Scott's Cycling Adventures

The temperature is starting to climb. While today’s ride was still very comfortable, The forecast shows the mercury rising. In a few days the temperature will reach 25C and that’s at our current position. Each day brings us further south, pushing the mercury higher.

Tonight is our first night of camping. The tents are up and the cooler bar is open (stocked with Pepsi! WTH!?! 🤮 I’m going to have to have a chat with management!). I’m actually looking forward to sleeping in my own tent. With my thin fabric walls it’s still more privacy than sharing a hotel room with two other dudes!

It’s all going to come crashing down eventually. It has to. But for now, another perfect day!

The temperature was absolutely perfect for cycling, add to that a very strong tail wind and I just blew through the 150km of Stage 2. That’s almost 50km longer than the longest ride I’ve ever done! Barely pedaling I was whipping along at 35km/hr. I even finished the stage first. Not something I was expecting to do. Yellow jersey anyone?

I had started the day intending on taking it easy and not pushing too hard. 150km is a long way, and this is only day two. I need to leave some fuel in the tank for the future.

I have to keep telling myself “it’s only day 2, and everything has gone perfectly so far”. Eventually the weather will get bad and I’ll spend a few days wet and muddy but as of right now I’m totally hooked on this adventure cycling! So amazing!

Riding through the dessert alone with the landscape is both humbling and exhilarating!

Launch! Not lunch! Although our first day is mercifully easy and lunch is a meager 30km into the day. Here we go! We start the day with a photo op cycling past the pyramids, and then we all pile onto a bus to be shipped out of town to start our journey. Past tours have cycled out of the city but safety was always a big concern. The streets of Cairo are a “bit chaotic”.

Sand Sand Everywhere

Here we are less than 24 hours before we start our epic journey across the continent and Mother Nature is having a little fun with us. 50 km/hr winds and blowing, blinding sand. Right now you almost can’t see across the street and the pyramids have completely disappeared! We can only hope things calm down for our early 7:30 am departure…and if not perhaps the wind will be at our backs.

• 

• 

Boring but VERY necessary! Rider meetings and bike prep. Group leader Tallis, walked us through most of the important details on how to survive as a group cycling across an entire continent. We are all itching to get underway but still one more day of meetings and prep to go!

Arrived Cairo! All my bags have made it and my bike seems to be in one piece! Spent the morning meeting fellow riders and assembling my bike. Picked up a local data SIM card so I can function. The hotel wifi is a bit overwhelmed. 😉 Time to wander over to the pyramids!!