UPDATED April 8, 2013

BY Michael Coo

IN Tour d'Afrique

8 comments

UPDATED April 8, 2013

BY Michael Coo

IN Tour d'Afrique

8 comments

Lusaka Update from #tda2013

The TDA 2013 has now completed about 75% of its journey; in time, not distance. From here on in, the daily distances increase, culminating in an epic 207km ride in Botswana. At this point in the tour the riders begin to see, just vaguely, the end of this amazing adventure. Cyclists start counting down the remaining riding days and turning their minds to life outside the TDA bubble. Laughter gets louder and the parties go longer as the finish line inevitably approaches.

Local_marketThe riders have spent the last 3 weeks spinning their way through the hills and villages of Malawi & Zambia. Roadside markets and friendly children have been constant companions. Despite the colour and seeming abundance of the farmers’ foods for sale, the truth is that this is the ‘hungry season’ when the local populace tries to sell the food for cash instead of eating it for sustenance. TDA tries to help out by feeding the lunch left-overs to anybody who happens to live in the area (under the strict supervision of Captain Noah, of course).

Noah_hands_out_the_leftoversWhile struggling along the way, our riders have been reminded that the locals sometimes face much more challenging conditions than they do.

Bike_cargoAnd then the TDA 2013 cyclists also have some time to relax. Even after a 172km day, they managed to enjoy a cruise on the iconic South Luangwa River. So the tour eases into its last month with a 3 day ride to the incomparable Victoria Falls where the riders have 2 days off to enjoy the many activities on offer.

And I head back to Toronto having had the pleasure of hanging with some pretty unique and amazing characters; Marco, one of our Italian riders, with his wallet reminiscent of a Seinfeld episode (see Marco’s wallet below); a driver who spent his lunch stops negotiating with the locals for a wife for his nephew – Malawian women are apparently known as faithful and hard workers – the cost? 6-8 cattle plus a pick-up if she is really beautiful; a staff member who, like a Borg, is glued to his Twitter feed; IT professionals who have quit their lucrative jobs; alumni who have returned to try the experience again after 10 years…

All this and more makes the Tour d’Afrique what it is – part expedition, part social experiment, part madness…and the mixture of these three ingredients can change from day to day, from hour to hour and, sometimes, from minute to minute.

Marco_s_walletOn_the_river

Stay_right

8 Comments for "Lusaka Update from #tda2013"

I will be sad when the trip is all over. Every morning when I get up, the first thing I do is check in to read what is new with TDA.

    We’re glad you have been enjoying it Catharine. There is always next year… and the stories from our summer and fall tours also 🙂
    Enjoy the final month of the TDA blogs.

Agree, the updates are fantastic. Keeps me in touch with my brother’s (Mike) and the team’s progress.

My husband Lindsay now leaves the Tour, having completed the sections through Tanzania and Malawi that he missed in 2011, when he caught typhoid while riding the whole Tour d’Afrique. He is returning home (NZ) with very mixed feelings, knowing what is ahead for the riders and perhaps feeling he should be carrying on, and leaving behind yet another great bunch of people. However he feels a great sense of achievement in having ‘joined the dots’ on his TDA map – not quite EFI, but near enough!

Go well the rest of the riders, particularly our friend Vince, and the other Kiwi riders – John, Daniel and Anne. Kia kaha.

its has been inspiring to see and meet people on this tour, i was invinted to have a quick snack in chongwe, it proved to be a blessin, i made friends!!!!!! Hoping to join the tour next year when more organised and train for it……. I cant wait for next year!

    Thanks for the message Chifuchi and glad you had the opportunity to meet our strange group. We hope to see you next year.

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