Last Day!!!

Heading into South Africa, the final country

So After nearly 4 months of trying to stay on top of writing every day so that thoughts were fresh I am now sitting in a hotel in Jo’berg on May 21^st trying to remember what riding a bike 10 days ago crossing the border was like.  To be honest 10 days can seem like nothing or an eternity on this trip.  I remember the lava rock road like it was yesterday, the ride to Lake Melawi sitting on Jenn’s wheel and getting into the rest day early so I could get an extra hour or 2 off the bike.  Then there are days that seem like they didn’t even happen this year, Tony and Juliana’s birthday party, I remember everything, but it seems like it was years ago.  Day 3 out of Cairo where there was the first real climb and I couldn’t peddle up hill without my knee hurting.   Anyway, I am sorry for not writing each day, but I will do my best to track back through my pictures and memories and figure it out day by day.  After that maybe there will be time for a trip summary, or at least a Cape Town one.

6 DAYS TO GO

We crossed the border after a fruit sunday at Wimpy’s leaving me as one of the last riders in the group.  I spent the morning with Jenn, it was her birthday and we talked about all kinds of things.  The trip, what we missed, what we will miss, what we are looking forwards to getting back to.  But most importantly we just were there in the moment stopping to take pictures, saying hi as we passed people, sharing an energy bar that was not a dreaded PVM bar.  We had a blast, and even though the pace the conversations more than made up for the extra time in the saddle.  At lunch because it was her birthday we had grilled cheese, one of my favorites since I was little in Mantua having grilled cheese and tomato soup and Nan and Bob’s.  After lunch I rode with Lynn, and we picked the pace up a bit simply because it was cold.  We did stop in at a store and found several other people enjoying worm tea.  We had a pot and watched as Gizzy stuffed her bike jersey with newspaper to stay worm.  I was just in my jersey and arm wormers, but decided that the risk of paper cuts was too high to copy her.  We rode on into camp in Springbok and stayed at a caravan park.  An immediate worm shower as soon as the tent was up and I was back to normal.  Jenn had sprinted ahead in the afternoon and managed to find some wine and cheese and even cut up some pears and apples.  It was like a fancy birthday party in the middle of nowhere and everyone really enjoyed it.  I finished the night watching a movie and falling asleep in the still brutally cold weather.

5 DAYS to GO

I awoke in the morning and as of late had a slow start to the day packing up.  It does make things a bit rushed but having a few extra minutes to lie in a worm sleeping bag while hearing people outside packing up is a nice feeling.  Rubin and Erin were on a mission in the morning and the plan was for them to go out and get stage wins.  Mission accomplished!  The both won by nearly half an hour, with Rubin doing all the pulling for 148 kms of hilly terrain.  The West Coast of SA is rocky and dessertish.  There are small plants and loads of lizards and little else.  The road has a shoulder and is easy to ride and the cars are quite nice about honking to let you know they are coming and avoiding you and not coming too close for the most part.  Anyway, the story goes that Jenn was supposed to help pull Rubin and Erin but couldn’t catch up to them.  Rod and Juliana did some great pulling for them before lunch and after lunch when everyone stopped the 2 of them kept going and dominated the day.  Several hours later I too ended up in Garries and once again did the usual routine of tent up, princess cot put together and sleeping bag laid out.  Grabbed my shower bag, had a worm shower and went into town to the coffee shop.  I had a milkshake, hamburger and a few Stoney Ginger Beers while watching “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” with a few other riders that beet me to the place.  It was ok though, I have seen the movie a few times so I didn’t need a recap of the beginning like many many other people did as they arrived.  We headed back to camp in time for the rider meeting where we all found out that the dream team power couple had taken the stage and everyone clapped and recounted the day while we ate something that I can not remember but I am sure was good.

4 DAYS TO GO

This day blends in a bit for me.  I remember I wanted to take it pretty easy knowing that tomorrow could be a tough day and that there wasn’t much we were riding to.  We saw the Atlantic for the first time on the trip and it was pretty cool.  I think it was raining, but I am pretty sure it rained most of the last days.  Other than that all I remember is having a milkshake and calamari in town when I got there and meeting Andre’s children who came to ride part of the last days with him.  It was a pretty cool town called Vanrysnsdorp and all the shop owners knew who we were and what we were doing at were quite impressed by us.  That felt nice.

3 DAYS TO GO

So historically the last 2 days of the tour are non-race days.  Due to my sickness before Livingston I had 3 12 hour days in the second half and I was in last place for the men going into this day by an hour.  Now my thoughts on this as a race are all over the board but I never want to finish last in anything I do and even with 11 people dropping out of the race since the start I thought maybe I could push and pass Dan.

There was a Wimpy’s at 25 kms from camp and a lot of people were taking about stopping there for a snack before lunch.  It was a 112 km day with about 60% dirt in the middle.  I decided that morning that I would see what happened if I went as hard as I could until someone passed me.  I thought Stu and Gizzy would blow by me in the first 25 km and I would be able to cool it and get a milkshake, but as I approached Wimpy’s I passed Gerald and Jos 2 strong riders who I thought may be going for a stage win on the last day.  Then going into Wimpy’s town I passed Jethro on a hill.  Jethro is the best hill climber on the tour and even though his race position was set and he was taking it easy, his easy pace is normally quite a bit faster than my hard pace.  With him in the background I knew I had to go all out for the rest of the day, or until Stu caught me.

At 30 something Kms we turned onto the dirt and it was a giant loose sand and gravel hill in front of me.  I peddled as hard as I could and while growing tired kept the taught of people catching me from behind in my head.  I was out of the saddle quite a bit on the first hill only to see many more hills when I got to the top.  This was not going to be an easy day.  I rode hard and passed Bill who left about 30 mins before me.  I asked if there were people going fast in front of me, he said yes.  I had to ride faster!  I saw a black figure on a bike up ahead.  I decided I had 2 kms to catch them.  It was Laura and I caught her in 1.5.  I passed her at the top of a hill and then rode down with no breaks through the corrugation and into soft sand.  I had a wobble but peddled through it and rode on, never looking back.  At 60 kms I got to the lunch truck.  Paul Porter was there, I asked who was in front, just Tim and Peter.  Tim was my worry and Stuart who was behind me, how far no one knew.  I skipped lunch and with 45 seconds to stop with a foot down and breathe I pushed on.  Paul Porter started a fair bit before me so when he passed on the dirt I was concerned, but knew if I could stay within 15 mins of him I would be fine.  Tim started way before me as well, but crunching the numbers was too hard as I was peddling on the dirt with the 28 mm tires.

From the second to last hill I saw the road we were turning right on and I saw Paul at the bottom of the last dirt hill heading towards the road.  Once again I headed down the hill with reckless abandon.  I didn’t use my breaks all day to this point and I wasn’t going to use them now.  I peddled all the way down the hill and was out of the saddle most of the way up it.  When I hi the tar I immediately got in the aerobars and tried to catch my breath.  I was peddling as hard as I could when I lost sight of Paul, too many curves going through town, but I was close and with 40 kms left maybe I could do this.

I rode through 2 small fishing villages and then ended up facing a second dirt road.  I didn’t remember this from the rider meeting…… I didn’t go to the rider meeting.  What do I do.  I stopped to check the camera.  It is a race, and going to be a close one and I had to stop to check directions.  30 seconds later and I saw a yellow jacket coming on a  bike.  Screw the directions, I either go the right way or the wrong way, but no one passes me today.

The yellow jacket was gaining on me, I peddled harder, still gaining.  I looked back and it was Tim.  He was supposed to be 20 mins in front of me.  He says “Why did you stop?”  I told him I had to check directions and what was he doing behind me. He said he was having a coffee, saw Paul go by then saw me and didn’t want to miss it.  Paid his check and came to watch the race first hand.  I told him I have time on Paul but I was worried about him.  He asked where Stuart was, all of a sudden I was racing the clock because I don’t know when Stu left and how far back he was.

Tim rode the rest of the way pushing me to ride harder than I had all trip.  It was flatish somothish hardish packed sand and we were blazing down at 36-40 kph.  Everytime I stopped peddling to rest Tim would yell at me from behind.  18 k to go, push it out.  I was out of the saddle for every hill, in the aerobars when I could just to try and breathe.  Riding over corrugation and taking the abuse with my body all the time getting abuse from Tim.  14 k to go, you have to catch Paul.  I couldn’t see Paul, but I couldn’t imagine he was going this fast.  It was bordering on unsafe.  I peddled faster, who knew who was behind me.

We had one more right turn to make onto a road, I saw it up ahead and there was 2 yellow gates in the road, one on the left and one on the right with a space in the middle.  It was a slight downhill and I was pushing 40+ I think, my spedo just stopped working in the rain.  I unclipped my left foot thinking I would slow to a stop and walk through the gate.  I grabbed a handful of break and the back wheel locked up on the sand.  I was not slowing down and now staring to fishtail and I was getting closer to the gate.  I clipped back in, I now had 3 options, lay the bike down and slide under Dominincan style.  Not a great option, but I would not die.  Jump the gate, all I really had to do was clear the handle bars because me and the rest of the bike would fit through the gap no problem, but jumping on a downhill at that speed is difficult, maybe impossible.  Third option, do nothing…….. I headed right for the hole in the gate, it was at the exact height of my handle bars.  I watched as I cleared each side by less than an inch, back end fishtailing in fright.  I made it through, checked back and Tim was rolling slow much slower.  He Yelled go Right.  I did, dodging the car that I had not noticed, still carrying my speed.  Camp was close, I had to give it everything I had.  We passed a building and then another.  Flagging tape heading towards the beach.  I got air going into the camp, landed on soft sand and rode to the truck.  Threw down my bike and ran to the timing thing on the trailer.  It never works in the rain and I ripped it off the trailer and yelled for Paul.  After several attempts and Tim beeping in first I timed in, and almost collapsed.  I have never been that tired in my life.  I held myself up on a pole for the kitchen for a while, then headed into the truck to sit down and eat some candy.  I got my things out and then saw Stu.  I had no clue how long it had been, or when he started. I asked him his riding time, he didn’t know, I guess we would have to wait for Kelsey.  I set up my tent by the edge of the fence overlooking the cold wet rainy ocean and headed to the bar.  The truck riders were already there, everyone was surprised to see me.  I had a milkshake, clamari, fried fish, 2 cokes, and a bottle of Red Wine.  Jenn came in and we headed over to another bar, I had a few beers, then back to camp for dinner.  It was chicken, quickly in my stomach then off for a few more beers.  Kelsey wasn’t going to check the times until tomorrow, I had no idea what happened, 1 or 2.  I quickly forgot about the importance of the situation and just enjoyed hanging out with friends celebrating the end of the race.  We partied very late ( for us late is about 9 pm, very late is 9:30) and stumbled back to the tent, still wet and rainy.  I woke up and packed up for the second to last time.

2 DAYS TO GO

146 kms into yzerfountain.  Non race day.  It was cold.  I rode with Pete and Lynn, we had 2 hot chocolate stops before lunch, and even a hotdog stop.  Lunch was burgers and even though I was full, I ate my share.  We peddled slow to camp, with Lynn leaving us on a hill when she was fed up of our pace.  She didn’t give yesterday everything she had though so I guess she had more legs than I did.  She is also a pretty great racer finishing 2nd for the girls the last 3 sections and 5 or 6 over all.  It was a long day, but on the way into camp me and Pete stopped off and bought some champagne.  I rode into camp and popped the cork.  It was Party time.  Rider meeting started and after Stu and Gizzy got section plates for the last section, I was called up for my Stage winner plate.  I popped another bottle of champagne and did a little spraying, but enjoyed the moment.  James and Indaba were preparing Snook (fish on the bbq) for dinner, I had a shower and got the tent up and had dinner.  We sat around late reminiscing and then headed to a hotel where a bunch of people were staying to reminisce some more there.  It was another late night, but again it was fun.  I got congratulations and hugs from everyone for the stage win, and although I tried to keep it low key, I was excited.  To win a stage with the amount of quality cyclists on this tour is something special and I think I belong to a group of less than 12 that did it this year.

THE LAST DAY

There was an air of excitement as everyone packed up camp for the last time.  The trash bins were full of dishes that people decided not to wash on the last day and instead just get rid of.  I guess 4 months eating out of the same bowl gave me some sentimental value so I washed it and kept it.  Anyway, I couldn’t break the routine of the last 4 months.  I was wearing my arm wormers and my new TDA 2010 jersey and headed to my bike which had been cleaned and shined up the night before.  We rode 60 kms to a beach for lunch.  Some peoples families had come, the lunch spread was amazing and we had great views of Table mountain.  I can not capture my emotions in words.  It was pure joy, so many hugs, pats on the back.  Bottles of champagne being passed around, like we had won the Super Bowl.  It was amazing, and exhilarating, it was perfect.  We got read for the convoy, and after some excitement with Stuart getting a flat, and me, Jethro and him all pumping in record time to fix it, we got going.  Most people had sun glasses on because for the first time in days the sun was out.  It was a good thing, because it would have been more obvious that we were all crying under our sunglasses if there was no sun.  We passed people and they cheered, bike going the other way joined the end of the convoy.  I\t was like we were back in Ethiopia, people waved at us and we waved back, it was soooo cool, and every bit the experience I wanted.  We pulled into the waterfront past the BP office and I saw Mom holding a sign, Welcome to Cape Town.  1 last turn, bike against the fence and it was 70 people dressed in lycra and spandex hugging, high fives, beers all around, champagne again.  It was a sight, and it was amazing to see.  Families reunited after 4 months, sisters and brothers, mothers and daughters, random people walking by who didn’t know who we were and asked where we came from.  We answered with a small smile and they walked away, not sure weather to believe that we really could have just crossed Africa top to bottom by bike.

We had a ceremony, we got medals.  And the whole time we were looking at each other, clapping for each other, cat calls, nick names, we didn’t care that other people were there.  That the mayor didn’t understand our inside jokes.  It was our day and we took it, and enjoyed it the way we wanted to.  It was great and amazing and fun and epic and monumental and complete.  We made it, as a group, as individuals, and as friends.  I am not sure how long I will stay on this high for, but 6 days later writing this it still brings me chills.  I remember every detail from that part of the day, for now it lives on my mind like a movie playing on a loop, and it is truly one of the best films I have ever seen!

Later guys,

See you soon

Ricky

Tomorrow I am heading on Safari, hopefully I will have time to write about the post Cape Town events, but to give you the highlights: Awards dinner where I got “Most Improved Male Rider” Post Awards celebration at the Dubliner pub on Long Street.  Jumping out of a plane with Cape Town in the back ground.  Seeing the TDA movie “Where are you go” and reliving the places even though the movie sucked.  Climbing Table Mountain and having the scare of my life even though everything worked out ok.  Cage Diving with Great Whites up to 4 m in length.

Not a bad few days in Cape Town huh??

Arrived in Cape Town

Well I made it. Rode out the last 5 days which I will be writing and uploading blogs for in the next day or two. Right now I am just enjoying the amazing city of Cape Town and all it has to offer. The Tour was amazing, I am so happy and excited to have done it, and will be so happy to spend the rest of my life thinking of the great memories I made.
I will be back in Calgary on Monday, May 31 after a stop in Kruger for a Safari and a few days in the UK to see family, and am thinking of going out that Friday, June 4th. Anyone in the Calgary area can come, or if anyone wants to fly/drive in feel welcome.
Sorry for the delay in getting the last info up, things at the end got so hectic and it was a lot of late nights reminising with all the other riders.
Later
Ricky

May 9th rest day update

Ok, gotta make this fast.

 The ride into here was long and hard, 174 kms total with the first 131 on dirtty gravel and the rest on pavement down hill but into a fierce headwind.  I had to stop in town for a burger and milkshake before heading on to camp.  I guess I do not take the race as seriously as others do .  The ride the day before was short (108) and to fish river canyon.  The canyon was cool, looks a lot like the South West US.  Our view point was about 10 kms from the camp and we got a ride in the run about truck and passed loads of people that were riding down there.  I felt a little bad for not riding, but I have done enough riding recently.

The race times are all messed up right now, I did have a 4th place finish, but not on the day they siad I did.  The 7th place finish is wrong I think, but it should be cleared up soon I hope..  I should be very close to Dan Johnson.  I am hoping to catch him in the next 4 days before the race ends.  Looking forwards to seeing everyone in Cape Town or on my trip home.

  Will try to update again soon, Internet time is running low

later

Ricky

May 6th What a day!!!

  Today started like many other days.  Woke up, packed up, had breakfast and got ready to ride.  When I was all set I clocked out and got on my bike.  I noticed that the screw that holds the cranks together was loose so I gave it a quick tighten and headed off with Peter.  Lynn passed us withing the first 100 meters and we hung on her wheels until Adam who was going for the stage win passed us and we all got on his wheel.  We had 31 kms of dirty gravel before we hit pavement for the rest of the day.  After about 15 kms of riding hard and passing loads of people Peter went with Adam and I was alone.  I thought I should keep going hard and see how the day played out.  Jethro soon passed me and I caught on to the back of him and caught up with Lynn.  When we got to the pavement I kept pushing it hard to see what would happen.  What I noticed was a lot of people sitting in a small town and then not very many people in front of me.  I decided that if I wanted to be in the top 10 on this trip, today was the day.  I peddled as hard as I could and toght that if I could keep up 30 kph all day I would have a shot.  Lynn pulled up behind me and we rode hard next together for a while until she pulled in front.  At about 50 kms I saw Rod and Juliana on the side of the road.  I stopped because I needed a break and they quickly were ready to get going again.  I started with them and asked Rod if at our current pace I would make the top 10.  He said no and went faster up to 36.  He said I had to keep that pace in oreder to get where I wanted and by the way skip lunch.  I held the pace as well as I could but it got a little hilly before lunch and I just tried to go as hard as I could.  At 60 kms Lynn was on the side of the road fixing a flat and after making sure she was good I cranked it to lunch.

  At lunch I saw that the only people in front of me were Tim and Adam.  I filled a water bottle, told Peter who was sitting there after riding Marcel’s wheel that I was leaving in 2 minutes.  I grabbed 2 pieces of French toast and got on the bike, in about 15 seconds.  I headed off and ate the French toast in the aero bars as I worked my way to camp.  I continued to peddle as hard as I could knowing that I had a chance to make it a fast day, but also knowing that their were a lot of faster people behind me.

  On the way to camp Jethro passed me and we talked strategy for me to be in the top 10.  He thought it should be quite easy and that when Paul and Sunil passed me I had to stay with them seeing they left before me.  I rode hard and in front of me I saw some of the people who rode from Lunch only.  I passed them and soon after spotted a red shirt behind me closing.  I rode hard and pushed up some big steep hills and finally saw the bridge that was 2 kms from camp.  At that point the red shirt (Paul) caught me.  He asked why I was peddling so hard and I told him that I couldn’t get into my big chain ring all the time since the lunch spot.  I thought he would pass me, but he said he had worked so hard to catch me he was tired too.  We rode to the bridge together as I was pushing hard while he was costing, then we had 2 kms on dirt to camp.  He said he was taking it easy on the dirt and I told him I was going to press on so with him just behind me I made it to camp 3^rd. 

  I scanned out and then headed to the bar for 2 toasted cheese and 2 cokes.  I wanted to puke, and die and fall over all at once but I knew that with the minutes ticking by and people trickling in I might have done well today.  At dinner Kelsey who knew I had really pushed it out today came up to me and told me I was 4^th.

  I was amazed, so happy and so proud of myself and how far I had come since the beginning of the trip.  I don’t know if I were to start the trip again how I would do, but I know I would have a chance to do better that I am.  I was just so happy to hear that with the massive effort I put in today I got the reward of doing well.  I also learned that the people that put in a full effort like that every day are truly unbelievable athletes and deserve to be talked about in conversations with the top endurance athletes in the world.

  So yea, good day on the bike, spent the afternoon recovering and catching my breath and now I am heading to bed.

  Later guys

 Ricky

May 5th Mando day greatness

Uphill to lunch, downhill to camp.  Coke stop at 100 kms at a store where I bought dried mango and some candy.  Made it to camp early enough to have some choco cake and vanilla ice cream before dinner.  Dinner as always was great and then there was a bonfire where we hung out and talked with Henry the TDA owner about some of the stuff he has planned for the future.  It was a mando day, but not super hard, maybe I am getting the hang of this biking after all.

  That’s all I have energy for now

Later

  Ricky

May 4th Eat it one day, see it the next

   Well, leaving a rest day is always an interesting experience.  Resting is nice and sometimes 1 day is just not enough, but we get to head to a new place and see new things which is always fun.  We headed out this morning, and within the first 20 kms I got to see me new favourite anima.  It was an Orax, a great tasting animal which was sandy blond hair and white legs with these amazing long unicorn style horns.  I watched him for a while and took some pictures then got back on the bike.  I was getting close to Dana in front of me when she stopped in the road and started pointing to the side of the road.  I looked over and saw about 8 zebras running along the road.  It was amazing, I later found out that they were mountain zebras and they are very rare to be down by the road.

  Lunch was Tuna an old favortie and after that we still had 60 something kms to make it to our 139 km camp.  It was difficult to get going after lunch, but after a while we developed a tail wind and I even saw one of thise little dirt tornados heading along the road in the direction I was going.  I tried to speed up to catch it but I had no luck.

  All in all a pretty fun day and with 4 tough days including 2 mando days coming up (Tomorros and 2 days later) all on dirt with some scerious distance coming up it will be a tough 4 days before we get to our last rest day.

  Well it is a bit after 7 and I am ready for bed so I will cut this off here.

 Goodnight everyone,

 Ricky

May 2nd and 3rd

  The update for May 3^rd first because it is super easy.  Today is a rest day at the entrance to a sand dune park in Namibia.  I am sure it is amazing, but I have seen eough sand dunes to last a life time so I took the day to chill out.  I woke up and did laundry.  Cleaned my bike and fixed a slow leak in the back tire and then went to the gas station.  Got on the internet for a bit and didn’t upload anything because I could not plug my computer in and the 2 computers they had are hidden so that I couldn’t put a USB stick in.  Guess everyone will have to wait for the updates.  I had lunch at the gas station, snacks and a steak and kidney pie and then headed back to camp to work on this update.  I will finish this update, take a nap then have dinner at the lodge next door to our campground.  I had dinner there last night and I am sure tonight will be a similar experience.  More on that at the end of the May 2^nd update.

  May 2^nd.  Well it was a short day into the rest day and it was a nice change.  Lunch was at 50 kms and I started out thinking I would try and see how fast I could go.  Right out of camp I was passed by Stu and Jethro 2 of the race leaders and I decided that this was the day I would hang on to them.  I stayed on their tails for 7.5 kms with Lynn joining up 1 km into the ride.  I knew that they could not keep up the 27 km pace all day and knowing that I couldn’t either I was waiting for them to slow down.  They did change pase, but unfortunately for me it was not to slow down.  I guess they do a 7.5 km worm up each day and they pushed the pace up to 30 as we were heading up a slight incline.  I dropped off and watched them peddle into the distance.  I guess I have to be satisfied with my effort on this trip, but it would be a lot of fun to be in contention for the lead.  On the other hand, waking up everyday and riding as hard and as fast as I could wouldn’t be much fun.   I guess the bottom line is I am having a great amazing experience and I am happy with the way it is going and that is all that is important.  Sitting on the bike less would be nice though and the fast guys are on their bikes about 60% of the time I am so, yea, I guess their bums are less sore.

  At 50 kms I saw the lunch truck and was quickly informed by Dave that today was the naked mile.  Not many people were at lunch and I thought it would be a big group thing but what happened was a few people riding down the road 1 at a time naked.  I didn’t really see the intrigue in that at that time and decided to just ride on, finding a gap in the naked people. 

  Made it to camp well before noon and went straight to the bar for some food and a beer.  Got the tent all set up had a shower and decided that chores could wait until the next day.  We hung out at the bar for a while, went to the gas station down the street for internet and then found out that the lodge next door ($200 a night for a room without a TV) had a buffet dinner that was only $220 Namibian or about $30 US.  We headed over just before it started and had no idea the treat we were in.

  I started out with some salads, crisp lettuce, ripe peppers, baby tomatoes and feta.  Pasta salad, and even some smoked fish.  Pretty good start, but now I was ready for meat.  I headed back to the buffet and saw the stir fry station.  I put some veg on the plate and some beef and chicken and had soy sauce put on as the lady across the way cooked it all up for me.  Then I looked up and saw the grill.  The plan was to go and look to see what I wanted next, but I was trapped.  I was staring at 7 different kinds of game meat and instantly knew what the nights challenge would be.  I was going to eat 9 different animal steaks in 1 night.  I accomplished my goal and even had room for desert, it was amazing.  Oryx was my favorite, springback was great, Kudu was also amazing.  Warthog and Wildebeest were surprisingly tasty.  I had driven and Impala before, but eating one was just as much fun.  I also ate an Eland which I have no idea what it was, but it also tasted great.  So with the beef and chicken in the stir fry I ate 9 different animals in the same meal which I think was pretty cool.  Not sure if I will ever be able to top that and I am sure I will not be able to top it for less then $30 US.

  After that it was back to camp, a beer and then bed before I woke up and started my rest day routine.

  Pretty simple 2 days but it has been nice, most of my body is pain free, bike is ready to go tomorrow and things are looking up.  1 more riding days until we hit the Cape Town waterfront.  What a trip so far, so much to enjoy in the last days.

  Later all

Ricky

May 1 Dirrrty South

Well actually North Namibia, but I could wait for a chance to use the title.  Today was more dirt.  Before lunch I rode mostly alone but when Jenn caught me I rode with her a bit.  I only seem to ride with her on dirt days when she is not feeling well, and I hate that she is sick, but it is nice to ride with her.

  At lunch we had hot coco, which was great because it was cold and only getting colder.  The rode we were on was heading straight for the darkest most lighting filled clouds I have ever seen.  It looked great, but heading into it riding a bike on dirt up a 15 km climb was a little sketchy.  At the top of the climb everything paid off though with one of the most spectacular views I have ever seen in my life.  The pictures will not do it justice at all, but it was an imence view with mountains, rocks and desert all laid out below us, just incredible.  We then decended 500 m in 4 kms which was some of the most dangerous riding of the trip in the rain soaked conditions.  There were steep downhills, some even steeper up hills, and a lot of loosesand and gravel.  I made it down in tact and then had a 40 kms ride to finish at camp at 121 kms.  I got in and headed straight for the bakery which is famous in all of Africa for the Apple Crumble.  It was great and followed up with a blueberry muffin and another pastry.  The bakery is in the extras of “The long Way Down” with the same guy that served be serving Euan Macgregor.  I really want to see the movie when I get home because we are traveling a lot of the same route they did.

  After that it was cleaning the bike quickly with a hose because the drive train was sounding like crap with all the wet sand and lubing the chain for tomorrows 83 kms day into the rest day by a Natioanl Park with sand dunes.  I think I have seen enough sand dunes in Algeria to last me a life time but for a lot of people this will be their first time and they are very excited to see it all.

  That’s all for tonight.  Dirt roads make me tired and even though it is 8:20 and my alarm is set for 5 am, bed is calling my name and I don’t want to disappoint.

  Goodnight all

 Ricky

April 30th 78 kms beer stop

April 30th 78 kms beer stop Well I had so many things to write about but then at 78 kms the race director Kelsey pulled up in the green truck and gave me a beer. After 78 kms on dirt 1 beer instantly made me feel like my legs no longer hurt, the road was magically smooth and camp was just around the corner. None of these things were actually true of coarse, camp was still 33 kms away into a head wind and up many hills, the road was bumpy and washed out once again shortly after, and my legs still hurt not unlike the way they feel now. It was however, the best beer of my trip so far because it was free, cold, and drank while straddling my bike. Before any of this happened the fun had started. After lunch I was riding with Peter and we pulled up next to Gerald. I know some people would like me to punch him in the face but he is actually a really nice guy and still EFI. He had put an 8 speed chain on his bike thinking it was a 9 speed chain and at 70 kms it gave up and broke. I had some spare links for a 9 speed chain and we tried to make it work but the pins were too short. Eric Defour AKA the bike Macgiver pulled up and managed to rig something up with a shram and a shimano quick link put together. It lasted for about 100 meters before it came apart. We stopped again and as I got off my bike I hear this massive deflating sound from the back of my bike. My back tire had gone flat with me doing absolutely nothing. Eric worked on the chain again shortening it restricting the gears that could be used but making it possible for Gerald to ride to camp and keep his EFI. I had 1 spare tube and used it to fix my problem. When I took the old tube out I saw a hole the size of a tack head in the tube. Not sure how it got there or what caused it, but I threw a patch on it seeing it is my only spare tube while I am riding my fat tires. After all the drama and excitement we arrived at camp which is quite nice. Some people as always have rooms while I and many others are in tents (intense as well because we are in tents). We had the rock throwing decathlon event today and I was competing for my team. I didn’t do great at the landing rocks in the map of Africa and only got 1 bonus point for hitting the cardboard cut out of an Ethiopian child with a rock. A head shot was worth 5 points and I got him in the body  After that was the rider meeting where I got my winner plate for the team time trial. There was a lot of chirping from people about our A team and B team strategy to the time trial but we played by the rules, had fun, and I peddled as hard as I possibly could so I am not upset at all. Plus I get to yell at people who talk shit and we all know that is something I can have fun with. By this point in the trip everyone has done something foolish and it is my pleasure to remind them of that as they remind me that I am not the fastest rider on the trip. Since we got on the dirt today the scenery has been amazing. It looks like we are riding through Death Valley. There are mountains in the distance. We are going up and down hills, and the road side is all scrub dessert. No trees, just small shrubs, some cattle and a few Namibian cowboys. Much more enjoyable to ride through than the long flat paved roads of before. I guess that was it for today. It was nice to catch up with Peter and his family and take the day a bit slower than normal. Time to head to the tent and enjoy another night in what is getting to be quite a smelly sleeping bag. Later all Ricky