SA Rocks

Tim and Bruce are cycling across Africa in the Tour ‘d Afrique race from Cairo to Cape Town. They started on the 9th Jan 2009 and are due to finish on the 9th May. They are trying to race funds for a charity to build 2 classrooms for a rural school in the Eastern Cape, so far they’ve raised R140,000 out of the R180,000 which they need. Below is their recent report back on their Botswana leg:

Explosive diarrhoea… done.
Cracked ribs… done.
Bacterial illness Giardia***… done.
Worm infection… done.
Bloody wipeout… done.
10 000km… done!

Botswana marked the eighth country in our charitable biking adventure started over three months ago, and with only 13 riding days left from Windhoek until we ride into Cape Town on 9 May, we’re unbelievably close to the end, as well as being pretty buggered.

Botswana was tough. Tough because the forecasted tailwinds were mainly headwinds. Tough because on average we rode 162km each day. Tough because the roads were boringly flat. And tough because we had the longest day of the whole Tour there – a 207km beast.

Botswana was also magical though. Magical because of all the wide open bush. Magical because of the cool mornings. Magical because of the ocean-blue skies. Magical because of the elephants. And magical because of the deep red sunsets each night.

Botswana also threw us some curve balls health-wise. Bruce battled through bouts of explosive diarrhoea and terrible stomach pain on a daily basis, courtesy of a nasty bacterial infection called Giardia. A doctor was seen in Maun, heavy antibiotics were prescribed, and the lad with the Rhino-sized legs is finally on the mend. As for myself, the worm I picked up in Zambia on the sole of my foot kept me company for a little longer than expected, and the blood blister it formed had to be lanced and drained a few times after the longer days.

Health issues dealt with, we’re both in great spirits this wet Windhoek morning as we nurse stiff legs and sore asses on a much-needed rest day. The past two day’s riding in Namibia have been long and hard thanks to headwinds, but by the time you read this, we would have turned South on dirt roads where some challenging stages await us as we take 8 days to get to the South African border.

It really does feel like we’re in the homestretch now, but with some 1700km still to go and with R40,000 still to raise for Hebron School, we’ve still got a long way to go before this adventure comes to an end.

As always, thanks to those who have already donated and thanks to those who continue to support us and this cause by spreading the word far and wide.

For a detailed look into the ups and downs of our lives over this last section and the drama of the International Team Time Trial, check out our daily diary (link here) and gallery (link here).

Similar Posts:

• Cycle2Learn – Iringa to Lilongwe, Tanzania
• Cycle2Learn – Lilongwe to Victoria Falls
• Cycle2Learn.org – Windhoek to the South African border
• Cycling from Cairo to Cape Town, why?
• Cycling from Cairo to Cape Town for charity: Nairobi to Iringa, Tanzania

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