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HE'S MADE IT! IAN'S CHALLENGE

by Ian Parker

I wrote in a previous Gazette about my ‘challenge’ – a 300 mile cycle ride through the Rift Valley in Kenya for charity. Well, I made it, and as promised, here are some thoughts and notes about my week.

I was very apprehensive when the day came to leave for Heathrow to catch the flight to Nairobi. Mostly about the fact that I didn’t think I’d done enough training and was it really going to be that bad! My fears were slightly abated when meeting my fellow cyclists – there were 40 of us altogether – at the airport. We all felt the same (apart from one intrepid guy who was doing the ride for the second time – was he completely mad?!).

So, after Cyclistan overnight 8½ hour flight, and feeling slightly the worse for wear on arrival in Nairobi, we had time only for a quick shower at the Landmark Hotel, having spent the last hour assembling our bikes – that was a challenge in itself. No sooner showered than we were off. A 45 minute drive in the ‘team bus’ with bikes safely on a truck behind, to near Limuru where we were to begin the ride. The first 10 or so miles were great – wonderful views of the Rift Valley – then stop for lunch; then the fun really started! The next 20 or so miles were our first taste of off-road cycling – IN SAND! The excitement of seeing giraffe and zebra close up however made us keep going! We arrived at our camp site on the shores of Lake Naivahtrsa at dusk. The camp sites were generally very good – toilet facilities excepted! And after supper we were treated to the sound (and sight – by torchlight) of a large hippo!

Day 2 was a 40 mile ride through Hells Gate National Park, in which we saw wildlife in abundance. Zebra, Buffalo, Gazelle, Giraffe, Warthog, Eagle….. We also visited the home of George and Joy Adamson of ‘Born Free’ (Elsa the lion) fame. Back to the camp at Lake Naivasha for our second night. On the third day, we cycled north to Nakuru via Lake Elementitia (a soda lake). Again a mixture of on-road and off-road and it was beginning to get warmer! 60 miles cycling today which finished with a bus tour around Nakuru National Park where we saw slightly wilder animals – lion, leopard, rhinos, hippos, baboons and the famous thousands of pink flamingos at the lake.

By Day 4 we were all a bit weary, getting up at 6am each morning, the heat, the altitude, the restless sleep (caused mainly by snoring in adjacent tents!). But as it happened Day 4 was the best day despite the temperature – 40°C. In the morning we cycled through tea and coffee plantations and sisal fields; we crossed the equator at lunchtime, then were entertained by a concert put on for us by a school. The children were wonderful and we were all moved by their enthusiasm and friendliness and obvious delight in entertaining us. We then cycled onto Lake Bogoria where there are awe-inspiring hot springs and stayed in a lodge by the lake enjoying a much earned swim in the pool together with one or two beers! The happiness was short lived. Day 5 was a killer! 70 miles – 40 of which were uphill – to an altitude of over 8,000ft. After each hair-pin bend I thought there could not be another steep hill, but there was, then another. Still, coming down was good! Crossed the Equator again at 5,700ft. where we finished our days ride.

So, to the final day. A leisurely ride (compared to yesterday!) from south of Nakuru back to Nairobi . The route again took us through some lovely scenery and fantastic views. We finished on a definite ‘high’ all feeling fairly pleased with ourselves. We celebrated with a wonderful meal back at our hotel in Nairobi.

It was truly a wonderful experience – we saw parts of Kenya other tourists cannot hope to see – and the organisation of the event was so good as to make the sweat and tears worthwhile. I personally raised just over £4,000 for the charities – Norwood Ravenswood, which cares for people with learning, physical and mental difficulties, and the Down’s Syndrome Association – and I believe our group as a whole raised £125,000. My lasting memory will be of cycling through fields or along dirt tracks, ostensibly alone, then suddenly a small group of children appear shouting and singing at you. And it is a fantastic country to cycle in. And yes, I would do it again!