Enjoying the Challenge

Saturday 28 April

You will need to keep moving, if you want to complete the day. Don't hang about leaving camp.' A true statement but an enjoyable day. It was cold leaving this morning. Stevie had said we could wear our jackets and he would collect them from us when he passed in the dinner truck. I cycled in my down jacket, macpac vest, jersey and tshirt. And was glad for every layer. The dinner truck didn't pass until about 9am - I left at 7am- and it was only just starting to get warm enough that I was considering taking off my jacket. I delayed leaving camp a little, not for any particular reason. More I suppose that I didn't want to start the day in a panicked quick must get going state of mind, as I didn't want it to set a precedent for the day. I was provided with some breakfast amusement in the form of a rider who still prefers not to change their own tyres when they have a puncture, and this morning rolled through three kind assistants. Each assistant doing part of the repair before handing it back for said rider to complete the job, only for them to find another unsuspecting victim to continue the task. I can change and repair a puncture, but am very appreciative of offers of assistance, but my expectant. I feel the job is quicker and done better by people other than myself! Anyhow, we had been warned of a headwind after lunch. In reality we turned right out of camp, straight into a head wind, and it remained for the majority of the day. We retraced the route taken in the vehicles yesterday afternoon, heading towards Fish River Canyon. As I had left later, I was riding by myself. I had plugged my iPod in, which I don't normally do, and had Maroon 5 only just audible beneath the wind whistling in my ears. It was quite gratifying to overtake people over the first 15km. Tom caught up with me somewhere along the first 5km and we rode together until I needed a bush break. We were discussing the 'staff awards' - we are awarding the staff awards the penultimate night of he tour. So have been brainstorming for amusing ideas that aren't offensive. It was nice to have his relaxed company and conversation to entertain my mind against the headwind. The scenery was stunning. The sun rose over my left shoulder as we headed South. It's rays highlighted the corrugations, causing them to cast shadows over the road. I'm not sure if this accentuated their presence, or aided my detection and avoidance. We turned off the main road to the canyon lookout points. This meant we had it running alongside us for the first 1/2 of the morning. Speed was slow as we battled headwinds, corrugations, sand and a long drag uphill. I was enjoying the ride (Cycling on the moon...although there would be no wind if I was really on the moon.) but at one point did calculate by ETA in camp and question if I would make it before sunset. Allain and Mo caught up, Steph and I had been level pegging. We turned away from the canyon and the uphill gradient increased. As I keep saying, I enjoy the hills, and the dirt to an extent. My least favourite cycling condition is wind. It is tedious and tiring, and boring...especially on tarmac. Steph and Mo dropped back, Allain pulled ahead. Allain has a particular technique in the hills which propels him to the top in no time. It's the standing climb. While all the rest of us prefer to sit and spin, Allain will stand up and pedal up the hills. I have read about the pros and cons of each (of course). Standing uses a greater muscle effort and therefore oxygen consumption., so is not recommended for shallow climbs or sustained climbs. I feel Allain preference reflects a greater anaerobic fitness than the majority of us posses. As we wound our way up the hill the wind swirled through the valley. I overtook Maurice, and Aedo pulled me in his windshadow for a short stretch. Aedo is a really strong cyclist. Now referred to as The Flying Dutchman. We have also coined the term 'to be Aedo'd', which essentially means to spend the morning/afternoon/day attempting to keep up with Aedo while he cycled at his fast/normal pace. Most people arrive at lunch/camp shattered, having 'been Aedo'd'. I reached the top of the hill and was feeling good. Content and happy with the cycle. The top of the hill was like a plateau that stretched for miles. I caught up with Allain who had stopped to look at an old burntout car (it had been there for decades I think), and we cycled together to lunch. I don't cycle much with Allain, and it was really pleasant to have his company. Cycling along a main road in Namibia. Which resembled the road on the farm. In the sun. We got to a big t junction, and turned right - the wind became a tail wind. It was great. We discussed the tour and our feedback/reflections on it; his family and wife; his ironman last year; and he gave me tips for thi gs to see and do in Cape Town and Jo'burg. He was explaining about the huge divisions in wealth and standard of living in Jo'burg. I hadn't realised that there were shanty towns/slums in a country which I had assumed to be 'first world'. It opened my eyes to how naive I have been about equality in South Africa in the modern day. Lunch wasn't until 90km. It was a long morning. We had another great downhill, before a horizon splitting up hill to the lunch truck. Still arrived 30mins earlier than I did to lunch on the 'toughest day'. I allowed myself a relaxed affair, dedicated to the not chasing my tail mentality that I had set out to achieve this morning. Still had 81km to camp, and a headwind, and 47km of dirt. It started with a great downhill and tailwind. This persisted for about 45km, Allain overtook me again at some point. It was surreal because we dropped down into a valley, forged by the Orange River, and as we reached the river an oasis of green appeared. Vineyards. We turned right at this Valley and followed the river to camp. There is a small shanty town which must be supported by the vineyards. Another surreal moment, cycling past a Spar sign with the shanty town as a backdrop. The Spar must be for the tourists, I assume? Given the house don't appear to have power, or water, or a sewerage system. As soon as we hit the tar seal the headwind appeared. A strong one. I was bored within 5km. Long straight tar with a headwind and a slow climb. We passed a few vineyards, otherwise very little of interest. I battled the wind for 12km, mental endurance. Must keek going to make it to camp. Speed of 12km/h. Up ahead I could see a figure sitting a little back from the road. It could only be Allain. It was. He was camped up, eating crisps and waiting for me. 'I knew you wouldn't be too far behind, and I thought it was silly to battle the wind alone. So o waited.' I could have hugged him. The thing that really astounded me was that he waited. Very few people on the tour would consciously decide to slow down/stop, partly out of competitiveness, and partly out of fear they would be doing themselves a detriment. Allain doesn't appear to ever be in a rush, or stresses. It's v refreshing. The last 30km was so much more bearable. We did 2km stints at the front. Not only did this make the time pass quicker, but it also increased the speed from 12 to18km/h. We made it to Felix Unite Camp by 5pm. A step up from previous rest day camp. It was a version of luxury. And we made it. Some facts about Namibia(on behalf of Wikipedia): - you can drink the water from the tap for the first time since o left NZ. - before its independence in 1990, Namibia was called South West Africa, reflection its colonial occupation by the Germans and South Africans. - An average rainfall of 350mm per annum, the majority of the population is dependent on groundwater. - Over 100000 boreholes have been dug over the last century, of which a third have been drilled dry. - In 1999, 8% of GDP was spent on education. Education is free for primary and secondary ages. - Namibia still has an 'AIDS problem' although it appears to be easing. A significant no. of orphans are dependent on the government for food, education, shelter and clothing. - Christianity is the main religion, with a large proportion of Lutheran denomination due to the historical German and Finnish missionary work. - Namibia became a German Colony in 1884. Hence the prevalence of Appel Strudel and German language! Nambia is worth visiting. If you're ever considering, do it. Skeleton coast, the Dunes, Etosha, Fish River Canyon etc