Kentz Engineers & Constructors Cairo to Capetown Cycle Challenge

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On Sunday January 13th 2008, I, Conor Patrick Devine (Spider) will cycle from Cairo in Egypt to Cape Town in South Africa. Those of you who know me best will know that I cycle most places. Those of you who don’t know me – now you know ! It will be a true test of my mental & physical limits. As most people think I am stupid to undertake this journey hopefully there will be no mental limits !

Thanks !

I would like to thank Kentz Engineers & Constructors for all their support in getting my project off the ground. They have provided me with the once in a life time opportunity to raise much needed funds for Aids education in Africa as I visit my charity projects along my journey. I am hence able to see exactly where the money I raised is going and meet people affected by Aids. I am also looking forward to meeting the much obliging Pat Cass in Capetown !

Robbie, Damien and the lads at The Great Outdoors camping shop have provided me with amazing gear, of which everything has a daily use. They ensured I had all the best brands for my expedition and provided me with excellent expert advice. My North Face tadpole tent is the perfect home from home.

I would like to also thank Paul and all the gang at Centro Cycles who were extremley helpful and generous with my biking equipment. I was then quite the novice about bikes but they soon educated me and made sure I had all the right equipment to tackle the toughest terrain.

So why bother ? Give me a reason

I will make this journey for a cause which fights to prevent the spread of Aids in Africa - Aids Partnership with Africa (APA www.apa.ie) The main objective is to capture as much of the public’s imagination & support as possible. This expedition will test both physical and mental limits and so your support is greatly appreciated. Anybody can be involved from communities to corporations.

THE RACE

On the road Blog

Day 2 Sunday 13th January 2008 - "The winds of change" 168kms I woke up at sunrise this morning jumped out of my tent only to be met with another really strong wind. I was absolutely delighted, especially when I found out that it was going in a South/South Easterly direction and would be pushing me forward all day. This was the wind we had been promised yesterday and it delivered us to our new desert camp outside Rasgharib in record time. The day was an absolute pleasure as we rarely cycled below 30kmph.

Day 3 Monday 14th January - "Hello Red Sea" 138kms Today we enjoyed more of those Southerly winds on our backs. After a couple of days of seeing only desert barren landscape we were treated to the Red Sea. This was on our left all day as we journeyed South. The road conditions are excellent and spirits are high. I am starting to notice pain in my knees but it's to be expected with such distances to be covered. I set up camp in the desert again beside the Red Sea outside the city of Hurghada. I get a cheeky swim in and retire as usual at sunset and try to rest up my knees.

Day 4 Tuesday 15th January - "Goodbye Red Sea" 110kms The conditions are excellent once again. The things like wind, road, tyre pressure which I have previously taken for granted are critical to getting from A to B comfortably and quickly. Had I not experienced the conditions from my first day I wouldn't know how lucky I am today. I leave my desert camp as usual at sunrise and cycle towards the town of Safaga where a lovely beach and perhaps a cool beer awaits me. As much as I miss the solitude of the desert and ample personal space it's great to get into a town and have a look around. I take another swim in the Red Sea and have a proper feed as I try to "beef up" before I hit Sudan next week. When I leave the Red Sea in the morning I won't see an ocean again until I reach Cape Town in May.

Day 5 Wednesday 16th January- "Back to the desert" 140kms Today I was warned that if I want to get to the outskirts of Qena I have to pass 40kms of uphill desert to an altitude of 1200 metres. Not just that but also the road lanes are very small with cargo trucks only using the route. There is a very strong crosswind. Today was very difficult and my knees are seizing up pretty bad. Nothing a good stretch and painkillers won't sort out. I eventually make it to the outskirts of Qena and manage to set up a desert camp. Apparently there are a lot of deadly scorpions in this desert area and I am instructed not to leave my tent no matter how bad I have to go ! However I have the prospect of a day off in Luxor to look forward to tomorrow and a very short cycle there to the tune of 95kms.

Day 6 Thursday 17th January - "Back to civilisation" 95kms Today's cycle was made a lot easier with the prospect of arriving in Luxor. This means being able to take a shower and sort out my gear. There are also a lot of tours to do there like visiting the Valley of The Kings and the Karnak Temple. As I leave my desert camp I journey towards Qina where I am reacquainted with my good friend Nile. As soon as I meet the river there are thousands of farms and schools. To say that people are dependant on it is a vast understatement. Kids are running beside the bike shouting "hello", "what's your name" & the favorite "Money, Money" I presume they know what all of the aforementioned mean.
As I look to my right I see a long flat mountain which spurs me on. It looks like Table Mountain in Cape Town and although I have never been there it's a reminder of how far away my goal is.As I enter Luxor still on the Nile, the kids start to throw things at me – stones, sticks and donkey / camel poo (not sure which) I pull in to try and make a little peace.

Maybe take a picture or give them some of the little toys I brought with me so as to make peace in these type of situations. They are not interested in the toys or photos ! Instead they begin to strip my bike of all my essentials for cycling – odometer, pump, water bottle, tool box & compass.

After a few hectic minutes of running in all directions I have recovered all my belongings. I had to use my mad face. I eventually get my gear back and cycle off. I crossed a railroad and got a flat tyre. Hoping it was just a flat and not a puncture I immediately pumped it up. The kids saw me stopping again and started to run at me. I got away but only just. I had visions of the skeleton of my bike sitting on bricks with no tires on.

I was wrong it was a puncture and I needed to change my tyre. I made it to a nearby police checkpoint and asked the officer there in my pigeon Arabic to keep the curios stone wielding kids at bay while I got busy. He obliged but only just and my exit from the checkpoint was like bat out of hell as the kids continued to sprint after me. It was an awesome day on the saddle but I learnt a few things about stopping over for pugnacious youths !!

I look forward to stopping in Luxor. I'm taking a rest day and will be resting my knees and seeing the Valley of the Kings, the Karnak Temple and drinking a few victory beers !

Day 7 Friday 18th January - "A rest day in Luxor" Today was my first rest day so that means no cycling and lots of walking around the town ! I made it to the the Valley of the Kings - these are the tombs used after the time of the pyramids, the Karnac Temple which is an amazing tribute to ancient Egypt archetecture from the Greek era. As with all Egyptian towns there are amazing mosques and buzzing streets waiting to be discovered. My knees an backside really appreciated the rest.

Day 8 Saturday 19th January - "Back in the saddle" 140kms Today was a day of mixed emotion. The cycling part of the day was easy. The terrain and conditions couldn't have been better. However there was a slight dampener in the form of a few cheeky children throwing stones.

It seems like innocent (I was a kid once) fun but stones can hurt ! I set up camp in a plot just outside the town of Edfu. Slightly frustrated I pumped up my soccer ball and started to practice a few skills. Within minutes 3 strangers came to compete – Naser, Mathmo and their father Abdul. I was playing against Nasser and Mathmo. Abdul went in goals for the match, which was extremely brave as he has chronic arthritis in his hands and Mathmo has a cracking shot.

The soccer fever spread like prairie fire through the nearby housing estate and before I knew it I was playing in a game of 13 v's 12 with Abdul still struggling in goal trying to save any shots with his belly ! A novice at Arabic; I didn't understand most of the words either team was speaking but I did add the occasional nod or "Iowa" (cheers in Arabic). This was the contact I thrived all day. I had great crack with the lads and Abdul even offered 110Egyptian Pounds for the match ball.

My faith in Egypt had been both lost and restored in the same day. I can sleep happy tonight.

Day 9 Sunday January 20th - "The price of restoration" 128kms I woke up this morning at 5am to my usual alarm clock. My alarm clock is the call to prayer via megaphones from wherever my local mosque is located. I had a great night sleep but something was wrong. I tried to stand up, but couldn't. I couldn't bend my right leg at all. Yesterday's soccer had taken it's toll and I spent the next 40 minutes warming up. I had a long ride ahead of me to the town of Aswan. This is the without doubt the most exhausting day so far.

My right leg weighs about a ton so I need to stay on my seat during the day. The only problem is that every cyclist needs to stand up every so often to air out the derriere.

It's a catch 22 when you can't sit down or stand up comfortably on a bike and makes every kilometer count. I eventually arrived in Aswan set up camp, had a meal and made sure o get a last beer in. This will be the last alcohol I will touch for 18 days as I am getting the ferry to Sudan tomorrow. I will leave from Aswan at 4pm and arrive sometime Tuesday- that's as precise as the ferry company are! The ferry leaves once a week and is complicated on each end by a long drawn customs process.

The next time I will meet civilization is Sudan's capitol city of Khartoum in 13 days. According to travelers Sudan is the hardest country to negotiate in Africa. From what I hear Sudan has amazing people but terrible roads – thick sand, rocks everywhere. Combine this with substandard food and the desert arid heat and you have an "interesting challenge". Did I mention the mosquitoes ?

Tuesday 21st January We left the port of Aswan in Egypt this morning bound for Waidi Halfa in Sudan. The ferry is an experience which words, photos or video clips can't explain. It was clear the second we boarded that we were leaving Egypt and entering a real African stronghold.. Appearances changed both physically and in mannerisms. People were delighted for the opportunity to practice their English speaking skills or to teach you Arabic. Whenever you went to get a chi tea or some food at the bar one of your new found friends would insist to the point of embarrassment on paying for you. Whenever people would eat they don't offer you anything. They give you everything ! This is a remarkable and priceless trait for people who have a lot less then me and know it but only want to share.

There is no alcohol in Sudan but the craic is 90. Everyone is saying 'welcome to Sudan'and in the background is laughter, singing.I boarded the ferry at 11am and the ferry left the port at 8pm ! For 9 hours I watched people load the tiny ferry with fridges, car parts and twinky bars! The ferry leaves once a week and there is a massive market for buying goods in Egypt and selling them in Sudan due to the strength of the Sudanese pound.

The ferry couldn't be more packed, as each truckload of random goods miraculously fits on the tiny boat The 9 hour wait before embarking on a 19 hour journey across Lake Nasser was not boring but a fascinating people watching experience. Each merchant had to individually plea his case resulting in an argument or a chi tea and dinner bribe. The journey across the man made Nile flood controlling lake takes 19 hours.

I slept on the top deck under a full moon. The next day when I arrived In Waidi Halfa in Sudan I was happy to find a chilled out village with 3/4 lovely cafes and a lot of my new found friends were enjoying the African Cup soccer matches on T.V. I decided to take a rest day there as there was a lovely atmosphere with the friendly Sudan locals. If I hadn't just met these strangers I would swear I 've known them for years.

I also had a talk with a few local truck drivers and began to understand what lay ahead of me: The Nubian desert.

Wednesday 23rd January The Nubian Desert – 580kms On a map it has a road straight through it. This is the road I was to take. However it is not obvious from a map that it is a sand road and that thick nobby tires are a must. I had thick tires however due to baggage restrictions at Dublin airport I had to leave them in Dublin! There is 8kms of the 580kms paved road. The rest is stones, thick sand and potholes.

This was without doubt the biggest mental challenge I have faced on a bike. Although I stopped through the towns of Akasha, Kosha, Abri and Faraq the heat was unbearable. Then as soon as the sun sets the sand freezes over. Every time I cycled to the top of a hill I expected to see a flat level but instead I only saw the next hill ! This made cycling a real challenge as the landscape never changed. My bike was also sinking into the sand as soon as I slowed down and I think I walked my bike at least 80kms. My gears and brake cables were stiffening up from the sand.

Monday 28th January I eventually reached the town Dongolla where I took a day off. It's got some nice cafes and good food and provided just the break I needed. I camped out in the zoo which has only 1 animal left… a giant turtle.

Tuesday 29th January After a day recuperating both mentally and physically I set out to the desert again. The road was paved from Dongola to Khartuom so the physical challenge was reduced however there is a very barren landscape which does make the journey last that bit longer. The desert is very beautiful and the land is completely flat. You can always see for miles and the sunsets are magical. But the solitude can make the days and nights a lot longer. With this in mind I cycled 4 days instead of 5 days to the capital city of Khartuom 140kms, 140kms, 180kms & 100kms.

Friday 1st February Capitol City I arrived in Khartuom on Friday afternoon just in time to see some traditional dancing/faith healing ceremony. But this took time. Although it is a city of 4 million people there is no real city center. Sometimes a good place to go might be 40kms away. I reluctantly went to the shopping mall and had a nice meal as food was hard to come by in my camp area.

I also endevoured in a game of pool. After such decadence I made sure to catch the camel market on Saturday which was great fun, although some people tried to overcharge me for a camel ride which ended in an argument between my taxi driver and the locals. We then decided to stay from animals and went to the market to the West of the city. This was an amazing experience as the locals were typically friendly and offering chi tea for free.

Khartoum reminds me of one big village - very spread out and hard to navigate. A highlight of my stay there will be pretending to be a Canadian citizen, to get into the Canadian embassy and get served a cool mini-can of Amstel beer. Mmmm. I alsao filled in a few forms - I think this was illegal you know false information etc.

How to pass off as a Canadian for illegal alcohol I went to the Canadian embassy in Khartuom with 2 friends who are from Canada and I just stressed my "abooots", "A's" and I also said hockey a lot.

After dinner our trio went out to an expensive Lebaneese restaurant. The food was amazing and when it came to paying the bill we realised we had no cash, at all. They had no credit card machine. We had no options. Just then my friend Rod pulled the most ridicolous manouevre I have ever seen.

He has an abundance of traveller cheques he can't cash in any bank in Egypt or Sudan. This restaurant with no proof of id, no passport accepted travellers cheques to pay for they $115 meal (a lot of money in Sudan). They won't be able to redeem the travellers cheque ! It would have been more responsible to write them an IOU.

Sunday 3rd February 2008 I have a few more days in the deserts of Sudan then I plan to arrive in Ethiopia on Thursday, I should arrive in the town of Gondar on Monday 11th February where I will be visiting my charity (APA) projects. Although I have been a little sidetracked with cycling and friendly locals these past few weeks I welcome the next step of my journey which involves my charity and the people I have been raising support and funding for. With all the small daily complications of riding a bicycle a few kilometers it's easy to forget what should be motivating you to the next destination

Monday 4th February - 7th We went back to the desert again. Mudhut cafes are every 10kms or so and they break up the monotomy of the landscape. I drink about 10 pepsi's/chi t's a day. We are covering 420kms to the Ethiopean border.

A distance like that would have scared me off 6 weeks ago but seem like a trip to the shops right now. I can reach speeds of 35kms an hour on the desert roads as they are paved. The desert scenery is gradually getting a little more tropical. Baboons and snakes are becoming travelling companions as I look around. There are also a lot of trucks with 2/3 trailers. These can be a great ally with unpredictable desert winds.

As they approach cycle faster. get right behind them as they drive by. You are now "drafting". You can keep the same speed as the truck and move along the back and to the side of the vehicle. It's possible to reach speeds of 80kph doing this !

The air vacuum will suck you right along. I caught one draught for 13kms I was travelling at 60kmph and covered a ridicolous amount of ground. I was telling the driver with hand signals when to slow down and when to speed up so we never lost each other. However one of my friends fell of his bike at 60kph and messed his bike up but he was lucky to be able to cycle the next day.

The buses in the desert are wreckless. As I was cycling with my ipod on I was looking at a dead camel on the roadside. As soon as I turned around there was a bus on my side of the road, it never even beeped at me. I had to jump clean off my bike greazing myself pretty bad. These buses don't care and it's obvious from all the dead animals all over the road.

I stopped by a tiny village near the border of Sudan and Ethiopia where I saw a group of children playing soccer. I tried to organise a game (they had a pretty good ball and pitch with goalposts) however they were so ecstatic to see someone in cycling gear with a fancy bike that it was like being swarmed by a group of hungry journalists. Everyone was crowding around my bike asking what everything was for. These people are the poorest I have encountered to date. The amazing thing was that not one person asked for money and I went back to drink some chi tea at one hut, then we had a game of "in the middle". This was a great way to leave Sudan, probably the most hospitable place I have been fortunate enough to visit.
February 7th 2008 Ethiopia We crossed the border at a town calle Matema. The border is a bridge 3ft wide and 10 foot long. No police. The town has the same name on both sides, however both are worlds apart. As soon as you cross the bridge there are children selling beers. Although there is little police presence there is an estimated 3-8 hour wait for your passport to be processed. I decided to take this time to process a few Daschen beers. I collected my passport around 9.30pm (the bar and the passport office are in neighbouring mudhuts)

I had a few friends cross the border with me so we decided why not see Ethiopia at night. Every bar wanted to get us in there drinking. I initially thought this was because we were Farraingis (Amharaic for foreigners) it was actually because we were white and the town was full of brothels ! Every girl in every bar was really friendly and it took about 4/5 bars to realise that everyone in the town was for sale. Guys and girls ! just slightly differnet to Sudan.

At our last bar as we went to leave a problem emerged because we hadn't spoken with the girls and we only drank 2 beers in there. They locked us in to the bar and demanded we paid for the girls drinks. Wearing my diplomatic cap I thanked them for the night and asked for them to let us go and we would pay in the morning.

This didn't suffice and they surrounded us. About 16 of them. None of them were very big but strength in numbers. They began to push us around a little bit. I had to pay a cool 18 birr ($2u.s.) to get out. This was an expensive lesson but what to expect in sleazy border towns.

8, 9 February 2008 The next morning I cycled with my first hangover of the trip. 110kms of corrugated roads. No pavement. Lots of rocks. Bit of sand. Intense heat and rolling Ethiopean hills. We climbed over 6000ft in our first 2 days. This made a starking contrast to the flat deserts of Sudan.

The corrugated road gave me pretty bad diarrohea and my hands are so weak that I couldn't even cut my fingernails. I will get my nobbly tyres in Addis Abbaba.

I also encountered a side of Ethiopea that I only heard about in legend. The children are everywhere. I would imagine the average age is 12. The country is all about the agriculture and as you pass each kid who is either jogging to school or to work on the farm they shout at you "You You You". It's impossible to stop and talk with every kid so as you cycle by they throw rocks at you.

I met one lady who had a pretty big bruise from these rocks. It's a part of their culture and we've all been kids and done silly things. But rocks hurt. No matter how many Amharaic words you learn like Salam Habasche (hello Ethiopean), ish ish (cool cool), Tao (stop) or Hedge (P*ss off) they are relentless rock throwers.

I haven't done my research but I would imagine this is how they got rid of the Italians after less then 6 years ! I can't imagine anyoine trying to conquer this country of hills, mountains, thin air and heat to face an array of stones.

As I stopped in for a bottle of coca cola on my way to the old capital Gondar my camera was pickpocketed in a local village. This was very frustrating as all my photos were on the camera. Everyone was friendly ion the village- but that didn't bring the camera back. I searched all the mudhuts and found a girl who spoke english. She said she knew who stole the camera but couldn't say who it was or she might be raped or attacked by the perpetrator when I left.

It's sad that in these isolated villages a group of 15 year olds can control everything and incite fear in the priests, teachers and parents. A lot of the problem is that Ethiopea is a nation of children. There are no parents and so no rules.

I'm pretty sure this will be the only time I will be cheated in Africa, right ?

This was a no-win situation and even though I offered to wait a few kilometres uphill and pay money to a 3rd party to deliver the camera no agreement was reached. These negotiations took almost 3 hours and left me with a horrible feeling of injustice and disgust for the person who stole my camera. Every rock that a kid threw hurt that little bit more as I battled uphill to Gondar.

One kid ran almost 4 kilometres with me talking in pigeon english all the way. I didn't realise however that he had removed my spare tube from my saddle bag as he jogged just behind me. I chased hime but he got away ! The people are extremley fit here. They don't smoke and everyone jogs everywhere, the uphill makes no difference.

10 February 2008 It was a relief to finally reach Gondar. A town of 6 castles and a lot of history. It was made built at such an elevation so to keep mosquitos and malaria away. As well as being a great viewpoint for invaders. You can visit where England carpet bombed the Italians (during their brief occupancy) and there is a good bar scene.

After a day rest we set off toward Bahir Dar. There are lots of eagles, wolves, hyenas and baboons on the roads and of course children.

Meeting my charity APA's members in Bahir Dar & Debra Markos

The next day I took a boat trip on Lake Tana and visited the monastries dating back to the 6 century. They reminded me of the Skelligs of Valencia in Kerry Ireland. However the great thing was that all the old bibles and manuscripts were not encased so we were free to leaf through all of them as well as wearing golden crowns from the middle ages.

Other notable occasions include the "P" party (you have to dress up in something with the letter P). First prize in the best dressed male category went to ....... yours truly. I dressed up as a pygmy - I shaved circles in my hair, used red and black face paint and wore only leaves on my special parts (quite risque considering the diarrohea I was experiencing.) It was an excellent night and a great shindig.

We next set out to the capital city of Addis Abbaba. On the way we passed through Debra Markos where I also visited an actual project of my charity. It's quite strange- the member from my charity was on the road shouting "where are you from ?" as this is what all the kids shout I told him where to go (e.g. F off). I didn't realise he was from my charity ! I met him when I entered Debra Markos as he had then driven ahead of me and drawn a huge sign with my name on it. I pulled in, it took a few seconds to register the coincidence and realize he was from my charity. Not the best first impression to give somebody on the side of the road !

He then took me to the charity project. It was great to see how they provide everyone with jobs and intergrate them into society. Also the Aids orphans there were putting on a play, learning dance routines and singing on stage. It was really positive and a far cry from the typical images we associate with those infected with Aids.

I brought a camera crew with me and there was also a local T.V. station there. I got my freak on with some of the dance students as we did the traditional Ethiopean shoulder bopping dance, it looks real cool as I am wearing tight cycling gear ! Expect footage when I get he appropriate software. My contact Geberet showed me how everything worked and the various systems they have there. It was a really uplifting afternoon and I regret not being able to spend more time there.

Ethiopia Quick Facts

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