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From:
Date: 30 Apr 2006
Time: 12:20:45 +0200
Remote Name: 196.44.153.3
Five long cycling days from Maun to Windhoek - mainly flat with tailwinds sent from the heavens above. I stayed behind in Maun to be around in case Catherine needed a hand (being down to only one useful arm at the time) to get to the airport. I'm sure she could have managed quite well on her own so I was there only in my capacity as back-up for the unexpected. One of the downsides of being tough is that people tend to leave you on your own to get on with it, when that may not always be the right thing to do. I speak these pearls of wisdom from my own experiences. After leaving the airport I jumped on a bus to Ghanzi, the tour destination in two days time, and asked the driver to stop half way when he saw "a bunch of white guys and around 60 tents and cycles on the side of the road". The bus duly screeched to a halt next to the bush camp for the evening just as the sun was going down and I was there just in time for supper. Back on the bike for the remaining four riding days to Windhoek, I was just in time to have a day's warm up before the longest ride of the tour, the 208k ride from Ghanzi to the Namibian border. I had an informal "race" with Danny - he had been in about half an hour quicker than me on the 195k day ride) and I wanted to see if I could beat him in on the 208k ride. I didn't see him all morning (he left about 10 to 15 minutes after me) and then rolled into the second refrestment stop at around 150k just as I was leaving, which made us about even. So I put my foot down a bit and got a move on, and was probably in around 20 minutes faster. Not sure whether he was racing as much as me, but I'm sure he'll kick my ass some other time. The ride into Windhoek was flat for the morning and then hilly before a big descent into the town. My lungs reminded me that I will never get any stronger at hill climbing than I am now, but I puffed my way up and down and then up again, before sailing down and realizing that my front brake pads were wafer thin and needed to be replaced. Once again a beautiful days ride, now that there were hills alongside and ahead, the brown sandy colours in the afternoon sun set off against the blue sky. Windhoek seems not to be Africa, it is a nice pleasant town in the middle of Germany or Holland, where all the creature comforts of home are readily available to buy in the shops. Two rest days here have been restfully spent eating good food and strolling around the shops. I got up enough nerve to get a hair cut (the first since December) as I prepare to re-enter society when the tour concludes in two weeks time.