Gin & Tonics in Lilongwe

The end of the Malawi Gin section arrived today with Chris Maund enjoying his first section win. The flying Dutch woman, Eva Nijssen, took out the women’s section but Janet Alexander will be racing next section – welcome back to the women’s competition. The roads were smooth, and the hills lay low and, as it was a non race day, everyone was taking their time getting to lunch, relaxed and happy. A slight head wind made the riders earn their keep for the morning half of the ride but after lunch it all but disappeared, as did any major climbs and the bikes and their riders cruised on into Lilongwe in fairly decent time. The local were out in force again and continue to be a bright, happy and cheery sight lining the sides of the roads. Mabuya Camp is our destination and it’s shady, leafy and green appearance in a quiet part of the city was a welcome sight as were the bungalows (snapped up fairly quickly by riders). Sitting on the verandah, enjoying a gin and tonic was the flavor of the afternoon as riders did their washing, checked emails, got Dean to work on their bikes and hung out…oh, and enjoyed some delightfully fresh showers too! Tomorrow we have bike donation number two thanks to Andy Cameron’s fundraising efforts. Twenty four bikes will be on their way to the youth organization CAYO. The rest of the day…eat, sleep, relax and prepare for a border crossing into yet another African country, Zambia!