Today we cycled 109 km from Muyinga to Kayanza via Ngozi. It was another undulating road and whilst Kayanza's altitude is only 200 metres higher than Muyinga, we did a total of 1,875 metres of climbing. I was tired when we started and so slightly concerned about the day ahead. However, all ten of us made it with lots of mutual encouragement and I found myself finishing strongly as we came up the last hill into Kayanza.
Some of you will know that in my training rides I had been having lower back pain whenever I did a ride of more than about three hours. Whilst it is a little sore today, that's the first twinge I've had in all five days of riding so far; it's amazing what a small adjustment of the handlebars coupled with a good dose of prayer can do!
Today's photos are:
1) Our support team of Bellie, Bonith (our drivers), Juvenal (an evangelist who is showing the "Jesus" film to local audiences at each stop) and Jacques (our wonderful cook who is keeping us well fed). We couldn't manage this trip without them.
2) The Scripture Union office in Ngozi (SU is one of the organisations with which Simon Guillebaud works out here).
3) Coffee cherries on a tree (the Ngozi to Kayanza area is a significant producer of high quality coffee).
It's good to be back in Kayanza which was the first town outside Bujumbura that I visited on my very first trip to Burundi in 2008 and it has a number of positive memories for me. It was the place where my faith was rekindled after a number of barren years. It was also where I first came into contact with the coffee industry with which I continue to be involved in a number of ways.
Coming into Kayanza today, Simon received a message from one of the local team telling us that tomorrow's distance to Cibitoke is about 40 km more than he thought; that will make it our longest day at about 130 km. What joyous news ....
And so to bed!
Thanks again; nearly there now.
Paul
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