a near accident

  Hi all,     there was too much going on during the last days to keep sms communication going. So, I had to find an internet cafe to send you an update directly. Whoever voted me the most insane person to do this trip - hold you breath.   PS on 5 Feb I didn't mention my fall in yesterday's update as I had hoped it wasn't a big issue. I was riding along on a high traffic road and found myself with a bus infront and one behind me. To avoid a collision I hopped appr 30 cm down from the road to the shoulder lane onto what looked like gravel but turned out to be deep sand. I couldn't keep my balance and crashed ... After feedling sorry for myself for some minutes I realised that I had no option than getting up and riding to camp - and thats what I did   6 Feb Except of some scratches and bruises I was feeling fine, so got onto the bike for another 160 ks. That on its own would not have been as challening as it sounds as the roads are flat and we had a nice tail wind. But there were these dozens of children in every village walking straight into the road, throwing stones, hitting us with sticks ... If felt like we were on a walk of public punishment (I am aware that Sudan is under Sharia law, but would never have interpreted it that way). It is understandable that the kids are absolutely mesmerized by these aliens who seem to have fallen out of the sky, clad in bright colours and riding shiny bicycles. I only wish they could take into account that we are actually quite fragile creatures. As a result some riders had rather bad falls , and the mood that evening was a bit edgy.   7 Feb Today was leading us off road (and away from rocket like busses and stone throwing kids). The distance was 140 km so we assumed it must be rather good gravel road and looked forward to the day ahead. We had assumed wrongly. The dirt was extremely difficult to navigate and I was moving at an average of 12 km/hr. Needless to say that I did not make the full distance that day. Also I had developed a nasty pain in my ribcage from the fall 2 days ago and suspected some damage (had it checked it just seems to be bruised - but I couldnt laugh for the last 4 days). That caused me to climb onto the truck and there I have stayed for the last couple of days.   8 Feb When the TDA guys discovered that the Sudanese roads were paved and we could move faster than planned they were looking for some new section to add in. They found Dinder National Park. This is the only National Park in Sudan and was recently reopend after beeing closed for 10 years. We were going to be the first foreigners allowed inside. Riding distance was 140 km again and due to the terrain no support vehicles could go through the park, so rescue could become a bit of an issue. As I was on the truck I didnt get to see the park but had a rather eventful day nonetheless. These trucks are 4x4 heavy duty vehicles but are not exactly made for nonexisting roads and dry river beds. We had to get out once in a while and throw rocks under the wheels to stop it from rolling backwards. And at some stage we drove through a big village with lots of electicity lines hanging low over the road. So some guys were climbing onto the roof and held them up with broom sticks so we could get through. The villages in this part of Sudan were fascinating. Although clearly poor and build mainly from grass mats every village has generators, water pumps, and satelite dishes! While I was seeing all this the others were in for an adventure of sorts. The terrain in the park was so difficult that even experienced mountain bikers said they could not take their eyes off the ground directly infront of the bike or they would fall (and most of us are on road bikes of sorts). There was a guide around who at some stage told the riders that he had just seen 5 lions walking past. As he was the only one having seen them, we declared Sudanese lions to be invisible. It was a very long day for all of us. The fastest cyclists took 11 hours to finish, the truck needed 10, and obviously lots of people didnt make it and addiditional 4x4s had to be rented to get the stranded people out. This took half the night and everybody was very exhausted.   9 Feb The exhaustion is claiming its victims. There were 20 people hopping on the trucks this morning, while the others were in for a 2nd long day in the dirt. You might have seen pictures of desert which dries into a surface with big cracks. That was part of the riding terrain today. And some of the cracks in the ground were so big that the bicycle wheels were simply disappearing into them. I have huge respect of the people who still have EFI status (the ones who are cycling the whole distance every day). There is some endurance and fighting spirit in these guys that I can only admire. And again people were only riding into camp in the late afternoon. Camp was at the border to Ethiopia and we were planning to cross during the next morning. As you can image a lot of people were really tired by now (and I could still not ride because of my rib). So, a whole bunch of us decided to hire a vehicle and start our rest day in Gondor 2 days early. We ended up being 17 people, hired a van, and covered the 2 day cycling distance (and the 3500 m climb) in 3 hours, settled into a nice hotel with a great view, and had G&Ts on the terrace which tasted great after the alcohol free Sudan.   10 Feb We were doing the tourist thing in the morning. Gondor has a totaly un-african flair with an Italian like piazza and a 17th century castle. Ethiopia has a very unique history (the only African country which was never colonised and has a Christian culture since 400 ac). I always wanted to travel here and as it seems to be nightmare for cyclists I am planning to take some time off in a week or so to check it out. While the children on the side off the road in Sudan were an annoyance, here they are a real hazzard. The guys who cycled today got a first taste of it. They were shot at with rocks out of sling shots, got sticks pushed into their wheels etc. This seems to be the typical Ethiopian thing - we were told about it before - and nobody can explain it. To make this rather eventful week complete, one of the trucks blew its engine on the way to Gondor today and now we are stranded here for at least one more day. We all gathered at the hotel's terrace in the afternoon. Take 60 exhausted cyclists who had no access to beer for more than 2 weeks, give them a nice spot, an unexpected additional day off, and a well equipped bar - you can imagine the party.   11 Feb For some unclear reason the hotel staff was a bit grumpy this morning ...