Round and round we go

Stage 32
Day Total: 128km

A crescendo of dog barks broke the peace of last night’s sleep. It was a good sleep to that point, clear skies and light breezes ensuring temperatures were near perfect for the use of my sleeping bag. To date, I’ve had only 2 nights where I did not sweat inside of this down cocoon despite it being rated only to 40 degrees Fahrenheit. With no frost in the forecast it appears I am sentenced to another few months of light night sweats.

A change in the race this morning would alter the day’s ride in a positive way. The second place (overall) rider made the decision to stop racing this morning. Purely personal and not health related, I fully respect and honor his decision. I have struggled with this choice myself – the demands of the race can sometimes preclude one from certain experiences along the route. Ultimately, I’m not sure what I will do. For today, it meant that the 1st and (now) 2nd place riders were content to ride with a group of riders opting for an easier race day.

We all set out together at a peaceful pace with favorable winds and a lot of descent accentuating the morning route to lunch. Shortly before lunch, a few steeper climbs split the group and left just UK Paul (2nd), Paul Wolfe (1st) and myself. We rode together through rolling terrain for the balance of the day. The countryside seemed slightly less populated today but each of the towns we entered was noticeably busier than those of the previous days. A marked difference between the towns was quite visible: the Muslim towns received our arrival with great enthusiasm and positive encouragement for our efforts; the Christian towns presented less positive interactions typified by yelling, a few rocks, and multiple requests for money. Interesting.

We managed to survive the day unscathed by rocks, though I did take fire from a small (6) platoon of children atop a small hill. The barrage of rocks fell well short of the mark, most likely because we were moving at about 43km/h at the time. The main threat on the day was livestock and we stopped completely for two cattle crossings and modified our course for at least 5 others. As always, the donkeys were a force to be reckoned with and I continue to marvel at the work these beasts of burden undertake. More than one of these creatures was seen carrying 40 liter water jugs unaccompanied by any human yet instinctively they seemed to know where they were going and to walk far to the side of the road to avoid motor vehicles. I think I’ll look into getting one of these upon my return.

The stage ended with the 3 of us cruising into camp. For doing a large percentage of time on the front of the group I was awarded the stage win. This was great news as it means additional charitable donations for Back to Africa. A number of donors have agreed to a “performance plan” under which additional moneys are donated for each stage win – even more will be donated if I reach a total of 10 stage wins. Thanks to Paul and Paul specifically for letting this happen today. The Northern White Rhinos thank you!

We reached camp early – 12 noon – and set tents under the watchful eyes of the largest camp crowd to date (there would be over 100 children and young adults at the camp perimeter by dinner). Apart from the audiences, this campsite featured loads of loose dirt and no vegetation, a real throwback to our days in Egypt and Sudan. Interestingly, it simply does not bother me anymore. Sand is blowing into my face as I type this, but there comes a point where you no longer feel as if you could be any dirtier. Not my favorite campsite, but not the worst.

After a good taste of the dust, we walked to the roadside and hailed a tuk-tuk (small, 3-wheeled covered motorcycle) for a pre-dinner meal. A small dispute arose upon our delivery into the town over the pre-negotiated price. We stood our ground and driver gave up, but it should be noted that a random guy with a machete quickly appeared. Related? Not wanting to find out, we set foot to the restaurant without delay. The establishment, Hosana town’s finest we were told, was a nice find with clean tables, decent food, and great service. One plate of pasta, half of a chicken pizza, half of a plate of french fries, 1 beer, 1 pepsi, and one machiato meant I was ready to return to camp.

We returned to camp to find at least 100 curious, vocal locals crowding the perimeter of the camp. Tempers were flaring for riders, patience worn thin from so much “interaction” with local children on the day’s ride. Riding at the front we are often spared the worst of the misbehavior, but the stories shared in camp suggest a number of uncomfortable experiences are taking place each day.

Tomorrow’s ride is meant to be mixed pavement and gravel so a tire change has been completed, opting for the “middle” size 40c tire. Gravel has turned out to mean a few different things thus far, so tomorrow should be full of surprises.