From the monthly archives:

January 2010

Wadi Halfa to Dongola – The Paving of the Nubian Desert

January 30, 2010
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I have mentioned to several riders on this tour that ‘back in my day’ (3 years ago) when I was in Sudan for the first time with Tour d’Afrique, the week of riding from Wadi Halfa to Dongola was one of the toughest on the entire tour.
Now with the completion of a paved road it is a whole new place. It wasn’t long ago that our schedule included five cycling days to get us from [...]

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African Cyclists on the Tour d’Afrique

January 25, 2010
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In each country along our route on the Tour d’Afrique we have the pleasure of getting local cyclists join us to ride the portion of the tour that passes through their country.
Some of them are very skilled – completing for and winning stages. Some of them, on the other hand, are not as skilled or fit, and almost all of them lack access to replacement parts, cycling clothing, or tools. Their bikes, as a result, [...]

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70m of String and an Adjustable Wrench

January 20, 2010
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I am here in Egypt with Tour d’Afrique. Tonight we are in Safaga on the Red Sea. The first four days of riding are behind us and they have been challenging ones indeed.
The tour staff and myself spent several frantic days in Cairo preparing for the big start of the 2010 Tour d’Afrique. I am here to oversee the start of this year’s tour and to help out with any and all of the day-to-day [...]

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One Cool Cat – Brief History of Michael James

January 8, 2010
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Rogers Park is the northernmost community in the city of Chicago. It’s a 30 minute taxi ride from downtown, and I would imagine that most visitors to the city would never make it this far north. If I was not asked by Michael James to be interviewed about our movie screening in Chicago, I would have never made my way this far north either, but I am sure glad I did.
I don’t often get interviewed [...]

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Bicycle Showdown – Salsa vs. Soma

January 1, 2010
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Since the last few posts have been mainly news and politics oriented, I thought I’d throw in a lighter offering during this holiday season. Hopefully this will swing the balance of topics back towards cycling for a little while.
Over the last several months from my desk at Tour d’Afrique I often fielded the one question that always comes up with riders preparing for our company’s namesake African cycling expedition… What is the best bike [...]

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A travel and news chronicle from the places my bicycle takes me. It’s not a cycling blog per se. It’s a record of things I encounter along the way – in my travels with Tour d’Afrique Ltd., and through my own experiences at home and abroad.
This is a personal blog and has no official affiliation with Tour d’Afrique Ltd. or anyone other than myself. The views and opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of anyone else.