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
TDA cyclists rode into the dusty city of Khartoum in convoy yesterday, marking the end of the first of eight sections of the full Tour d’Afrique. Pharaoh’s Delight is now officially something of the past and riders have already notched up almost 2000km on their odometers. One down, seven to go and things are still running smoothly.
It has only taken two short weeks to change riders’ perspectives about themselves, their fellow riders and about Africa and with almost 18 weeks to go, it is safe to say these participants are going to return home different people. In less than a week a 100km day became known as an “easy” riding day, the value of a good shower has increased exponentially, friendships have been formed and most have learnt to not only respect and appreciate a fellow rider but to support them… the saying, never leave a man behind, comes to mind.
Through Egypt roads were flat and smooth. Legs were fresh and times were improving as everyone’s muscles became accustomed to the everyday hammering of long days on the road. The Egyptian way of doing was different than anything most of them ever experienced and most realised that patience was going to be a valuable commodity on this trip. Everyone began to appreciate that they need to expect the unexpected because this is, after all, Africa.
Crossing over into the Sudan the friendliness of the people was the first thing everyone noticed and thanks to the welcome we received it didn’t take too long for most to decide this was their favourite country thus far on the trip. The days spent in Sudan has accentuated the value of slow travel as riders have been invited into locals’ homes for tea and bread and got to experience this country that many don’t know a lot about. The differences between Egypt and Sudan are subtle but very apparent, thanks mostly to the subtle changes in landscapes and the vast differences in people. The thought of getting to experience eight more border crossings and seeing how things keep changing as we head ever further south is an exciting prospect.
Though most are proud of themselves for getting through the first section, and rightly so, it is important to stay humble and also realise that it still is early days in this trip. We still have a long way to go to reach our final destination. This was a good introduction, now to get down to business. It’s time for unpaved roads and hills… Bring on The Gorge.
-- Catharina Robbertze
The other day while riding sweep I caught up with rider Ian who stopped on the side of the road to talk to some locals. The man’s name is Abudi and he invites us into the village for a cup of tea. We are only a couple of kilometres from lunch and it’s only 12:30 – the general rule is that riders need to aim to be at the lunch truck by 1pm.
We wander into the village and inside the concrete buildings the temperature is surprisingly much cooler than outside. Abudi was born in the village but now lives in Khartoum, and has returned for his brother’s wedding which was the day before. The village normally is home to 14 people but because of the wedding, the day we are invited in there are many more.
Abudi brings us a huge plate of Nubian cornbread and we sit on the mat on the floor to eat it. We meet the prince of the village, and all of Abudi’s family. He takes us for a tour to meet the women who congregate in a separate building to the men. Some of them are busy cooking, others are busy resting, all of them are very pleased to meet us.
By the time we have finished meeting the entire village it is 1:30 and we are running late for the lunch truck! Abudi gives us his phone number and makes us promise to give him a call when we get to Khartoum so he can show us around!
This my third visit to the Sudan and each time I am amazed at the genuineness of the hospitality offered by the Sudanese people.
- Claire Pegler
