I am a mountain biker living in Toronto. I have recently retired, have a wife and two children, and can’t wait to get back to Africa. I completed the first two legs of the Tour from Cairo to Addis Ababa last year and return this year to complete the remainder. I am using this opportunity to raise money for Spread the Net (www.spreadthenet.org) to purchase mosquito nets for children in Liberia and Rwanda.

“I like different landscapes, I love Africa, I do not mind cycling at all, I am Dutch so I cycle this route. 

Due to several reasons, in 2008 I could only do the first half. So in 2009 I will finalize what I’ve started: a great ride through an exciting scenery.”

I'm a Swiss citizen and will join Tour d'Afrique for two weeks, from Karthoum to Addis Abeba. just to see if I can do such a ride.
 
As a Swiss citizen from a minority - the Italian one - I speak a lot of languages, but all bad. i speak Italian, French, a little German and a little English. so i ask to the readers - and the riders in February - to be comprehensive. it was already complicated to read and fill all the documents of the company.... so let me write the next sentences in my language, perhaps another person with my difficulties will find, in this web address, a little place where to rest!!!
 
Avrò dunque 42 anni quando lasceremo Karthoum per Addis Abeba. Perché mai questa follia? Adoro l'Africa, adoro la bicicletta, adoro le zone desertiche, specie quelle di altura, così diverse dall'umido e dal freddo che in inverno colpiscono le mie regioni, nella svizzera meridionale e cinquecento metri in linea d'aria dall'Italia.
Dunque parto, con anche un sogno nel cassetto: fare l'anno prossimo tutta la tratta, dal Cairo a Città del Capo, e poi fermarmi qualche settimana in Sudafrica, per i mondiali di calcio, e godermi i trionfi della gloriosa nazionale svizzera. di professione faccio il giornalista, alla radio svizzera, in lingua italiana. tratto i vari temi della politica nazionale ed internazionale, a volte mi piacerebbe però raccontare storie più leggere, più belle e divertenti. allora, se tutto andrà bene, un'altra volta porterò con me anche regiostratori ed altro e racconterò questa splendida avventura! Per quest'anno con me solo integratori alimentari, cerotti, creme.....

 www.race4change.co.za

Hi, I am Alasdair Condie a 49 year old Scotsman.  I left Edinburgh twenty seven years ago to get away from the cold wet weather and have been living in Johannesburg, South Africa ever since.

I have been cycling for a few years now and enjoy nothing more than getting together with a few friends over the weekend and riding a trail in the bush for four or five hours.  Once you experience the heat, smell, dust and noises of the African bush you can’t get enough of it, so when I read about the Tour d’ Afrique I thought this had to be the ultimate challenge and adventure and signed up immediately.

I am going to ride the sections from Nairobi to Cape Town and will be riding to raise money for a charity called “The Sunflower Fund” who do magnificent work with leukemia patients in South Africa.

All donations made will go directly to “The Sunflower Fund”.

Cheers for now!

I am Stephanie. I live in Northern British Columbia. I do two part-time jobs for the same company. I am a graphic designer in the morning and a child-care worker in the afternoon. I think variety is the spice of life. I love adventure and I love to bike! I know that biking in Africa will push me, stretch me and change me.

My in-laws are missionaries in Malawi and for 7 years we have been promising to go visit. Our lives have pulled us all over the globe but so far we have not hit Malawi. When I saw the tour website the wheels started turning and I thought now THAT is how I want to see the country. I am sure that you are the people that best understand that amazing feeling that you get from covering distance on a bike.

I believe that the highlight of the trip for me will be seeing the smiling faces of the Malawian children. I am so excited to feel the heat, meet the people, see the landscape, experience the culture and ride my bike in Africa! See you all on March 21 (you will be in much better shape than me at that point).

This will be my second trip to Africa, and more specifically Malawi. I lived there for a few months when I was 11. I spent my time playing soccer with the local kids. I had a pet monkey. I got malaria and I experienced life in Malawi, but I never got to see the country. I loved Malawi. My parents have lived there off and on ever since. They have been there full-time for the last 6 years.

I was introduced to mountain biking years ago by my "now wife". After she had me hooked on mountain biking she worked on converting me to road riding, telling me she would pay for half my road bike if I bought one (I am still waiting for the money).

I am really looking forward to seeing the landscape of the country that my parents call home. I will enjoy this last breath of freedom before I head back to school to get my engineering degree.

See you there!

I am Graeme and I come from Stellenbosch in South Africa. For 3 years now I have tried to grant myself leave to participate in a Section of the TdA and finally I will be there in 2009 to do the Masai Steppe. I am a director of a medium sized construction company operating in Cape Town and I trust this will be the first of numerous sabbaticals to complete the entire distance over several years.. I am an avid mountain biker and try to do multi day events whenever time and fitness permits. I particularly enjoy being in touch with the African countryside and see this as an opportunity to extend the experience outside of South Africa.

I am 32 years young. I work as an actuarial assistant at a consultancy firm in Cape Town. For those of you that don't know what actuarial science entails, I will try to explain on the tour when we have more time. I will unfortunately only be doing the section from Addis Ababa to Nairobi. I don't think my boss will give me 4 months leave to cycle through Africa so I have had to restrict it to only one section. From the descriptions, Addis Ababa to Nairobi sounded like the most interesting.

Why am I doing this? Well, I have always wanted to see what the rest of Africa looks like. Why by bicycle? I love cycling and I think that by riding by bicycle will be the best way to see Africa. So, for those of you doing the tour as a race, don't worry I won't be competing with you. I will most likely be the one at the back trying to enjoy the ride the most.

I am hoping to raise funds for Habitat for Humanity South Africa. They do amazing work by building houses in poor communities in South Africa. Check out their website at www.habitat.org.za

I couldn't wait to return to Africa.
As a full tour rider in 2008 I had to skip the Kenya section due to the instable situation in the country after the December elections. Those who know me knew it was only a question of when, never of if, I would ever return to complete the tour. Now I am back, only 12 months later, to ride from Addis Ababa to Arusha. I have a long relationship with Africa. It is my favorite place. I love the nature, the cultures, the sounds and colors to name a few. Every day on the bicycle on this beautiful continent, the different experiences you gain, no matter how cold, how hot, dry, wet or hard it is, pays off for the efforts and pain one has to go through during the long journey. I am  looking forward to refresh the still alive memories of last year's tour, reunite with some of my fellow sectional riders and staff personal and to enjoy every single moment of this incomparable and unforgettable adventure. I only wish I could stay longer.

Hello, My name is Peter, I’m a fireman in Bruges, Belgium (the tiny little country in the centre of Europe where the capital of  the European Union is situated). I really wanted to do the whole tour, but due to leave restrictions, I couldn’t get 4 months of leave.. so I will be joining you in Addis Ababa, and will cycle with you all the way to Cape Town.

Why by bike? Next to the physical challenge, cycling a continent like Africa will really cultivate my senses. In our rushing society, we often forget to smell, to taste, to really see…

I expect to do a lot of seeing… Seeing a whole bunch of new things… Colours, animals, lots of interesting  new people... But also misery and desperation..

A lot of feeling… Feeling the wind… Feeling the companionship in the group… But also feeling my sore bum…

A lot of smelling… The smell of exotic food… The smell of  a different kind of living... But also the smell of sweaty clothes...

A lot of hearing…The sounds of the jungle… The sound of a well-oiled bike... But also the sounds of children shouting and throwing stones at us...

A lot of tasting… All kinds of new exotic food… But also the occasional fly-in-the-mouth…

I can’t wait to pack my gear and leave. Hope to see you all in February.

Hi Everyone. Chris here. I am a 37 year old guy. I run my own company providing IT Support and I am just getting into AV installations. In my spare time I am into cars, movies, reading and I like going to the gym to keep fit. Most of all I like travelling especially in Africa which is why I want to take up the challenge of Tour d’Afrique. I am very much looking forward to taking part and meeting you all. Bring it on!

Canadian, living in Toronto.

I made it as far as Ethiopia in early 2008 with the plan of returning to complete the tour in 2009.

It was an unforgettable experience and I look forward with great anticipation to joining the Tour in Addis Ababa in mid February

Robin Stott worked for 27 years as a consultant physician in Lewisham university hospital.  For much of this time he was also site dean and medical director.  He also has  a life long commitment to understanding and seeking to  improve the economic , environmental and social circumstances which are most supportive to good health. As such he has been active in the antinuclear movement, was the chair of the International Physicians against nuclear war (IPPNW) international cttee and is presently vice chair of Medact. He has long recognised the health implications of climate change, and the health benefits of moving to a society living within its environmental limits  in which resources of all sorts are more equitable shared than at present ( a sustainable and therefore healthy society).He has written and spoken extensively on these subjects. He is a member of the London sustainable development commission, and co-chair of the BMJ initiated Climate and Health council.

He is married and an indulgent father of two. He loves Cycling Tennis Tai Chi  talking and partying, and still frightens the cat with his clarinet playing.

As my life moves on the bicycle becomes more and more a part of it. In my younger years I did a lot of mountain bike racing, eventually that evolved into competitive bicycle trials. I added road riding to the mix and found that the idea of bicycle touring was one to pursue. For the past 12 years I have found myself employed as a professional bike mechanic. In my spare time I have created all sorts of 'art bikes' but more recently recently have exercised my skills building load carrying bikes and bike trailers.  In 2004 I traveled to Africa for the first time, I couldn't help but notice the extent to which the African people use bicycles and was able to see what a positive impact a bicycle can make for a person living in poverty. Since that time I have returned to Africa many times and have dedicated the last four years of my life to the founding of a charity called Africycle.