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Driving in Africa



 
            (photo by Jason Becker)

Driving in Africa is fun, stressful and at times exhausting.  On any given day you are just as likely to see donkeys, kudu or cows standing in or crossing the road as you are pedestrian and vehicular traffic.  Road conditions vary from smooth pavement (thank you China!) to rutted tracks and potholed tarmac.  In the first 3 countries of the Tour d’Afrique we drive on the right hand side of the road.  In the last seven we drive on the left.  Being from America I was at first worried about driving on the “wrong” side of the road but you get used to it pretty quick.  The steering column is also on the “wrong” side of the car so it feels naturals to drive on the left. 

The way drivers in Africa communicate with each other is quite different.  Horns are not just used when someone is angry or to point out that someone is doing something wrong but to say hello, indicate a pass, offer a lift etc…  Turn signals as well are used to indicate when to pass safely (right blinker on), which side to pass on and at night, the size of the vehicle approaching.  African drivers, in one sense, are some of the best drivers in the world.  They know exactly where the edges of their vehicles are and can make a pass or squeeze through a tight spot with the smallest of margins.  They drive small, two-door cars in various states of repair on rough, muddy roads that even intrepid soccer moms in the west would not take their SUVs on. 

The rural areas of Africa are often quite fun and pleasant to drive in.  Herds of cattle and goats, wandering donkeys and chickens mean you have to stay alert and watch your speed but in general traffic is light, the roads are good enough and the scenery is entertaining.  Cities are another story.  Overcrowded roads, a lack of signs and non-existent or faded road markings make driving in cities like Cairo, Addis Ababa and Nairobi stressful and dangerous.  The rules of the road often seem as non-existent as the lane markers and road signs.  Drivers weave their vehicle in and out of traffic ignoring lane markers, narrowly missing each other and playing chicken with oncoming traffic at speeds that are better suited to race tracks than roadways.   Minibuses stop every 200 meters at overcrowded bus stops and block the road. Huge transport trucks navigate the narrow streets, barely missing overhanging electric lines.  Bikes, push carts and pedestrians are everywhere, dodging cars and trucks in the ultimate game of Frogger. 


Driving in Africa is nothing if not interesting.   

Posted May 03, 2010 by Paul McManus
Namibia | Ramblings | Tour Updates 		Btn_share_twitter Btn_share_facebook


White Gold

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Toilet paper, or White Gold, as many Td’A riders call it, is a constant companion to everyone on the Tour. Sooner or later, however, you are bound to find yourself with a pressing need for some but with none to be found. For those rare, yet somehow all too often times here is a tip on how to use other paper items in place of the White Gold.

First you must have some other kind of paper; a receipt, magazine, old journal entry etc… Once you’ve located a source of paper you need to use a technique I call “Crumple, Crumple, Smooth”. Take your piece of paper and crumple it thoroughly, then smooth it flat. Repeat three times and it is ready for use.

It’s not quite 3 ply Charmin but it will get you through.

Posted March 29, 2009 by Paul McManus
Malawi | Tour Updates 		Btn_share_twitter Btn_share_facebook


EFI

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Twelve men and one woman are still holding EFI status on this year’s Tour. EFI status is reserved for those riders who complete every stage of The Tour or ride Every F*cking Inch. It sounds like a simple task and most riders at the start of The Tour are keen to achieve EFI status. But here we are 1/3 of the way to Cape Town and more than 2/3rds of the riders have had to ride the trucks and lost their EFI status.  

Even some of the most experienced and strongest riders on The Tour have succumbed to illness, injury, mechanical failure or fatigue. To successfully achieve EFI status you must be vigilant about your health and cleanliness. Being a strong rider is important but having the discipline to pace yourself day after day so you don’t become too fatigued is equally important. Mental toughness is perhaps the most common characteristic of our EFI riders. Everyone who is still EFI on Tour has had to tough out some really grueling days. It has been inspiring to watch these men and women push their limits & the sense of accomplishment they feel must be a great reward.  

With the hardest days of The Tour just ahead of us in Northern Kenya we will probably lose a few more EFI’ers. I hope not, but the chances are high. I wish all our riders the best, it’s a tough Tour, EFI or not.  

Still EFI:

Allan Benn Malcolm Campbell

Tim Gane Taryn Laurie

Ivo Limpens Nick Marr

Bruce McPhail Marcel Oude Geerdink

Nick Padt Paul Porter

Graeme Scrivener Lloyd Strong

Craig Tingle  


Posted February 24, 2009 by Paul McManus
Ethiopia | Ramblings | Tour Updates 		Btn_share_twitter Btn_share_facebook


YMCA

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He came up from the river, bottle in hand, taking swigs as he walked and swishing it in his mouth and spitting onto the dusty ground.  Behind him a tuk-tuk driver was washing his vehicle on the banks of the White Nile.  The eleven of us had come here by bus earlier that morning to take a boat ride to the confluence of the White Nile, which runs North from Lake Victoria in Uganda, and the Blue Nile which starts in Lake Tana in Ethiopia.  Our host for the day were from the Khartoum YMCA, which works in partnership with the YMCA in Canada and Germany to provide English lessons and vocational training to the youth of Khartoum. 

Werner Bitzer, one of our riders who is raising money for the YMCA as part of his trip had arranged for Wageeh, the president of the Khartoum YMCA, to take us to a Camp for internally displaced persons earlier that day. The camp, originally built for 70 people, now hosts about 300 orphans mostly from the south of Sudan.  The camp amounted to not much more than as shanty town of loosely built mud brick buildings and shacks built from scrap wood and burlap sacks. 
The YMCA plays a critical role in supplementing the diet of the residents and also provides qualified teachers to the population there.  As many as 3 families share a area not much bigger than 8 meters square.  While the conditions are squalid and difficult, there is a sense of community and hope.  My emotions are so mixed they are difficult to understand.  But I am glad to have had the opportunity to visit this place and learn more about the Sudan. 

The young man approached us from river, drinking from the bottle he had filled in the Nile.  The water was murky and didn't look safe to drink.  He offered me a taste but I politely refused.  He said something to Wageeh in Arabic that I didn't understand.  "he says he want you to drink from the Nile, because is is said that once you drink from the Nile, you will always return to Sudan"  The sentiment was so nice, I took the bottle and drank.  "Inshallah" I said, if God wills.

Posted January 31, 2009 by Paul McManus
Ramblings | Sudan | Tour Updates 		Btn_share_twitter Btn_share_facebook


Dongola to Canal Camp (Dead Camel Camp)

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‘Damn, they must of upped the pace when I stopped’  I knew it was going to be tough to catch back on if I stopped for the picture, but the opportunity to capture a herd of 50 or 60 camels crossing the desert was just too enticing..  The road we are on today follows a popular route for driving camels, donkeys and other animals to market and the desert next to the road is littered with the carcasses of the ones that didn’t survive the journey.  It’s a bit surreal racing along at 42 km/hr surrounded by desert and the dried remains of camels, cows, dogs and donkeys but I can’t think about that now, I’ve got o catch back on before lunch or I’ll never see the front of the pack again.   

Everyone had a great rest day in Dongola.  We drank our fill of hibiscus and chai tea and ate enough fuul and goat meat to refuel our depleted energy stores from 3 hard days of off road racing.  The hospitality of the Sudanese people is amazing and has really helped everyone relax and enjoy the markets and shops to the fullest.  The pace of the race group leaving Dongola was moderate, 35km/hr with all 17 of us rotating and sharing the work.  When I stopped for the photo I thought it would be easy to catch back on but I’ve been pedaling at top speed for 20 minutes and even though I can see ahead for 2km, the front group is nowhere in sight. 

 

I can picture the group in my head.  Alan and Nick at the front driving the pace, Brian sitting in, riding smart and planning his tactics to limit his losses or maybe take another stage win.  Malcolm and Paul would be right up front too.  The rest of the group would be sharing the work when they could but ready to slow down whenever possible, especially the mountain bikers who don’t have the proper gearing for these flat, paved sections.  Finally, I catch a few racers who have been dropped from the group.  But in a few more km I see lunch truck.  Just enough time to wolf down a quick sandwich and the racers are off again, 58 km to the finish.

 

The pace from lunch is again moderate for the first 28km, then Nick and Allan explode off the front and the chase is on.  I find Paul Porter’s wheel and stay in his draft for a bit before jumping across the gap to the lead group.  There are only five of us now off the front:  Nick, Allan, Malcolm, Paul and myself.  We quickly settle into 1 km pulls and maintain a brisk 43km/hr pace.  At 15 km to go the crosswind becomes stronger and the pedaling is hard now, but we keep pushing, trying to extend our lead.  10 km to go and the road turns again, almost full headwind now, we’re all tired.  At 2km to go we spot the finish flag but no one wants to lead out.  The headwind is too strong and whoever leads out will probably not have enough strength left for the sprint.  But Malcolm takes a gamble and jumps off the front.  No one chases, we all think he’s gone too early.  At 1km to go Malcolm still has a gap and Allan starts the chase with Nick and Paul on his wheel.  Malcolm is riding strong despite the head wind and hard efforts of the day and they can’t catch him.  Malcolm takes his first stage win of the tour followed by Allan, Nick and Paul.  Congratulations and high fives are shared as we laugh and recap the race to Mark who was at the finish line to time us.  On to camp for some hot soup, a swim in the canal and a quick game of desert cricket. 


Posted January 26, 2009 by Paul McManus
Race Updates | Sudan | Tour Updates 		Btn_share_twitter Btn_share_facebook