Cadel Evans!
Today is being declared a national holiday as Cadel Evans is the first Australian to win the Tour de France! He has taken over the yellow jersey decisively in the individual time trial on the second to the last day of the tour.
I have been following the tour for 15 years and this is the best one by far. The other races have also been very tightly contested, young rider, points, king of the mountains, and the daily winner. Every day was exciting.
Slowly over the past years one starts believing everyone is doping and when someone wins we say "he got the dope right". This tour I get the impression it is pretty clean and it made for a hotly contested tour.
And my favorite rider was instrumental in getting Cadel Evans a win. Way to go George Hincapie! Cadel gave all his teammates their due, and said " When a rider like George believes in you it is hard not to believe in yourself." This is George's 15th tour finish.
It was a tour to feel good about. Motivates me to ride my bike more. Get out and ride your bike.
24 July 2011
21 July 2011
Backwards
Saturday a motley crew joined up here and there and were all together in Akheri. We road last mtn bike race backwards. It was like riding a new route.
So much of the time you are screaming down hill seeing very little. I enjoyed making our way up the East Meru slopes. Somehow we recognizied the turns.
It was a mellow ride but with climbing 800m my legs felt it.
So much of the time you are screaming down hill seeing very little. I enjoyed making our way up the East Meru slopes. Somehow we recognizied the turns.
It was a mellow ride but with climbing 800m my legs felt it.
17 June 2011
Adventure in the Dark
I rode my bike to a funeral in the Usa River area a few Saturdays ago. I ran over someone on the way home.
A funeral entails 2-5 days of people sitting around everyday. The people I wanted to offer condolences to were not there when i got there mid day but showed up after 430pm. I wanted to head back home ( 35km uphill) by 5pm to make it before dark. Then I got in the middle of a discussion about proper procedures and it was after 6pm when i left.
Not to worry as I had carried my lights and reflective band. Dusk started after Usa River town.
It was at Makumira that I ran over someone! It was dusk moving towards dark and there was a ton of traffic. As I was on the mountain bike I started using dirt trails on the side of the road. In Makumira area I saw something black on the trail 100m ahead. My first thought it was a human and then i realized it was probably a disintegrated tyre, so i figured I would just ride over it. About 10 meters before i then realized it was a man lying across the trail! The trail was in the middle of the road embankment so swerving was not an option. Stopping was not an option so i tried to jump the man.
I was not very successful so i ran right over him! He was obviously drunk and sleeping. Well riding over him woke him up and he yelled something.
I figured stopping would only make everything worse for me. So i just pedalled on and he lay back down to sleep.
Now it was dark and i realized by batteries were on the weak side. Headlights in my eyes and cars zipping by added to my discomfort. It made the trip a bit longer but i managed.
A funeral entails 2-5 days of people sitting around everyday. The people I wanted to offer condolences to were not there when i got there mid day but showed up after 430pm. I wanted to head back home ( 35km uphill) by 5pm to make it before dark. Then I got in the middle of a discussion about proper procedures and it was after 6pm when i left.
Not to worry as I had carried my lights and reflective band. Dusk started after Usa River town.
It was at Makumira that I ran over someone! It was dusk moving towards dark and there was a ton of traffic. As I was on the mountain bike I started using dirt trails on the side of the road. In Makumira area I saw something black on the trail 100m ahead. My first thought it was a human and then i realized it was probably a disintegrated tyre, so i figured I would just ride over it. About 10 meters before i then realized it was a man lying across the trail! The trail was in the middle of the road embankment so swerving was not an option. Stopping was not an option so i tried to jump the man.
I was not very successful so i ran right over him! He was obviously drunk and sleeping. Well riding over him woke him up and he yelled something.
I figured stopping would only make everything worse for me. So i just pedalled on and he lay back down to sleep.
Now it was dark and i realized by batteries were on the weak side. Headlights in my eyes and cars zipping by added to my discomfort. It made the trip a bit longer but i managed.
30 May 2011
Not sure what to think of this ride.
I text Thomas Holden : " Do U have plan for Sunday Ride"
He sms's back : " come my house 0645 and we will make one, coffee ready at 0630".
I text back a bunch of questions but he is not chatty at all. So I go unknowing but prepared. I take a thermos of milk tea, a water bottle of mango juice, a bottle of water, 2 pbj sandwiches , some dates and more tools and spares anyone would ever need and ride down the mountain.
I arrive at Thomas's house and find two bikes upside down outside his workshop and Thomas busy fixing something. That is a bad sign, more than likely there will be mechanicals.
Despite being five minutes late but I am offered coffee anyway. The coffee I am told is on Thomas's work bench. I find 10 empty cups and a big pot of coffee. Hmmm. "Thomas! how many people are coming? "
Thomas mumbles "Well maybe 7 or 8." and sheepishly continues to work on his bike.
Hmmm. The amount of time actually riding goes down exponentially with the number of riders on a ride due to mechanical failures. The curve gets steeper depending upon the experience of the riders. The names include a fair number of unknowns, and some knowns but not regulars.
But the list includes my buddy Wes Krause. I haven't seen him for half a year so I figure it "will be a good one" if he is along. If I could chose a mtn bike riding partner it would be him.
As expected there are mechanicals right away. See the loop on the map. We go 2 km, and then have to start over. It is issues with Thomas's bike all day that keep us from riding constantly. The stops turn into social times and so the day is a good one.
My phone runs out of charge so I miss mapping the last hour or so. Need to figure that out.
State of some of the trails.
In the middle we drop the bikes and hike up Oljoro Hill. Pretty steep but the views are pretty good over my shoulder.
Just about to reach the top.
He sms's back : " come my house 0645 and we will make one, coffee ready at 0630".
I text back a bunch of questions but he is not chatty at all. So I go unknowing but prepared. I take a thermos of milk tea, a water bottle of mango juice, a bottle of water, 2 pbj sandwiches , some dates and more tools and spares anyone would ever need and ride down the mountain.
I arrive at Thomas's house and find two bikes upside down outside his workshop and Thomas busy fixing something. That is a bad sign, more than likely there will be mechanicals.
Despite being five minutes late but I am offered coffee anyway. The coffee I am told is on Thomas's work bench. I find 10 empty cups and a big pot of coffee. Hmmm. "Thomas! how many people are coming? "
Thomas mumbles "Well maybe 7 or 8." and sheepishly continues to work on his bike.
Hmmm. The amount of time actually riding goes down exponentially with the number of riders on a ride due to mechanical failures. The curve gets steeper depending upon the experience of the riders. The names include a fair number of unknowns, and some knowns but not regulars.
But the list includes my buddy Wes Krause. I haven't seen him for half a year so I figure it "will be a good one" if he is along. If I could chose a mtn bike riding partner it would be him.
As expected there are mechanicals right away. See the loop on the map. We go 2 km, and then have to start over. It is issues with Thomas's bike all day that keep us from riding constantly. The stops turn into social times and so the day is a good one.
My phone runs out of charge so I miss mapping the last hour or so. Need to figure that out.
State of some of the trails.
In the middle we drop the bikes and hike up Oljoro Hill. Pretty steep but the views are pretty good over my shoulder.
Just about to reach the top.
28 May 2011
A ride in between
Being a parent bit into my biking activities last weekend .Normally, Saturday morning is the best day for a " good one", which means a long ride in a new place. However Nashesha, the kid, needed to get to school and back on Saturday for a training hike in preparation for a class trip climbing Mnt Meru.
I wanted to work on our unfinished 25 year old house on Sunday, and if I ride long then I am too tired to do much ruling out a long ride on Sunday.
I worried about this dilemma / crisis all Friday and saw no alternative but to take the kid to school by 830 am and pick her at noon. I figured it is easier, cheaper, and better to ride bikes to her school and she is willing. I will ride in between drop off and pickup.
We have a lovely ride to Nashesha's school, through suburbia, along a major highway, through a forest, and then a coffee farm, before arriving early at the school parking lot. We lock her bike and Nashesha demands a hug and I ride away.
I haven't a clue where to go, or what kind of ride I should do. I don't have excess energy so I try to think of someone to go visit. I either don't have their number, or they don't answer, or I don't feel like bothering them. I am forced to stop in the middle of the coffee plantation and spend 20 minutes on the phone with work stuff. I have a new phone, a smart phone with more than you need including a GPS. So I turn that on and decide to do a Monduli Mtn loop we did for the last mtn bike race, the first part only. I doubt I have the time, but I can double back instead of doing the loop.
As usual, once I get going instead of going slow and smelling the roses I ride harder and harder. That doesn't mean I am going fast.
The trails and dirt roads are mostly hard but there is some mud. I do the math, I started riding seriously at 9am so I need to be on way back to school 1015. I make it to the forest and commit myself to the loop. I stop and take a picture with the Android phone. It is the first time on this track there is no lose dust .
I haven't eaten or drank so I stop for a nutritious coke and water and a rough building of wood. I talk briefly with the shop owner, but take no picture, and cruise to the highway and down to the school. As I get off the bike I am a bit stiff, and I realize the guards watching me probably think I just rode 3 km from my house, and not the 45km and 900m elevation gain. I stumble and sigh a bit, hehe. I am early so I check out the map made by the gps on my phone, and its features, like elevation and graphs etc. Pretty cool.
Although I was once a bit of a hacker, and I still can figure stuff out, I can't be bothered with end user stuff, so am not sure when I will post a map.
Eventually the kids straggle in , in different physical states. Nashesha is one of the bouncy talkative ones. I find out that John of the UN ICTR has a daughter in the same year, different home class. He is top dog as our biggest client, so that is cool.
I turn off the mapping and we ride home, mostly uphill. Nashesha does well except when I forget she is behind me and am riding up long hills. Eventually she complains and we slow down. Great kid! How can I be so lucky?
16 May 2011
Wow
Found a new trail/road. Unfortunately my camera battery was dead.
Thomas Holden and John Course came around Saturday morning and we road up from my house, crossing ngaremtoni river, and turned up the West Meru Plateau road. We stopped 1/2 way up for breakfast and I sent Thomas on a small track to see if it looked like it contoured around.
In the past few years I now feel like I am a mzee. So I feel no guilt or loss of pride to send someone else to check something out. why should a mzee with grandchildren work as hard as younger people?
Thomas returned saying it didn't go down. So we tried it. It did go down after 10 minutes but not much so we kept going. Eventually it lead us up onto the plateau on the other side of the forest guard post. So now we know how to by pass the gate if they ever start asking us what we are doing in the forest.
The views were spectacular contouring around the plateau. Then the road goes up a ravine and we climbed into thick fog. We came out on top at a water tank and wondered where we were. Vaguely it looked familiar, and then i figured the big road we had come to could only be one on the plateau, so i figured we were 500 meters beyond the gate. We rolled down to the gate, which was open.
A man was asking why we were passing by without stopping, in English. So we stopped and I was thinking " ok, it is starting. We will now need official permission and permits , etc." He was as friendly and cordial as could be and we chatted a few mintues.
Now we had 15 km and 1.5 km vertical to drop. I couldnt keep up with Thomas and John on their full suspension and younger bodies. It was technical the first part, and the second part was just plain fast. I think it only took over an hour to get home what took 3 hours to climb.
Thomas Holden and John Course came around Saturday morning and we road up from my house, crossing ngaremtoni river, and turned up the West Meru Plateau road. We stopped 1/2 way up for breakfast and I sent Thomas on a small track to see if it looked like it contoured around.
In the past few years I now feel like I am a mzee. So I feel no guilt or loss of pride to send someone else to check something out. why should a mzee with grandchildren work as hard as younger people?
Thomas returned saying it didn't go down. So we tried it. It did go down after 10 minutes but not much so we kept going. Eventually it lead us up onto the plateau on the other side of the forest guard post. So now we know how to by pass the gate if they ever start asking us what we are doing in the forest.
The views were spectacular contouring around the plateau. Then the road goes up a ravine and we climbed into thick fog. We came out on top at a water tank and wondered where we were. Vaguely it looked familiar, and then i figured the big road we had come to could only be one on the plateau, so i figured we were 500 meters beyond the gate. We rolled down to the gate, which was open.
A man was asking why we were passing by without stopping, in English. So we stopped and I was thinking " ok, it is starting. We will now need official permission and permits , etc." He was as friendly and cordial as could be and we chatted a few mintues.
Now we had 15 km and 1.5 km vertical to drop. I couldnt keep up with Thomas and John on their full suspension and younger bodies. It was technical the first part, and the second part was just plain fast. I think it only took over an hour to get home what took 3 hours to climb.
12 May 2011
It is raining again.
It is not a problem riding to work in the rain. I have refined my technique again and wear sandals and change in the office to shoes.
The problem is 90% of the cars come from roads that are mud, and then on the main road the mud falls off and finds its way to the side of the road, where i have to ride part of the time.
08 May 2011
Damp ride
Two weekends ago Thomas and I agreed to do a long mtn ride.
Typically , the route wasn't fully decided until we started riding.
I enlisted Paulo to escort me through town at 5am so I could meet Thomas at 530. As I was approaching the rendezvous corner I saw a light coming up his dirt road and fell in just behind him. I thought his light was a car.
We planned to ride up the Monduli Coffee estate road and up and over the farm, down to Monduli town, then up to Monduli Juu plateau and then west on the plateau and drop down cycle across open grassland to the highway and slog home into the wind. I was a bit concerned about crossing the grassland as it has rained at night and there are sections of black cotton soil. Black cotton soil stick more than any other soil to tyres and can then pack the wheel, killing a ride.
We cruised up the Monduli estate road . It is "improved" so nothing was sticking to the tyres. we realized we cant ride through the estate so we tried a track to the side and within a few hundred meters we were starting to get bigger tyres, because of caking mud.
we back tracked and went higher and then tried to ride along their fence, which was like riding down through ploughed fields and grass. At the bottom it did not look good so we pushed the bikes back up to the improved road and it started to drizzle.
We started to be more realistic and even if they let us through the farm, the track down to monduli would be slippery, sticky, and might be unrideable. I mean bike carrying fun. The low clouds seemed all over.
I was starting to have a muddy drive system, but had some extra oil along.
We coasted back looking at conditions on the tracks cutting across to monduli. We ended up riding back to the highway and all the way around to monduli town, and then up to Monduli Juu. The road is more than improved and we road in the drizzle to the top.
The clouds started parting and we rode to the highest point before it drops down into the rift valley and Ketumbeine.
Turning around we could not quite let the bikes go as sections were slippery, but it was still fast enough. We opted for some tea in Monduli town as the village of monduli juu was full of sticky looking mud.
Some clods of sticky mud fell into my drive chain and I now had a red chain lubricated by mud. What i needed now was a torrential down pour to clean it up before I lubricated. Instead the occasional clod spun off my tyres onto my chain.
More fast rolling and a number of cars coming up who didn't move over much. Soon we were in monduli town and tarred road and we found a small restaurant run by pleasant people. They had about a million donuts on the counter for sale and we had a couple and some milk tea.
As we were leaving we met a bunch of small kids who i snapped a few pictures of.
Now we had a familiar 38 km ride home.
Typically , the route wasn't fully decided until we started riding.
I enlisted Paulo to escort me through town at 5am so I could meet Thomas at 530. As I was approaching the rendezvous corner I saw a light coming up his dirt road and fell in just behind him. I thought his light was a car.
We planned to ride up the Monduli Coffee estate road and up and over the farm, down to Monduli town, then up to Monduli Juu plateau and then west on the plateau and drop down cycle across open grassland to the highway and slog home into the wind. I was a bit concerned about crossing the grassland as it has rained at night and there are sections of black cotton soil. Black cotton soil stick more than any other soil to tyres and can then pack the wheel, killing a ride.
We cruised up the Monduli estate road . It is "improved" so nothing was sticking to the tyres. we realized we cant ride through the estate so we tried a track to the side and within a few hundred meters we were starting to get bigger tyres, because of caking mud.
we back tracked and went higher and then tried to ride along their fence, which was like riding down through ploughed fields and grass. At the bottom it did not look good so we pushed the bikes back up to the improved road and it started to drizzle.
We started to be more realistic and even if they let us through the farm, the track down to monduli would be slippery, sticky, and might be unrideable. I mean bike carrying fun. The low clouds seemed all over.
I was starting to have a muddy drive system, but had some extra oil along.
We coasted back looking at conditions on the tracks cutting across to monduli. We ended up riding back to the highway and all the way around to monduli town, and then up to Monduli Juu. The road is more than improved and we road in the drizzle to the top.
The clouds started parting and we rode to the highest point before it drops down into the rift valley and Ketumbeine.
Turning around we could not quite let the bikes go as sections were slippery, but it was still fast enough. We opted for some tea in Monduli town as the village of monduli juu was full of sticky looking mud.
Some clods of sticky mud fell into my drive chain and I now had a red chain lubricated by mud. What i needed now was a torrential down pour to clean it up before I lubricated. Instead the occasional clod spun off my tyres onto my chain.
More fast rolling and a number of cars coming up who didn't move over much. Soon we were in monduli town and tarred road and we found a small restaurant run by pleasant people. They had about a million donuts on the counter for sale and we had a couple and some milk tea.
As we were leaving we met a bunch of small kids who i snapped a few pictures of.
Now we had a familiar 38 km ride home.
17 April 2011
How far to bicycle from Arusha to find a non Swahili Speaker?
Two hours.
Two hours is how long I bicycled to find someone who does not speak the national language, Swahili. Before I explain that , let me list the alternative titles for this ride post:
1- I seem to ride alone on weekend rides. I send out on a biking mailing list but no takers. Is it my company? my reputation for going far? everyone busy? or what? I don't mind going alone, and sometimes prefer it , but it would be nice to ride long rides with someone. I am going to stop posting invites myself and ask others to do it.
2- Still more adventures out there. There are some trails/roads within riding distance I haven't found yet that are pretty cool. I was thinking because of leaving mid day that I would not go anywhere interesting or new. Not true. I need to be more innovative in exploring some blank areas, like today. One hour and I was on an interesting track in the bush.
3- I broke my brooks saddle rail. Breaking a seat could of changed the ride dynamics. I was able move the seat forward and it held. Still wondering what to make of it. My beloved Brooks saddle that is conformed to my sit bones. Can I weld it? I fretted over the cost.
So here is how the ride panned out. I was lazy and sat around with the family all morning. It was not until 1pm that I started off . I figured I would not get anywhere interesting as I only had about 5 hours of riding time.
The first hour was a "transport stage" north up the highway to Lengijave. "Transport stages" are sections where I ride the bike purely for transport to get to the "beginning" of a good ride. The road north only has a few km left of gravel as it is being redone. It is interesting scenery except i have seen it a zillion times. I am riding this just to get somewhere else.
Normally I go around the north side of Lengijave mountain and down the open grassland. This time I rode up a valley on the south side. Iit has been ten years since I have used this road, not since family Guzinski lived up here in the 80's and 90's
I ride up the valley and through this small pass.
It is still transport stage.
My camera lens is not smudged, that is a light rain falling. I will ride down on the left.
The road then contours a ridge leading up to Monduli Mountain. The view is spectacular. However I want to see what the plains below are like.
I ride the brakes as it is bumpy and loose sand. In a few minutes it is less steep and smoother and I can almost let the brakes go. I am doing 40kmph. There are no houses but herds spread out here and there.
Now in the picture it is still downhill but only slightly, enough i only coast.
I have come down from up there.
The other side has too much soft sand in places so I walk. Half way up the far side I start riding again and I notice my seat feels crooked. I stop and notice the rail is broken on one side!
I panic for about 5 seconds, and am bummed out for longer that I will have to buy a new seat. ($100). I take out my tools, slide the seat forward so the clamp is clamping both sides of the rail and eat some trail mix.
I deliberate for a minute whether to continue going farther away from civilization. As the real ride only started 50 minutes ago I choose to continue. The wide trail suddenly becomes a path, and a small one at that.
I can see the seven cornor road up to Monduli Juu. Maybe an hour away if I can find good tracks. Definitely the fastest way around Monduli mountain. The last time I circumnavigated Monduli I looked back on this route. Now there is just a small blank spot to figure out.
I ride to the edge and check it out but figure I better turn around.
I backtrack through the two canyons. In the second one instead of following the way I came I cut straight across. It is a bit of a scramble and bike carrying. I make a mistake and go through a side canyon also.
I can't find the embed tab on you tube.
I ride through the weird cutout.....
and onto the upper Lengijave plains together with 20 separate herds all going home. I swallow their dust as I pass one herd after another. at 6pm I am at the highway and buy two cokes in a jiffy and jump back on the bike. It is mostly downhill home. I had opted not to wear a helmet and now I wish I had as the speed is sometimes too fast and there is traffic.
I am home by 630. Happy I was able to have a couple hours adventure out in the bush.
Two hours is how long I bicycled to find someone who does not speak the national language, Swahili. Before I explain that , let me list the alternative titles for this ride post:
1- I seem to ride alone on weekend rides. I send out on a biking mailing list but no takers. Is it my company? my reputation for going far? everyone busy? or what? I don't mind going alone, and sometimes prefer it , but it would be nice to ride long rides with someone. I am going to stop posting invites myself and ask others to do it.
2- Still more adventures out there. There are some trails/roads within riding distance I haven't found yet that are pretty cool. I was thinking because of leaving mid day that I would not go anywhere interesting or new. Not true. I need to be more innovative in exploring some blank areas, like today. One hour and I was on an interesting track in the bush.
3- I broke my brooks saddle rail. Breaking a seat could of changed the ride dynamics. I was able move the seat forward and it held. Still wondering what to make of it. My beloved Brooks saddle that is conformed to my sit bones. Can I weld it? I fretted over the cost.
So here is how the ride panned out. I was lazy and sat around with the family all morning. It was not until 1pm that I started off . I figured I would not get anywhere interesting as I only had about 5 hours of riding time.
The first hour was a "transport stage" north up the highway to Lengijave. "Transport stages" are sections where I ride the bike purely for transport to get to the "beginning" of a good ride. The road north only has a few km left of gravel as it is being redone. It is interesting scenery except i have seen it a zillion times. I am riding this just to get somewhere else.
Normally I go around the north side of Lengijave mountain and down the open grassland. This time I rode up a valley on the south side. Iit has been ten years since I have used this road, not since family Guzinski lived up here in the 80's and 90's
I ride up the valley and through this small pass.It is still transport stage.
My camera lens is not smudged, that is a light rain falling. I will ride down on the left.
The road then contours a ridge leading up to Monduli Mountain. The view is spectacular. However I want to see what the plains below are like.
I ride the brakes as it is bumpy and loose sand. In a few minutes it is less steep and smoother and I can almost let the brakes go. I am doing 40kmph. There are no houses but herds spread out here and there.
Now in the picture it is still downhill but only slightly, enough i only coast.
I have come down from up there.
The other side has too much soft sand in places so I walk. Half way up the far side I start riding again and I notice my seat feels crooked. I stop and notice the rail is broken on one side!
I panic for about 5 seconds, and am bummed out for longer that I will have to buy a new seat. ($100). I take out my tools, slide the seat forward so the clamp is clamping both sides of the rail and eat some trail mix.
I deliberate for a minute whether to continue going farther away from civilization. As the real ride only started 50 minutes ago I choose to continue. The wide trail suddenly becomes a path, and a small one at that.
I can see the seven cornor road up to Monduli Juu. Maybe an hour away if I can find good tracks. Definitely the fastest way around Monduli mountain. The last time I circumnavigated Monduli I looked back on this route. Now there is just a small blank spot to figure out.
I ride to the edge and check it out but figure I better turn around.
I backtrack through the two canyons. In the second one instead of following the way I came I cut straight across. It is a bit of a scramble and bike carrying. I make a mistake and go through a side canyon also.
I ride through the weird cutout.....
and onto the upper Lengijave plains together with 20 separate herds all going home. I swallow their dust as I pass one herd after another. at 6pm I am at the highway and buy two cokes in a jiffy and jump back on the bike. It is mostly downhill home. I had opted not to wear a helmet and now I wish I had as the speed is sometimes too fast and there is traffic.
I am home by 630. Happy I was able to have a couple hours adventure out in the bush.
15 April 2011
Trash cleanup by Arusha Cycling Club
Last month Arusha Cycling Club together with Kilimanjaro Initiatives, Global Bike Team, and students from Arusha Modern, ISM, and Braeburn schools cleaned up some road side trash. Pretty cool. We filled up a 7 ton lorry and The road looked great.
I spent my time with kids from Arusha Modern. Afterwards we had a few words, with the best speech from a student from Arusha Modern, who picked up on the " Make a difference" theme.Note we used biodegradable reusable woven grass baskets to collect the trash.
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