The Treloar Herald : MTB

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Makongolosi to Mbeya (110 km, 2150 m of climbing)

Tanzania

Day 69 - March 22 - Stage 48

Wednesday: It's the last day of our Seven Day Section, and the last day on dirt roads for a long time. Next dirt road section is most probably in Namibia, so the non-mountain-bikers among us (the majority of the riders) are ecstatic!

Today's dirt road section was extremely rocky and in some instances quite dangerous especially the steep downhills, but we managed it quite well without any major mishaps.

We passed quite a few areas where Artisinal miners were actively mining for gold. You could also clearly hear the sound of crushers and mills working deep into the bush.
There were also quite a few miners who were walking around using metal detectors, looking for gold. The Tanzanian Artisinal Miners are definitely a more tech savvy breed of miner's.
We even managed to get one of the miners to demonstrate the use of his metal detector to Judith, as well as showing us a gold nugget he had recently found with the detector

Just before we reached the Town of Chunya, the dirt road became a tar road, and most of the riders became relatively happy, with a few of them even going as far as kissing the tar road!

The Town of Chunya was a hive of economic activity, there were many workshops in action, where the manufacture or refurbishment of steel mills used for crushing ore, was in progress. I had previously read, that active gold mining had started in the Chunya Area from as far back as 1920. Shanta Gold is also very active in the immediate Area with both prospecting and mining.

An indication of the rock conditions we encountered today

Riding along a good stretch of dirt road...

Gold nugget found by Miner using a metal detector

The Miner giving Judith a demonstration in metal detecting

Back on the tar & back into the land of man-made speed humps
(AKA Sleeping Policemen)

We cycled to the Lunch Truck, where both Judith and I climbed in and took a lift to Mbeya, missing a major ascent up into the mountain and descent down into Mbeya.

The Camp was at the Mbeya Hotel, where I met up with a bunch of South African expats, who over a few rum & cokes, confirmed that there was plenty of active gold mining taking place in the Chunya Area and that even the Chinese were becoming involved (Sunshine Mining Company).

On a different note, we were also pleasantly surprised to meet up with Ben, a solo cyclist from England who is riding from Cape Town to the UK. We had previously seen him in December last year, when he stayed with us at our home in Prince Albert, South Africa.

Rest day tomorrow!

Cheers,
Mike T

Welcome to Mbeya

Tuk Tuk's in Chunya

Workshop building/refurbishing steel crushers and mill's

Biti Manayanga to Makongolosi (School to School -120km)

Tanzania

Day 68 - March 21 - Stage 47

Murray arrives back from the nearest Village bearing cold beers. A true friend.

Tuesday: After a very wet night, packed up the tent in the morning, put it into its bag and placed it into my daily bag. It was as wet as it could get, but the show must go on!

It was a mountain biker's dream, sand, rocks or mud, and all were encountered on either an uphill or a downhill. Quite a few of the riders fell down today, fortunately nothing too serious, as well as a few mechanical issues (broken rim being the most radical).

I started the day with Murray, but he was too strong for me and I couldn't keep up with him when we encountered the sandy section. Rode to the lunch truck alone, had a good lunch and waited for Phillip to arrive. Then rode the second half with him all the way to the finish.
Judith didn't ride today, she was under Doctor's orders not to, due to both physical and mental exhaustion. She rode the Main Truck to Makongolosi and managed to pitch the tent up early enough for it to get dry, as well as hanging up all of our wet clothes from yesterday's downpour.

The camp was situated alongside the Soccer Field at the School and we received the biggest accumulation of spectators ever. It seems as if the sight of 40 plus Muzungu's (White People) camping out in tents, is a big attraction in Tanzania.

Tomorrow is the last day of the Seven Day Section, this has been a long & tough cycle, and we will reach Mbeya soon for a well-deserved rest day.

Cheers,
Mike T

Fortunately it has stopped raining and breakfast was held in dry conditions

Lunch Truck with enterprising local selling cold drinks and beers!

Phillip having his typical " Proprietor Pose"

Boda Boda Driver transporting live chickens

Phillip and I arrive at Camp and already the crowd of onlookers is growing

Welcome to Makongolosi - With details of the upcoming Fancy Dress Party!
(More about that in another blog post)

Greg taking a quiet private wash (Not!!)

Briefing Board for tomorrow's final day into Mbeya (With 2 150 m of climbing)

Graffiti on the Main Truck puts everything into perspective!

Day 27 - Stage 23 - Abeda to Rashid (82 km)

Sunrise on day 27

Our first Baobab sighting in Africa

Its going to be another hot day today

The blog posts are still coming through thick and fast, albeit a bit behind time-wise. But hey, the best stories are always those from the past, and worth remembering, so I hope you will forgive me.

Wednesday: Those riders who suffered from heat exhaustion and heat stroke yesterday, didn't ride today, just as well, as it was just as hot as it was yesterday.

We left camp and only after a short 3km ride, rode into the artisinal gold mining area of Albada, stopped a bakkie full of people to ask about the mining, fortunately it was a bunch of Exploration Geologists. Managed to get a short explanation about the local geology and mode of gold mineralization, albeit in broken English. Then pushed on, as Judith had ridden off into the sunrise.

Judith pointing out the exploration trenches in the hill side

Michael and the Group of Exploration Geologists

Judith had her first puncture of the tour, although it was only a slow leak we decided to replace the tube for her, with a little help from our friends of course.

Found it extremely hot again, and had to stop every 4 to 5 km to rest in the shade of a tree, if there was one available.

I was nauseous by the time we got to lunch, couldn't eat so stopped cycling and climbed into lunch truck. Judith's batteries were also flat, so she joined me. A good decision as we would never have made it in the intense Sudanese heat (and this is their Winter heat!!)

But not before we got into trouble again, a kilometer before lunch, I took Judith, Trixie and Dr. Helen (The day's sweep rider) deep into a Village looking for cold cokes. Found a great place to stop (it even had music) and we proceeded to make new friends and have a general conversation with the locals.

Unfortunately TDA Management couldn't get through to Helen on her Satellite phone, and they thought that we were lost, and they had no idea exactly where. They then asked the lunch truck personnel to try and find us, so by the time we got to the lunch truck, they had already packed up and were about to come and look for us.

We were not popular with the lunch truck guys or afternoon sweep rider... when they then had to unpack the truck and set everything up again to feed us. Nor did we score any brownie points with TDA Management either. But hey, all's well that ends well.

Rode back to camp in the truck and stopped at another coke stop approx. 6Km from camp, bought more soft drinks - our thirst is just so relentless. I have drunk more coke/fizzy drinks these last three weeks than I have drunk in the last three years! Even Judith lies in the tent craving coke in the evenings (don't tell the children).

Arrived at camp and had our usual donkey wash, sat around relaxing until briefing & dinner, then only set up our tent in the twilight toward the end of the day (much cooler then).

Tomorrow is the last day before the Ethiopian Border, and the road surface is supposed to be paved. Most riders changed back to slick tires from their MTB tires. We haven't, hopefully it wasn't the wrong decision - tomorrow will tell.

Cheers,

Mike T

Sudanese rural brick fields

Coke Stop deep in the Village

Judith negotiating the price of the cold drinks

You can't leave the coke stop without the obligatory photo session

After action satisfaction - Coke

Sudanese Blacksmith with metal forge

Blacksmith with very rudimentary tools

Land Rover - Opening up Africa for others to follow

Philip getting ready for his donkey wash

The Donkey wash suppliers waiting to sell water to the riders

Riders chilling in the shade out of the hot sun

Briefing - Tomorrows last ride in the Sudan

Chef Errol busy with dinner

Chef Muli busy with the vegetarians dinner

True love is taking her out for dinner

Supper and tire changing time again

Very relaxed dinners...

Niklas waiting for the heat to subside so that he can put up his tent

Africa home of the majestic Baobab tree

Another Sudanese sunset

Day 25 - Stage 21 - Senna to Canal Camp (88 km)

Breakfast time is usually quiet time

Monday: It was a shorter day, but not necessary an easier day, but our first on gravel and sand roads, allowing the mountain bikers among us to show off our skills. Muzz won the Stage, beating the younger racing snakes by over an hour.

Left our wooded campsite next to the Blue Nile, climbed on to the bridge and crossed the River, and headed South.

Route markings are now either the orange tape or flour arrows laid out on the ground, unfortunately either the sheep/goats or cattle eat the flour or kids steal or move the tape.

Lunch was at 46km, and we were surrounded by school kids who were totally amused by our lunch time pantomime. It must be quite an experience for them watching us going through our lunch time rituals, which seem quite normal to us.

Then into the nearest village for a Sudanese Soda (a type of raspberry) very sugary and not so nice. But necessary because it was another hot day, highest recorded temperature was 42 degrees C.

Four of us riders and the Lunch Truck, took a wrong turn today, because some juvenile delinquents had moved the orange tape and set it up on a different road, which sent us off in the wrong direction!! Fortunately we hadn't done too many kilo's before the truck came back and informed us we were going the wrong way! When we cycled past the guilty party, I managed to teach them some 'nice' Afrikaans swear words, not that they really paid much attention.

Coke Stop in the village was utter total chaos, we were surrounded by both kids and adults, it was such a suffocating experience, we had to move on, but not before Judith had some retail therapy and bought herself a pashmina.

Because of the heat, the last 20 km was a big grind, I kept stopping at any large available tree which threw up some decent shade, just to cool down our core body temperature.

Judith and I walked the last 2 km into camp, the head wind was just too strong and we were buggered. Didn't put up our tent up until the sun started going down - it was just too hot to do anything.

We had our first Sudanese donkey cart wash today, for a total of 5 Pounds, they will bring borehole water to you in a 44 gallon drum mounted on a cart and pulled by a donkey, tap off about 20 liters for you to use to wash yourself.

After today's ride it was greatly appreciated.

I had a full body wash, lily-white-ass and all, not a pleasant sight for any of the villagers who might have been watching.

Riders Briefing, followed by dinner, followed by an early night to bed. Its getting to be quite a simple routine in the evenings.

Tomorrow is a tough day (so they say) let's see what materializes.

Cheers,

Mike T