Exuberance! That's the best word to describe how we feel this morning as we prepare for the last leg of our journey. None of us can believe that the last day of riding is here and soon we will be arriving in Morogoro to see what all our hard work goes towards!
Click here for a good tune..... Umoja Wa Tanzania
The day dawns glorious over our camp. We even have dry, clean clothes this morning - what a treat.
loading up the bikes for the transfer
At the morning briefing Simon tells us the the whole morning will be FLAT! Of course, after lunch we will finish with a traditional ICT climb to the finish. The climb will be 1.5km straight up - the goods news is that it will be paved. We figure we can do anything that's paved.
Once again we will need to transfer about 45 minutes to a better starting place as the roads just aren't good where we are. It's off to the buses again. This time we need to go out of the camp on foot because the buses can't make it into camp. So off we go, hi-ho, hi-ho. Everyone is in excellent spirits, sooo different from the day before.
the walk out of camp
Before we can get on our bus, the driver and his buddy are trying to pry a rock out from between the double wheels. That takes a few minutes to sort out. Then, we all pile into the two buses. The bus that I'm taking is almost full as I am about to enter. All of a sudden we hear a commotion and some screaming coming from the bus. Within seconds, people start to fly out of that bus so fast, even the men scramble out quickly. I really wish I had video of this, as it is hilarious! Apparently we have an ENORMOUS rat cruising around the bus. A few of the guys (bus driver, Ahsante guys and our fearless leader Simon) get back into the bus to see what the deal is. Whatever it is gives the guys a run for their money. Finally it is killed or stunned and they need to go into the back luggage compartment to fish it out. Simon comes out brandishing a rather small mouse, not at all as described, but still a bit nasty to look at. Lots of good laughs over that one I can tell you!
the RAT!
That done, we turn to see the other bus has got stuck. You see, the road is too narrow for the bus to turn and the back wheels have gotten stuck in the ditch. Sooo, the guys all go over to push Bus #1 out. Over at Bus #2, we decide maybe we should let the driver turn around BEFORE we get in. He manages to turn without problem and we all pile in.
After a few minutes on the road, we can completely understand why we are not cycling this part. The "road", if it can be called that, is almost impassable. The drivers manage it somehow. I think the bus ride is actually bumpier than some of our riding has been. After about an hour and a pee pit stop, we do finally make it to our start point.
sorry guys, had to capture that one!
We water up, take another bathroom break, then gear up to get on our bikes. The ride today is nice and "relatively" flat. The foliage is more lush now as well, which gives us occasional shade. The only not so great thing is that the traffic picks up a bit, and if we are not careful we get clipped by passing motorcycles - no really - they almost knock me off the bike once. On roads with traffic, we Americans still need to remind ourselves to stay on the left side of the road.
the Chicago crowd!
On this last day of cycling, the crowds at the sides of the roads are bigger, we are in more populated areas. Countless number of people yell "Mambo!" our way and we all in great spirits yell "Mambo Poa!" back to them. Many of us take the time to stop and savor the ride, taking photos and drinking in the sites. The going is just fantastic and so much FUN!
As I pedal along, I take a moment to reflect.....
First my Chicago mates comes to mind. I think about Dawn and Marty, what a pair they are! Always sticking close together, how well they complement each other. I remember when Marty expressed his concerns that he wouldn't be up for the challenge. They are so strong! Both of them have persevered and ridden EVERY single kilometer of the ride. No bus rides for them. I am really impressed by their endurance.
Then I think about Marlies. At the beginning of the week she was beating herself up and about to give up, so sure that she couldn't handle the hills. She has done a complete mental 360 and now tackles anything that is thrown at her with strength and good humor. Her cycling has definitely improved over the course of the week.
Then there's Antje, our little Chicago social butterfly. She too has been really strong physically through this ride. You never can be quite sure where in the pack you'll find her. Sometimes she's up front, sometimes in the middle, sometimes at the back. I am convinced that she purposefully rides in different areas just to get to know people. She is warm and funny, perceptive and just plain great to be around. I see her bonding with all the different riders, what a great spirit. I have really come to enjoy her personality, can't wait to continue that friendship.
And then there's Josh. He starts out quiet, but then blossoms as the week passes. He keeps on pushing through the cycle, even when the going gets a bit tough. Thank God he finally got rid of that heater/helmet - I think that made things so much easier :)) I think Josh surely had a fantastic time in many ways - you all know what I mean :))
And how much fun has it been to watch the younger crowd zip up to the front and hold it every day? Wish I had their energy! And Phil, with his big smile and goofy good humor made me smile countless times over the ride. Of course, we couldn't help but be impressed by all the veteran cycle challengers, after riding this week, I know what these things mean now!
Our fearless Action Challenge leaders - Simon, Will and Nicola, they kept us on the path through all the ups (literally) and downs, kept us healthy and in good spirits. What a logistical nightmare this must have been, Nikki was a serious champ! But, hey, lets not forget they were riding right along with us the whole time too, leaders leading by example. They really made our experience a great and safe one.
I try to say out everyone's name in my head.....Chris and Wendy (another lovely pair), Jeremy, Malcolm, Justine, Yohan and Bertrand (our Frenchies), Jacob, Sophie, Pip, Rachel, Matt, Patrick, the amazing Monique, Michael, Mark, Lisa and Lisa, Jenny, Johnny our fearless cameraman, Graeme, Kay, Geoff, Ellie, Debbie, Clare, David, Caroline, Caroline again, Bridget, Amanda, Alex, Ian, Alex, Juli, Elisha, did I forget someone??
Then there's Maggie O'Grady. Of course, for me, she's a great friend whom I met 15 years ago in a Jazz bar in West Africa. What could I say about her? She makes this all possible and not to entertain a bunch of Westerners, but because of her devotion to the vulnerable children that she helps through International Childcare Trust. She rode this week with the best of the riders, only slowing down when she thought it wisest, toughing it out despite the shiner! What many of you didn't see (I did because she was my roomy) was that Maggie never rested until the last rider was in on each stop, she never used the toilets or showers until everyone else had, she did not find her bag, get her tent or eat her food until everyone else had already done so. It took even me a day or so to see that she was doing this. She silently cared for us in her way, made sure to speak with all of us throughout the journey, made sure everyone was happy and well. She was always aware that she was the example for us all in this effort. She is a true inspiration to me on many levels and someone I am so very proud to call friend. I am more proud to have been able to participate in this challenge and help those kids in any way I can. A big giant THANK YOU to Magz!
So those thoughts said, lunch stop was nice and relaxing under the shade of some beautiful Indian Almond Trees. Mini naps were had by many and we just tried to savor our last lunch on the road.
our last stretch together
Alex off in a corner snoozing under a tree
Lunch done, we knew that we had our biggest challenge yet ahead of us. THE HILL. It must be said that the road getting to the hill was rather hilly in it's own right. I was pretty breathy by the time I reached the bottom of that damned hill! At the bottom, I decided to take a small break and drink up as much electrolyte-filled water as I could. Also gobbled a yummy (not) GU energy gel (those things really work by the way). I (with a few other people) planned my strategy at the bottom there. I was going to take it reeeealllly slow. Gears at 1/1 all the way (the only way it was actually possible). I would attack that hill in chunks. I proceeded to just climb bit by bit, stopping when my legs were screaming too much and my breath was gone. I must have stopped at least 4 times on the way up for 5 minute breaks. At the middle hairpin curve, I walked the bike a bit. Simon was there as well, making sure we all got up okay. He had to give me a push when I got back on. It was so steep you couldn't get started without rolling backwards - kind of tricky I tell you! Honestly though, walking it was actually harder than riding it. Slowly, slowly I made progress. Sometimes passing someone, most times falling back a bit. I was just determined not to let it get the best of me. When I was up against the last hairpin turn, I saw Jeremy waving us up. He cheered loudly and assured us that we were almost there, just a few more feet. That helped tremendously to know that the summit was in sight and that I could make it to the finish. I arrived with the whole group cheering me on by name (does anyone have a photo from the top???). I wasn't last, but damn near so. I didn't even care, I just knew that I had made it through the worst bit and from here on out it was smooth sailing!
After a brief rest, it was on to the finish. We all donned our ICT jerseys to ride to the finish. There were still a few more hills, but they didn't seem too bad after the biggy. There was also still LOTS of rocky road (yeah, the tarmac ended on the flip side of the hill, apparently it was only there to prevent trucks from slipping backwards!) My old intestines were really feeling the damage towards the end, then suddenly our "float" (as promised in the literature) to the finish appeared and we were on an actual paved road! Everyone picked up the pace considerably and as we zoomed down the road single file (there was lots of traffic on that actual road), we had our biggest accident yet! Can you believe it? On tarmac, only a few kilometers to go and we have a multiple-people pile up. Guess we got a little over excited and a little too bunched up - peloton style! Thankfully, no one was hurt too badly (lots of scraped and bruises), so onward we went.
Finally, at the foot of the mountains, next to a soccer match, we stopped and waited so that the Ahsante guys could stage our finish into the Morogoro Hotel. We went one by one into the hotel. Everyone was lined up cheering us through as Johnny filmed. What a triumphant moment! It may not be the Tour de France - but I sure did feel like a winner! We dropped our bikes and all ran together for hugs and cheers and triumphant singing and dancing. Ice cold beers were shoved into our hands and many were teary- eyed and elated. What a fantastic journey, what a tough personal challenge, what an incredible cause it was all for. At that moment, I felt so full of gratitude to be able to have been a part of it all, and so grateful that I had made it! We were all quite emotional.
a brief pause before our grand entrance at the finish line
our route
KWAHERI BAISKELI !! (Goodbye Bikes)
After much celebration we all headed to our rooms for a much needed shower, only to meet up again later for drinks at the bar and dinner. Tonight, I don't have to worry about drinking too much or being too tired.
I CAN CELEBRATE!!!