From
the Swiss Alps 
to
the Pyramids of Cairo…….
The
culture shock before the Start!!
An
unlikely training location...! Wengen, Switzerland three days
ago.
11 January
2007
No, not by
bicycle this leg!!…I, like the ‘harrassed’ Mr Blair took the fast route
by plane and in the process also made my further contribution to global
warming…..! (Are you thinking of not flying as much on your holiday this
coming year!! What next
hey!)
I arrived in
Cairo at 3 am this morning, after spending three wonderful weeks at my
girlfriend Ruth’s chalet, in the beautiful Swiss Alpine village of
Wengen, high above the Lauterbrennan valley. The skiing was great, but I
have to admit I was a touch more conservative than normal, not wanting
to place my cycle trip in jeopardy.
What an
opposite to Cairo - the snow and the desert, the precision and the
disorder, the natural beauty and the squalor, the ancient history roots
with disputes over them, and the fundamental difference of cultures of
the people…it is an amazingly diverse world we live in!.
So what
about the preparation then?… You may ask:…..How does one prepare for a
bicycle ride that will take me nearly 12 000 kms over the length of the
African continent, averaging more than 120km a day, for 96 days of
almost everyday cycling?
Well firstly
I have elected not to participate as a ‘full on’ racer…..yes believe it
or not, there are about 10 guys treating this adventure as a sprint, and
will be going full out each day attempting to break the record set last
year of some 335 hrs.
Unlike these
‘madmen’, I have decided to treat the trip as an adventure and an
exploration of Africa, its diverse terrain, people, cultures, and
nature, while at the same time having a goal to cycle ´every bit of the
way’. With this in mind, and knowing I had a good base level cycling
fitness from my activities of the year, I decided that I would spend
November 2006 doing some long, tough rides in Cape Town, and then spend
December in Switzerland focusing my mind and resting my body. Yes, knowing I would be with Ruth
in Switzerland had a big impact on the shape of the plan!!! With withdrawal symptoms coming
on strong, I did get my bike out and do two wonderful, long training
rides around the turquoise lakes and snowcapped mountains of
Interlaken.
I will be
using the first section through Egypt as ‘further training’, as the road
is supposed to be the best of the trip, also flattish, scenic along the
Nile, and apparently an ‘almost guaranteed tail wind’! (I hear those
sailors of you saying ‘that’s tempting fate, it always blows opposite to
where you want it to’….hmmm…. I’ll remain optimistic, and you will hear
the outcome!
You will see
with forthcoming newsletters, that I refer to ‘Sections’ of the route.
All in all, there are eight sections with the start and end dates for
each shown on the LHS menu.
At the key
‘mind level’, I have tried to envisage the trip in its entirety, then in The Sections and then most
importantly, each day in a
generic way, and how I will manage my mind and body through the highs
and lows of the 5 to 8 hours I’ll be cycling. A lot of this is how to
prevent the notorious ‘hitting the wall’, through correct energy and
fluid replacement. Being heavier than the average participant I know I
need a lot more food and liquid to complete the same distance, so in
anticipation I have brought with me, 60 sachets of a corn syrup type
energy booster, 100 varied pure energy bars, and 2.2 kg of Whey protein.
The protein being key to assisting muscle recovery and repair after each
day's ride.
Then in the
preparation, there is the bike and equipment - I am using the same bike
that I did in Patagonia last year - an aluminium, Fuji Pro Mountain
Bike. After the conditions ‘we’ went through there I had it completely
overhauled in Cape Town, all the drive train components replaced, and
have a fairly comprehensive range of spares with me. Unlike Patagonia, I
do not have to carry my own supplies and gear in panniers on the bike,
as this will be transported in the support vehicles. This reduces the
weight of the bike enormously, which translates into higher average
speeds and much less stress on the components on the
bike.
So, all in
all, I probably feel under trained and over weight, but about to head
into a two week shock training session to ‘fix’ that all up……I’m
expecting a few ‘butt adjustments’, and have lots of Vaseline ready! On
the emotions and feeling side, this all adds a bit more to the
apprehension side of the excitement vs apprehension scale…but the
Christmas dinners and relaxation (instead of training) was worth
it!….Well lets hope so, time will tell! My level of excitement is
extremely high at the moment, especially after assembling my bike this
morning. There is a feeling of peace coming within me as I feel I will
be out on the road, free on my bike again, in a new environment, taking
in new things, and enjoying the high that comes with physically
challenging myself. (Ooops - I hope I am not
addicted…..!!)
This morning
at breakfast I met many of the other participants - 34 in total, all
ages, many women, and from all parts of the world, but with one thing in
common….to challenge themselves over the continent of Africa! (If you
would like to know more about the participants and/or the tour there is
a lot of info on the official Tour d’Afrique website…. www.tourdafrique.com
The group
side of the tour is something I am not sure about……I’ll take it as it
comes….but I am sure in the end I will have made some really good
friends.
So Saturday
the 13th sees the real start of the adventure and I look
forward to having you along with me as I experience what will no doubt
be ‘The Ride of My Life’.
Till I talk
to you again after the start, take care….
Howard
Current
Position is:
Cataract Pyramid Resort,
29:57.856N 31:10.722E
Cairo - a classic tourist one....but sorry no camels, they were all
out...!
