Hello, my name is Jolyane and I'm from Québec City, Canada. I'm a part time university student. I’m studying international studies and modern languages and I also work full time as a human resources counselor. Traveling is my passion, it gives me the opportunity to meet new people from different cultures, exchange with them and learn from them.

As long as I can remember I have always been passionate about Africa and I have always wanted to discover this fascinating continent, but I never thought I would be doing it on a bike. Even though I never participated in a cycling tour of this scale before, I like challenges, and the Tour d'Afrique will definitely be a great challenge for me physically and also mentally.

It was very important to me that I associate myself with an organization of international aids. When I read about l’AMIE, I was immediately impressed by their well-founded of their mission of meeting the fundamental needs of children in Third World countries, but also increasing people’s awareness to the rights, the needs and the ways we can help those children. I really believe that if the children are given a chance to grow up in a better environment, the world we live in can be better. For more information about how to donate and support L’AMIE (http://www.amie.ca/), please see
(https://www.canadahelps.org/DonationDetails.aspx?cookieCheck=true&Language=en).

I also would like to take this opportunity to say a big THANK YOU to my family and friends who have supported me in this journey since the beginning, I love you all.

Why are people riding around the world with bikes ? Why do people climb mountains ? Why do people do crazy things ? I don't know. But I do it as well. The philosopher Nietzsche put it this way: “There is only one way in the world, on which nobody can go - except you: Where does it lead? Don't ask, follow it”.

Everyone’s life consists of different projects. The Tour d'Afrique is the project for the first year of my retirement. Trigger for this project was a visit to South Africa last year. Why not get to know Africa and its people in a different way? Through my work for the protestant church in Germany I was confronted with poverty and social discrimination. I have been affiliated with the German YMCA (www.cvjm-weltdienst.de) for many decades now, both professionally and as a volunteer. As there are many connections between the YMCA and Africa I am planning to get to know some projects personally and support them with donations.

I want to say thanks to my wife, children, colleagues, the “Evang. Jugendwerk Würtemberg“ and to all supporters and sponsors!

Hello there!  I’m Malcolm.  I was a late comer to the tour, only signing up just before the cut off in October.  I had decided that I needed to do something completely fun/challenging/insane and the tour offered all of these.  Thanks to the support of my friends and family, especially my parents, I was able to be prepared in time.

I have a background of commuting by bike to and from work (I’ve never owned a car).  I also take part in organized runs such as half marathons and 10k runs.  I hope that this base level of fitness does me well in the tour.

At the time of this update we have completed three countries and have just crossed over into Kenya.  I’m happy to say that the tour has live up to all my expectations.  It has been challenging, both physically and mentally, while also being extremely rewarding.  I have enjoyed riding every fabulous inch so far and hope to have just as much fun in the days and weeks to come!!

P.S.The photo is of me with juice in Ethiopia. I really like juice!!!

Hello everyone! Greetings from Liverpool, England, where I spend most of my time working as a police officer. Fortunately, I have been able to get some time off work to enjoy the fantastic opportunity of participating in the Tour d’Afrique 2009.

As you can see from my photo, I am not exactly in training to win any races in Africa! I prefer to follow the saying of the Chinese philosopher Confucious that “it doesn’t matter how slowly you go, as long as you don’t stop”. My aim is to arrive in Cape Town in one piece, hopefully healthy with plenty of miles in my wheels, and plenty of great memories of the trip.

If you want to read more about my previous cycling escapades, or keep up to date with my progress in Africa, please log on to my website at www.globalspokes.com

Look forward to meeting you all.

Here’s to Cairo!

I reside just next to the 400 year old city of Québec, in a little village where traffic jams are not a problem. Biking all this distance is quite a challenge I must say, by comparison  it is like eating an elephant... One mouthful at a time. All this pavement swallowing will come to me as the adventure of a lifetime, and most important, it is what I will discover along the road that will ease those hard and never ending miles. Every once in a while I dream of doing something like this, and since dreaming is free and non taxable, I have done a lot of that in my life. Unfortunately time is running short and I have decided that this will be it.

So here I am with my dream, and I am a little boy again.
Thank you Danielle for your inspiration and your friendship, I could not have imagined doing this without you.

I am looking forward to meeting everyone.

This will be the most adventuresome thing I have ever done. I am excited with the positive spirit of adventure and am really looking forward to these new experiences and new friends.

I have many interests. I love to read - Atlas Shrugged is my favorite novel. I sing with the Vocal Majority, an award-winning 120-man pops and barbershop chorus. I dance - swing, country western, ballroom, Latin. I hike - have trekked in the Himalayas in Nepal with my daughter, have hiked up the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu in Peru with all three children, and have hiked down into the Grand Canyon with my daughter. Of course I bicycle. I was active doing all these things even before I retired.

As you can tell, I am a life participant and not a spectator, as I think all of you are too. Life is a joy!

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” - Mark Twain

I look forward to meeting all of you.

I may be wearing an Australian biking shirt, but I am Canadian from the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.  I am a retired Mathematics Professor from the University of Calgary.  I have always been in love with nature, be it through hiking, skiing, horseback riding, diving or cycling.  I have never golfed.

I have only spent 2 weeks in South Africa and look forward to spending 4 months biking through 10 countries.  I wish to challenge my body and my mind and will try to spiritually connect with the people we meet on the route.  How much do we really need to own to be happy in this world; the answers will be all around us.

I look forward to the companionship of our group and the ultimate friendship of some.

Ann Gallagher’s Cycletherapy

A Radical Sabbatical for Africa’s Orphans

What does one do when a fifteen year real estate developer career is no longer a reason to wake up in the morning? And what does one do when personal discontent is reclassified as a complete global economic crash fueled by the failing US residential real estate market?

Would I begin establishing a new residence in my Mini Cooper? Launch a career at McDonalds? Hone my skills as a greeter at Walmart? Strangle my husband? Bike across Africa? Bike 7300 miles across Africa…yeah, that’s it!!

After all, Tour d’Afrique has been on my bucket list. If  I’m going to take a sabbatical it may as well be radical. While I’m at it, I may as well shift my focus from my perceived misery to the real miseries of others; the orphans and vulnerable children of Africa, the innocents left behind due to the AIDS pandemic.

I’ve done it before, for Chicago based Global Alliance for Africa, www.globalallianceafrica.org. Trekking with groups I’ve organized, we’ve summitted Mount Kilimanjaro five times and walked 110 miles through Tsavo on the “Great Walk of Africa.” These volunteer groups collectively raised $280,000 for the orphans. Coming to realize that I’m at my best while combining adventure with helping others, my goal for the “Tour” is $10 per mile or $73,000! Through giving to others, the gift that keeps giving…is really to myself. It will truly be cycletherapy. 

Experience the journey with me at www.cycletherapy.org .

Judy Garnier was born in Edmonton but raised in the Rocky Mountains of Canmore, Alberta, Canada.  Growing up in such a recreational environment, she has grown a fondness for outdoor activities such as cycling and Rugby and has competed internationally in cross-country skiing and nationally in biathlon.  She moved to Calgary to go to University and is taking a year off from completing her undergraduate degree in Biology and Archeology to take part in the Tour D’Afrique.

Judy achieved her glider pilot license in 2003 and her private pilot license in 2004 and is now a glider instructor and flies powered aircraft recreationaly. She is now a glider instructor and flies powered aircraft recreationaly. 

Judy has never traveled extensively but has a great desire to visit and learn about other cultures and hopes that this trip will give her an excellent chance to do just that.  She also has a strong sense of community and charity and hopes (in addition to flying planes) to go into nursing upon her return from the expedition and eventually work with Doctors without Borders.  Judy also enjoys playing board games with friends over a beer, camping and anything else outdoors.

Judy is taking part in the Tour D’Afrique with her partner, Andrew McLellan and both are fund raising for the Tour D’Afrique foundation as part of their participation in the expedition.

I am a retired educator from Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. I live an active lifestyle and enjoy many physical activities. In the winter oldtimers hockey. downhill and x-country skiing are enjoyed while in the summer it becomes baseball, canoe-tripping and, obviously, cycling. I got hooked on cycling in my early '50s and love the combination of being outside, the exercise and traveling by bike. I have enjoyed several cycling trips, the most significant , the Tour de Canada in 2002. When two friends were retiring this year we decided to join the Tour d'Afrique ride to see and enjoy the beautiful continent of Africa. The physical challenge combined with the sights and sounds and the people will be amazing. I look forward to making new friends and acquaintances on the tour.

Are you interested in my profile? But first you have to check www.malarianomore.nl (Dutch) or www.malarianomore.eu (English)

Malaria No More! Netherlands is a Dutch foundation whose mission is to contribute to the prevention and treatment of malaria in Africa.

MNM! and I aim at raising 11,777 Euros with this sponsor campaign, 1 Euro per kilometre. It is up to you to decide how many kilometres you want to support. You can donate online through the Malaria No More! website.

My first encounter with Tour D’Afrique has been a couple of years ago by an article in a local news paper. When I visited afterwards the website and also read a daily report of one of the Dutch participants I was convinced that one day I would ride this tour.

With my partner Martine and her son Martijn we live in The Hague near the sea side and we are a rather sporty family.

Also my son Jan and daughter Brechtje are enthusiastic bikers. She biked quite recently from Sydney to Melbourne.

Most probably my son will participate in the before last section.
Personally I have very warm feelings for the continent Africa and this has been again recently confirmed by a business trip to Cameroon.

In the past I traveled frequently for business purposes to West and Nord Africa and to South Africa as well.

Traveling by bike through this amazing continent must be “ an once in a life time experience” which I certainly don’t want to miss.

I look very much forward to this adventure!

Hello Everyone,
It suddenly feels as though the heat is on with the exciting reality of the TDA less than 3 months away.  I waver between joyful anticipation and flutters of anxiety when I wonder if I am fit enough, organized enough and mentally prepared enough to do it, rather than endlessly talk about it!  I trust linking into the motivation and energy of other folk who think it’s a magic idea will be a big boost to confidence.

I’m coming in a spirit of celebration for my new found freedom from full time work.

Experience with projects in Uganda has born a strong desire to see and learn more about Africa and the discovery that I could do this on my bike was a happy revelation.  I’ve never cycled in an organized group before but solo or with friends, I’ve done many miles in some far-flung places.  As a rider I’m more dogged than dynamic and hope to be among some kindred spirits.

Professionally, my background is in community social work, social work education and international volunteering.  I’m fund-raising for a grassroots project which builds classrooms and teacher accommodation for disadvantaged rural villages in Uganda and also to support a young social work volunteer in Tanzania.

My kind and tolerant family seems relaxed about Granny taking to her bike again and it will be fun to keep them in touch with the adventure as it unfolds. 

I look forward immensely to meeting you all and sharing the excitement and challenges with such a diverse and enthusiastic group, all prepared to do what to my surprise, I find strikes some people as completely barking!

Till Cairo,

Viv

Hi!  My name is Andrew Jaycock and I'll be with you on the 2009 TDA.  I'm from Canada, more specifically Edmonton; and though it's nice here, the weather's a little chilly from January to May.  Well, things are actually pretty tolerable by late March, but this Tour thing sounded like just the ticket regardless.  In my spare time I enjoy skiing, eating, music, and exploring.  I signed up for the Tour because of the grin that I couldn't wipe off my face while reading where it went and what it was like, and as (part of) a last-ditch effort to postpone my entrance into the world of regularity and responsibility.  And to escape the cold, of course.  Can't wait to meet you all - four months and counting!

Unwilling to face another 5 months of litigation research, I have
decided to run off to Africa to pursue the easy life.  I am dreaming of meals prepared by anyone but me, minimal laundry, negligible personal hygiene, a tent and red box to keep organized instead of 700 sq ft of living space. I am really looking forward to having a tour leader to tell me where to go and exactly how to get there (I understand sign language), instead of dealing with several lawyers (and a number of paralegals and their assistants) in various states of crisis, a few seriously over worked project managers and occasionally petulant contractors.

Thanks to my family, friends and colleagues for unwavering support in my pursuit of extreme filth, total physical exhaustion and probable illness.  To my mum, thanks for the encouragement and for believing in me, even when I am doing things you would not do.  To my sister, thanks for having children, for your concern and for the super cool NZ gear. I love you very much.  To my brother, thanks for laughing at me and not with me, for providing me with liquid “stress relief” and for hill training with me.  You are awesome and I am proud to be your sister.  To all the guys at Obsession bikes in North Vancouver, I can not thank you enough.  Dave and Corinne, thanks for putting ideas in my head, because I need all the help I can get in that department!

In my daily life I enjoy my job in software development and in my free time I like to bike, run and swim. In the last couple of years I spent my holidays on a bike and made "short" trips in Europe, Asia, North-America and Africa. My trip to Namibia was one of my favourites, so I really wanted to go back to Africa again and see more of it. Besides the beauty of Africa I was also looking for a new chalenge. TDA offers both. After being able to make arrangements to leave my job for such a long period I signed up.

I am really looking forward to this adventure!

Andrew McLellan was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. As a young child he was always full of energy and very curious about the world.  It is this continuing curiosity that has encouraged Andrew to leave the known world behind him and cycle across Africa searching for new experiences.

Andrew received scholarships at 16 and 17 to complete his glider pilot license and private pilot license and is now a gliding Instructor. Flying is one of Andrew’s true passions and he enjoys taking friends for scenic flights over the city where he lives.

Andrew is a recent graduate of the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Geography and a minor in Middle Eastern and African Studies.  After completing the Tour d’Afrique Andrew plans to return to school to complete a masters in Urban Planning.

Andrew enjoys playing soccer, board games and enjoying a beer with good friends. His partner Judy Garnier will also be cycling with him in this year’s TDA. Andrew is anxiously waiting to meet everyone in Cairo and commence a journey of epic proportions across a vast and colorful continent.

Twenty years ago I traveled for eight months in an overland-truck through Africa, now it is time to do it again but now on a bicycle. Not only the easy parts but Every Fucking Inch from Cairo to Capetown.
I live in Hengelo, the Netherlands, I’m  45 years old and between holidays, I work as an constructional engineer for an building contractor. I have hiked, biked, trekked and climbed all over the world.
The Tour’Afrique is another special journey I will savor in the spirit that the trip is the destination.

I'm looking forward to many wonderful sights and memorable experiences along the way.

By the way:

Je kunt beter over je fiets lullen dan over je lul fietsen !!!

Hi, my name is Svend Paulsen. I live in Oshawa, Ontario and I am Canadian. I have just retired from teaching after 38 years.

For the last 25+ years I have been volunteering in many sporting events and therefore I have not really traveled. A little over a year ago a friend was talking about hiking the Grand Canyon. I said I would go. That's all it took. It was great. The travel bug in me was rekindled. Later that year as I was biking with two friends, they mentioned the Tour d'Afrique. Again, I said I was in.

I have biked and camped before(the last big trip was in 81 - I was gone for 15 months on a bike). I look forward to seeing another part of the world, testing myself and just enjoying a change in life pace.

The students at my former school are looking forward to following me through the internet and Goggle Earth. The teacher in you never leaves. I am looking forward to seeing the continent of Africa and meeting new and exciting people.

Looking forward to meeting all my fellow 'nutters' and hoping there are a few who can keep up with my pace, at the back!  I am South African, living in Cape Town and spend as much time as I can hiking in the mountains and cycling, a bit. Doing the Tour because I hope I can, and because I think cycling is a great way to see a country and get close to the people and their lives.  I've lived in some of the countries we'll be visiting so really looking forward to seeing them again. Will also be trying to raise some money for a local NGO, Abalimi which supports sustainable, organic micro-farming projects in the townships of Cape Town, creating employment opportunities and alleviating poverty. Have to add that it’s mostly women doing the work!

Cycling and living just go so well together. Of all the outdoor activities that I enjoy and practice, riding my bike is probably one of my favorite, since it’s taking me around the world. And into it, which is even better. I’m a phys ed teacher from Sherbrooke, Québec, and I decided to take a break from work for a couple of months, just to live something different, challenge myself and discover countries I’ve been dreaming of. I had opportunities to ride different countries on my bike, but I feel this challenge is going to be quite different. I’m looking for this taste of Africa.

For several years, I spend my holidays doing some bicycle touring. I find that it is a way of traveling that allows being in direct contact with the visited region: the speed on the bike allows seeing the fauna and the flora along the road, to live the climate and to be close to the local population to discover its culture, its lifestyle and its history. As I live in Montreal, I began by visiting the regions of my province, Quebec; then the east of Canada and US and more recently the Rocky Mountains. For me, the Tour d’Afrique is the ideal way of discovering the regions of Africa that we will go through. Since I am now retired, I can take the time to live this unique experience. I hope that all my years of running, cycling, and cross-country skiing will help me go through this challenging adventure. I am looking forward to meet my riding companions in Cairo and to start pedaling together on the roads of Africa.

Hi, I am Rainer and I live in Munich in Southern Germany.

 

When I was a young boy, using a bike was the best way for me to get moved, except of at least 5 months of the year when skiing was my preferred form of locomotion.  

As student, I started to do adventure tours by either hitchhiking or using a motor scooter or finally by hiking which became my preferred sports.

 

Since I have retired, my tours became more challenging, i.e. higher and longer.

When I heard for the first time about the Tour d’Afrique I was immediately very much excited, because I like this combination of adventure and physical challenge. Yet I needed a couple of months to make a final decision because I have not used a bike for a lot of years due to the after effects of a paragliding accident. Finally, after some successful trials, I decided to join the Tour d’Afrique as expedition rider.

 

The TDA gave me already great pleasure by choosing a new bike and exercising with it at the foothills of the Bavarian Alps. Since I have been already in five out of the ten countries the TDA will pass through, I know that there is a significant difference between these countries and the Alps, and that the tour will not be always exactly fun but often strain.

 

The African map on my kitchen door reminds me every day on the forthcoming trip, and I am sure that I will have finally great pleasure.

 

See you all at Cairo!

 

I got 'hit' by the 'cycling/touring bug' last summer and have not fully recovered since. Living only for the moment, all your senses being awake, one corner after the other, discovering day after day, sharing with a 'community of strangers' who so easily become part of your world, a chance to witness the differences and learn from the places and people you cross, day dreaming under the sun, fighting with the headwinds, laughing with the tailwinds, and the feeling of 'wow, I did it' at the end of the day when you look at the stars or sleep under the rain. 

I expect that after Africa, my bug will be resistant to any treatment and will stay with me forever.  I'll take that chance.   

I like to travel, visit friends, cycle, go skiing and make long walks. Museums, concerts, cinemas and theatres are visited quite frequently. To sing and read brings me relaxation. I have a busy and interesting job, but in 2009 it's time for a break ...

The first stories I heard about Africa date back to elementary school and some of them have not left my mind ever since. These were stories about indeterminate tribes, discovery journeys and colonization. My fascination for this diverse continent has only become more intense after intriguing tales about East African wildlife and the extensiveness of the Sahara. This all awoke a strong curiosity with me long before I had ever set one foot on the continent.

Years later traveling has become a favourite pastime for me and with above introductory words in mind you will understand Africa is visited regularly. My last visit to multi cultural Africa was four years ago; my last cycle expedition was two years ago. It's time again for culture, it's time again for a cycle expedition; it's time for Tour d'Afrique.

I blame Tarzan. That’s how I first got hooked on Africa. Now after a career in teaching I get to see the Dark Continent up very close. Living on a bike for four months will be, by far, the most demanding bike trip that I have ever attempted. It may prove to be more strenuous than the two week Bike-To-A-Pub tour of Ireland or the It’s-Still-Raining tour of P.E.I..

I love the outdoors and spend as much time as I can hiking, biking, running or paddling. I can’t wait to meet all of you and share a little dirt, dust, sand, heat, sweat, bugs, etc. etc.............. Let's go see the snows of Kilimanjaro before they leave us forever. Remember you don’t have to be faster than a lion you just have to be faster than the people you ride with.

Hello everyone, my name is John and I have trouble staying in one place for too long. After university, I steered away from the desk jobs that seemed so normal and expected. I began working in the field of Outdoor Education with various organizations around the United States leading backpacking trips, bicycle touring trips, and canoe trips with under-served youth from the inner cities of America. I discovered inside of me a person that loves to work with people, a person that was ready and willing to devote the rest of his life to challenging himself and others to higher level of life experience. Before I begin my graduate training in the field of counseling in August 2009, I have decided to challenge myself just one more time, one more grand adventure… I want it to be big and vast, a beautiful challenge, exotic, memorable even in my bones.

..Africa.

I have been cycling my entire life for fun and challenge. I have led many bicycling tours with students, biked across the United States from Seattle to New York, biked Scotland and England, and the Atlantic coast of the United States. I love being outdoors whenever I get the chance; I love great books, good companionship with like minds, and experiencing this world and this life.

Ready, set, go!  

I love to tour and see our world via a bicycle. I’ve completed great epic adventures such as Cycle Canada’s Tour Du Canada and Cycle America’s Coast to Coast. As well as a lot of the smaller fun state tours such as the Cycle Zydeco out of Lafayette Louisiana. Every tour offers me the chance to explore where ever I am and to enjoy my surroundings.

As I try to write my profile I realize that I could go on and on as to why I want to ride the TDA. To be honest, I’m not sure if it is the thrill of another adventure. Or the joy I receive after overcoming personal challenges while touring and broadening my experiences. It might very well be the good friends that I may make along the way while sharing those experiences that entices me. I don’t know, but what I really know for sure is that I heard that this tour was one heck of a good time, and that it’s sure going to beat the hell out of staying home and watching “Wheel of Fortune” on the TV.

See y’all in Cairo!

Now it’s Africa’s turn! After extensive traveling in Asia, Australia and South America, I can’t seem to get around crossing Africa anymore. Since reading about the Tour d’Afrique years ago, I wanted to participate one day. When I finally decided 2009 was going to be my year, I took up mountain biking, and I haven’t regretted it so far (well, I must say, that’s only a year ago…)!

In between travels I work as a system analyst for a large IT/consulting company, which I enjoy almost as much as spending the day outdoors, biking, hiking, sailing, or just sitting around and enjoying life passing by.

During the Tour d’Afrique I want to raise funds and create publicity for oneMen (www.onemen.org), an organization that supports small scale development projects across the world with practical means like transport or communication equipment.

Finally, I’d like to take this opportunity to apologize to my friends, family and colleagues for not being able to talk about anything else lately. It will get better, eventually!