Round and round we go

Stage: 54
Day Total: 126.1 km
Total Time: 4:34

Song of the Day: Death Cab for Cutie – Sunshine

Another day much like the last: a smooth dirt road through dense green forests and tall grasses. It really is stunning, probably even more so when you are riding a bit more comfortably and stop to have a reasonable lunch. That’s not how racing works though…

UK Paul, Jorge, and myself left together, more out of necessity than desire. I expected that after yesterday’s performance, local rider Mike would be a highly sought after riding partner and in the interest of making time, I planned to hitch my wagon to his so to speak. Paul Wolfe had the same idea. My body had other plans, forcing an unexpected call to duty. And like that, the train left the station with me literally standing there with my shorts at my ankles. Advantage Paul Wolfe.

We rode steady, knowing that we would not likely be matching the pace that Mike would set for Paul Wolfe ahead of us. I had time to spare in my bid for the section win and chose not to get upset by this missed opportunity. Having rode with the two of them yesterday, I knew there would be a cost to a repeat performance and maybe that would work to my benefit in the coming days.

Lunch came and went, our usual quick affair, but shortly afterward, UK Paul was struggling a bit, seemingly from the same strange ailment that had plagued him during our rest period in Arusha several days back. I rode ahead, alone, and for the first time in several days was actually enjoying myself. A warthog sighting even sweetened the experience, and apart from the tse tse flies, this was as good as it gets. The flies deserve mentioning if for nothing other than the strength of their bite and their supernatural strength: they were able to fly alongside me at over 35km/h and still manage to bite me. Fortunately they only make an appearance under bright, sunny conditions and this was the rainy season in Tanzania.

With 20km remaining, Jorge rejoined me and like that it felt like the same riding experience I had not been enjoying over the past several days. It felt like work. With 3km remaining I managed to lose him on a downhill and finish about 1 minute ahead of him (though the official results somehow do not reflect this).

A nap in camp followed by fresh chips (french fries) served up by a blossoming young entrepreneur in the local village made for a nice afternoon and the ability to relax and clear some thoughts. Today provided some clarity for me and my stance on racing: I will race the remaining stages into our rest day in Mbeya – the end of this section –
and effectively stop racing. This trip was never meant to be “all about the race”. It has provided a unique facet to the trip, taught me much about myself, and provided for some fantastic memories. However, now it is time to simply relax and be on holiday. I am tired, my body hurts, and there is still so much to see and do. With nothing left to prove, I will not vacillate and am very pleased (and relieved) with this decision. As fellow rider Bastiaan said to me when I shared my decision: “Congratulations. Welcome to Africa”. I think I’m going to enjoy it quite a bit.