Day 6 is over and we are now safely in Cibitoke. Tomorrow's final ride into Bujumbura is pretty flat and "only" 61 km (38 miles) of which 15 km will have to be in the bus because of the poor state of one section of road. As a result, in our conversations we are already talking as if the ride is over. It's strange to think that just seven months ago the thought of a 38 (or even 29) mile ride would have been quite daunting.
Various sponsors comments have included:
"Day 2 will be hard". It was but in the end not as hard as I had feared.
"Days 3, 4 and 5 will hurt". They certainly did at times, particularly Day 5.
"Day 6 looks like fun".
Well, let me tell you about Day 6 (Saturday) because it turned out to be quite a day; highs and lows in all sorts of ways.
Because of the distance error, it was in fact our longest ride of the week at 128 km (80 miles) and the longest ride I have ever done. It was also our hottest (35.1 degrees Celsius at one point) and included the highest altitude of the trip at over 2,200 metres.
Despite being a massive downhill day overall (a net 1,000 metres of descent), we actually recorded our largest amount of climbing (2,365 metres) and also encountered gradients steeper than The Beast of Day 2. Every exhilarating, and sometimes scary, downhill run had to be paid for by a corresponding serious hill upwards and a few of us were severely tested. All ten of us made it, though, and the arrival into Cibitoke was very satisfying. Dean's knee is painful but he'll make it to the end and Simon is already talking about going to Idaho next month where he is registered to take part in an Ironman Triathlon ....
There are definitely some differences that result from Dave and I being the oldies. We're both wimps downhill and so are almost constantly braking and watching the younger ones fly past us. Today it was almost getting to the point where i would look forward to the next uphill because my hands were aching so much from the brakes! I did actually manage to record my highest speed of the week today at just over 70 km per hour (44 mph) but that's way behind Josh's record of 89 kmph (over 54 mph).
I know I have previously commented on what a beautiful country this is, but there was unanimous agreement amongst the team that Day 6 really did surpass them all. From the forests and lakes of Kibira National Park to the spectacular views of mountains and valleys from the tops of our many hills, it really was a special day. The people we meet along the way are almost universally friendly and welcoming and at times one can get a bit of a feel for the Tour de France as we ride through villages with people on both sides of the road cheering on the mad musungus.
Also special was the continuing encouragement of the team, either when someone was struggling physically or when it was something more emotional. For example, Josh (a Canadian emergency nurse who is living out here to open the medical centre at Homes of Hope Gitega) had a problem with his rear wheel that ended up throwing off the chain and badly damaging the carbon frame of his bike which meant he had to switch to our spare bike. What made it particularly difficult for him was that the bike was a gift from his parents back in Canada and so it was gutting for him. But the team rallied round him, encouraged and prayed for him and we were all able to carry on to the end. Few of us would be able to complete this week of riding if we were doing it solo; I know I couldn't. Doing it together has been crucial.
So thank you for your part in the team; your interest, encouragement and support has been essential. Don't forget if you would still like to make a donation you can do so at:
www.virginmoneygiving.com/tour-du-burundi-2013
We finished the day with a quick visit to Homes of Hope Cibitoke, the sister orphanage of the one in Gitega. As we arrived, we were greeted by the children singing songs for us (see photo) and we were able to spend half an hour or so playing with them before we had to leave again for our meal.
Right, it's time for bed; I'm exhausted! Bujumbura (and home), here we come.
Paul
"Day 2 will be hard". It was but in the end not as hard as I had feared.
"Days 3, 4 and 5 will hurt". They certainly did at times, particularly Day 5.
"Day 6 looks like fun".
Well, let me tell you about Day 6 (Saturday) because it turned out to be quite a day; highs and lows in all sorts of ways.
Because of the distance error, it was in fact our longest ride of the week at 128 km (80 miles) and the longest ride I have ever done. It was also our hottest (35.1 degrees Celsius at one point) and included the highest altitude of the trip at over 2,200 metres.
Despite being a massive downhill day overall (a net 1,000 metres of descent), we actually recorded our largest amount of climbing (2,365 metres) and also encountered gradients steeper than The Beast of Day 2. Every exhilarating, and sometimes scary, downhill run had to be paid for by a corresponding serious hill upwards and a few of us were severely tested. All ten of us made it, though, and the arrival into Cibitoke was very satisfying. Dean's knee is painful but he'll make it to the end and Simon is already talking about going to Idaho next month where he is registered to take part in an Ironman Triathlon ....
There are definitely some differences that result from Dave and I being the oldies. We're both wimps downhill and so are almost constantly braking and watching the younger ones fly past us. Today it was almost getting to the point where i would look forward to the next uphill because my hands were aching so much from the brakes! I did actually manage to record my highest speed of the week today at just over 70 km per hour (44 mph) but that's way behind Josh's record of 89 kmph (over 54 mph).
I know I have previously commented on what a beautiful country this is, but there was unanimous agreement amongst the team that Day 6 really did surpass them all. From the forests and lakes of Kibira National Park to the spectacular views of mountains and valleys from the tops of our many hills, it really was a special day. The people we meet along the way are almost universally friendly and welcoming and at times one can get a bit of a feel for the Tour de France as we ride through villages with people on both sides of the road cheering on the mad musungus.
Also special was the continuing encouragement of the team, either when someone was struggling physically or when it was something more emotional. For example, Josh (a Canadian emergency nurse who is living out here to open the medical centre at Homes of Hope Gitega) had a problem with his rear wheel that ended up throwing off the chain and badly damaging the carbon frame of his bike which meant he had to switch to our spare bike. What made it particularly difficult for him was that the bike was a gift from his parents back in Canada and so it was gutting for him. But the team rallied round him, encouraged and prayed for him and we were all able to carry on to the end. Few of us would be able to complete this week of riding if we were doing it solo; I know I couldn't. Doing it together has been crucial.
So thank you for your part in the team; your interest, encouragement and support has been essential. Don't forget if you would still like to make a donation you can do so at:
www.virginmoneygiving.com/tour-du-burundi-2013
We finished the day with a quick visit to Homes of Hope Cibitoke, the sister orphanage of the one in Gitega. As we arrived, we were greeted by the children singing songs for us (see photo) and we were able to spend half an hour or so playing with them before we had to leave again for our meal.
Right, it's time for bed; I'm exhausted! Bujumbura (and home), here we come.
Paul
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