Summary of Our Cycling Adventure
It was in 2008 that our entire adventure began and GoTravelDaily was born when we flew into Egypt for the start of the Tour d’Afrique.
We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into. All we knew was that we had made a New Year’s Resolution to change our lives, and cycling down the continent of Africa seemed like a good start.
The Tour d’Afrique is a 12,000 km cycling race from Cairo to Cape Town. One year after making our New Year’s resolution toast, we found ourselves in Africa to follow through on that epic promise to ourselves.
Little did we know that we’d still be on the road four years later fulfilling our dream of becoming full-time adventurers.
It Wasn’t Easy
The TDA was one of the most challenging experiences of our lives. We entered this race with high expectations—to win and achieve EFI (cycling Every Fabulous Inch). Ultimately, we accomplished both; Deb was the women’s champion, and Dave ended up in the EFI Club.
Simplicity
To this day, Dave states that cycling in Africa was the best experience of his life. Although it was difficult, he cherished the simplicity of waking up day after day for four months, knowing his only agenda was to reach the camp located somewhere between 120km to 200km away before sunset. We truly thrived on riding our bikes and entering a state of complete meditation while cycling through the ever-changing African landscape.
Contrast
Contrastingly, Deb describes it as the most difficult and miserable experience of her life. Each day posed a struggle as she pushed her body beyond its limits for four solid months. Feeling alienated from the other female riders who didn’t share her ambitious goals, she experienced emotional and physical challenges throughout.
Together as a Couple
Fortunately, we relied on each other, and Dave sacrificed much of his overall race time to help Deb reach the finish line each day. With the top four spots taken by seasoned racers, Dave chose to prioritize the EFI Club instead. By slowing his pace to stay with Deb, he ensured they remained healthy and strong, significantly enhancing their odds of completing every inch of the continent.
The Race Explained
The Tour d’Afrique was structured as a stage race. Each morning, we all departed camp at our leisure. Stronger racers slept in while others aimed to leave at daybreak to ensure arrival before sunset. The time it took to travel from one camp to the next was recorded and accumulated daily, with the shortest overall time at the end of the race declared the winner.
The beginning was tough.
Despite rigorous training—cycling up to 400 km weekly, attending spinning classes, taking hot yoga sessions, and completing a bicycle mechanics course—nothing prepared us for the sheer agony of what it meant to sit in the saddle for eight hours daily.
It took one month before I could comfortably ride without being overwhelmed by pain.
Day 1
The first day of the Tour d’Afrique commenced at the Pyramids of Giza, and we felt confident. Our group of 60 had the pyramids to ourselves; men began arriving with their camels and horses to start their tours. After capturing a photo at the pyramids, we admired the Sphinx’s splendor one last time before embarking on our 120-day journey south.
The day started briskly, assisted by a police escort navigating us past dense traffic until we reached the highway, where everyone began to disperse.
The pace of the leading cyclists was furious.
Despite our training, we struggled to keep up and soon fell far behind the pack. After about 100 km, I reached lunch, where I reconnected with Dave and a few other cyclists, all feeling the day’s burdens.
The first day traditionally features a robust tailwind; however, we faced fierce headwinds. Though some formed a peloton, Dave and I were too exhausted to remain with the middle group.
So we pushed on alone
We motivated each other and pressed on through several agonizing hours. We needed to reach camp before sunset to avoid losing our EFI eligibility on day one; our hopes would be dashed if we didn’t make it.
As the sun began to set, uncertainty loomed regarding our distance from the campsite. Armed with a hand-drawn map and estimated mileage, we could only estimate our remaining distance, knowing camps could vary by as much as 20 km.
Finish Line in Sight
Imagine our thrill upon spotting the finish line flag just moments before sunset.
We completed our first day—exhausted, fearful, and overwhelmed—but we persevered thanks to our partnership. There was no time for celebration; we had to set up camp.
Fate had it that one-third of the riders lost their EFI that day. Many required pickup from our support vehicles, and others opted not to continue past lunch.
We were glad we persevered, but the five days leading to our rest day in Luxor were agonizing.
We endured constant discomfort, relentless leg burning, fatigue, and the complications of sleeping in cold desert conditions with only minimal shelter. Additionally, we suffered from a persistent cough caused by Cairo’s pollution.
- Are we glad we did it? You betcha!
- Did it get easier? Yes. By the time we reached Zambia, we were cycling strongly and even keeping up with the peloton. Dave was aligning with the top riders seamlessly, while I was reaching the camp just half an hour after the front-runners.
We began looking like athletes and riding like professionals, no longer daunted by steep hills or desert sands—the thought of a 200 km day became less daunting.
We grew mentally and physically; while the challenges were tough, we never would have reached where we are today without taking that leap and making that New Year’s toast just a few years ago.
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