South Africans lead Tour D'Afrique
2 February 2006
Twelve days into the Tour d'Afrique, a 12 000km Cairo to Cape Town epic billed as the most gruelling cycle race on earth, and South Africans are leading the way in both the men's and women's sections.
George Oertel sits atop the men's standings, while Joan Louwrens has the lead in the women's race. Pieter van Rooyen is the second placed man, and Phillipa le Roux the woman in second spot.
The cyclists are adjusting mentally and physically to the many new aspects that the cycling epic brings: new sleeping patterns, sleeping on the ground, different food and water, anti-malaria drugs, the effort required to cover the distance each day, dehydration, desert winds, dust, fluctuations in temperature from 10 to 37 degrees … and saddle sores aplenty! But the rewards are priceless.
10 countries, 40 intrepid cyclists
Traveling through 10 African countries in all, over 40 intrepid cyclists have already clocked up 1
400km in 13 cycling days through Egypt and Sudan.
The paved roads through Egypt in the first week gave the cyclists the opportunity to settle into the nomadic lifestyle that will characterise their lives for the next four months - and get in some serious training for the challenges of Sudan's "roads".
Canadian Sam Bail, at 19 the youngest cyclist on the Tour, said of week two in the Sudan: "You ride the washboard hating it, and then you hit the sand with relief. After struggling through the sand for a few kilometres, you find yourself wishing you were riding the washboard again!"
A gruelling 25-kilometre desert crossing on day 13 ended in a ferry crossing across the Nile into the Sahara Desert, with the highlight of the day being the ride into Dongola.
"On hitting the paved road 10 kilometres before Dongola, I thought I was hallucinating," said Michael Heitz, who is fast finding his "sand legs".
Hospitality and
generosity
The largest yet least visited country in Africa, Sudan is home to over 37-million people, made up of more than 550 ethnic groups.
In spite of their political problems and differences, hospitality and generosity is key among the Sudanese people. The cyclists are constantly invited into the simple yet beautiful mud and stone homes for chai, coffee or a meal.
While the leisure riders soak up the culture in the villages, take photos and time to meet the people along the way, the competition among the racers is foreshadowing an incredible cycling event.
From Dongola, the Tour will follow the Nile for a day and a half, crossing into the Sahara Desert before entering the city of Khartoum at the confluence of the Blue and the White Nile rivers.
The first time trial of the Tour will take place 30 kilometres into the desert before arriving in Khartoum.
Race placings
12 days - 1 336
kilometres
Men
George Oertel - South Africa
Pieter Van Rooyen - South Africa
Matthew Caretti - USA
Women
Joan Louwrens - South Africa
Phillipa Le Roux - South Africa
Christa Meier - Switzerland
SouthAfrica.info reporter
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