One Day down, One hundred and nineteen to go…

Day 1 of this year’s edition of the Tour d’Afrique is done. The riders are camped out in the Sinai desert after a long day of convoy riding and as a few snores fill the Egypt air the reality has now really set in that there isn’t any turning back any more. Although everyone is yet to settle into the daily tour routine the first day went smoothly and it should be in no time at all that we arrive at the ferry crossing to enter the Sudan.

For the next few days riders will be enjoying some of the best paved roads they’ll find in Africa. The road is smooth, flat and the wind seems to be working with them, more than against. Racing will start in all seriousness on Sunday with the first mandatory stage to take place over approximately 160km. This will be one of the longest days of the whole tour and the presence of a team of local Egyptian racers as well as fresh legs all round mean we might see some fast racing.

But before that there’s some time to admire the star-filled sky and the chilly desert air.