Friday, January 23, 2004
EGYPT - Cairo to Luxor via Hurghada and Safaga (on the Red Sea) - Six days and 861 kilometers. I am not quite sure what to describe as everything this first week is new, including setting up my tent outside. This probably explains how I already damaged and nearly broke my tent pole at camp site #2. Yes, this would be the same tent pole that is supposed to last for all four months. Instead of going through all the minute details it is easiest to describe the most extreme days - one quite leisurely and the other unexpectedly grueling.
Day 4 of biking was an unusual day in that it required us to do some navigating (i.e. more than one turn). Since the last day we were expected to make an actual turn on our own (a right turn on Day 2 just before Suez) resulted in several people missing the turn, we were given route instructions the night before and the morning of the ride. Of course, in the now usual fashion, these directions differed both from each other and from the directions we were given at the lunch half-way point. All roads apparently led to the campsite because despite each person's computer mileage differing by several kilometers, everyone made it to the camp site somehow. It probably didn't hurt that we have a SAG vehicle and plenty of police escorts.
However, not every rider made it into the campsite at around the same time. I was riding with a fellow American rider named Dave and both of us were starting to be affected by all of the signs along the way. We were traveling in the heat of the desert under the unrelenting sun and every so often we would see billboards advertising resorts on the Red Sea complete with restaurants and shops. At one point we tried to convince several other riders that the correct route led straight past these resorts. This approach didn't quite work. I made a pact with myself that if a resort just happened to be on the way Dave and I would stop and relax for a bit. Luckily, we happened upon a resort called Lotus Bay just North of Safaga. We had every intention of just stopping by to grab a drink and maybe a snack but that was before we made it inside. From the hotel lobby we wandered into the garden in back. At this point, the hotel management suggested that we further orient ourselves with the property. To be honest this suggestion was quite shocking considering we were dressed in biking attire and sweaty from riding over a 130 kilometers in the heat. So what else could we do but start to wander. The wandering led to the Red Sea where of course we had to check out the water! Our rationale was that we were camping inland and this might be the last time in our life to check out the Red Sea. After all, we could finish off the remaining 20k or 30k quite quickly. It was only 2pm and there was plenty of time before dark. The next thing I know we are sitting around eating a pizza and since the hotel management is so friendly why don't we see what else they have to offer? The internet, perhaps? The next thing I know Dave is busy typing away and one of the workers is asking my input on a gift that he purchased for his fiancee. The resort was really making us feel at home but we couldn't remember exactly when the sun was supposed to set and we were unsure as to the total distance for the day so we decided to hit the road. The resort even provided an escort for us to our turn-off road. Since it was past three we started to hammer out the mileage for about 5k until we hit a police barricade. Slowly, I started to focus on the scene ahead of me. Were those the tents of other TDA riders? Why were they all standing around? Apparently our ever present police escort would not let any riders leave the campsite to wander into town until ALL riders were accounted for. Guess which two riders were missing? Yes that would be me and Dave. Luckily, our fellow riders shifted the blame to the police set up on the perimeter instead of us.
Day #5 started out as a 90k day. The distance was shorter than we had ridden on any day yet because it involved a steady ascent for about 40 - 50k. Well we were all in for a bit of a surprise because when we reached the lunch truck at 45k we learned that we had another 100k to ride! It was as if all the distance from earlier didn't even count! Needless to say there was a bit of moping and uneccessary lingering around the lunch truck. Do we HAVE to get back on the road? Luckily, I thought we were doing a climb for the entire 90k and had paced myself accordingly. It was a good thing because shortly after my 100k break/celebration I got another bit of not so good news. The new distance tally was 168k. Yes, this means we would now be traveling almost double the expected distance for the day. Ok. Time to regroup again. Why was our campsite constantly moving? Well in Egypt we travel with police escorts. The police also guard the perimeter of our campsite each night. Apparently they were looking for a safe location or at least one that came equiped with some facilities like toilets. So we biked and biked and biked that day to reach a campsite where many of us wouldn't get any sleep. Why? Well the police escorts need radios which conveniently beep and buzz throughout the night. They also need loud generators so that they can light the perimeter adequately. I am very thankful for their thorough protection but it would be nice not to hear the constant chatter throughout the night. That's it until Abu Simbel (as long as the sand storms don't keep us away!).
Day 4 of biking was an unusual day in that it required us to do some navigating (i.e. more than one turn). Since the last day we were expected to make an actual turn on our own (a right turn on Day 2 just before Suez) resulted in several people missing the turn, we were given route instructions the night before and the morning of the ride. Of course, in the now usual fashion, these directions differed both from each other and from the directions we were given at the lunch half-way point. All roads apparently led to the campsite because despite each person's computer mileage differing by several kilometers, everyone made it to the camp site somehow. It probably didn't hurt that we have a SAG vehicle and plenty of police escorts.
However, not every rider made it into the campsite at around the same time. I was riding with a fellow American rider named Dave and both of us were starting to be affected by all of the signs along the way. We were traveling in the heat of the desert under the unrelenting sun and every so often we would see billboards advertising resorts on the Red Sea complete with restaurants and shops. At one point we tried to convince several other riders that the correct route led straight past these resorts. This approach didn't quite work. I made a pact with myself that if a resort just happened to be on the way Dave and I would stop and relax for a bit. Luckily, we happened upon a resort called Lotus Bay just North of Safaga. We had every intention of just stopping by to grab a drink and maybe a snack but that was before we made it inside. From the hotel lobby we wandered into the garden in back. At this point, the hotel management suggested that we further orient ourselves with the property. To be honest this suggestion was quite shocking considering we were dressed in biking attire and sweaty from riding over a 130 kilometers in the heat. So what else could we do but start to wander. The wandering led to the Red Sea where of course we had to check out the water! Our rationale was that we were camping inland and this might be the last time in our life to check out the Red Sea. After all, we could finish off the remaining 20k or 30k quite quickly. It was only 2pm and there was plenty of time before dark. The next thing I know we are sitting around eating a pizza and since the hotel management is so friendly why don't we see what else they have to offer? The internet, perhaps? The next thing I know Dave is busy typing away and one of the workers is asking my input on a gift that he purchased for his fiancee. The resort was really making us feel at home but we couldn't remember exactly when the sun was supposed to set and we were unsure as to the total distance for the day so we decided to hit the road. The resort even provided an escort for us to our turn-off road. Since it was past three we started to hammer out the mileage for about 5k until we hit a police barricade. Slowly, I started to focus on the scene ahead of me. Were those the tents of other TDA riders? Why were they all standing around? Apparently our ever present police escort would not let any riders leave the campsite to wander into town until ALL riders were accounted for. Guess which two riders were missing? Yes that would be me and Dave. Luckily, our fellow riders shifted the blame to the police set up on the perimeter instead of us.
Day #5 started out as a 90k day. The distance was shorter than we had ridden on any day yet because it involved a steady ascent for about 40 - 50k. Well we were all in for a bit of a surprise because when we reached the lunch truck at 45k we learned that we had another 100k to ride! It was as if all the distance from earlier didn't even count! Needless to say there was a bit of moping and uneccessary lingering around the lunch truck. Do we HAVE to get back on the road? Luckily, I thought we were doing a climb for the entire 90k and had paced myself accordingly. It was a good thing because shortly after my 100k break/celebration I got another bit of not so good news. The new distance tally was 168k. Yes, this means we would now be traveling almost double the expected distance for the day. Ok. Time to regroup again. Why was our campsite constantly moving? Well in Egypt we travel with police escorts. The police also guard the perimeter of our campsite each night. Apparently they were looking for a safe location or at least one that came equiped with some facilities like toilets. So we biked and biked and biked that day to reach a campsite where many of us wouldn't get any sleep. Why? Well the police escorts need radios which conveniently beep and buzz throughout the night. They also need loud generators so that they can light the perimeter adequately. I am very thankful for their thorough protection but it would be nice not to hear the constant chatter throughout the night. That's it until Abu Simbel (as long as the sand storms don't keep us away!).
Friday, January 16, 2004
Tomorrow is our first day of biking and I am filled with a mixture of excitement and fear. I can not believe that the journey is finally starting after months of preparation! Yesterday we had a press conference with the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and the magnitude of what our group is doing really struck me. The Ministry looks at this bike ride as a way to boost tourism to Egypt. They want us to send back a message of peace and stability. Our security is of the utmost importance to them. We will be traveling with police escorts and even military vechicles in certain locations. Apart from the stories each of the riders we will be communicating to their friends and family back home we will have press from Canada and America at the tour start line. (Keep any newpaper articles you may find for me please!). Starting at the Pryamids of Giza we will bike as a group for the first 20k. After that point "the race",for those who are actually racing the 11,000 kilometers, will begin. Our finish for the first day will be a desert camp 102k from the start. Actually for the next five days our finish will be a "desert camp" so I will probably have no internet access until I arrive in Luxor on January 22nd. At that point I will have biked over 100k a day for six days straight!
When I fist met our ride organizer, two days ago, he asked me whether I was ready. Glancing at my recently assembled bike, I told him I was ready. After all, isn't any event of endurance partially a mind game, believing you are ready even if you aren't? It wasn't like I was going to be able to start cramming in training miles at this point! He quickly stated that I wasn't ready, actually that no one was ready or could be ready for what we were about to experience.
I leave you with that until Luxor.......
When I fist met our ride organizer, two days ago, he asked me whether I was ready. Glancing at my recently assembled bike, I told him I was ready. After all, isn't any event of endurance partially a mind game, believing you are ready even if you aren't? It wasn't like I was going to be able to start cramming in training miles at this point! He quickly stated that I wasn't ready, actually that no one was ready or could be ready for what we were about to experience.
I leave you with that until Luxor.......
Saturday, January 10, 2004
Postings will appear sporadically (based upon when I have internet accesss) starting on January 17th, 2004.
