4 days of more Ethiopian mountains.Terry and Rodney crack on the mountains.

23^rd February 2011.  Addis Ababa to Bush Camp. 106kms. Rolling hills.

After spending 2 nights with Rodney at the Hilton Hotel it was time to head back to the Guennet Hotel to meet up with the other cyclists and get ready for today’s ride. We had to do a convoy out of the city for our own protection but also there’s no way we could have navigated out of the mayhem of the capital’s traffic.

After a slow roll out of town with the intersections closed so 65 cyclists could make it out of the city without being hit by a mad truck/bus/donkey driver. After 15kms the racers headed off and I rode along at a nice leisurely pace until we reached the lunch stop at 62kms.The ride was pretty hard up until this point due to the hills and the never ending rolling hills.  Even the flats appeared to being uphill. 

By the time we reached lunch we had climbed from 2400metres to 2500metres.This doesn’t seem much at all, but if you try climbing a huge hill, then dropping down into a valley and do it about 15 times before lunch, one does get tired.We were accompanied by the usual group of kids doing the same shit all morning which does get to you after a while.

Lunch was at the top of another climb and in a beautiful location.Mountains and valleys surrounded everywhere I looked.It was well worth the climb to the lunch stop.I really do enjoy mountains as I found them so easy and  I know so many people on this trip find them so hard.At times I wish I had my road bike, but if I did I know I would be trying to go harder and that’s not what I came here for, I came here to have a holiday, not a stupid race.

After lunch we had a couple of stops at some really nice coffee/restaurants and chilled out for ½ an hour at each place.It appears the kids are thinning out when we stop, this is a good sign.  At one stop there was beer on tap and some of the riders took the opportunity to have a beer before screaming downhill the final 6kms into camp.

Now I love to speed on 2 wheels, and my downhill speed for this trip was broken today.I reached 80kph on my heavy metal mountain bike.The camp is set in a nice setting with mountains surrounding the camp.The land is getting much greener and there are more clouds appearing as we travel further south.  

Tonight’s going to be an early night, for tomorrow is 130kms of more rolling hills.  One of the girls on the trip missed the orange finish flag on the side of the road and the trucks in the camp and rode another 80ks for the day.  Now 190kms on your first day after a rest day has to hurt, and your pride.

24^th February 2011.  130kms Bush Camp to dust bowl campsite. Shattered.

Today started just like any other day, 6am morning call by Rodney Sanders @ Mr Hilton, pack the tent, get dressed, eat my breakfast and get on the road around 7am.

Today was not surprising, full of mountains to climb with a top altitude of 2240metres above sea level.I was suffering right from the start of the day.My legs felt like bricks and just didn’t want to come out and play.  I struggled to the first coffee stop at 30kms, but was rewarded with a nice coffee and a beautiful cookie the size of hand, full of chocolate.  It didn’t make me feel any better and soon I was back on the road suffering like a dog.

The scenery did give some reprieve to my pain,with spectacular mountains to climb and some beautiful people on the side of the road giving encouragement.I stopped at one point to take a rest with good friend young Andre (Pretoria) and was immediately surrounded by 50 kids watching me lay down and not die in the process.It’s amazing how 1 day you can feel good and the next you feel shit.

After a 15minute break and being starred at where I couldn’t stand it no more it was back on the bike to travel the final 30kms to lunch.The lunch break was at the 65km mark and boy was I glad to see it.I waited around the lunch stop for a good ½ hour to try and get as much food into me and rally some effort to get back on the bike.I honestly don’t know why I just didn’t jump on the truck and take the easy option for the rest of the day.Some would say I’m just a stubborn old man, others would say that’s ‘Terry’. 

During the morning ride I lost it, I had a kid throw a rock and hit me on the leg, which was witnessed by the group of old people with the young child.They were laughing,so I thought I’ll give you something to laugh about. So, I did a ‘U’ turn rode across the road and picked up a hand full of gravel and threw it at the whole lot of the grubs.You should have seen them try and run through the small opening in the fence to take cover, at the same time.Yeh, I know it’s wrong, but there’s so much shit and stone throwing you can take before you retaliate.Would I do it again, absolutely.

So after lunch with a couple of more coffee breaks I rolled into the town with Andre around 2pm.I did make good time even though I wasn’t feeling that good.We found a little café and again had a nice Pepsi  and then some of the other riders coming into town saw us and joined us for an afternoon drink.

We got into camp around 3.30pm to what I would call a dust bowl. Now this is not a dig at TDA for their decision to camp there, because sometimes in this part of the country there’s nothing better or safer at that point in time.The place was good enough for me to set up my tent and die for an hour before dinner.

I forced down my food knowing that I had a long day with more hills to climb and food was a must.The overall climbing for the day was 1750metres.By the time we leave Ethiopia next week we would have climbed over 27,000metres, now you have to be impressed with that, even my obnoxious mates would have to agree with me on that one.Even the thonged bandits.

I went to bed at 7pm absolutely shattered, no energy, nothing left in the tank.  You have no idea how exhausted I was today.  My legs were burning on every rise, but I did have some energy on the flats.  A couple of panadol and see how I feel tomorrow.

25^th February 2011. 120kms. Dust bowl to Bush Camp. Rodney cracks on final mountain.

Well what a night’s sleep. I woke up at 5.40am and felt reasonable.Did the same again and was on the bike with Rodney and Peter Lamond at 7am.The first part of the day was rolling hills for 12kms than a 20km climb to 2240metres.The climb was pretty good, not a steep gradient, went on forever.

The lunch stop was at 70kms.We stopped a couple of times to take photos and once again I got some nice photos of the locals and of the surrounding valleys below.Once we reached the summit at 32kms it was a mad dash down the other side to the 50km mark.I reached 78kph and the metal beast, and at the base of the descent we had to enter a town.  Now this is where  all the problems can happen, more people wanting to touch you, grab at your handle bars, whip you, throw more stones, get the picture.

As I looked down into the town it was a mess of people, I just cruised through until 1 idiot decided to get his donkeys to cross the road.  Now my rubbish bike doesn’t have disc brakes like all the flash ones have, it’s the old style.  I jammed on the brakes as hard as I could, I couldn’t go left unless I wanted to have a head on with a bus driver, so I went straight through 2 of them and nearly took one of the donkeys head.  I don’t know who was more terrified the donkey or the dumb white bloke on the bike.Next time I’ll slow down or will be going home early than I should.

After lunch we had to get to the 92km mark for the next coffee stop.  Once again some little bitch hit me with a rock on the hand and I didn’t do a thing other than to tell her what I thought she really was, and because there were about 20 blokes around her.  The numbers were stacked up against me this time.

The hills kept getting worse and when about 5kms away from the town of SODO we had this brutal climb.  It was straight up and steep.I led the way with Peter close by and Rodney taking up the rear.The kids were being their best arsehole behaviour on the hill, I mean hundreds of them calling out and running beside us. 

Now when you’re tired and sweating profusely I don’t need to have a kid ask me for money or a pen, because it unsettles me.The guys behind weren’t so fortunate as myself.I was about 100 metres in front of Rodney who is usually a placid gentleman scream out, I mean scream out,  “F..k, OFF.  I turned around and could see at 15 kids running beside him.I turned around with Peter and headed back down the hill, the gutless little pricks decided to do a runner.

We dragged ourselves further up the hill into town and found a nice café for a cold drink.Some of the guys had café for a cold drink.Some of the guys had 4 cokes, coffee and water.I had just a coke and water.I had drunk 3 bottles of water in the 22km stretch due to the mountain we had to climb and the intense heat of the midday sun.

After a fantastic break it was downhill to the camp.A bit of loose gravel and the usual idiot wanting to kick you off your bike and throw a stick in your wheels  and I was home safe and sound to put up tent Hilton and rest around the camp with 100 locals watching me.Now that’s living, good night.

26^th February 2011. 110kms. Bush Camp to Abar Minch.

It was so hot last night in the tent compared to other nights we’ve had in the high Ethiopian mountains, and sleeping was really difficult.We got up and did the usual stuff to get ready for the ride at 7am.I left with Rodney and we rode along nice easy to the lunch stop at 60kms. 

I took it pretty easy today and the climbing overall was 600metres. At the 20km mark we hit the gravel road.For the next 40kms we were belted by the rocky ground, and little shits still throwing stones at us,soft gravel and being dumped on by a ton of dirt every time a truck or bus passed us bye.I felt so dirty by the dust and couldn’t wait for a shower when we get to camp in the afternoon.  

After lunch it was back on the bike to dodge the rocks and sticks and head to our final destination at Abar Minch on a lake heading towards the Kenyan border.I don’t know the name of the lake but it’s about 540km south of Addis Ababa.

We stopped after an hour for a nice coke on the shore of the lake and took in the amazing view.We had travelled through many villages today and some were obvious dirt poor.The kids would come out and yell at us but many were wearing no clothing.The sides of the roads were swamped with kids but not to the degree we have been experiencing.It’s obvious we’re getting into the rough section of Ethiopia and the villages are further apart and consist of huts and nothing more.The villages are into growing bananas by the bucket loads and not much else.

About 15kms from town Peter Lomand blew his tyre to pieces.Because Peter is an EFI candidate who was prepared to walk the final 15kms to town rather than to take the truck.We fixed the tyre and road into a town which is small, nothing much to offer.At least I know I can get a shave for 10Birr which is about 70Aussie cents.The hill to the hotel where we’re camping is up a 6km hill.By the time I got to the camp I was pretty tired and happy to call it a day.Luke got into camp before me but still there was no room left so tonight I’m sleeping in the tent.I don’t mind the tent but I do need power to recharge all my gadgets. 

The boys are going down town tonight to try out some local food and of course I’m going too.Since tomorrow is a rest day I’m sure there’ll by plenty of beers sunk by the boys. I’m not sure how I’ll go with connections over the next 7 days until I reach Kenya.Matt will continue doing brief updates while I’m on the road.

Until next time, from some dirty, dusty, gravel pit in southern Ethiopia, good night.

the scull of an ancient finding in Ethiopia Museum.

Rodney and I visited St Trinity Cathedral and received a blessing from the Priest. I think he thought we needed it.

one of the games played by the locals.  this board game can be found in other places throughout Africa

the photo was taken of a young lady who's image is in the National Museum of Ethiopia

the lady is selling blocks of salt in the Merkato Market, Addis Ababa.

that's my feet while laying around the Hilton swimming pool, while checking out the talent

standing on the side of the road waiting for the boys to arrive before we continue on with more mountains to climb

Andre and Luke packing up their gear and getting ready for the long ride ahead

We stopped going down the mountain for a pee break and came across this lady who wanted her photo taken.

The view behind me is looking down into the valley after climbing a 20km mountain.

The amount of burnt out wrecks we come across on these roads is amazing.

 

Traffic + Hills

 Hi All,

Just thought i would do a update for my dad who has not had access to the internet for the last few days.After speaking with my dad on the phone he has covered 355km in 3 days. There has been mainly hills for the last few days and the tour has reached 2400m above sea level. The kids throwing stones are still a problem for the riders.The usual coffee stops along the way is a highlight as it gives dad the opportunity to speak to the locals.He has been taking a lot of amazing photo's of beautiful scenery along the way and he will post these photo's when he gets the opportunity.The weather has certainly taken its toll on the riders as it is still hot and dusty.He did 50km riding on  gravel today ( 25th February) needless to say there were many tyre punctures.

A full report will follow soon.

Cheers
Matt

I returned back to the top of the Blue Nile Gorge to take some photos the day after the huge 20km time trial.

Looking down into the mighty Blue Nile Gorge,

photo of Rodney and myself enjoying a cup of tea in an ethiopian home

photo of Rodney Sanders climbing out of the Blue Nile Gorge.

Getting a photo with my mates at the highest point of the tour 3130 metres above sea level.  Now that was a climb.

Jubilation after completing the hardest time trial of my life. 

This was taken at the bottom of the Blue Nile Gorge Ethiopia and the commencement of the 20km time trial back up the other side.

Typical crowd of children who watch the cyclists each day at the morning coffee break on tour.

one of the manner tanks left standing

5 days riding in the magical mountains of Ethiopia

17^th February 2011.  Bahir Dar to Bush Camp. Mando Day.  163kms in the Ethiopian mountains.

163kms might seem a lot of kms for the first timer, but cycling this far with all the riding we’ve done thus far is not a problem.  The only real issue is doing it at altitude and in the mountains.

Today started with the usual breakfast at 6.30am.Luke and I had a room for the past 2 nights and this made it a lot easier not having to pack the tent after a rest day.  After breakfast it was on the road with Rodney, Andre and Daniel.  It wasn’t long and Daniel was off the back of the bunch and our group was down to 3. 

We passed many villages on our way to our first coke stop at the 30km mark.  This turned out to be a terrific little coffee break.  By the time we were sitting down our group of cyclist grew to about 15 and the local Ethiopian crowd was about 30.  They just stand and watch us eat dry cake and drink coffee and coke like there’s no tomorrow.  If you have an idea what a hungry cyclist would eat each day, then times it by 2 and you might be close.  I now understand how Josh use to eat me out of house and home when he was racing.

After the coffee stop we continued onto the lunch break at the 70km mark.  Some people voiced their concern that the lunch stop was at 70km when the day was 163km.  Perhaps the midday break should have been later.  Personally I couldn’t give a shit when I ate.  This is Africa, eat, shit, sleep, and drink whenever you feel like it.

As we ride along the roads of Ethiopia we are constantly harassed by the little shits who either throw stones and sticks at us or yell out, ‘where you go’ and ‘give me money’.  This happens every 50 metres in a daily ride.  No matter where you are in Ethiopia the kids and adults call out for money.  I suppose I should thank the other white dumb ass tourists and aid workers for the behaviour of the current crop of Ethiopians.

Stopped and took a couple of photos of vultures and some spectacular landscape along the way.  

After lunch I rode with Sam.  During the ride I asked Sam if he wanted to go and meet some locals and have a cup of tea in an Ethiopian home.  I found a man who took us to his home and his wife made Sam and me a beautiful cup of Ethiopian tea.  We just sat in the family home, (the lounge room) and just sipped our tea, amazed at the incredible hospitality of the local people.

 

After some family photos we were back on the bike to see what else we could find.There was no reason to push hard today and get into camp too early, because if we did,we would be more tired and there’s nothing to do around a bush camp other than rest or read.I didn’t come to Africa to spend time in a camp, I came here to experience the local life.Many of the cyclists miss this on a daily basis.

As we rode along the road we saw a monastery on the side of the road.  Sam and I decided we should drop in and pay them a visit.  We were greeted by an old lady who bowed as we entered the grounds.  We walked up to the monastery and took some photos of the old and new religious buildings.  As we walked back to our bikes we were greeted by the priests of the monastery.  What an amazing experience to meet these men and allowing us to take their photos.  This is not common for men of the cloth to have their photos taken.  Got some really good shots of them.

So back on the bike and head to camp to get the long day over with.I had a great day with Sam and Bastion, and feel good after all the climbing in 2300metre altitude.  Sometimes it’s hard on my breathing riding at this level but I do back off to make sure I get through the day in 1 piece. Tomorrow is 117kms of more hills.

18^th February 2011.  Bush Camp to Bush Camp.  120kms.
                               Josh’s 25^th Birthday.

As you’ve probably already worked out, I hate getting out of bed early at the best of times.  My next door neighbour Daniel decided to pull his tent down at 5.15am.  Breakfast is served at 6.30am, work that out.  So I’ve been awake since 5.15am, and I have a long hard day ahead.The first 25kms went downhill in a flash, from there on it was hill after hill, after hill. Before lunch we climbed this one hill which must have been 10kms long and just grew from the valley floor. It went up and up all the way to the lunch break at the 60km mark. 

Before lunch we once again found a house to go inside and have a cup of tea.  This time the lady came out and gave us this bread which I haven’t seen or tasted since we started this journey over a month ago. It was really nice and certainly filled the hole.  I always cherish the times when I can sit with the locals and enjoy their hospitality.The racers never get to do this and I do feel they have missed so much of Africa.

After lunch the hills kept coming at us, bigger, higher, longer than before lunch.  Considering we rode 163km yesterday and now we had to back up and do a hard 120km, I was starting to get just a little tired at this stage of the day.

The weather was beautiful all day, not much wind to worry us, and smooth roads to make the kms more bearable.  Still we had thousands of kids yelling out the same shit, every metre, every kilometre, all day.   I think they have no idea what there’re saying.  Perhaps the politicians and village elders should teach the children to stop begging for money or throwing stones and sticks at cyclists who are very tired, and not prepared to put up with this crap. We stopped again in the afternoon for a nice cup of tea and a Pepsi, just to help us to the bush camp.  About 2kms from the camp we hit some serious gravel, some cyclists elected to walk to prevent getting punctures, I just rode the whole way to camp.

I arrived at this beautiful shady forested camp at around 3pm after a long hard day in the saddle.  I left Rodney somewhere down the hill, but he came in about 10minutes after me.  I put up my tent, had the usual wash, a couple of cups of soup and a cup of tea and I was feeling good once again.

Today is a special day, Josh turned 25.  I gave Josh a call at lunch and wished him a happy 25^th birthday.

remember quite clearly 7 years ago sitting in Sun City enjoying his 18^th birthday.  I would have loved for Josh to come along with me again but I know his studies now take precedent over a stupid bike ride from Cairo to Cape Town.  Even though I’m only 1 month into the trip nothing could out do what we did some 7 years ago

Tonight is chicken for dinner.  Going to get an early night’s sleep because tomorrow we drop down into the Blue Nile Gorge then have to climb back up the other side.  Climbing over 2000metres in 20kms.  The 20km is a Time Trial Competition.  Cant’ wait for that.

19^th February 2011 Blue Nile Gorge Time Trial 20kms. 90km ride for the day.

This was the day I was really keen to take part in the race.  The first part was a leisurely ride to the lunch break at the 49km mark.  Like usual the climbs were easy, some of the road was gravel and when the trucks and buses pass you, you have the luxury of eating dust for the next 5 minutes.  

The kids are still calling out in the thousands.  Honestly, you have no idea how many kids call out for money, it goes on all day, from the start of the ride at 7am until we get into camp at 3pm.  One can only take so much of the calling and screaming out for money, or where you go, well, I’m going to Cape Town.  The kid standing 2 metres away will ask again, and the next kid will do the same, they have no idea what the hell there’re saying.Great education system they must have in this place.

So I pulled into lunch to be surrounded by 50 locals watching the cyclists devour  bread rolls with tuna, peanut butter, honey, bananas, tomato’s and in some cases thrown on the same roll.  I have never eaten some of the combinations that I make at lunch back at home.  If I did I would be sick.

It was time to get back on the bike for the 20km descent into the Blue Nile Gorge.  What an amazing view from the top and around every corner to the bottom of the Gorge where the Time Trial began.  I roared down the mountain and reached speeds of 70ks.  Once at the bottom I went over to the time keeper and checked in.  I was allowed to start straight away and off I went.  I knew from my racing days how important it is to pace yourself up a 20km hill, and in doing so, climb 2000metres.   

The finish line was at 2500metres above sea level.  I rode the mountain at a constant pace, looking down into the gorge below as I rounded each corner which happened to kick up each time.

I wish I had legs like Josh on this climb as he could climb mountains like a real pro.  By the time 1 hour was over of climbing I had passed a couple of cyclist and was still holding my rhythm together.  I got passed by 3 of the racers on their race bikes, while I struggled with my heavy hunk of shit mountain bike with fat tires.  

The tour director was standing on the side of the road taking photos as I passed and hopefully I get on the Tour D Afrique website.  You can see how marvellous I looked with my tongue hanging out and sweating like a pig.

I finally crested the last bend to see the finish flag.  I was really happy with my effort and not over exerting myself in the process.  I immediately bought a coke from one of the locals at the gate to our campsite and drank it in less than a minute.

I got my tent out, sent it up and went and had a beautiful cold shower in one of the buildings which forms part of the aid compound.  At home I would never have a cold shower, but when you have sweated like I did for the last 2 hours and basically stink, I don’t care how cold the water is, it’s time to shower. I did 1hr 55mins for the climb and this was good compared to many others.

So now I sit in my tent feeling so happy with my achievement for the day, I climbed a huge mountain, I got to see some of the most amazing scenery on this planet, harassed by thousands of Ethiopians and I live to do it all again tomorrow.  Time for bed.  Good night from about 200kms north of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

20^th February 2011.  90kms. Forest Camp to Camp on the cliff on the Blue Nile Gorge. Ethiopia.

After yesterdays epic climb out of the Blue Nile Gorge I woke feeling pretty good after sleeping 10hours.  They say there’s nothing better than a good night’s sleep.

After packing the tent we knew today we had to ride to the highest point of the tour this year.  The altitude is 3130 metres above sea level.  To put this into perspective, there are no ski fields in the world that are that high, so I’m told. We headed off nice and early and back to the edge of the gorge that we rode up yesterday to take some spectacular photos of the sun rising and to see how stupid I really am taking on the mountain and also competing in the Time Trial event.

So off we go on our 90km ride to our next campsite.  We never know what to really expect at each campsite and honestly I don’t care at all.  I’m not one for luxury and I don’t care if I have to crap in the desert, the forest, the sand, behind a bale of hay so the local can’t see me, as long as I get out of bed each morning, I’m doing just great.

The first 30ks went by really quick and like usual we stopped at a coffee stop with about 15 other cyclists.  We try and put our bikes as close together and look out to ensure no one attempts to steal anything from the bikes.  This time after my coffee I found one of the thieving little bastards had undone my bag under my seat and was about to knock something out of it when I got up to leave.  He took off, I checked the bag and nothing was missing, and we were on our way again.  You can’t take your eyes off your bike for one minute in this part of the world

Today was a beautiful day for riding, pleasant temperatures and not too hot.  The mountains we climbed went on forever and dropped down the other side into spectacular valleys with farmlands, small villages, kids calling for money, throwing stones, just a typical day on the bike in Ethiopia.

The scenery is truly amazing each day, you climb one mountain and roared down the other side and do it time after time, but it’s not ‘oh shit another hill to climb’, it’s just so peaceful taking it easy as you climb into another world.Our lunch stop was at the highest point of the tour 3130metres above sea level.  I do feel the effort of riding much harder as we get higher and higher and the oxygen thins out.  Lunch was in a place looking down into the beautiful green valley below and of course lunch wouldn’t be the same if we were not crowded by 50 local spectators.

The ride to the final point in the day was mainly downhill with about 2 short climbs of about 2kms each.  We stopped at one hotel 15ks from the finish and were greeted by bunch of doctors and professors who were attending a geothermal conference in Ethiopia.  They were amazed at what we were telling them and took so many photos of us.  I stood there for some time and answered all their questions while they took my photo and one lady was writing down what I was saying. I had 15 seconds of fame.  That’s the story of my life.

Back on the bike for the final 15km run into the camp.  When we turned into the road that led to our camp I was amazed to see the trucks and many tents sitting on the side of the cliff looking down into one of the most beautiful sights in the world, the mighty ‘Blue Nile Gorge’.  To think I rode down it yesterday and back up it was one achievement I will remember for quite some time.

So the tents up now and it’s time to for a walk with Rodney and Luke back up the road for a nice Pepsi in the local hotel which overlooks the mighty Gorge.With vultures and eagles soaring overhead it’s moments like these that make all that hard riding sort of worth it. 

The only thing to do now is head back to my tent, have some dinner, do a bit of reading and hit the sack.  Tomorrow is another 90km ride into the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.  Until tomorrow, good health to everyone back home.

21^st February 2011. Blue Nile Gorge Camp to the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa. 105kms.

Illawarra, Spearman Cycles.  Spearman cycles of Figtree New South Wales are the cycle store which donated a bicycle for my fundraising night last month and provided some excellent clothing to wear along the way to Cape town. 

To David and his excellent team of professionals, I am truly indebted to you and the gang for your friendship and generous support of eXsight Tandems and visually impaired cyclists.

To get out of your tent at 6am, (still too early for me) and watch the sun light the walls of the Blue Nile Gorge is amazing.  I hope the photos do justice to this incredible sight.  We hit the road at 7am for the ride which were told would end up at the 92km mark, then a convoy would be formed for the final 13km down into the heart of Addis Ababa.

The first part of the day was like usual, bloody uphill.  The camp site of last night was at 2540metres above sea level.  Addis Ababa is at 2800 metres so today we had more climbing.  The first 25kms was rolling hills to our first coffee break.  We were in no rush today because we had to regroup at the convoy mark of 92kms, so going fast and not stopping would just mean you had to wait longer for everyone to get together later in the day.  Rodney and I stayed at the first coffee stop for about 30mins drinking coffee, tea and eating far too many biscuits.  Again watched by a hundred kids who should be at school and doing something constructive with their lives.  School is free in Ethiopia, so there’s no excuse, before you start criticising my views.

We rode onto lunch at the 64km mark, which was a fantastic ride.  We had a beautiful sunny day, slight breeze, not a cloud in the sky and not too hot.  Again it was another day of kids throwing stones, and yelling out the same crap all day.  The rolling hills got longer and breathing was getting harder.  To all the cyclists who think I sit on all the time, NOT, I actually led the bunch up many hills today and they went for at least 5kms each.  

We did get to see a man dead on the side of the road near the town with some cloth over his head and people standing around.  I suppose that’s Africa.  We made it to the convoy mark at 1.30pm and waited ½ an hour for the remainder to arrive.  The convoy is fun but oh boy is it slow. 

We rolled down hill into the mayhem of capital with intersections being closed as 70 cyclists and 3 huge trucks and support vehicles rolled into town and cause havoc to the local car/bus/truck drivers.    I don’t really care how much of a delay we caused, the need to get this show into town without being killed by the idiot impatience Ethiopian driver is not a matter I concern myself with.  

We got to the Guennet Hotel where many of the cyclists pitched their tents while Rodney and I got our gear together and headed off to the Hilton. See, Rodney use to be the General Manager of the Hilton and because he’s retired now, he gets a special rate.  So I’m staying at the Hilton in one of the most exclusive hotels in all of Africa for $65 per night.  Plus, yes there’s more, Rodney got us access to the Executive lounge.  This entitles us to free alcohol, food, anything we want.  It’s on the 12^th floor of the Hilton overlooking the swimming pool (which happens to be heated) and the entire city.  It’s similar to the lounge at the airport, but in this case I’m getting it for free.  I’m so glad not to be sleeping in my stinking tent.

So, I’m really enjoying having cycled over 4300kms since the tour began and taking the opportunity to spoil myself.  We pigged out in the executive lounge and will be having breakfast there tomorrow morning before we head out to see some of the sites of the capital of Ethiopia.The afternoon will be spent sitting around the pool, sunning my thinning ass.

Climbing The Mountains

18th Febuary.

Today we rode 120kms and it was all mountains. It was a very hard day with no rest at all but the magic views and the beautiful day made it worthwhile. Tonight is a camp in the forest and after doing 120kms im riding, IM HUNGRY!

 19th Febuary.

Today is 89km : Blue Nile Gorge time trial 20kms-1500m of climbing. It was a killer of a climb and took almost 2hours to reach summit. The view from this part of the world is amazing.

Until next time.. Bye for now.

17th Febuary

Today we rode 165km and climbed 2300 metered. Today was a beautiful sunny day to be riding and taking in the spectacular scenery this country has to offer. Today we seen some vultures and monkeys as we were riding.The kids are still throwing stones at us as we ride past them.It was a spectacular sight to see how green the valleys are in this country. There are 1000's of people walking along the road as we past them on our bicycles as they cheer us on.117km tomorrow.

Untill tomorrow, bye for now.

Rest Day-Ethiopia

15th February 2011.  Bahir Dar, Lake Tana, Ethiopia.

With a good result of finishing with the leaders today, 3rd place, (but not on time) gave us a chance to go and buy our clothing for the night ahead.  I dressed up like a women and everyone got a photo with me.  We had a great night and some people went to great lengths in joining in the fun of looking really stupid for the night. Like usual there are always those who don't like to dress up, rather boring if you ask me.

16th February 2011.  Lake Tana, Monasteries and the Blue Nile George Falls.

today was up nice and early for our trip on Lake Tana.  the boat ride was a 1hour trip to the monastery.  the monastery was built in the 14th Century and paintings appeared in the 16th century.  After the boat trip we the went for the trip to see the source of the Blue Nile, at the Blue Nile gorge.  although it wasn't that spectacular it did give us a chance to go for a walk and see some of the beautiful Ethiopian countryside.  the villages along the way showed signed of complete poverty compared to central Bahir Dar.  People with donkey walking all over the place, women carrying huge loads on their heads going somewhere.  Bare feet is the go in this part of the world.

After a long day of activities we got back to town around 6pm, just in time to go and eat as much as we can for tomorrow we have a 162km ride with a 40km climb through the Ethiopian mountains, can't wait. 

the following week looks pretty intense with climbing everyday.

Matt will be posting daily blogs until I reach Addis Ababa in 5 days times.  Happy riding.

PS: I would like to post more photos but sitting in an internet shop waiting an hour to post 4 photos is not on. Kenya in 2 weeks will be much better.

The schedule for the next couple of days.

Inside the monastery on one of the islands on Lake Tana, Ethiopia.  It is said the monastery was built in the 14th Century.  The paintings were done in the 16th Century.  They look in pretty good condition for that age????

This is what I do in my spare time.

Typical afternoon in a bush camp.

Gondar,Ethiopia

14^th February 2011.  Gondar to Bush Camp 120kms.

Today was going to be my first day back on the bike after having 3 days off sick and then 2 rest days in Gondar.

I stayed in the hotel last night and enjoyed the hotel breakfast of toast, coffee and corn flakes.  We all headed down the hill back into town to meet up with the children from the school who we donated the clothing to the previous day.  Took a couple of photos with the children and it was time to head off for the 120km ride to the bush camp. The road was so smooth and much better than the crappy roads of Sudan.   

We had 2, 5km climbs which was not difficult but I rode a nice pace with Peter the Plumber and roared down the other side into the valley below. 

  Like usual the view from the top of the mountain was just breathtaking.  The beautiful green valley floor met us pretty quickly, and this also didn’t give the children to line up stones, sticks, and cow pats to throw at us.  We were going too quick for any of them this time. 

We had the mandatory coffee stop just before lunch.  I had a coffee, a tea and a piece of cake for 6 birra.  That equates to about 35cents.  I should have bargained to try and get the price down a bit, but decided to hand over the full amount.

Lunch was the usual tomato, bread, cheese and gherkins.  The lunch stop was surrounded by about 50 locals just sitting there and watching all these cyclists shovelling as much food into their stomachs as possible.  We got back on the road for another 5km climb and then it was all downhill to the camp at the 120k mark.  All in all a fabulous day on the bike. 

 

The campsite is once again surrounded by locals and TDA have surrounded the camp with a rope to ensure no-one comes inside the barrier and steals anyone’s belongings.

What a nice way to start back on the bike.  Tomorrow is a nice 65k ride to Lake Tana.

My current position is:

Latitude 11degree 57’04.46”N

Longitude. 37degree42’38.00”E

Altitude 1808Metres.

15^th February 2011.  Bush camp to Bahir Dar on Lake Tana, Ethiopia. 62kms

I headed off nice and early for a light 62km ride into Bahir Dar.  Stopped on the side of the road to take some photos of the locals doing business at the local market.  I always love riding through towns and seeing the locals wandering around, together with donkey and cart, and people walking along the roads barefoot with bundles of goods on their head to sell at the market.  I can’t imagine how little money the people must earn for a bundle of tomatoes.

I did get to see a deceased being carried along the road on a wooden platform.Luke caught me whilst I was taking photos and we rode together for the rest of the day.  With about 23kms to go we were caught by 2 of the racers.  I sat with them until the finish line in the centre of town.  Man were we moving fast at times down the hills.  It did feel good to do some hard work on the bike, but only because the trip was a short one today.

 Got a room at the hotel for the next 2 nights instead of putting up my tent.  Headed off to the market and bought my clothing for tonight’s fancy dress party.  I should be a hit.  I love dressing up in women’s clothing.  Will post photos later.  Going to see the White Nile Falls and the monasteries on the lake tomorrow for a rest day.  I’m not sure at this stage the distances for the upcoming week as we make our way south towards the capital of Ethiopia, Addis Ababa.  Will talk again soon.

Spearman Cycles, proud supporter of Khartoum, Sudan to Addis Ababa Ethiopia.

 

Riding in the Ethiopian high mountains.  Today was at 2000metres.  Beautiful riding all day.

stopped off at the roadside stall to check out the produce on sale.

this photo is, on the morning out of Gondar we stopped at the town square for the children to see us off.  These are some of the children we donated the clothing to yesterday.

Photo of the day. School Visit. Gondar, Ethiopia

I've chosen this photo out of 100 taken during our time at the school today to be my special photo.  I was so fortunate to see so many beautiful children who were so happy when they received their school uniforms.

Enjoying the rest days at the Goha Hotel, Gondar Ethiopia

11^th February 2011. Camp to Gondar. Goha Hotel, Sudan. 100kms. on the truck.

Today was a good day sitting in the truck with Adele one of the staff of TDA.  Today was the mando stage which is rated as extremely difficult.  The mountains were pretty intense and the day involved 2500metres of climbing over 100kms.  

The weather was perfect for the riders and stayed that way for the rest of the day.  The scenery was spectacular and the numbers of  children that lined the roads throughout the towns was simply mind  blowing.  I did hear at the end of the ride that some riders had sticks and stones thrown at them throughout the day.  We stopped at the lunch stop and I helped out with the food preparation so we could get on our way to the Goha Hotel.

By the riding on the truck I got the chance to get a room and not sleep in the shitty tent.  I got a double room so Luke could stay with me.  He rode the day and had lately been sick with the usual ailments for this part of the world.

The hotel’s view is simply stunning looking down from the highest point in Gondar down onto the valley and town  below.  I sat on the edge of the road and watched many of the cyclists drag their tired bodies up the final section which was so brutal after a long stage.

The night was nice and easy at the hotel with a good meal that costs peanuts with coke and coffee.

12^th February 2011.  Back to School.  Rest Day.

Today is a special day in Gondar for me.  I had decided prior to coming to Ethiopia to be part of the ‘Link Ethiopia’ school day and make a donation to the school.  Up nice and early and about 15 other TDA cyclists travelled down to the school to meet up with the Director, teachers, students and parents.  Being a Saturday there’s no school, but on this day over 350 turned up for this special occasion.

Firstly we got the royal introduction and walk around the school to see how the money is being used by the school.  The money is being well spent.

We had a game of soccer with the students and the game ended 2-2.  I missed a good chance to score but made a complete mess of it.  Took over 100 photos of the most beautiful faces on earth throughout the morning.  Everyone of the kids loved to see their photo once taken.  After the game it was time for the official handover of the clothes that our money was being used for.  I handed over a set of school clothes to a young boy and a school bag with some books and pens.  It was so rewarding to do this.  I don’t know who got more out of the giving or receiving on this occasion.

I then went into another room where a coffee ceremony took place and then we were fed so much food.  The teachers also offered alcohol around to wash down the meal.  I took a coke of course.  We had an action packed morning and got back to the hotel to plan the next part of our rest day.  The first part is to get the cycle mechanic to pull my back freewheel hub apart and try and fix it.  It will last to Addis but has to be replaced.  I know I should have done this before I left, but I’m slack.

During the afternoon myself and Luke went down to the Castle built in 1632 by the rulers of the day and took some really nice photos with the afternoon sun helping my poor camera skills.  The afternoon was topped off by one of those cake and coffee stops with the locals in a small Ethiopian shop.  I always love to find the small shop crowded with locals, it’s a good sign all is healthy.

Back to the Goha Hotel for a easy night.

the team I played with at the school. I was the stand out player of the match.  NOT

I got a hair cut and shave during the rest day in gondar

 

one of the children from the school

this is the young man who received school clothing, a bag, books from my donation to 'Link Ethiopia' charity.

these are the children who received our gifts of clothing, school bag and books.

 

A day at the Castle

Khartoum to Desert Camp 145kms of Hell.

Today was the start of the next stage of the Cairo to Cape Town cycle tour.  The day started off nice and early with Rodney giving me a wakeup call around 6am.  He does this every day.  So off we go Rodney, Daniel and Andre for a leisurely ride into the desert.

After about 20kms the fast guys came along and I decided to get on the train and go for a ride.  I did turns all the way to the lunch stop at 80kms.  I rushed down my lunch and then headed off again with a sandwich in my hand which was near impossible to get into my stomach.  With a bit of dribbling and spilling half of it over my bike, I was ready for some more serious pain.

With the intense 48 degree heat and strong head/side winds I was cooked at 100kms.  I couldn’t stay with them any longer and dropped off the back of the bunch and drag my arse another 45ks to camp.  Slowly people passed me and I was in all sorts of pain.

With the wind, and no shelter from the searing sun I was hurting big time.  I stopped at one point and sat beside one of the clay pots the locals put out the front of the village filled with water.  I drank as much as I could and poured some over my head.  I know this is wrong the pouring over the head stuff, but I was screwed at this point.

I got back on the bike and headed at about 15kph to a coke stop which felt like heaven.  I was the first at the stop and I devoured 2 cokes, and water and ate some cake.  It still hurt the final 20ks to camp but I made it in intense heat, wind and pain.  Several riders had to get onto the truck to reach camp, it was that hard.

I spent the rest of the evening drinking heaps of water and staying out of the sun.  Even though I didn’t feel like eating I knew how important it was get food into my stomach for tomorrow would be further.  I haven’t felt that bad on a bike for over 30 years.

Desert C amp to Desert Camp 155kms.

I slept in the nude last night because I was roasting in my tent and also to give my entire body the chance to dry out a bit.  I slept like a log and I think it did the trick. 

Like clockwork, “Terry are you awake?” Rodney asks.

“Piss off Rodney and let me sleep”. I replied.

This goes on every morning but I’m glad I found such a nice man to ride with and hang with during the tour.

Today started out nice and easy just to see how the old body was pulling up after yesterdays ride from hell.  It went pretty good for about 30ks then we hit the dirt which was fantastic.  I had changed the rear tire to a rougher tread for more grip in the loose sand and it did work.  The front is the same tire I’ve had on since Cairo, more of a semi road tire.

Rodney and boys fell back but I went ahead to get some time on the old fellas so I could go to the toilet behind the bushes.  I met with the guys minus Andre.  Rodney and I stopped at every coke and tea stop we could find because we knew today was going to be in the high 40s and we need to drink and take as many breaks we could keeping the cut off time in sight at all times.

We did stop and some really nice places and enjoyed tea and soft drinks each time.  As the day progressed Rodney started to slow down, but I never doubted his determination to finish the day on the bike and not in the back of the truck.  As we rode through the last town about 30ks from the finish we were set upon by about 80 students yelling and screaming who decided to throw rocks at us and even hit 2 of my fellow cyclists with bamboo sticks.  Rodney had part of the rack back pulled at and nearly fell into the rear wheels.  I know how to deal with this next time when it happens, and it will, you can count on it.  From here to Ethiopia the kids love to throw rocks, well I love to test out my sling shot on the little bastards next time.

We finally rolled into camp with Rodney really tired.  I felt excellent.  We quickly put up tents and then jumped into the canal which is used by the local people for irrigation and washing clothes and themselves.  I didn’t care as I stunk with sweat and needed to clean off a bit.  Had a really nice dinner and now time to hit the sack.  The internet is not working in this remote part of Sudan.  Will probably have to wait another 5 days till we reach Gondar in Ethiopia.  Tomorrow is 100ks of dirt.

Desert Camp to Desert Camp 87kms of Hell.       

The day started off nice and easy with about 15kms of tar before the tour finally hit some serious dirt.  For the next 5 hours we bumped and stopped and slowed down as Rodney was not his usual self.  The temperature was going through the roof and I thought it was far too hot to be cycling in this part of Sudan.  At the end of the day one of the cyclists said the temperature was 48 degrees.  On these baron roads with no protection from the sun is so exhausting, and impossible to describe.  Basically I could cook an egg off my ass it was so bloody hot.  Even sitting in the tent typing has sweat dripping off me.

I was concerned about Rodney’s health because he was going so slow and that meant I would be out in the sun much longer than I wanted to be.  I got one of the girls to SMS the boss who in turn contacted the medic to come to the little coke stop and have him assessed.  End result, blood pressure very low and not safe to continue in this heat.  Rodney was now on the truck.  This was the latest I had got to the lunch truck since the start of the tour, around 12.30pm.  This meant riding in the heat of the day.  We rode and rode and rode and finally made it to camp at 4.45pm cooked, shagged, stuffed, burnt, you name it, I was screwed.

The next painful thing was to put that tent up again.  You really have to dig deep to get the strength to do this late in the day.  I sat around waiting for dinner and drank heaps and heaps of water.  The best guide for dehydration is the colour of your urine.  Mine’s good.

I sat up talking to some new friends and went to bed at 8.30pm the latest when out in the remote camps.  I couldn’t fall to sleep as it was boiling in my tent, and finally I dozed off at 10pm.  So many people lost their EFI status.  That means every fabulous inch or if you’re rude like I am, it means every fu…ing inch.  So I’m still EFI, but I don’t care if I lose it during the tour. 

Camp to Camp 95kms of the same punishment.

I paid $13,000.00 dollars to do this trip and for what I’ve put my body through,  is pretty crazy.  Once again I rode with Rodney in the morning following the same abandoned railway track for another 95kms.  Bump after bump, corrugation after corrugation, sand, dust, loose gravel, more bumps, 50 degrees heat, gives you a sore arse, short temper span, sunburn and tiredness.

Rodney decided to get on the truck at lunch as he was not feeling that good and his blood pressure was low again.  I rode off and stopped at the 75km refresh stop and then 85kms under a tree with Andre to cool down, if that’s possible, and then at 90kms when we lost our way and some young boys pointed in the direction of a small village.  We were invited into the home and sat on the man’s bed with other elders and drank tea and water with them.  Now how cool is that to be invited into a strangers home and get the royal treatment.  We walked outside the home and took the mandatory photo’s and then were on our way again to camp at the 95km mark.  I was riding with Andre and I was struggling a bit, but didn’t want to tell him because I’m old and stubborn. 

We made it into camp around 3.30pm and boy was I stuffed.  I drank so much water it took me 3 hours to have a pee.  Now that’s dehydrated.  After a huge meal and heaps of water I’m now in my tent at 7.30pm, dripping sweat everywhere, but the tent is a shithole and I don’t care. 

Time for one of those useless wet wipe showers, put some REM on and go to sleep, I’m stuffed and we’ve got another 85k ms of dirt before we hit the pavement.  At camp the locals come around each evening and check us all out, some go and play soccer with them, but I’m too tired for any of that stuff.

I’ve met a lot of nice people on the thus far, and I’m getting along better with the 2 young girls I might have pissed off earlier on in the tour.  So, it’s good night from a small village on the way to the Ethiopian border.

85kms of hell.

I woke up today feeling pretty ordinary, probably due to the amount of time I’ve spent out in the sun over the past few days.  Today was recorded at 50 degrees with a strong wind.  By the time I made it to the lunch stop I was gone.  I could hardly turn the peddles and if I had been smarter I should have got on the truck for a lift to camp.  I rode on because I’m stupid and had a coke in a small village.  I then walked over to one of the locals and told them I needed to lie down and have a sleep.  I took me to their house and I lay down and had a sleep for 1hour.  It didn’t really help me which is an obvious sign to get off the bike.  No, not me, I battled on in the intense heat over more dirt, sand, corrugations, wheat fields, burning my ass all over the afternoon.  I don’t think I’ve ever been that exhausted on the bike before in my life. 

I ended up being one of the last into camp at 4.45pm, shattered and destroyed.  I obviously heat heat exhaustion.  I didn’t want to drink and food would have made me ill just by the smell of it.  I didn’t have dinner only a up of tea and some dried biscuits.  During the night my tent collapsed on my and now my patience was just about at max.  Dragging myself out of the tent at 12.30am to have a craqp in the woods, then get up 10 minutes later to fix your tent, and have the tent being belted by strong winds all night destroyed me completely.  Well I’;; see how I feel tomorrow.

9^th February 2011. Ride the truck.

Last night was enough to crack anyone, and it did crack me.  I didn’t sleep last night, sweated, cold, pitch tent several times and basically woke up shattered.

I decided to ride the truck and take a day off the bike.  I’m going to take 2 days off the bike so I can completely recover from the belting I’ve given my body lately. It’s also given me a different perspective on the trip, this is a holiday and if you‘re tired you should ride the truck and get into  cap early and relax.  And that’s exactly what I’m doing now.  So today was not out in the burning sun, but relaxing on the truck.  Today we passed from Sudan into Ethiopia.  We’re currently camped in a dust bowl about 5kims inside Ethiopia. The road is now climbing and the roads are more heavily populated with people, grass thatched homes, donkey and carts, trucks, buses, dogs, cows, coats, and through in a couple of feral animals I don’t have a name for at this stage.  Hope to get a good night’s sleep and see what happens tomorrow.

10^th February 2011. Ride the truck for the 2^nd day.

I woke feeling a lot better even without eating dinner last night.  I decided to ride the truck again because of the lingering after affects of the heat exhaustion.  I’m better to take the 3 days off the bike and then the 2 days of rest stop in Gondar and enjoy the break properly and not in a bed.

So for today, up nice and early for my first breakfast of 2 minute noodle soup and a cup of tea.  Stayed down pretty good but still not enough energy food in the stomach.  I rode the truck with Kirsten and Mike, both suffering from heat and stomach issues.  The countryside changed to hills and more hills.  I wouldn’t class them as mountains at this stage although 2 did have similar gradients like the first section of Mt Keira New South Wales, Australia.  I was pretty impressed with the racers as they climbed the hills and the time they finished the 95km stage into the camp.  We stopped at one town in the truck to fill up water in the huge tanks the trucks carry to supply the cyclists insatiable first.  It was pretty cool just sitting back and talking with the locals over a coke and going for a walk around the town.  This is something I really did enjoy doing with Josh when we did the Africa ride, visiting the unknown and not being afraid to do so.

After the donkeys had pulled the water drums up the hill to the truck we were on our way to the lunch stop.  All the way to lunch we were passing the cyclists climb  small climbs in what was pleasant whether at that time of the day.  We only stopped for a brief moment to get some food and had to jump back on the truck to set up camp before the riders arrived.

The camp is situated at 1500metres above sea level about 200km into Ethiopia.  The people are very friendly and extremely kind.  Once I set up camp I went for a walk along the main road which consisted off about 20 cane/grass huts along each side of the road.  I laid down at the front of one in the shade and was soon set upon by about 10 young kids who wanted to know everything about me.  That’s surprising.  I took one the kids school book and gave an English lesson for 30minutes.  We spelt all kinds of words and I wrote them down in his school book.  One of the kids told me the boy would get in trouble because he had writing in his school book which was not covered in class.  Oh well, shit happens.

I went back to camp which was just 20metres off the road behind the houses and waited for a couple of riders to come in.  Eventually Rodney from Israeli/Australia friend turned up.  We went for a walk and had a cup of tea with this lovely lady and then walked on further.  We went inside another house and were having a cup of tea when the local police officer turned up.  I don’t know how he gets to be called a police officer, but when you’re carrying an automatic rifle like an AK47 well I’ll call him ‘Bugs Bunny’ if he wants me to. 

So because I’m a shy person I told him I wanted a photo holding the rifle.  No problem, Rodney took the photo of me holding the rifle in the home and I paid for his beer.  Went back to the campsite and showed the evidence to everyone, pretty impressed they were.

So I had some dinner (not allowed to use the term tea because it confuses the people with a cup of tea) and now ready to hit the sack.  Going to ride the truck into Gondar tomorrow and enjoy my 2 rest days.  Since is the longest I’ve had off the bike since I started training for this trip. 

At this stage no signs of the kids throwing rocks at anyone, but tomorrow will be a certainty.  Thank God I’m on the truck.