Scott's Cycling Adventures

April 3, 2019 TDA Scott

TDA Stage 58 – Maintenance

Big day today! 176km in the can (old film term, I didn’t go that far in the washroom!). The roads in Zambia continue to be outstanding, but there is a lot of glass and fine wire (from shredded truck tires) all over the shoulders. One has to be particularly careful watching out for it. Despite the wonderful road conditions, a number of people had flats today because of the debris. This lead me to check my tires at the end of the days ride and that clued me in to several other issues with my bike.

For the most part, I tend to be a “if it ain’t broke, don’t mess with it” kind of person. Over the first two and a half months, the only bike maintenance I’ve done is to clean and relubricate my chain, and replace the chain (last week) because it was worn and stretched. Oh, and our bike mechanic, Ryan, tweaked my gear cables a bit because they were a bit out of sync. That’s it. Each rider is different, but a large proportion of them spend a lot of time fiddling with their bikes. Not me, the tires spin, the brakes work, the pedals pedal…it’s all good. Except today I noticed some things that suddenly brought a few odd things from the last few days into focus. I’ve been feeling sluggish on the bike, like the same effort wasn’t getting me the same speed I used to. Going down hills, I was maxing out at much slower speeds, and riders that were constantly far behind were either very close or even passing me. Was I just getting slow from fatigue? We’re the other riders just getting faster? Well, turns out it’s partly because I’ve been neglecting my bike (and some of the slower riders ARE getting faster and stronger).

The inspection of my tires for debris imbedded in them lead me to two discoveries. Number one, my front disc brakes were rubbing badly. With the bike upside down, just spinning the wheel by hand, the wheel would come to a stop very quickly. That was a lot of unproductive drag on the bike. The second issue was my tires were almost half the recommended pressure they should have been. For cycling on dirt and gravel they would have been fine, but on nice smooth ashfault you want a very high pressure. It makes the wheel roll better with much less resistance. Both things were pretty rookie mistakes, but hey…I AM a rookie with this bike touring thing. I’ve learned my lesson with a few days of unnecessarily harder cycling. Tomorrow it’s back up to speed for me!

April 2, 2019April 2, 2019 TDA Scott

TDA Stage 57 – Zambia!

Another day, another country, another SIM card. This is starting to get easy! Ride 150km, cross a border, get local currency, buy a SIM card and top it all off with a REALLY good milkshake. I didn’t even blink when I saw the distance this morning. At the beginning of this journey I’d have balked at riding 150km and crossing a border. “That’s way to much to do in one day”, I’d have thought. Now we are doing all that and having the afternoon to run errands. It’s amazing the things the human body can adapt to.

I’ve always wanted to visit a country that started with “Z”!

First impressions of the short 20km we’ve ridden in Zambia so far, very nice. The roads are perfect, with wide shoulders that the rumble strips DON’T extend into. Somehow, I’ve managed not to rant about the rumble strips in other countries that extend all the way across the road. There was no way to avoid them and they do nothing to slow traffic, but rattle the hell out of cyclists. The views have been nice and the weather tonight is very comfortable sleeping weather. The midsized town of Chipata we rode through was wonderfully laid out (and had GREAT ice cream). They even had dedicated bike lanes. Tomorrow we will see if the trend continues.

April 1, 2019April 1, 2019 TDA Scott

TDA Rest Day – Lilongwe

Joy, oh bliss. Sleeping in and doing nothing! Today our rest day brings us to Lilongwe, the capital of Malawi. It’s a nice clean city with all the weary traveler can ask for, supermarkets, ice cream, pizza. Well almost everything, there isn’t a Wendy’s here. I did see a billboard for a burger joint but haven’t found it yet. I may have to google its location. Today is a normal rest day, napping laundry and junk food. Pretty status quo.

I did want to point out one thing I don’t think I’ve mentioned yet that’s part of the TDA tour, and that’s bike donations. Several times during each trip, TDA donates bicycles to local people and organizations. We’ve done four such donations so far, last night being the most recent. TDA donated twenty bikes to an organization here in Lilongwe. They, in turn, distribute the bikes to other smaller organizations in need. For example, one organization makes trips out to elderly or sick people to bring food and medications. Another, is a farmers co-op that pools its resources to help each other. Having access to a bicycle facilitates transportation to and from more distant locations and enables the users to get more done in a day. Remember, most of these organizations have little to no budget for anything. They don’t have access to vehicles, so walking to each location is the only form of transportation they have. One bike can make a huge difference.

One thing I think the western world can learn from many African countries is how useful a bike can be. During my time here I’ve seen things being transported by bicycle you wouldn’t believe. Massive piles of livestock feed, hundreds of litres of water, furniture, construction material, you name it. As North Americans, we are all to quick to hop in a car and drive a block to pick up a litre of milk. Think about how ridiculous that is. I’m proud to say I practice what I preach. I’ve never owned a car, and do 99.9% of my errands on my bicycle.

If your so inclined, head on over to the TDA Foundation to learn more about their bike donations and perhaps make a donation yourself.

https://tdaglobalcycling.com/tda-foundation/

March 31, 2019 TDA Scott

TDA Stage 56 – EFC

So, I’ve been doing this cycling thing for over two months now and I think I’m getting the hang of it now. Back on February 11 I wrote a post about “The Anatomy of a Day” (https://cyclingwithscott.home.blog/2019/02/11/tda-stage-22-anatomy-of-a-day/) Well, things are mostly the same but we have all settled into our routines. I thought I’d give a little more detail on the group and our/my habits.

The main group of full tour riders remains largely unchanged. We lost one rider to a bad spill a few weeks ago, but the good news is he’ll be returning to the group soon. After going home to get proper medical treatment and rest he’s been given the ok to return.

The health of the group as a whole is pretty amazing, both mentally and physically. We are all getting along great, and there haven’t been any personality conflicts yet (at least that I’ve seen). We are all physically more tired at the end of each day and that’s to be expected. Day after day of cycling with little rest begins to add up after a while. One rest day every three to six cycling days is barely enough to let the body catch up. Several riders each day opt to just ride a half day (pre or post lunch) or take the day off from cycling and just ride the truck to camp. We are all in this for the long haul and cycling when overly fatigued can cause accidents. Accidents, get you a one way ticket home, or if you’re lucky, a few painful days on the truck nursing scabs and bruises.

Including myself, there are still eight or nine of us that have ridden Every Flipping Inch (EFI) and unless there are catastrophic mechanical failures or accidents I don’t see any of those EFI riders not finishing the entire tour with their EFI status intact.

Over the last two+ months, my cycling habits have changed slightly. Some of it is just due to the simple fact I don’t have the fresh legs or energy I did at the start. Some is because I’ve chilled out a bit, and have slowed my pace to more enjoy the ride. I’m no longer rushing out of camp in the morning trying to be the first on the road. I’m frequently one of the last to pack my bag on the truck and get in line for breakfast. There isn’t any reason to rush out, the sweep rider (a TDA staff member that rides behind the last person in the group to make sure no one gets lost or needs assistance) is always waiting patiently for the dawdlers to get their butts moving.

I’ve only actually seen the sweep rider twice (the DO exist! Really!). Once in Sudan on the brutally hot second day of hell. Then I was resting and cooling down every 10km, and a group of about six of us came in with the sweep right at the end of the day. The other time was when I had a flat tire about five Km into the start of the day. By the time I had changed the flat, everyone had passed and the sweep was waiting with me.

I think that’s about it for changes. I’m still sleeping in my tent every night and don’t plan on getting a room in any of the hotels we camp next too. I need to keep my EFC status too!

March 30, 2019 TDA Scott

TDA Stage 55 – I See Skies of Blue…

“…and clouds of white. The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night, and I think to myself, what a wonderful world!” That Louis Armstrong song (What a Wonderful World) has always been a favourite of mine, and the last few days here in Malawi have been very much a journey through that song. The only thing that is missing are the red roses, everything else is here.

The bright blue skies have been filled with amazing puffy white clouds. The trees, lush and green, many of them in bloom with bright yellow or orange flowers. So many friendly faces along the road as we ride, lots of them children cheering and waving. Fantastic sunny days, and amazing starry nights. Turn off the news, go outside, this truly is a wonderful world!

March 29, 2019 TDA Scott

TDA Stage 54 – Undulation

Scott rides up a hill, Scott rides down a hill. Scott rides up a hill, Scott rides down a hill. Repeat that about one hundred times and you get today’s ride. None of the hills were overly big, but man, there were a lot of them. In total we climbed almost two kilometres. The scenery was beautiful, but at the end of today I’m really tired.

In a complete coincidence, our tour doctor had a chat with us at tonight’s rider meeting. She wanted to go over wound care again, now that we are in more tropical and humid conditions. Part of that chat was also exhaustion and how at this point in the tour it’s perfectly natural to be really tired. I’m glad I’m feeling “natural” then. I’m really looking forward to our three day break when we get to Victoria Falls. It will be very welcome.

March 28, 2019 TDA Scott

TDA Stage 53 – Rain

Well, it finally happened. The rain that has been threatening for over a week, finally fell while I was riding, and it was wonderful! I started the day last out of camp after setting my alarm a bit too late. While everyone was eating, I was still packing my tent. No big deal, since I’m one of the stronger riders, I can afford to get out of camp a bit later. As I hit the road, I could see the rain moving across the lake, so it didn’t come as any surprise. I thought I might just be able to get in front of it, but not quite. When the first few drops started, I pulled over to bag my phone. I don’t have a fancy case for it, and I’m constantly taking it on and off my bike for photos, so I just popped it in a small ziplock so I could still see it if needed (I sometimes use it for navigation too).

It didn’t rain terribly hard, or long, but it was enough to keep me cool during the big climb we had in the morning. I found myself wishing it had kept on raining till just before lunch. It was quite refreshing. All in all, it rained for maybe 30-45 minutes. The overcast clouds kept the sun off us, but also partially obscured the views from the top of the climb. We were supposed to have a really nice view of Lake Malawi, but it wasn’t very nice in the grey, flat light. Oh well, everything can’t be perfect all the time. After lunch, the sun stayed out for good, and a solid headwind picked up to give us a challenging ride into camp. We are camped just outside a surprisingly large town called Mzuzu. I wasn’t expecting it to be as large as it is. Honestly, my knowledge of Malawi is pretty much zero. If you had asked me to point it out on a map before signing up for this tour, I’d have scratched my head, and looked confused. So far the riding has been nice, the people pleasant and the weather, hot and humid! Tonight is going to be our first night of comfortable sleeping. With the altitude gain, and the move away from the lake, it’s cooled down a bit and got less humid. Sleepy time!

March 27, 2019 TDA Scott

TDA Rest Day – Chitimba Beach

Rest, glorious rest. It seems like only two days ago we were resting in Mbeya…oh wait…we were. The difference, we are at a much nicer resort. While the sleeping arrangements don’t change (my tent), the facilities do. Chitimba Beach Resort is a wonderful place right on the shores of Lake Malawi. The washrooms are clean, there are lots of showers, a great bar (with cold Coke!) and of course a nice beach (if your into that sort of thing).

Because we had a rest day only two days ago, I didn’t feel the need to do laundry or any bike maintenance. I did finalize the arrangements to get my new rear wheel brought in, but that’s the only productive thing I did all day. The rest of the time was laying about enjoying the space.

When I think back to our rest day in Mbeya I’d almost call it a “recovery day”, rather than rest. The differences are subtle, but at the end of today I actually feel rested, whereas at the end of Mbeya my body had “recovered” from the stress I’d put on it, but I wouldn’t say I felt rested. Does that even make sense? Here I even had the energy to play a fun game of beach volleyball with a bunch of other riders. I got thoroughly filthy and coveted in sand.

Then it was time for dinner, a special treat of roast pig! It’s only the second time in two months that we have had the luxury of this wonderful, magic animal that gives of itself in so many delicious ways. The pork was fantastic and to top it off, our TDA doctor whipped up a fantastic chocolate “browny like” dessert as a treat for two riders birthdays. It was so yummy, I only ate five squares. 😁

March 27, 2019March 27, 2019 TDA Scott

TDA Stage 52 – Sweat

We continue to dodge the rain bullet. Last night while I was desperately trying to sleep in a pool of my own sweat, the thunder and the lightning started. It didn’t rain though. I emerged from my tent to watch the lightning off in the distance for a while, and the storm seemed to be heading right for us. I returned to batten down the hatches and prep for a good storm that never came.

The morning was bright and sunny with big cumulonimbus clouds boiling on the horizon all around us. As it was at night, it was muggy. But now with the sun up, the temperature was rising. We had a short ride of 91km, but most of us needed to stop for our SIM card dance on the way out of town. The Airtel store had been closed the day before, for inventory, so we had to all go in the morning. It made for a big line at the store, which I somehow managed to be second in. I got set up fairly quickly and headed out on my ride, but now I’d lost a good hour of early morning cycling. The humidity and heat was on full blast. It felt like I was swimming, not cycling. The heavy air just sucked the energy out of me and I plodded along at a very slow pace. The ride was mostly flat but it still took me till after 2pm to arrive at camp. On a normal day, I’d have been finished by 11am. Again, we are camped right next to Lake Malawi in a very nice facility called Chitimba Beach Camp. Its a beautiful and immaculate little resort that’s well suited for adventure tourists like our group, and they have cold coke! A VERY welcome drink at the end of a long, hot, humid day.

March 26, 2019March 27, 2019 TDA Scott

TDA Stage 51 – So Much Green

Today was our last day in Tanzania, and what an amazing day it was. Leaving Mbeya we had a steep, but short climb to the top of the small range of mountains behind the city. That’s where the fun began. A long winding decent on perfect roads made for a very fast and exhilarating ride. With the exception of a few small climbs the down hill extended all the way to Malawi border. The scenery along the way was absolutely stunning. Huge rolling hills planted with acres and acres of tea. Every shade of green you can imagine (and several you can’t) was represented.

I shall call the new shade of green…Vert

The only problem with coming down so far in altitude is it gets warmer. We are now camped along the shores of Lake Malawi, in…Malawi! Country number six on our roll across the continent, and a new one for me. We were warned it would get humid, and boy, did it get humid fast! You could start to feel it just before we crossed the border, and it just got warmer and more humid as we descended down to the lake. I’m sure the humidity is 80%+ and the temperature feels well over 30. I’m stewing in my tent right now. I wish I could open the door and remove the fly but I’d probably anger the rain gods by taking my fly off, and I’d have a 1000 mosquito bites plus malaria in the morning, if I leave the door open. At least I’ll be well marinated tomorrow.