Dancing on the Dirt

21 April

We are now on the dirt again. I am not sure how many days we are on unsealed roads but the rumour is 8. We also only have 2 weeks until we arrive in Cape Town...two weeks tomorrow. That's pretty scary. Today was a good day but hard work. We only did 124km, but riding time was still 7 hours (so 30mins less that the 208 day). We had about 1100m of climbing too. None off really thought too much about the climb, it was kind of dwarfed by the off road. We did realise about half way into the day that climbing is a lot slower when your normal forward momentum is shared with bouncing up and down momentum! Still enjoying Namibia. My favourite bike riding countries have been Ethiopia, Malawi and potentially Namibia. The morning was so pleasant. A large convoy of us started out from Windhoek, atleast 15 of us in single file navigating through the city. We have two new riders with us, both locals. One is with us to the border, the other is just here for three days testing the water. Being local, they knew the way to go without needing to follow the directions- very handy to follow. I thought getting lost would be a reality of the trip however there have been very few directions and opportunities to go awry. The route is flagged with orange biodegradable tape, I very rarely have to get my phone out to look at the directions we were given. A few times, in Ethiopia, Tanzania and Kenya the flagging tape would be hijacked by local kids, though not often. We turned on to the C26 at about 25km and started heading South West into the Namib Desert. Namibia is internationally renowned for the high standard of it's unsealed roads. Wikipedia describes the Namib as 'hyperarid gravel plains and dunes'. Having cycled 125km into it, I can confirm this is so true. The scenery is a big step up from Boring Botswana. Despite being a desert, the road is lined with greenery. Not so much lush deep greens, but lighter drier greens. The humidity has dropped dramatically. The air feels clearer and lighter. The temperature is a comfortable summer in the UK temperature, perfect for riding. Chilly in the morning - arm warmers and Buff have been reinstated. David caught up with me just as I hit the dirt road and stuck with me all day. I had had a bad evening yesterday, and he was being really supportive and considerate, which was much appreciated. He approached me before we left and asked if we could ride together for a bit just to make sure I was ok. My speed dropped on the dirt. It took about 3.5hours to do the 75km to lunch. The road was undulating, but generally smooth (as unsealed roads go). Apparently because it hasn't been school holidays seen the road was graded, it has maintained its condition. There were regions of corrugations and regions of sand but nothing as bad as Tanzania. The best part was this red hard packed dirt, dead smooth, which we glided over at about 30km/hour! Also I think I have seen more wildlife here than in Botswana. Today there were multiple baboon 'packs' - are they called packs??- and quite a few horses. The baboons look healthier than the ones further North. Longer and more lush hair! The road condition deteriorated after lunch and motivation and energy levels were sapped rapidly. 124k can suddenly seem a long way. The rough stuff increased in frequency and altitude, and the hills just kept coming! We pushed on through, and finally crested our last hill for the day. Did not think I would be so happy to see a long, flat, straight road so soon after Botswana. We had about 25k left, and a headwind appeared. Jumping around the road looking for the smoothest path. Neck and shoulders aching from the vibrations. Blisters forming at the base of my thumb, despite my padded gloves. Discomfort on the bike adds another element to the cycle, it just adds a mental obstacle. Another thing about riding dirt roads is inability to relax on the bike while cycling. Atleast of the tar you can change position, take your hands off the bars. On the dirt you have to concentrate and hold position a lot more. I got some relief from circling one arm back at a time, and dreaming of a shoulder massage/ even just having someone walk in my back. Finally a building appeared to the right of the road. I tried not to get my hopes up. I was mentally preparing for another 2km while hoping it was the end. It was! A horse stud in the middle of the desert! David, Steph and I arrived with relief. It was quite late, for us. 3pm. An hour of camp duties- pitching, airing out, showering and then relax with my congratulatory coffee. There was no hot water in the female bathroom, but the boys had a fire to heat their water. I was not anticipating a /cold/, ice cold, shower so made the executive decision that the boys would have to share their facilities. David kindly obliged. Marty is in a room. He didn't ride today. He was diagnosed with Malaria and have now had four days off the bike. He appears to be on the road to recovery, but it's a slow process. Who rides 208km with malaria?! Marty. That's more impressive than cycling from Cairo to Cape Town healthy. Another 124 tomorrow. Less climbing but on a D road, not a C road, so perhaps even more corrugated. I would take sand over corrugations I think.