Take us to the internet!

We are sitting in an internet cafe in the centre or iringa - nearly every computer is occupied by a tda rider blogging away feverishly. Internet is hard to come by at the moment and is definately very slow therfore now pictures today :( Our camp is about 3km away in the grounds of a baptist conference centre/ school, so we are camped next to where all these kids are going to their lessons. The last couple of days were tough, due to a combination of tough off roads and tiredness. On tuesday everyone was peppered with flats, i got 4 thorns in one tube and still managed to patch it and get into camp! There has been alot of debate about taking the road or the 'single track' that runs along side it. Basically the single track is what the locals use instead of the road, it is very smooth and easier to ride on than the road. However it is an absolute thorn magnet meaning you are extremely likely to attract a puncture. So i have been staying on the road the last couple of days. Yesterday started with a tough 20km climb up a hill in the rain, it took me nearly 2 hours and was pretty draining. I almost gave up and got on the lunch truck but had a change of heart and pushed for the last 30km into iringa. We have 2-3 more riding days in tanzania and then we enter malawi, probably the country i am most excited about seeing on the tour. From here on we will be covering quite a large amount of kilometers a week so hopefully the weather will be kind on us. I can't believe it has been two weeks already, it has gone so fast, the trip has a very strange effect on my ability to process time. For example, i will rarely think about yesterday or an hour ago,nor will i think about tommorow or next week. I just think about the hour ahead of me and the things i need to do. When i am on the bike i am so present in the moment, time doesn't seem to exist in the sense that i only think about getting to the end of the road or the terrain immediately infront of me. It is a very strange sensory overload, there are some many things to think about in the present moment that past and future don't seem to exist. Cape town feels very far away, it doesn't feel like i am even cycling there, i think i just take it one road and on day at a time and that is how I like it.

Sorry about the lack of pictures, i assure you there are many i wish to share with you, i hope everyone at home is safe and thank you for all your support and encouragement...

speak to you again soon,

jacob

Thats all for now...

I cant upload any more pics i'm afraid, it took me nearly 40mins to do those. Hopefully that gives you an idea of the landscape and roads that i am riding on. I have a rest day in 3 days so i will try doing an upload on facebook because it keeps the file sies smaller. Anyway i hope you enjoy these pics and miss you all very much.

Jacob

What part of all you can eat meat don't you understand?

Hey guys, so i finally found some internet in dodoma, its been pretty sparse as you can imagine! The last few days of riding have been amazing, ther terrain has really changed alot each day which presents new challenges. A quick round-up - on friday we departed from arusha on 110km ride to a bushcamp to the east of lake manyara. This day was my best so far, tarmac all the way, rolling hills and a gentle tail wind. I think i made lunch at like 10:30 or something and into camp before 1 o'clock. Tanzania really is amazing, the scenery and landscape to the side of the road is just breathtaking. The camp site is a bit basic but bearable. Some tanzanian kids come and watch us eat in the evening. Saturday was a 'mando' day - a mandatory day from the riders which means that their ride time has to be included in the final standings - basically its gonna be a tough one. The dirt started 4km from camp and was a mix of dust and rubble, we rode across a flat plain in the morning. Children line the street shouting 'jambo' and 'mzungu!'. Again we are blessed with nice weather and the morning flies past. After lunch I have a big problem, my rear tyre blows out and i discover that the wall of my tyre is torn. I sit by the side of the road waiting for the lunch truck with no clue what to do. A gropu of childeren group around to watch me try in vein to fix the tyre. I tell myself that i don't want to lose EFI (Every fabulous inch) and get on lunch truck for the sake of an inner tube. So i take a risk, i put a new inner tube in the tryre and continue slowly, hoping that it will last the day. 20km later and its looking good. I reach the climb - 1200meters in total for the day - it is very steep to begin with, many twists and endless turns which can make it seem unending. Me and another rider called eric stop for a coke halfway up. Thankfully the rest of the climb is gentle roll across the top of the hill and down the other side. I roll into camp to appllause for making it through my disaster - I bought a new tyre of a guy called tony so I am all good for now. That night we camped on a school football pitch.
Sunday was the hardest day of my life so far - endless endless tough off roads that was a real test. The day started with a climb on tough rocky roads with alot of sand and losse rubble which makes climbing hard. However i find the downhills to be more jarring as my arms ar put under alot of strain from navigating through and taking impact from the rocks. It remains this was until lunch. I expect the afrternoon to be more of a descent, which it is, however this is even harder than before because the road is pilled full of deep sand that is almost impossible to pedal through. It takes alot of energy and endurance to get through this part in the heat, we stop for a coke and then push the last 10km (which lasts a lifetime) into camp. I am completely exhausted but look back on it as a great experience and a preview of things to come.
Today was much, much easier, the roads changed almost instantly and it was mostly flat. However the ride was quite boring because you have to constantly stare at the road to keep your line - also I feel extremely sore from the day before. I go into auto pilot after lunch and simply turn the pedals as I arrive in dodoma into a nice hotel with ICE CREAAAM!!!!

Now i will try to post some pictures...\

Jacob

Day Two

Crossing the border -118kms Namanga to Arusha.

A 4km ride to the border and a 30minute wait gets us through to Tanzania. The landscape is smilar to kenya and so are the roads. Intermitant constructin means a few kms of paved then a few kms off road. The roads are long and straight of 10 to 20kms. My legs feel sore but I still keep a good omentum. People lining the roads are friendly and I have to nearly all of them, they have and expression of confusion and bewilderment as you cycle past. There is an invisible climb so it feels like you are riding n flat ground but there is a very subtle climb, making it feel harder than expected. Today lunch seems to take longer, it is at 70kms so about 50 miles. I expect to see lunch after every hill but i have to wait a bit longer. Finally i see the truck and fill up on food. We have a beautiful view of Mt. Meru which we will have to cycle around in the afternoon. Me dave, andra and sunil set out together after lunch. We soon get spread apart by several hundred meters as we tackle some long roads. After lunch i feel knackered and can only manage a few kmph down a very long road that ends in a steep climb through construction. Luckily there are a few beautiful downhill sections which help to get the adrenaline pumping and i am soon racing across dirt roads and pace. Trying to say jambo to some people but having to concentrate on thedirt track before me is tricky. The descent into Arusha is long but very very satisfying, the city is teeming with people and traffic. Me and dave miss the turn to camp but a nice motorcyclist points us in the right direction. We role into Masai camp to the welcome of a free (but warm) kilimanjaro beer. The camp is realy nice, large and shelter by trees with a big bar and restaraunt. Me and some others plan a safari for the first rest day. We book a tour to the Ngorongoro crater for 5 in the morning. I will let the pictures describe how good it was when I upload them. However it was a long day in the safari truck so I am spending the rest of today relaxing and doing some 'chores' as they are known to the riders. I will post some pics momentarily when i get a strong connection. hope you are all well.

Jacob

Day One

Jambo everybody, I am writing to you from the Masai campsite in Arusha where I have successfully completed my first two riding days of the Tour D'afrique and am enjoying my second of 3 days of in sunny tanzania. Let me skip back to sunday morning where i woke at 6am to the sound of tent zips and bike clicks. Somehow i pack up my tent at breakneck speed and chuck all my bags into the locker on the lunch truck (no. 79 if your interested). There is a definate buzz in the morning when everyone is getting ready, breakfast is served and i try to eat as much as i can. There is muesli with yogurt and bread with jams, nutella, peanut butter, hoeny etc. I eat about 2 sandwiches and one bowl of muesli. After breakfast everyone gets ready to go, there is no official start time so you leave when you are ready, I am raring to go so I jump on my bike as soon as possible with a group of people and head out into nairobi. The morning is beautiful, the road is paved all theway out of nairobi wth gentle rolling hills that provide a good speed downhill. We pass through the outskirts, the traffic is busy, people are strating the day, its quite dusty. After about 20kms (I have to talk in kms now because everything on tour is done in kms!) we make it out into rolling plains and beautiful landscapes. I chat with a few riders which makes the time fly, te scenery is stunning, the roads stretch out before you with amazing views on either side. I spend a while dodgeing fairly big potholes which is good fun for a while. My first coke stop is in a village abaout 20ks from lunch, basically the entire village came to look at us. The road to lunch was A-MAZING, probably the best road i have ever ridden on. Smooth, brand new tarmac and barely an cars on the road. A group of us fly into lunch in what feels like 5mins. I munch down a few sandwiches and bannanas (same fillings as brekky) and refilll my drinks. After lunch is beautiful for about 40kms, where we stay on the same road, the downhills are amazing, you can reach 40 plus kph, it is exhilirating. However, this is where the test came in, the road came to construction and a worker waved us onto a newly built piece of road which most of us decided to do. This was a big mistake as we ended up riding through 3kms of wet tarmac. So on my first day my arms,legs and bike were all drenched in wet sticky tarmac. After this came intermitant road works, new roads, old roads, off roads. I get my first flat but repair it quickly with the help of an american called dave. The heat of the day is tough but it is bearable as long as you take a sip of water every couple of minutes. I role into camp feeling tired and dirty but very happy with myself. I completed 158kms (100miles) in 7hours20mins. Everyone has to wash te tarmac off with petrol so there is a pungeant smell around camp. Dinner is tasty – rice and chicken. Everyone spends time cleaning bike and then heads to bead at around 9ish.

I can't believe I am finally here...

I am finally here, the flight went fine, the bike and bags got here and I have met up with the tour. Yesterday was a crazy day of meeting all the riders and setting up my tent. The campsite is in a large compound and very safe, it is filled with domed tents and muddy bikes (mine sticks out like a sore thumb). The group are very friendly but extremely tired from all the riding. Some are even taking a week off as the trip reaches halfway and therefore they will miss my first two cycling days to arusha where I have three days off.

So far I have eaten pizza, full english breakfast and some mexican food. The riders tell me that this is the most luxurious food they have eaten all tour and Nairobi definatlely seems very modern. It is very hot but not umbearable, there was a party last night at the campsite for some reason so that was a good way to meet the people. I will upload photos next time when i have my memory card with me. I am very excited about my first cycling day tommorow and I will post again when I have some exciting stuff to show you.

Jacob

My Home for the next two months...

Welcome to my tenty wonderland which will keep me warm and snug when I am away. I have spent a few nights in it during the dark nights of winter with thewind hollwing and rain pouring and it stood up pretty well so hopefully it will prove a good choice in Afrikka.


The only problem is that it is not a free standing tent as 'dome' tents usually are. Meaning I have to peg it in every night but this should mean I will sleep easy.

Here is a snap of my bike in a box - next time i see it I will be in Nairobi - Scary.
These pics were taken on my new Panasonic Lumix TZ7 camera which was kindly bought for me by Rosie's parents. It takes beatutiful pics and HD video that I will be sharing with you along the route.

Ciao for now.

The Bike

So its less than a week before I leave and i'm getting very excited. Sorry for the lack of activity on my blog recently, i've been spending alot of time organising bike stuff and packing.
Anyway, i thought i would share some pictures of my beautiful bike with you. It is a specialized 'crosstrail' hybrid bike. Basically, its half mountain bike half road bike, rides like a beast! My favourite features is the 28" 700c rims which are much more stable than the 26" rims i used to ride on. You get more distance per pedal and a better riding position. I have 'modified' some features of the bike (I use this expression very lightly as I have no clue in regards to modding bikes). Without further addoo, here's some snaps:












The saddle I have chosen is the classic british 'Brooks' saddle, extremely comfortable and sturdy. Behind it is my 5litre expanding post pack which will hold my camera, spare tubes, pumps etc. I have been recommended the Schwalbe Marathons from a number of different sources and I hope they live up to their 'bullet proof' claims. These tyres make the bike look very slick and it is a nice illusion as it looks like a hulking beast with its wider 700-45c tyres on. I am having it packed up tommorow so hopefully it will arrive in Nairobi just as you are seeing it today.

Taraa