It was a typical day riding in Kenya. Actually better than typical because we rode right past a herd of Zebras!!! Makes me really feel like I'm in Africa. It's meant to be a 165km day, and I make it to Lunch at 70km feeling strong.
After lunch there is a heap of road works (nothing new). They like piling mounds of dirt over the new part of the road so that cars and trucks can't get across - but for bicycles they are easy to get over, and the new construction road is often smoother and easier to ride on than the old road or the alternative route. Also with less traffic so usually safer too.
So I'm riding along, on a slight downhill that I don't realise when I come across one of these mounds of dirt and think it's not so high, I'll get over it easy. But when I get closer I see it's sandy dirt, and I remember I have my slick tyres on and I'm going faster than I anticipate. I break slightly before the mound then go up and over, and suddenly I'm up high, soaring through the air on Mitch the Rockhopper. What comes up must come down however and Mitch lands too heavily on his front wheel. I fly over the handlebars, and my shoes are cleated into my pedals so my bike flys over me and at some point I become uncleated. I hit the ground. Hard. Face first in to the dust. I roll over and sit up but I can barely breathe because I am winded. I hurt too. I take my helmet off and note briefly that my visor has come half unattached to my helmet. I take off my sunnies and take a look at how scratched they are and I'm glad I was wearing them because otherwise that would have been my eye! I look down at my knees and they're both grazed the left one more than the right. There's a tiny bit of blood coming out of my lip and the side of my face is grazed. Its only a couple of minutes before Paul comes along and finds me sitting in the middle of the road and stops. Then Sven comes along. And Ivo. And I realise I am riding with a truly great bunch of people. Sven has a few clean washers with him that he gives me to clean up the blood. But my knee has a hole in it - and a very tiny bit of fatty tissue is hanging out of it. I'm shocked and I know that normally I'd be okay to clean up a wound like that on someone else no worries, but I'm really shaken up. I have a few bits of first aid kit in my camelbak (which is actually a blackwolf and not a camelbak at all hahaha) and manage to patch myself up ok for the time being. I slowly check the rest of me over and note that my right shoulder is bruised, my left elbow and wrist is sore too.
I get up with help from Paul & Sven & Ivo and go sit under the tree for a bit. Paul is great and hechecks my bike and I'm lucky I've only put one of my bar ends out of alignment so Mitch is Ok, that's easy to fix. He waits with me because I'm still shaking and there's tears in the corners of my eyes but I'm trying not to cry. I know I'm ok but I can't stop shaking. I contemplate keeping riding but my knee hurts, and my elbow won't let me tie my hair back up which has become loose. Paul calls Shanny who is sweeping and we figure that the lunch truck is a few hours away so I could sit and wait for it or hitch a ride back to lunch with the locals where there is better first aid supplies and Erin the Medic. We take the latter option and manage to squeeze two bikes and 2 Mzungus into a vehicle, and they're nice guys that drive us 10km back to the lunch truck. Erin manages to give me a bit of a better clean than I can do of myself. I ride the rest of the way to camp on the truck. I look over my helmet closely and my visor is clipped back in, there's a small damage mark just where my right temple lies - helmets are great things that do save lives!!!
Now I have a new nickname - first it was Nubian (because I always collect dust and turn up to camp and lunch black like a person from the Nubian Desert), then the Mysterious One (I'm not going to write an explanation of that one here because it is complicated) and now I'm Hop-a-long.
Today I ride the truck because my knee is quite swollen but I think it's getting better, and although I'm stiff nothing feels like its broken. Just need to keep up the Ibuprofen!!!
The next 3 days are non riding days and I'm going on safari!!! Excitement +. And I don't doubt that my bruises will be sufficiently healed for me to jump back on my bike the next riding day :)
I forgot to write before I realised when I was writing my reflections about the greatest things about this trip. Here they are:
- Flying downhills at anything up to 77km/hr so far!
- the personal satisfaction of riding a hard day
- Being able to see the culture without the barriers you get when travelling in a vehicle
- Camping every night - although I'm frustrated by my tent sometimes I'm still not sick of camping
- riding lots and lots
- bargaining in markets (I bought a plate the other day for 180 kenyan shillings which I got down from 2700!!!)
- seeing wildlife
- camp cooking!!! I love it!
- the wonderful carefree feeling you get from spending so much time outdoors
Even in my battered and bruised state that I'm in today I still manage to have a great day.
Monday, March 9, 2009
The challenge continues as we ride through Kenya
*** I wrote this blog entry about a week ago now and haven't been able to post it until now!!! - sorry my blogs out of order now!***
As we descend out of the hills of Ethiopia we hit more unpaved empty roads in the northern desert of Kenya. The roads are rough and bumpy covered in LAVA ROCK! Not nice stuff to pedal on!!! And they call it a highway - average speed for our trucks is 18km/hr! Bicycle is faster sometimes. But me and Mitch the Rockhopper are both tough and handle it ok (although we did truck it for 30km the other day due to a sore knee – feeling good today although it’s a rest day today so it doesn’t have to ride!).
2 nights ago we have our first proper rain. I would like to be as proud of my tent as I am with Mitch the Rockhopper however if I didn’t have such a big addiction to camping I think I would be seriously considering in a new home for the rest of the trip. You see, my tent as lovely as it holds up camping in Aus, just doesn’t like the strong winds you get out in the desert. It won’t stand up without pegs (and sometimes it’s hard to get your pegs in tough ground, or equally tough to get it to stand up in super soft sand!!! The other night however it had a true challenge - lots of wind and rain at the same time – I took a photo and will one day hopefully be able to post it here but this whole continent is doomed with dodgy internet access and sometimes its as much as I can do to actually post these blogs. Thankfully it stayed relatively dry inside but I was surprised. Then last night we were camped in a beautiful campsite in Marsabit Wildlife Reserve – which has baboons everywhere!!! Unfortunately I had to choose the baboon toilet tree to pitch my tent under!!!! I thought there was a few heavy drops of rain over night but when I got up this morning I found that there was a heap of baboon faeces waiting for me to clean up… It was seriously gross –there’s another photo that I’ll post here one day!!! I’m usually ok with that kind of stuff but it was everywhere… everyone had a good laugh who walked passed me this morning cleaning it off… now it looks ok but still smells like baboon manure…. Maybe will spray some perfume on it see if it improves!!! Despite this I still plan to EFT this journey (Every F******* night in a Tent). Haven’t had the urge to take a hotel room yet and aren’t sick of camping despite my tent (which is also the smallest on tour) or my thermarest which has a cancer (this is what happens when your sleeping mat lining comes away from the cells and a big bubble of air creates a tumour which in this case is sadly malignant and I can’t blow up my mat anymore – its still comfy enough with my little 1/2cm thick foam mat underneath it though!!!
Today is a rest day and the thing I like most about rest days is taking a shower. Our vision of a nice shower has changed. All you need is 4 walls and running water and that is a nice shower. Hot water is a luxury. A hook on the back of the door to hang your stuff is a bonus. Yesterday we got to camp to find no water so it was a bucket bath instead. I get the chance to update this blog about the same amount of times as I get to take a shower. Kenya is hard to get water so we’re not allowed to even take a water bottle shower on riding days – it’s strictly baby wipes inside the tent.
Nairobi is the halfway mark and lifes meant to get easier after that!
As we descend out of the hills of Ethiopia we hit more unpaved empty roads in the northern desert of Kenya. The roads are rough and bumpy covered in LAVA ROCK! Not nice stuff to pedal on!!! And they call it a highway - average speed for our trucks is 18km/hr! Bicycle is faster sometimes. But me and Mitch the Rockhopper are both tough and handle it ok (although we did truck it for 30km the other day due to a sore knee – feeling good today although it’s a rest day today so it doesn’t have to ride!).
2 nights ago we have our first proper rain. I would like to be as proud of my tent as I am with Mitch the Rockhopper however if I didn’t have such a big addiction to camping I think I would be seriously considering in a new home for the rest of the trip. You see, my tent as lovely as it holds up camping in Aus, just doesn’t like the strong winds you get out in the desert. It won’t stand up without pegs (and sometimes it’s hard to get your pegs in tough ground, or equally tough to get it to stand up in super soft sand!!! The other night however it had a true challenge - lots of wind and rain at the same time – I took a photo and will one day hopefully be able to post it here but this whole continent is doomed with dodgy internet access and sometimes its as much as I can do to actually post these blogs. Thankfully it stayed relatively dry inside but I was surprised. Then last night we were camped in a beautiful campsite in Marsabit Wildlife Reserve – which has baboons everywhere!!! Unfortunately I had to choose the baboon toilet tree to pitch my tent under!!!! I thought there was a few heavy drops of rain over night but when I got up this morning I found that there was a heap of baboon faeces waiting for me to clean up… It was seriously gross –there’s another photo that I’ll post here one day!!! I’m usually ok with that kind of stuff but it was everywhere… everyone had a good laugh who walked passed me this morning cleaning it off… now it looks ok but still smells like baboon manure…. Maybe will spray some perfume on it see if it improves!!! Despite this I still plan to EFT this journey (Every F******* night in a Tent). Haven’t had the urge to take a hotel room yet and aren’t sick of camping despite my tent (which is also the smallest on tour) or my thermarest which has a cancer (this is what happens when your sleeping mat lining comes away from the cells and a big bubble of air creates a tumour which in this case is sadly malignant and I can’t blow up my mat anymore – its still comfy enough with my little 1/2cm thick foam mat underneath it though!!!
Today is a rest day and the thing I like most about rest days is taking a shower. Our vision of a nice shower has changed. All you need is 4 walls and running water and that is a nice shower. Hot water is a luxury. A hook on the back of the door to hang your stuff is a bonus. Yesterday we got to camp to find no water so it was a bucket bath instead. I get the chance to update this blog about the same amount of times as I get to take a shower. Kenya is hard to get water so we’re not allowed to even take a water bottle shower on riding days – it’s strictly baby wipes inside the tent.
Nairobi is the halfway mark and lifes meant to get easier after that!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
A typical day in the life
Wake up is around 6 and for me I don't need an alarm - the noise of everyone else deflating thermarests, folding up tent poles is enough. I put my cycling gear on, cream up (a very important part of the day for the prevention of saddle sores!) pack up my tent and gear inside my tent. Then it's time for breakfast which is typically either oats, cornmeal, and bread and spreads. I put my sunscreen on, make sure all my gear is in my locker on the truck and jump on my bike and start my ride.
I usually ride alone because I like a bit of personal space and we live and camp quite close to each other. But sometimes I ride with Sven, and sometimes with Jolyane. And sometimes with someone else. I usually ride non stop to lunch which somewhere between 40-75km from camp depending on the road and how far we are riding that day. If it is a hard day I might stop for an energy bar though.
Lunch is bread and tuna, egg, or cheese, and bread a spreads. I usually arrive at lunch between 10 and 11am. I fill up on water and reapply my sunscreen so I don't burn like crazy with the malaria tablets I take and jump back on my bike, trying to cover as many kms I can before it gets quite hot.
Then its back on the bike and time to keep pedalling. If there's a coke stop somwhere halfway between lunch and camp then I'll stop and get coke, or ginger beer, or fanta. And its amazing how so many people who don't drink much soft drink back home all crave coke - it's cold, its sweet, it contains energy.... and caffeine :)
When I get to camp I make sure I drink. Then I go help out in the kitchen to help get dinner ready - this is a highly optional activity that is always appreciated by the staff. There's 65 mouths to feed and lots of stuff to chop. Lots of garlic to peel. Lots of beans to top and tail. Beetroot peeling. I like helping though. Mostly I like it on the principal that I'm not here for a luxury expedition and helping cook food makes me feel like I'm not taking the easy way out. Eddie (our current local guide) jokes that the first thing I do after I jump off my bike is head straight for the kitchen.
I set up my tent and then there's a rider meeting around 5:30pm then dinner after the rider meeting.
Bed time is never long after dark after such a long day. And I always sleep well.
I usually ride alone because I like a bit of personal space and we live and camp quite close to each other. But sometimes I ride with Sven, and sometimes with Jolyane. And sometimes with someone else. I usually ride non stop to lunch which somewhere between 40-75km from camp depending on the road and how far we are riding that day. If it is a hard day I might stop for an energy bar though.
Lunch is bread and tuna, egg, or cheese, and bread a spreads. I usually arrive at lunch between 10 and 11am. I fill up on water and reapply my sunscreen so I don't burn like crazy with the malaria tablets I take and jump back on my bike, trying to cover as many kms I can before it gets quite hot.
Then its back on the bike and time to keep pedalling. If there's a coke stop somwhere halfway between lunch and camp then I'll stop and get coke, or ginger beer, or fanta. And its amazing how so many people who don't drink much soft drink back home all crave coke - it's cold, its sweet, it contains energy.... and caffeine :)
When I get to camp I make sure I drink. Then I go help out in the kitchen to help get dinner ready - this is a highly optional activity that is always appreciated by the staff. There's 65 mouths to feed and lots of stuff to chop. Lots of garlic to peel. Lots of beans to top and tail. Beetroot peeling. I like helping though. Mostly I like it on the principal that I'm not here for a luxury expedition and helping cook food makes me feel like I'm not taking the easy way out. Eddie (our current local guide) jokes that the first thing I do after I jump off my bike is head straight for the kitchen.
I set up my tent and then there's a rider meeting around 5:30pm then dinner after the rider meeting.
Bed time is never long after dark after such a long day. And I always sleep well.
Halfway reflections
I'm in Nairobi! The halfway point in terms of time (still more than halfway on distance however) so thought I'd take a moment to reflect on my expedition so far!
What has the biggest challenge been so far?
I can't single out one challenge to be the biggest but there have surely been plenty of them as I make my journey southwards. Each country presents a new challenge -
- in Egypt it was getting used to long days in the saddle, headwind on the first day.
- the sand of Sudan
- The hills, rocks & kids that throw the rocks at you in Ethiopia. And riding at altitude where the air is thin. And the endless calls of "you-you-you how are you?" and although the caller doesn't care how you are they still want a reply from you.
- The corrugated unpaved road of northern Kenya called the "trans east african highway" although us Mzungu (white people) struggle to understand how such a road can possibly be called a highway!
- and next we have the mud of Tanzania to look forward to!!!
But there have been other challenges too for example:
- pitching my tent in the sand
- internet access that simply frustrates because it will work and I'll write a long piece of blog and then loose it - I have a previous blog saved on Tims USB stick at the moment but he doesn't happen to be here right now so now my blog is going to be out of order slightly!
- The time I pitched my tent right under the Baboon Toilet Tree (and I thought there were a few heavy drops of rain overnight! - something else to clean in the morning)
- The number of times I'm out on my bike and there's an oncoming truck passing an oncoming truck (and suddenly I'm riding my bike off the road and in the dirt to keep alive!!!)
- Spending every night so far in my little tent (which is the smallest tent on tour) on my little thermarest which sadly has cancer and no longer inflates!
- On the bike riding up hills in Ethiopia shouting "Salamno" to all the billions of kids you see in hope that they won't throw rocks at you.
- Knowing that there is showering facilities at the camp that you're going to only to find that when you get there there's no water!
But now I recall the BIGGEST challenge for me. The biggest challenge was riding when I wasn't well, and when my knee was sore. And jumping on the truck. Jumping on the truck for me is a huge mental challenge which I have done for 200 of the roughly 5500km of this trip so far and I have only done it when I haven't been well, and taken another 30km to rest my knee which was sore for a while. But everytime I ride the truck I feel like I'm cheating although really I know I'm actually being smart. It still doesn't feel as good at the end of the day when you rock up in the truck knowing that everyone else has worked hard to be at the designated campsite that night.
How do I feel?
Good. Really good. I love this lifestyle. I love only thinking about riding everyday and only having to worry about keeping my feet turning. My neck no longer aches. My quads no longer burn. I have sensation in all my fingers again :)
What have I been eating?
An awful lot. I eat 3 times as much as before I left home I think!!! I eat what they serve on riding days and on rest days I try to eat as local as food comes depending on where we are. And that includes the Ethiopian injera designed to make you fart, and made many riders sick with GI upset (myself included thankfully only to a mild degree)
What has the biggest challenge been so far?
I can't single out one challenge to be the biggest but there have surely been plenty of them as I make my journey southwards. Each country presents a new challenge -
- in Egypt it was getting used to long days in the saddle, headwind on the first day.
- the sand of Sudan
- The hills, rocks & kids that throw the rocks at you in Ethiopia. And riding at altitude where the air is thin. And the endless calls of "you-you-you how are you?" and although the caller doesn't care how you are they still want a reply from you.
- The corrugated unpaved road of northern Kenya called the "trans east african highway" although us Mzungu (white people) struggle to understand how such a road can possibly be called a highway!
- and next we have the mud of Tanzania to look forward to!!!
But there have been other challenges too for example:
- pitching my tent in the sand
- internet access that simply frustrates because it will work and I'll write a long piece of blog and then loose it - I have a previous blog saved on Tims USB stick at the moment but he doesn't happen to be here right now so now my blog is going to be out of order slightly!
- The time I pitched my tent right under the Baboon Toilet Tree (and I thought there were a few heavy drops of rain overnight! - something else to clean in the morning)
- The number of times I'm out on my bike and there's an oncoming truck passing an oncoming truck (and suddenly I'm riding my bike off the road and in the dirt to keep alive!!!)
- Spending every night so far in my little tent (which is the smallest tent on tour) on my little thermarest which sadly has cancer and no longer inflates!
- On the bike riding up hills in Ethiopia shouting "Salamno" to all the billions of kids you see in hope that they won't throw rocks at you.
- Knowing that there is showering facilities at the camp that you're going to only to find that when you get there there's no water!
But now I recall the BIGGEST challenge for me. The biggest challenge was riding when I wasn't well, and when my knee was sore. And jumping on the truck. Jumping on the truck for me is a huge mental challenge which I have done for 200 of the roughly 5500km of this trip so far and I have only done it when I haven't been well, and taken another 30km to rest my knee which was sore for a while. But everytime I ride the truck I feel like I'm cheating although really I know I'm actually being smart. It still doesn't feel as good at the end of the day when you rock up in the truck knowing that everyone else has worked hard to be at the designated campsite that night.
How do I feel?
Good. Really good. I love this lifestyle. I love only thinking about riding everyday and only having to worry about keeping my feet turning. My neck no longer aches. My quads no longer burn. I have sensation in all my fingers again :)
What have I been eating?
An awful lot. I eat 3 times as much as before I left home I think!!! I eat what they serve on riding days and on rest days I try to eat as local as food comes depending on where we are. And that includes the Ethiopian injera designed to make you fart, and made many riders sick with GI upset (myself included thankfully only to a mild degree)
Sunday, February 15, 2009
The Gorge
Well, the second stage of nine is complete and I am proud to say I have been riding recently at 3200m above sea level – the highest point on our tour - and there is definitely a difference in air quality! Pedalling up a beautiful hill is somewhat challenging - the hill is no steeper than usual, it’s not even a particularly long day but the air simply is lacking in oxygen. I try to take a deep breath in but there’s nothing there yet the air is fresh and crisp. The locals as they do yell out there encouragement to me as I go up the hill with their shouts of “you-you-you give me money” or by the little 4 year old kid who sees a foreigner and says “you-money!” I don’t think he even understands what he’s saying but the poverty in this country is definitely visible with almost everyone I pass asking me for money. Sometimes I try to explain that I am a very poor foreigner on a bicycle that would be in a car at this moment if I had money. But that is of course a lie because there is no better way to travel other than by bicycle. Everyone asks where I am going and I don’t think they really care and no one knows where Capetown is so I tell them the next place I am going to – Addis Ababa (which is a mouthful to say when you’re riding up a hill at altitude!).
We have conquered the hardest altitude gain in a single day and our longest climb for the tour – up the Blue Nile Gorge – a truly amazing place with a lovely long decent, and a bugger of a climb – they had a time trial option too which I didn’t take thinking it would be a big enough achievement just to reach the top of the mountain however the staff decided they were going to record my time without me knowing!!! So I had a lovely 20km climb of 1500m up this gorge – stopped twice to eat an energy bar and then find out that I’ve come 5th out of the 8 women who they recorded despite not realizing I was racing… will have to actually race the next opportunity we get…
Anyhow now that I have arrived in Addis there are some great things here. Firstly a DHL office where I received a package from home containing some special handlebar grips to help with my finger numbness, and my aerobars – so that I can have a few more hand positions. Thanks so much for sending them Mum & Dad!!! It is really greatly appreciated. It took a bit of effort getting them once we found the DHL office – the people there insisted it wasn’t there and it wasn’t until Craig actually went back to the cupboard where they keep the packages and was looking through there himself that he found the package… that’s Africa though!
Secondly I just found a place that sells ice cream!!! I haven’t had ice cream since Khartoum. It was great too… hazelnut flavoured mmmmmm…. Might be going back there tomorrow I think!!!
We have conquered the hardest altitude gain in a single day and our longest climb for the tour – up the Blue Nile Gorge – a truly amazing place with a lovely long decent, and a bugger of a climb – they had a time trial option too which I didn’t take thinking it would be a big enough achievement just to reach the top of the mountain however the staff decided they were going to record my time without me knowing!!! So I had a lovely 20km climb of 1500m up this gorge – stopped twice to eat an energy bar and then find out that I’ve come 5th out of the 8 women who they recorded despite not realizing I was racing… will have to actually race the next opportunity we get…
Anyhow now that I have arrived in Addis there are some great things here. Firstly a DHL office where I received a package from home containing some special handlebar grips to help with my finger numbness, and my aerobars – so that I can have a few more hand positions. Thanks so much for sending them Mum & Dad!!! It is really greatly appreciated. It took a bit of effort getting them once we found the DHL office – the people there insisted it wasn’t there and it wasn’t until Craig actually went back to the cupboard where they keep the packages and was looking through there himself that he found the package… that’s Africa though!
Secondly I just found a place that sells ice cream!!! I haven’t had ice cream since Khartoum. It was great too… hazelnut flavoured mmmmmm…. Might be going back there tomorrow I think!!!
Monday, February 9, 2009
Ethiopia
There’s no other word to describe Ethiopia other than unique. It’s an amazing place and I really love it – it is everything Africa should be and the riding is suddenly challenging with unpaved rolling hills – big ones too. I spent 3 hours climbing up a hill the other day – thought I’d never reach the top!!!
There are rocks everywhere. And children everywhere. And the combination of children and rocks is not a happy one for the foreign cyclist. In one day I get hit twice – once on the shoulder, once on the leg – neither of them bruise though so I’m lucky. Mitch the Rockhopper also gets hit twice – once is a rebound off the road but the other one comes hard and fast right onto him – I don’t know where it hits and I keep pedaling so I’m out of the firing zone and he seems to still be going ok. That night whilst inspecting him I notice that his front wheel is turning stiffly – was wondering why I was pedaling so slow! The disc is pretty bent and I think its time for a replacement but I get Mark the bike doctor to take a look at him first before I perform his surgery – good thing I brought a spare disc! Otherwise Mitch is holding up to the challenges of Africa very well.
But the rock throwing children in Ethiopia is the price one pays to see the rest of the beautiful country. The hills are simply stunning. The culture is truly authentic. The way the people live in the villages is simple yet there is something so beautiful about it that I really can’t put it into words. I’m so frustrated my camera isn’t working!!! The children greet you as you pass “you-you-you – give me pen!” but I don’t have a pen for each Ethiopian child as there is simply so many of them. And the fruit juice here is incredible. They have these really awesome layered fruit juice – avocado, mango, papaya, guava – it’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted!!!
There are rocks everywhere. And children everywhere. And the combination of children and rocks is not a happy one for the foreign cyclist. In one day I get hit twice – once on the shoulder, once on the leg – neither of them bruise though so I’m lucky. Mitch the Rockhopper also gets hit twice – once is a rebound off the road but the other one comes hard and fast right onto him – I don’t know where it hits and I keep pedaling so I’m out of the firing zone and he seems to still be going ok. That night whilst inspecting him I notice that his front wheel is turning stiffly – was wondering why I was pedaling so slow! The disc is pretty bent and I think its time for a replacement but I get Mark the bike doctor to take a look at him first before I perform his surgery – good thing I brought a spare disc! Otherwise Mitch is holding up to the challenges of Africa very well.
But the rock throwing children in Ethiopia is the price one pays to see the rest of the beautiful country. The hills are simply stunning. The culture is truly authentic. The way the people live in the villages is simple yet there is something so beautiful about it that I really can’t put it into words. I’m so frustrated my camera isn’t working!!! The children greet you as you pass “you-you-you – give me pen!” but I don’t have a pen for each Ethiopian child as there is simply so many of them. And the fruit juice here is incredible. They have these really awesome layered fruit juice – avocado, mango, papaya, guava – it’s the most delicious thing I’ve ever tasted!!!
Struggling ...
I pedal along the flat road in Sudan. I am feeling somewhat unenthusiastic. The road is paved and flat and I'm not feeling so well. There's a big headwind. Quentin and David ride past me and I jump on their wheel and manage to keep with them until lunch. My stomach doesn't feel good so I just eat bread and jam... no tuna today. I force some fluids into me and get back on my bike and keep riding with Quentin and David. When I see Werner at a coke stop (we like coke stops in the afternoons! cold sugar boost mmmmm...) I stop and get something to drink and let them go. We have a 120km to ride against the wind then another 20 after we make a turn... I leave the coke stop with Werner but then he's going too fast. I can't peddle fast with my bellyache! For the first time I miss life back home. I miss family, friends, the dog, my bed, the shower (I love showers - especially hot ones, but any will do - as long as there's a cubicle and running water!) I even miss work. The lunch truck passes and I consider hopping on. I stop for a pee and I also loose an energy bar I just ate. I sit under the only tree I have seen for miles in the shade for a while before I force myself to continue. I keep going and Mark and Alex pass me, see me struggling and offer me a wheel. I take it. They stop at the next coke stop and I keep going, and crawl into camp. I find out that someones watch had measured it had been 42 degrees out in the heat that day. I put up my tent, have a waterbottle shower and go to bed. I can't fit dinner inside my stomach.
The next day I wake up and feel ok. I eat some breakfast and jump on my bike. By lunchtime I'm feeling gross inside and force some energy drink inside me and bread and jam. I keep riding and it's a hot day. I feel thirsty and so I try and suck fluid into me through my camelbak but it's making my stomach feel sore and I can't drink anymore. The lunch truck passes and I give it the thumbs up but 10 minutes later my stomach ache intensifies and I regret the decision. By some coincidence Michel is also not feeling good and because he is behind me the sweep rider has caught up to him and the lunch truck comes back for him. I ride 114km before I give up and jump on the truck. It's my first time on the truck which means I've just lost my EFI. The last 35km is to the Ethiopian border and when I get there I see Frank - another rider who looks like he's on his deathbed with dehydration, he can hardly talk.
That night I remind myself about my life priorities - "number one have fun" and "look after yourself first". And I create a new one - its called "respect for body". So the next day I take a full day in the truck to allow myself to get better!
Thanks for all the emails, blogger comments, facebook messages and comments everyone – I always like to hear from you guys back home so keep them coming and I’m sorry I don’t get a chance to reply to each of you personally.
The next day I wake up and feel ok. I eat some breakfast and jump on my bike. By lunchtime I'm feeling gross inside and force some energy drink inside me and bread and jam. I keep riding and it's a hot day. I feel thirsty and so I try and suck fluid into me through my camelbak but it's making my stomach feel sore and I can't drink anymore. The lunch truck passes and I give it the thumbs up but 10 minutes later my stomach ache intensifies and I regret the decision. By some coincidence Michel is also not feeling good and because he is behind me the sweep rider has caught up to him and the lunch truck comes back for him. I ride 114km before I give up and jump on the truck. It's my first time on the truck which means I've just lost my EFI. The last 35km is to the Ethiopian border and when I get there I see Frank - another rider who looks like he's on his deathbed with dehydration, he can hardly talk.
That night I remind myself about my life priorities - "number one have fun" and "look after yourself first". And I create a new one - its called "respect for body". So the next day I take a full day in the truck to allow myself to get better!
Thanks for all the emails, blogger comments, facebook messages and comments everyone – I always like to hear from you guys back home so keep them coming and I’m sorry I don’t get a chance to reply to each of you personally.
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