour. They will have to acclimatise to cycling at altitude but will also enjoy the cooler temperatures it brings. Bumpy roads will become more common and navigating through villages with people lining the streets no matter where you go will be a new experience and then of course, there are those Ethiopian kids with a fondness of throwing rocks at cyclists.

However, one highlight that most are looking forward to as they enter Ethiopia is the promise of a cold beer on the other side of the border… Welcome to Ethiopia.

--- Catharina Robbertze

Posted February 09, 2012 by Guest Author
Ethiopia

21 days

It’s been 21 days since we entered Ethiopia crossing the border from Sudan. Out of the 10 countries the tour goes through, Ethiopia is by far the one where we spend the most amount of time. For a comparison, in Kenya, our next country, we will spend around 10 days. It was 21 very intense days. The Blue Nile Gorge, the Abra Minch Lakes region full of Baboons, storches and other wildlife, the ride up to 3200 meters, the dirt climbs before Yabello

The Ethiopians are a chapter apart in this story. They are the most different and culturally independent people I have ever seen. One of the first things that one will notice about them is that they still live in a very similar way to what they did in the past. Despite colonization attempts, on growing tourism and access to internet, as soon as you leave the capital Addis Ababa, you will go through a time warp as you approach the country side. The “shy” locals gather around us on lunch and on camp, admired with the way we do every small thing, from the way we wash our dishes to the colorful spandex we wear, every move we take brings good and loud laughs. Off course that this avid curiosity of theirs ends up becoming lack of privacy for some people, and the interaction with the locals become a very energy consuming thing to the already exhausted riders of the “TDA circus”.

Naturally born and grown in Ethiopia, Amanuel and Rebecca decided to join us from Cairo all the way to Moyale (Ethiopia/Kenya border). Despite having spent their whole youth in Ethiopia, they had never been in the country side, and after 2 decades in the USA, they are definitely discovering their home country with us. Tomorrow, as we reach the Kenyan border, they were supposed (on their original plans) to leave us and head back to Addis, but in total disagreement with the ecotourism first rule of “take nothing but photos”, we will take these 2 Ethiopian nuts all the way to Cape Town. Having sold all their belongings in the USA, and decided to move back to Africa (South Africa), it didn’t take me a lot to convince them, who never really thought they would make it to Ethiopia on their bikes.

As this is a game of winning and losing, our chef James, on his third TDA, is leaving us in Nairobi. We will also loose son and father Matthew and Paul, from Canada. Paul did the second half with his wife in 2008, and decided to complete the first half as well, brought his son along.

As we leave all this behind, there is a whole new world ahead of us as we cross the border. As soon as we reach the border, we will be the TDA popular northern Kenya larva rock roads, so feared by most riders. The Masai, members of a very interesting tribe in Kenya and Tanzania, are also something to look forward to see. We are also getting very close to the half of the tour, only a couple of days after Nairobi. As every day arrives some day, we are going through many of the places that most of us have been dreaming for months, even years.

So, as sad as it is to leave Ethiopia behind, Kenya, here we go!!! (or as we will learn soon, “Kenya, Hapa Twakuja”.

-- Cristiano Werneck

Posted March 04, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Ethiopia

And the staff are OK

Here we are, another blog posting from our little world to yours.   What if, for just this once, I stay in our little world. Our little world as staff that is.   Surely someone has wondered about how that world is going?   If that someone is you, then I shall say that according to my books, the staff are even more than just OK.

One from Switzerland, another Brazil, from Kenya, from Zimbabwe, the US and Ausie Land. A couple of Canadians, a Tanzanian, and few South Africans too, and for the next day or two, a handful of local Ethiopian staff. Each with their own tricks up their sleeves and skills they bring, this contraption of a machine we create ticks on. As each day comes and goes with all of it’s intricacies and to-be-expected surprises, there become less and less of what could be called a typical day on tour.

Each day a new flavour with a new mission at hand, the dozen or so staff become woven together, overlapping and interweaving in duties, until the sun has set and the day is done.

If there is one sure sign of health for this crew, is that there is laughter.   Full bellied, full throttle laughter all throughout the day and even most importantly, at day's end. As one rider said the other day, “the days are long, but the weeks fly by”, and in such truth, we must sit back and enjoy every trial and triumph of the day. Sit back smell the roses, and consider how lucky we are to be here. Even amongst all of the challenges, and not so celebrated moments of staff life, at the end of the day, if we can laugh, then what difference does it make?

Should this gift ever fail us, should we ever go astray, we at least have our dear Lucy. Lucy is a new member of our team. We found her just the other day. Lucy is our new kitchen plant. Lucy’s an Aloe. She was picked up the other day, cared for, potted in a reused coffee tin and is now our fortune telling sage. You can ask her anything.   “Lucy, do you think dinner is spiced enough?”, Listen…. “Lucy, how long until the last riders gets in?” wait and listen some more,”Lucy, where do you reckon we could fill up with water”… “Lucy, have all the staff gone mad?” … ?

-- Adele Woodyard

Posted March 02, 2011 by Adele Woodyard
Ethiopia

Keeping clean

If there’s one thing I like most about rolling into a rest day it’s the promise of a shower usually guaranteed. Usually.

Our campsite for the next two nights is in the grounds of the Bekele Molla Hotel in the city of Arba Minch. A beautiful place too – spacious grounds overlooking the lake. The only problem is that the water keeps coming and going, running out and is currently not running at all – and I haven’t had a shower yet!

We have had roughly 6-7 showers since we left Cairo a month and a half ago. Nick has skipped a couple so he’s only had 4 or 5. Only one of these has been hot – but no one really minds anymore. Running water is a luxury, 4 walls and a cubicle is a bonus, and as for hot water… well that would be heaven!!!

All I can say is thank goodness for the invention of the babywipe (and please keep your fingers crossed the water comes back on soon!) -- Claire Pegler

Posted February 27, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Ethiopia

Where are you go

The question I can count on being asked on a daily basis is, “Where are you go?” It’s a simple question, which has a seemingly straight forward answer. The question is a good way to initiate a conversation with a stranger, and I’m certain that it’s rooted in genuine curiosity. Lately, my reply has been, “Nairobi.” The locals all know where that city is, and while it strikes them as strange that I’d be cycling to Kenya when there are perfectly good buses, they find the answer to their query to be plausible. Today, I decided to change gears.

“You, where are you go?” I was asked by a young man wearing a Muslim skullcap.

“Nairobi.” “Ah. Yes.”

“And then on to Cape Town, South Africa.”

There was a long pause as he stared at me, trying to decide if I was having a bit of fun at his expense.

“South Africa?” he repeated.

He laughed and called his friends over. He relayed my answer to them, and they all stared at me and smiled at my strange foreign attempt at a joke.

“Where are you come?” one of the group asked.

“Cairo, Egypt,” I replied. They all smiled and shook their heads. I figured that I ought to offer them some evidence to back up my claims. I hiked up the leg of my cycling shorts and they were confronted with the undeniable proof of my hard earned tan lines. I pointed at my pale white thigh. “Cairo.” I traced my finger across the stark border created by my riding kit to the dark tan above my knee. “Ethiopia.” Their earlier disbelief was replaced with looks of astonishment. Clearly, I could afford to fly. Why would I bicycle? I was asked a new question, one which is harder to answer. “Why are you go?”

I’ve been told that an interesting class distinction can be made by considering attitudes toward food. If your host is poor, they ask if you had enough food to eat. After a middle class meal, the question becomes, “Did you enjoy your meal?” At an upper class gathering, the quantity and quality of the food is unquestionably good, so the question will be, “What did you think of the presentation.” The circumstances of our journey invite a similar comparison. To a man who owns little more than a mud hut and a few goats, the concern toward travel is if he has the resources to complete his journey. A person of more means will hope to enjoy a safe and quick journey.

Contrast that with our expedition which is all about the journey, and not transportation. I suspect that many members of our group have asked themselves some variation of the question, “why are you go.” It’s a question that each of us will have to explore on our own and the answer will undoubtedly evolve as we make our way south toward Cape Town.

If, at the end of our journey, I have a satisfactory answer I will be sure to share it with you.

-- Gabe Altman

Posted February 26, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Ethiopia

A love story

Ethiopia offers us a different kind of landscape. Unlike Egypt and the Sudan which are largely flat, Ethiopia is mostly hilly. As you cross the border with the Sudan, you are met with rolling hills as far as your eyes can see. The highland breeze gently cools you down as you ride up and down the hills. Sometimes I find myself stopping at the side of the road after a steep climb and looking back to appreciate the countryside.

There is a lot of human traffic especially when you get to a town. Children run beside you as you climb yelling “you you you” , “money money money” or my favorite “where are you go”. My response is usually “salam” or “hello”. They just don’t know what to make of you.

My impression of the country is WOW! Now I know why King Solomon fell in love with a woman from this land but I am sure its people and the landscape influenced him too. You don’t have to take my word for it - check it out yourself. Maybe on the TDA 2012!

-- Martin

Posted February 23, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Ethiopia

The Little People

Let’s just pretend that we’re living in a story book. An old, worn, thick bound story book, drenched with intricately illustrated pen drawings and a smell of generations
passed. The story is full of mysterious characters and unknown lands, great journeys of hero’s and heroin’s and battles lost and won. This is where our story begins. Not with a story of hero’s, but rather with the entry of the protagonist; The Little People. A story some wish were not true.

The hero has said goodbye to the flat desert and greeted the mountains ahead with great anticipation. Up, up, up they went and down and down and up and up some more. Past farmers fields and villages, mountain passes and switchback turns, they found their way to the heart of the new world. Early mornings with mist hanging low in the valleys, the sun sparkling over the purple flower bushes hanging on to roadside and mountain side alike. The hills roll on ahead, each climb bringing a new vista, and the trees are full of delicious fresh fruit. This is heaven. Little by little, the villages wake up, the men and women go to work in the fields or down to the market, the youngsters tag along or head to school, but what is left of the Little People? What happens when every known adult is off, with nothing left for the littlest ones to do?

In being quite little, they know what is best for their kind, they know to stick together. When together, anything is possible. Today the Little People saw something strange come through their land. One very large truck with paintings on the side, unlike any of the tracks from here. Then another, and then yet another, only slightly smaller this time. The Little People got together.

In no time they were ready, without a moment to spare. Enter the first of the Bicycle People. No matter how little, they each had an important role. The littlest ones, hardly walking, cute as can be, they would be out front. A great disguise. The next in command could run, they could charge at the Bicycle People to see if they could throw them off their coarse,
and the biggest of the Little People had the most important job; throw of stone. Attack! The Bicycle People kept coming! Tens and tens and then of them, their work
was cut out. The Bicycle People came and went throughout the many hours of the afternoon but the Little People didn’t
feel they were done. They passed their plans along to their fellow Little People who lived were the Bicycle People were camped, with instructions for the final attack.The Plan. Assemble all of the biggest of the Little People, they’ll look most identical and will have the most dramatic effect. Collect matching cloaks for all, darker colours are best, and supply each with a matching staff. Wait until the Bicycle People are eating, occupied, and then, form a ring around camp, just as the sun in setting, nothing but cheek bones , noses and eye poking out and all with their staff in their right hand. This should throw them off.

Well, the plan worked in so far as startling the Bicycle People, as they had never seen such a sight. The Bicycle People stayed in their camp, and the Little People watched on. “Maybe they’ll drop a camera, a sandal, or a watch, and then it’s ours!”

The Bicycle People and the Little People never did figure out entirely what each other were up to and remain a great mystery in each others eyes still to this day. One might even say there has been a Little Person watching ME this whole time.

-- Adele Woodyard

Posted February 20, 2011 by Adele Woodyard
Ethiopia

Challenge

The TdA is now one month in. As riders traverse the Ethiopian highlands and head towards Addis, they draw on new knowledge built by tired legs. This brutal epistemology lets riders know when to eat, when to rest, and when to push, and when to peel off. Throughout the tour each rider explores their limits differently. Challenge by choice is a central theme in an undertaking like TdA, and the challenge becomes personal. Some go for EFI, some try to kick an addiction, and some choose to race.

The strain of racing TdA is difficult to communicate. Perhaps the best indicator is the growing list of abandoning riders. The stalwarts that remain are the prepared and the dedicated. Their challenge is competition.   The overall leaders wake up every morning ready to race. There are precious few easy days, and when one does arise it must be taken advantage off. Pace lines, break-aways, sprint finishes, and late moves up finishing climbs; all must be anticipated and taken in stride with the normal course of life on the road.

The level of competition remains friendly, but is none-the-less heated. Mando days are a crowning prize, giving the stage winner a thirty minute time bonus. These days bring out a competitive streak in even the most casual racers, and are also among the tour’s longest, hardest days.   Racers quickly adjusted to the flying speed and humming pace lines of Egypt and northern Sudan. The corrugated dirt tracks of Eeastern Sudan were a different matter. Group work had to be reconsidered. Pace lines fell by the wayside as line choice, bike handling, and bicycle design (a la Paris-Roubaix) became important.    After all of these trials, riding into the Ethiopian highlands brought out the climbers. Now only the contenders are left.

The race is scarcely a quarter finished, and any predictions about overall wins are premature. Finishing times will be over 300 hours, and many kilometres lay ahead. The challenges of riding fast, riding safe, and staying healthy will wear on many excellent cyclists – while creating opportunity for others of the same breed. As the race leaves Addis and heads towards Kenya, riders and bikes alike will be tested by long days on rough roads. If you’re the kind of person who is kept up at night by hyenas in the bush (or in camp), you might have trouble racing in the morning.

-- Nick Brennan

Posted February 20, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Ethiopia

That EFI thing

It occurred to me the other day that the vast majority of riders that set out to bike from Cairo to Capetown come with the goal to EFI (which Cristiano already wrote about the other day – basically E stands for Every, I stands for Inch, and F stands for whichever F word you think best describes those inches). Unfortunately every year only a handful of riders are actually able to achieve this due to medical or mechanical issues or simply lack of preparation along the way.

Sometimes it’s the frustration of multiple flat tyres or some more serious mechanical issue that can’t be fixed on the roadside that will force a rider into the truck. Sometimes other riders that are already on the truck as it passes wlll kindly lend a bike in the spirit to hang on to their EFI. Sometimes riders are just physically unprepared for the demands of the tour and lack the physical fitness, come with a poor bike fit that results in injury. And sometimes it’s for medical reasons that riders end up taking the truck.

There are three main medical reasons riders take the truck: knee or Achilles pain from improper bike fit, saddle sores, and gastro.

Of these, at the moment, it’s the gastro that is the culprit for ending the EFI dream.

Every year cycling through Ethiopia there seems to be a gastro outbreak and 2011 is no exception. Hand washing is the most important thing if you want to stay safe, but our tired western tummies simply aren’t used to Ethiopian tummy bugs!

The best treatment for travellers diarrhoea is rest, fluids and more rest, but because of the EFI dream many riders choose to ride through their illness prolonging their recovery time, pushing their bodies to dangerous levels of dehydration.

While I have great respect for anyone that can EFI this journey I believe it to be a much greater strength to respect yourself when you’re not well, jump on the truck, let yourself get better so that you can continue to have fun back on the bike in a couple of days time!

-- Claire

Posted February 17, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Ethiopia

Circus

The circus has arrived! How odd we must look to the locals. Clad from head to toe in neon colored lycra, we tromp about our camp performing incomprehensible acts. Just this morning I dug a pit, filled it with garbage, doused it with petrol and set it alight. The children surrounding our camp stared in amazement.

We attract attention everywhere we travel in this country. Whether you are riding alone or in a group, to stop along the side of the road is to invite attention and conversation. First one or two children walk over to you. Then a few more will come running. After a few minutes, you may have ten or more kids watching your every move with fascination. They are very curious. "You! Where are you go? Pen? Shirt?" Sometimes the topic is a bit more personal. "Where are you from? What you name?" The children are bold, and also filled with mischeif as most children are. It's not uncommon to hear a rock clattering along the pavement after passing by a group of kids. I don't think there is any malicious intent in the stone throwing, just boredom and a lack of adult supervision.

Our bush camps are quickly surrounded by locals of all ages. Mostly, they sit on the outside of our encampment and observe our daily activities. Anyone who gets close to the edge of the camp is questioned. "You you you! Water? Pen?" The more daring children will cross over our perimeter rope in hope of gaining some useful object from an inattentive cyclist. Used bottles and cans are coveted items, and quickly disappear from our recycing bags when we break camp in the morning. We do our best to leave our campsites in the same state as when we arrived. We are careful to collect all of our trash, and level the soil over our latrine and trash pits. In time, all physical trace of our presence disappears. How long does it take for the memories of our campsite to fade from the minds of the local children?

-- Gabe Altman

Posted February 16, 2011 by Tour d'Afrique Ltd.
Ethiopia

Ethiopia

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So Long Sudan - We hardly knew ya...

21 days

And the staff are OK

Keeping clean

Where are you go

A love story

The Little People

Challenge

That EFI thing

Circus

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