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From my journal on the 2006 Tour d'Afrique..."Meltdown Madness"
"Departing Moyale at the Ethiopian/Kenyan border, there was an exhilarating 30km downhill stretch – speeding through ruts, rocks and sand. Dodging troops of baboons we headed out into the Dida Galgalu desert, home to extreme temperatures and Somali bandits. By lunch, however, the road had completely fallen apart and the temperature made the Sudan seem like a fond memory. Camp that night featured heat, dust and nasty bugs.
On the second day, the road, the inappropriately named ‘East African National Highway’(see above), really went to shit – brutal corrugation, dust from the occasional passing truck, 50 degrees Celsius by lunch, headwinds, loose and dangerous rocks, deep sand, flat tires, scorching sun – at this point I would have welcomed some Somali bandits! When we arrived at the campsite the trucks were still far behind so we crawled under the 4x4 support vehicle and waited.
The next day was reputed to be the toughest on the entire expedition. After the previous day, I could hardly imagine anything worse. I decided to begin as soon as there was any light at all, in order to enjoy some cooler temperatures and have a shot at finishing the day. About 5km from camp and all alone I looked up from the road, just in time to see a large cat loping across the road, about 100m away! My heart just about stopped but the animal continued on without pause. I later found out that it was a Caracal, a 20kg feline that ‘only’ eats small and medium sized mammals.
The day wore on, similar to the previous one, but much, much worse. The headwinds increased, dust devils hundreds of metres high swirled across the road and we started the long, horrible climb (1000m elevation gain) into Marsabit. How I made it, I will never know. Only about 1/3 of the riders even attempted it. Not only did the Tusker beers taste even sweeter but, looking back, I count that challenging time amongst my most cherished memories!
- Michael Coo TDA '06
Learn more about this extremely challenging section.
Join the expedition.
Tired of biking with cars, trucks and buses? Next summer you could cycle with us for almost 1400kms along the Danube Cycleway, the longest dedicated bike path in the world! It crosses rural Germany, Austria and Hungary, all the way to the grand city of Budapest.
The section begins in Freiburg, one of the world's greenest and environmentally progressive cities, and follows the magnificent Danube River; from its gently flowing sources to the mightier currents downstream – currents which have made the river the focus of songs and legends.
Traveling along relatively flat valley terrain at a rate of about 95 km a day, you will have plenty of time for periodic detours into nearby villages or restful refreshment stops at trail-side cafés, beer gardens, and restaurants.
Isolated from all vehicular traffic, the Cycleway carries you across picturesque Bavaria, through Ulm, the birthplace of Albert Einstein, and on to Linz. Then, thanks to the Cycleway, we will enjoy a hassle-free entry into Vienna, with its monumental palaces dating to the Hapsburg Empire.
Once we have spent a couple of days enjoying both inspirational classical music and delicious Viennese cream cakes, we will set off to Bratislava, the cosmopolitan capital of Slovakia. After spending the night in a boat hotel anchored directly in the Danube, we will continue on into Budapest, once dubbed the "Pearl of the Danube." Anyone who has not visited Eastern Europe recently will be enchanted by this city – combining chic and upbeat commercial/dining districts with imperial Austro-Hungarian era architecture.
Join us on the 2009 Orient Express. Register now!
Silk Route 2008 Rider James Weil has just completed his ride from Istanbul to Kashgar.
In his Blog he writes, "Our arrival in Kashgar marked the half-way point of the expedition. And the time for me to come home. Weʼd passed through seven countries in two months. Weʼd biked 2500 miles, (600 shorter than plan, due to bypassing Georgia ). Weʼd had no major injuries and we were all still friends! What could be better than that?
Weʼd slept in yurts, tents, private homes, and dilapidated Soviet hotels; in deserts, riverbeds, mountains, and on ferry decks. Constant barking and poorly muffled trucks had provided our constant nighttime background noise. Weʼd gotten a small sample of what it must be like being refugees, having been detained for 8 hours in a 100 degree plus open holding pen waiting for the border guards in Turkmenistan to acknowledge us. We[Back to Press Releases Main]
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