Leaving Cape Town

Next time I visit South Africa I will spend more time visiting the coast - it is stunning. I didn't know how I was going to feel when I arrived in Cape Town and had booked a flight out only 4 days after arriving - not enough time to finish the tour and see the sights. I will look forward to getting back to this gorgeous city again sometime!

Tour d'Afrique 2010 Finish Line & Ceremony

We rode the final 30km of the TDA ride into Cape Town in a convoy. When we arrived at the finish line there were hundreds of people milling around the waterfront. We all attended a medal ceremony and we were each presented with a medal for participating in the whole tour and I received one for placing third among the women in the race. The sun was beating down on us but no one seemed to mind too much - we had made to Cape Town (most of us safe and sound)!

TDA Riders and Top Racers

The TDA 2010 group photo was taken on the beach. The top male racers were Stuart (Australian), Tim (American) and Jethro (South African). The top female racers were Gizzy (German - she placed 2nd overall behind Stuart!), Juliana (Canadian) and me!

Convoy Into Cape Town - Lunch on the Beach

On the last day of riding the TDA organized a lovely lunch on the beach 30km outside of Cape Town. I helped change Steph's flat, had a photo taken with Steph and then one with Steph and Erin - those two girls were my faves on the trip.

May 15th - Last Day Riding

On our last day riding we left the camp and it was 2 degrees. Australian Dan had purchased a coat a few days before because he thought it was so cold in South Africa. I wore my down jacket in the morning. The last day's ride was 90km - the first 60km took us to lunch on the beach.

South Africa and the End of the Tour d'Afrique 2010

The last five days of riding on the Tour d'Afrique were quite emotional for me. The last race day was three days before the end of that day we saw the ocean for the first time since Safaga, Egypt when we camped by the Red Sea. I rode that morning with Steph, Dan, Rod and Juliana and we stopped along the way for breakfast. In the afternoon I met up with Erin and Ruben and rode the final 10km with Paddy. On the last race day I managed to ride with many of my favourite people of the tour and I couldn't have been happier. Paddy and met on the flight from London to Cairo on January 11th. On that flight I wondered out loud if Paddy and I would be friends at the end of ride in May and on that last race day riding in the rain - on sand - we laughed together and decided that "yes" we were indeed still friends. I felt so close to my friends on the tour that day. When I dropped my bike at the finish of that day I walked to the sea and cried. The race was over - I was two days from the end of an almost 12,000 km journey and I felt proud and overwhelmed. I thought of my family and friends that supported me before I left to do the tour. I thought about the Stephen Lewis Foundation and the Panzi Hospital. And I thought of my Nan and tired to imagine what she might think of the crazy adventure I had just been on for four months in Africa. I didn't last long by the sea that afternoon - the rain came down and flooded our camp - I pitched my tent and headed to a tiny pub for fish and chips and a beer. The race was over. I ranked 3rd among woman and 11th overall. I was a reluctant racer and rode the tour different than most racers but I had no regrets about how I rode my ride. I did it my own way and was just so pleased that I had arrived in South Africa safe and sound.

The last three days of riding in South Africa were very relaxed. I rode one day with my good friend Tony - 150km. We had spent many long days together in Sudan, Ethiopia and later in Zambia. When we rode together it was one-on-one and we liked it that way. Sometimes we would ride for hours and say nothing. Other times we would swap stories about our lives - I learned about his wife - the day he got married - and about his children. Tony is a great rider and I feel privileged to call him a friend.

On the second last day - I can't remember how long it was 130km? 150km? I rode alone. I often elected to ride alone on the tour and I wanted to have a day at the end on my own. I started out with Dan and Steph and passed some friends on the road. I stopped for burgers at lunch and spent the day reflecting on the ride. There's lots to say but the bottom line was that I loved Africa, I loved cycling and I was grateful for everyday I had on the tour. I was happy - happier than I had ever been in my life. A rider at lunch one day paid me the greatest compliment by saying that he wanted to bottle whatever it was that made me so happy and sell it.

On the last day of the tour the ride was 90km. 60km to lunch on the beach and a 30km convoy into Cape Town. At 6am it was 2 degree Celsius and I rode most of the morning in my down jacket. I rode the 60km with my best friend on the tour, Steph Sleen and Big Dan from Australia. Steph got 2 flats on the way! And we were late arriving to lunch but it didn't matter - like ever other day on the tour - things just happened and it was Steph's 28th puncture on the tour so that happened a lot! We took photos on the beach and then rode into Cape Town. We had a warm welcome, a finishing ceremony and there was a VIP tent with beer and food for the riders and their families and friends. I spoke briefly to my Mom and Dad and Jen and then headed to the hotel. The TDA hosted a dinner, slide show and handed out awards to racers and riders. We ate and drank and laughed. The tour was over. It was official.

Over the next few days riders packed up their bikes and gear. Many opted to donate their bikes - I wanted to but I just couldn't. I have such an attachment to my Kona Jake. I love Jake - we had been through to much together. I boxed Jake up and spent a couple of days in beautiful Cape Town. The funny (and maybe not so surprising) thing is that very few of us said good bye to each other. Instead we all just drifted around the hotel and left quietly for the airport. We all promised to meet up and say good bye but it never happened. I don't think we were ready for it to be over or in our minds we just wanted to pretend that we were on a rest day and would see each other somewhere on the road the next day. Even though I knew it wasn't true - I still liked the idea of it.

I Turned 40 in Africa!

On May 10th we were 5 days from completing our 10 country, almost 12,000km ride through Africa. I turned 40 years old in Felix Unite, Namibia. That morning we crossed the border into South Africa. When I woke up at 4:30am I was stopped on the way to the toilet block by Gert, one of the staff, who wished me a happy birthday. The riders sang Happy Birthday at breakfast and the birthday greetings continued throughout the day. The day was designated a non-race day (I didn't organize that but told everyone I did!) so the racers took it easy on the ride and the mood in the camp seemed relaxed and happy.

Before crossing the border into South Africa, a few of us stopped at the Wimpy restaurant for our second breakfast of the day (Wimpy has amazingly good coffee). I ordered a waffle and when one of the TDA trucks pulled in with the Canadian cook on board I asked him for Canadian maple syrup and to my surprise he went back to the truck and got me a bottle of the real stuff - now that is what I call a birthday treat!

A couple of weeks before my birthday I hinted that it might be nice to have french toast for my birthday lunch but then changed it to grilled cheese and the lovely staff obliged. The lunch time ration rules that day were "2 per person, 4 for Jenn". I did eat 4 grilled cheese that day - YUM!

When I rode the 135km into Springbok, South Africa - one of the TDA staff members took me into town and I picked up all the fixings for a pre-dinner birthday wine and cheese - along with soft drinks and about 100 beers. Everyone enjoyed the more civilized start to dinner - with apples and pears, olives and crackers and of course an assortment of nice cheeses. The assortment of goodies lasted about 10 minutes - TDA riders attack food, especially good food, like a pack of wolves!

Irish Paddy picked me out an outfit to wear - some styley glasses, and lovely plastic jewelry....a girl should look her best at 40!

It was a brilliant day and I loved the ride into South Africa - lots of rollers. I turned 40 in Africa - I am not sure it gets any better than that!

Riding in Namibia - Naked!

After all the flat, fast roads in Botswana going off road again in Namibia was a real change and this late in the tour we were all tired and worried about the off road conditions. As it happened, some of the gravel roads in Namibia were among some the best unpaved roads on the tour. In my previous blog I said that you should go to Namibia and I really mean it. I can't say enough about the landscape - desert, canyons, mountains and Namibia is well known for its dunes. I enjoyed racing here but also took the time to stop and really take in the fantastic scenery.

Some people were surprised by the temperatures in Namibia - just because it is Africa doesn't mean it is always hot! It is winter in Namibia and that means that the nights are cold - dipping down to around 3 or 4 degrees. It did still get warm in the days - somewhere in the high 20s, early 30s but pleasant when it wasn't raining.

By the time we reached Namibia some people had had it - they were tired of camping and elected to pay for accommodation whenever possible and others were sick of their bikes and were totally over the long, off road rides. I have to say that it was not true for me. I still slept in my tent, I still loved riding my bike and I couldn't get enough of Namibia. Don't get me wrong - there were tough days and I was tired - more tired than I have ever been in my life - but I was at the point where life in a tent, sitting on a camp chair in the afternoon and riding for most of the day had become "normal". I was still loving the Tour d' Afrique!

Highlights in Namibia included the gorgeous views - everywhere, stopping in Solitare for the best blueberry muffin and apple pie in all of Africa, eating wild game - kudu, impala, oryx and springbok, racing off road and chasing Big Dan for over 20km, Fish River Canyon and the silence - Namibian desert roads are quiet with very little traffic except for the odd tour bus or overlander truck. Speaking of which quiet roads in Namibia - that place is perfect for the Naked Mile. On the TDA there is a tradition called the Naked Mile - riders take off all their clothes and ride for the equivalent of a mile down the desert road.

My friend Steph and I talked one day about the Naked Mile and how no one had done it yet. We weren't sure how it was organized, if at all and we weren't keen on stripping down in front of a group so we decided to just do it - right then and there in the middle of nowhere Namibia. Now there are lots of things to consider when removing your clothes in a desert - Question: Where do you put your clothes? Answer: the side of the road. Question: What do you do with your backpack once your clothes are off? Answer: Put it back on your back. Question: How is the saddle going to feel without a chamois? Answer: You have to find that out for yourself!

The Naked Mile was a opportunity to let it all hang out, literally but it also was a great opportunity to laugh - really laugh at each other and at ourselves. At the end of almost four months on the road we all deserved to be silly and have some fun and sometimes we just needed a good laugh. Not that we weren't silly at other times on the tour but there is something so ridiculous about taking all your clothes off and riding naked down a desert road. On our little adventure that day we came across the TDA staff member riding sweep (the last riders on the road) and her first response was "Oh my, what a lovely surprise!". Later that day she and two other riders would strip down and do the same thing. There are photos of that day on the road but I will only include a tasteful self portrait here!

The Naked Mile isn't a sanctioned TDA activity because how can they really encourage naked riding but it is a wonderful tradition. By the end of that day about 6 women and a whole bunch of guys got it all out on the bike. NYC bike courier Dave apparently rode 20km that day in all his naked glory - I forgot to ask if he applied sunscreen.....

Namibia - You Should Go!

The day we crossed into Namibia it rained. I mean it really rained. The skies opened and the rain fell - in a way I had never experienced in my life. I arrived at the border with a ziplock bag in hand, dripping all over the immigration office, apologizing for my appearance and wet corners of my passport. In Botswana it rained but on that day/evening in Namibia it flooded. I was forced to evacuate my tent at 9pm - the bottom of my tent felt like a waterbed from the early 80s and I sought refuge on the porch of a small cabin - the exact footprint of my tent!

Don't let the stories of rain and tent flooding put you off - Namibia is stunning, so beautiful that I said one day as I rode into camp that if there is a heaven - I hope it looks like Namibia. I cried twice in Namibia when I rode in the rain to the top of the hill and looked down/over at the mountains and one afternoon when I was all alone and came upon a canyon. It might not make much sense but it really was so beautiful that it could make you cry. Even though some days on the bike were challenging and hard - I knew my TDA days were numbered and I wanted to soak it all up. I was about to turn 40 years old and I was completing my dream of riding my bike across Africa - that in itself was enough to make me cry!

I love Namibia - really - you should go!

Slowest Rider That Rides and Team Time Trial

As most of you know the TDA is a race and expedition. Some riders race the entire time and others, like myself race some days and not others. The expedition riders elect not to be timed each day unless they decide to race a particular section. They may not time in and out but many do get on their bikes each day and often spend anywhere from 7 to 11 hours in the saddle. My friend Steph was affectionately known as the Slowest Rider That Rides. She is someone who rarely missed a day on the bike but was slower than most riders (we are not sure why!?). She was amazing - determined and inspiring. Above is a picture of Steph - The Slowest Riders That Rides - any my best friend on the trip.

On our last day in Botswana the TDA staff organized a Team Time Trial. Racers and expedition riders were matched and we raced 20km together - 5-6 to a team. This was a chance for racers and expedition riders to get together as a team and race it out for fun....and it was fun!

I was matched with a great pair of racers - the husband and wife duo, Rod and Juliana and with a contender for Slowest Riders That Rides -American Dan and the oldest woman on the tour, Lany. We may not have won and we may not have been the fastest but I can guarantee that we had maybe the most fun of any team on the road that day! Above is also a picture of our time trial team - Four Canadians and a Yank.

Botswana - The Okavango Delta and Long, Long Rides

My last proper blog was in Botswana - it was Maun and that was the last time I had really good internet....well let me qualify that - it was the last time I had internet that I didn't have to really search for or line up for - but here we are again and the connection is better.

My last week in Botswana included a fantastic flight over the Okavango Delta - the world's largest inland delta. Seven of us got into a small plane and enjoyed a one hour flight at just 500 feet above the amazing landscape. I won the seat beside the pilot - it was a win from the best 2 out of 3 Paper, Rock, Scissors - and it was the best seat on the plane. We could see hippos, and giraffes and I even spotted elephants mating - whoa - that is not something you see everyday! I had never been in a small plane so I really loved the hour off the ground - it made a nice change from the bike.

The rest of the riding in Botswana was pretty uneventful. By that I mean not much happened - really - the roads were long and flat and the days were very, very long. The only thing we really had to look was rain. We didn't spot a single elephant - well at least the group I was riding with didn't see any. I am sure that many parts of Botswana are incredibly beautiful and populated with loads of animals - Chobe National Park for instance, or the Okavango Delta but on the road things were pretty quiet. My plan for Botswana was to join a place line of good riders and to ride fast and hard and that is exactly what we did. I rode most days with Rod, Juliana, Big Dan and sometimes a few other riders and it meant I got to know them a whole lot better and got to camp faster than I would on my own. We covered between 800-900km in the last five days in Botswana - wow - I didn't think I would ever ride back to back days between 160-200km and we did a lot of those during the Elephant Highway section. It was hard riding but it was also incredibly satisfying.