Hello everyone who has read this Web site at any point in the last two months and/or commented on the trip. I am safely home in the best city on the planet - woo hoo! Go Flyers! Go Smarty Jones!
Thank you so much for all of the e-mails and postings in our own "Philly" language. They truly helped keep me sane when the foreignness of Africa sometimes got to be a bit too much.
I brought my bicycle home intact despite frequent promises at the end of long cycling days to sell it to the lowest bidder or leave it in traffic (or ride it into oncoming traffic.) And it looks like I'll be using it quite frequently to get to work and do short errands - $2.19 a gallon for gas?!! Holy moley. It was $1.69 when I left.
Anyway, see you all on the river drives, the Wissahickon trail or anywhere else in our lovely city. Be well.
Guess who's at the end of the continent of Africa and the end of her 5500-kilometer bicycling odyssey?
Hello everyone. I'm here. I'm finished. I am free.
It's so cool. But better than the thrill of cycling into this beautiful ocean-front city yesterday with the forty people I've bonded with for the last two months was witnessing the joy of the South Africans as they got word that their country has been selected to host the World Cup soccer games in 2010.
A contingent of highway patrol and later Cape Town police officers flawlessly escorted us the last 30 K of our ride yesterday beginning at noon. That was about the same time that the announcement was made in Geneva about the soccer World Cup, the biggest sporting event in the world. So not long into our escort, the officer in the lead car announced to us on the bullhorn the great news. Drivers on the highway around us honked their horns, pedestrians danced and hollered in the streets. People partied all night. It was just like Philly when the Eagles won the NFC championship last season - oh wait, that didn't happen, did it? (Come on, you know I'm a fan.)
Anyway, the World Cup is the talk of the town here and I am so thrilled to be here at this time. And did I mention I am free?
No more sleeping in a tent. No more crawling out of said tent into bone-chilling winter air while it is still dark outside to drag my sore ass back on the bicycle. There are so many other shameful activities related to camping I am now free of that really don't bear mentioning. Let's just say you'll all be glad I have a few days here in Cape Town to reacclimate to civilization before I return to Philly. At breakfast the other morning I cut in front of the Montreal cyclist here who is recovering from a broken collarbone and has a tender right shoulder after dislocating it in a fall last week. AND THIS IS A WOMAN I LIKE. I knew then I needed help.
OK, so in my last week of Tour D'Afrique 2004 I cycled Monday 62 K to the lunch truck, full day Tuesday 118 K, nice day of reading on the truck Wednesday (no cycling), the full 110 K Thursday and a half day of 62 K Friday to be fresh for the ride into Cape Town.
Thursday began from Elans Bay by the Ocean off-road with sand and washboard hell, then sweet pavement for most of the morning and back off-road the last 15 K before lunch. Climbing in this section was tough but the road overlooked some fabulous vineyards.
The minister for the environment here and other officals held a wonderful welcoming ceremony for us when we arrived yesterday and we had a nice banquet with a slide show last night. Today through Wednesday I am chilling.
Thanks for all the support. And I was glad to hear from the few people who say they are interested in doing this tour next year. I hope to hear from some more!
Be Well Philly and be fit.
I cycled in to my last African nation late yesterday with much relief. Namibia was lovely, but tough on the behind ever since Windhoek, when we left pavement, did some heavy climbing, then descended into the world's second-largest canyon (and I am guessing the hottest.)
Here's how last week went: Left Windhoek Monday with an assigned distance of 150 K, I think. I can't remember because the heat fried my brain. I got on the big truck when it caught me at 25 K. Yes, 25 K. And I am not ashamed.
Rode the truck Tuesday and Wednesday as off-road, desert hell continued. Tuesday was 178 K, Wednesday 145 K.
The collective chorus of the group saying how lovely Wednesday was was enough to get me back on the Light Blue wonder Thursday. Wise choice. It was 170 K, still off-road, but the dirt was much smoother and we had very little washboard.
Friday was as bad (for me) as Thursday was great. Nothing around you to look at but dry grass, arid dusty air clogging your throat and wretched road surface the whole way. Well actually, I can only attest for the first 65 K 'cause after lunch, guess what I did? - Hopped on the lunch truck.
Next day was kind of weird. Assignment was 120 K to just outside Fish River Canyon, hop on the trucks for a 15 K ride so everyone could see this natural wonder (second in size to the Grand Canyon), then when the trucks dropped riders back off at the pickup spot, cycle back about 4 K uphill and turn right for another 60 K to the Ai Ais resort(pronounced eye ice). Now does all that cycling, descending and climbing sound like something I'd like to do? You know me by now people. So are you surprised to hear that what I did was cycle the first 60 K to lunch (EFI brutal), take the lunch truck in to the Canyon, view the canyon and then take the truck to Ai Ais? No, you are not suprised.
We then had a rest day in Ai Ais Saturday instead of resting here in Springbok. Sunday, since Ai Ais is 11 K down a ridiculously cruel hill off the main road, Henry started the race 11 K up from the bottom of the resort, where the road goes to South Africa. So riders had the option of taking the trucks up the 11 K and cyclcing the assigned 120 K from there. Do you need me to tell you if I took that option? Didn't think so.
Morning was OK overall, with one really nice drop, a few short climbs and a return to sweet pavement after 80 K. Just a few meters into South Africa though, we turned right onto "Unpaved Road From Hell: Part Deux," featuring washboard to rattle every bone in your body. Ten kilometers to camp on that. Morning started with 10 K back out to the main road on that, then 117 to here. I did the 60 to lunch, then trucked it. The 15 K climb in the morning killed my spirit. I'll try for a full day tomorrow. Each day until May 14 is about 120 K. Then the last day, May 15 is about 90 K, the last 40 of which we do together to the finish line, I believe with a police escort and lost of pomp. I like pomp.
Be well Philly.
They're here - but you gotta "CLICK FOR MORE" to see 'em.
Just a quick update: Windhoek, according to the maps, is 200 K from Gobabis, so our days were divided into 120 K on Friday on the main road, then 12 K to the right to a campsite, 12 K back to the main road Saturday and 80 K on the main road to the capital. A few of us thought it would be a shame to be as close as 80 K to this vibrant city and not actually be there, especially the day before a rest day. So Traci, Brian and I rode the lead truck the 120 K Friday, got off and cycled the rest of the Way to Windhoek. A few others cycled the entire way from Gobabis to Windhoek Friday and we all met up that night. We've had 2 full free days in Winhoek, which is nice.
Our plan only had two problems in the execution - it was actually 92 K from the drop-off to Windhoek, not 80. That would have been OK if not for the second problem - Six pretty tough climbs as we closed in to the city. I am a terrible climber and especially at the end of a ride.
No matter. We are all here safe and now rested. Tomorrow we leave again, bound for Springbock, South Africa. That is our last rest day. We have 12 more ride days to the beach of Cape Town. Can you stand it?
Then it will be back to beloved Philly for me, off planning next year's tour for Henry Gold and Michael De Jong.
Are any of you out there thinking about doing any part or all of this tour? I would love to hear from you, even if it's just a flicker of interest at this point. Do you have any questions? If I can't answer them someone I am with can.
Please remember that I had only bought my bike 2 months before coming here and had not cycled regularly in about 5 years. I knew I was physically fit but I was concerned about slowing the group down, concerned about cycling on a continent completely foreign to me. I knew I was Philly-street savvy, but had little idea how to be Africa-savvy.
So whatever concerns you may have, I'm sure I or someone else here has had them as well. And I am sure they can be addressed. Philly has been represented well, I say with great pride, by David Sylvester and me this year, but it can keep representing in this really important tour. I'd like to know who wants to step up. Go to TourdAfrique.com to get answers to other questions you may have and to see more pictures. I have pictures on CD I wanted to send but of the internet places open here today, none have computers with CD drives. I'm a long way from home.
Be well, Philly. Love Yvonne
First let me say: Good luck Broad Street Runners! I hope everyone has a fun and safe race. If you're one of the folks unsure if you can do it, how about this for inspiration - I just crossed a country the size of Texas on my bicycle!
Yes, I made my goal - EFI in Botswana. Here's how the days developed since my last entry:
Mon. 4/26 148 K to a bush camp. Rode very hard in the a.m. with fellow American Stephanie Falkenstein (Like in most other sports, you perform so much better when you're with someone of higher skill than you). I can only push for so long though at this stage so I slowed a bit after lunch, let Steph leave me. Still done before 3 p.m., though.
Tues. 4/27 140 K. Again rode hard with a fellow American, Brian Rogers of Austin, Texas. We were humming along so well with the tailwind that he wanted to skip the lunch truck and get in to the restort in Ghanzi so I let him leave me. After lunch I floored it pretty well and got to the end of the race (140 K mark) at 1:06 p.m., a personal best. Beat the pants off one rider who left the same time as Brian and me and who has finished well ahead of me every day since I have been here. (I also beat that rider another time but two is when you know you're legit.)
Also, people pass each other all day long as one person stops, gets back on the road and passes people who passed him/her. This day only the racers (45k an hour MFs) and 3 other riders passed me. No one else who started after me passed me and I am very proud of that.
But here's the capper - Wed., 4/28 we were told if we had a good tailwind and it wasn't too hot we would try to push it to the border to Namibia. That was 180 K - 200 K depending on which map you read.
I have seen wild elephants.
I have ridden an African elephant.
I have fed an African elephant.
I am the Elephant Woman! - wait, that doesn't sound right.
Hello all. Had a spectacular time in Zambia, the last full day capped by a soaking visit to Vic Falls and a bumpy ride on a young elephant at a game reserve.
We could see Vic Falls' enormous spray from 10 kilometers outside Livingstone. The closer we got, the more electric the air was. Absolutely staggering how thunderous that Zambezi River sounds spilling into the gorge below. There is a walkway in front of the falls that I crossed with a few fellow cyclsists, as most people do. That experience is mostly one of feel and sensation because it's hard to look directly at the falls from that walkway. The spray is refreshing, laughter-inducing, blinding... phenomenal. Impossible to take pictures from that vantage point unless the camera is waterproof. I did take pictures from the point of the river right before the surface drops off. Quite amazing the contrasting serenity from up there.
Got lots of pics from various sides of the falls and will share them as soon as I get them put on CD. (My digital camare died in an unrelated water tragedy. And speaking of tragedies, I have lost my Ipod. Don't know how or where exactly. But I persevere.)
About an hour after visiting the falls (you dry VERY quickly in Africa), I took a short ride with fellow Americans Traci Lynne Brewer, her husband John (collectively known as "the doctors") and Philly Dave to an elephant reserve for an elephant ride. (Photos in the next entry.)
I did a lot of reading on elephants in Botswana before I left home, so I jumped at the opportunity to interact with some up close.
Visit began with cool drinks (nice) and a lecture on elephant etiquette (Boring! I was ready to ride!).
First impression, I am sure not a surprise to you, is that they are HUGE! But we all got over our intimidation quickly and enjoyed the hourlong ride through the reserve.
Here are pictures (CLICK FOR MORE!) from the road to Nata, Botswana. We were about 65k outside Nata. That was Friday the 23rd.
Hello all. Thank you so much for all of the advice and words of encouragement. I love hearing about everyone's spring training so keep them coming.
Short stretch this past week. We Left Lusaka Friday assigned 160k. I cycled 93k total, 78k to the lunch truck, then another 15k until it came by after feeding the last people to get to lunch. Rained lightly in the morning (I like getting wet and muddy).
Saturday I did a half-day of 80. Total assigned that day was 160 but it was pushed to 170 because that's where the best camp could be found.
Sunday I took the lead truck into town to see Livingstone (named for the legendary British explorer) but most stuff was closed.
Distances are getting obscenely long because roads are flat most of the time. Long hours are on the bike are killing me mentally though.
Today we have off so I am about to go see one of the Seven Wonders of the World (Victoria Falls), then I am going elephant riding! Woo hoo!
Went on a dinner cruise on the Zambezi River last night and saw the Falls at a distance of about 6k (3.5 miles) The spray alone from the Falls is magnificient. Can't wait to see it in all its glory.
Tomrrow a very short distance of 57k to a ferry that will take us over to Botswana. Can't wait. There is a stretch there where we might have to cycle together because the elephants herds are all over the road. How cool.
Be well, Philly.
Hey gang, here are the latest photos from the road. (Click on "CLICK FOR MORE" to pull up the page...)
Woo, did I have a nice treat yesterday when I cycled in to this city, the capital of my fourth nation here in Africa.
We were assigned to do 110 K. We all had to be at the 90 K point by 12:15 because we needed to ride in to the city together to later attend a recption in our honor.
I reached a police checkpoint 6 K outside the city at 11:15. The last rider in our group, a Canadian named Frank, caught up with me at about 5 K from the airport and as we rode together chatting we saw some cyclists approaching us from the city. You speak to pretty much everyone you pass on the road here, but cyclsits especially. So Frank and I said hello as they passed, then resumed chatting.
Well the seven or so young men turned around and were riding alongside us seconds later. The leader told me his name was Clement and they were members of the Zambian National cycling team. He said they had recieved all the 'Friquers as they entered the city. Then as the flow decreased, they asked tour director Henry, was that all of us? Henry said no, there was one more lady (forgetting about poor Frank) still not in. So the Zambia cycling team said "Oh, we must go get her."
So I had to endure an escort about another 12 K from seven athletic, delightful young men. Torturous!
OK, so my performance since Lilongwe?
