When I booked Tour d’Afrique, many people told me: “Yes, maybe you can do it. But I am too old for that sort of stuff.” When I arrived in Cairo, fellow rider Andy from South Africa (around 60) commented on my question whether his son aged 28 would’t have liked to join:  “He’s too young for that sort of stuff.” Well, in reality, we have all age groups amongst our riders, from 21 (Niklas from Sweden) to 60+, and it really doesn’t matter how old one is. We are all one big family.

I cycled most of the day today with Hanne from Norway. She’s riding about my pace when I make a good effort without over-exerting myself. Guess what—Hanne is 60 years old! I like to call her Super Granny 🙂  She and all our other (semi-)retired riders have taught everyone else a very important lesson once again: You’re never too old—as long as we stay young in mind, and keep our bodies in shape, of course. No more excuses, folks. 😉

Stage 2: Fanar De Luna—Ras Ghareb (Egypt), 129km

Road & traffic condition:

Mostly good tarmac with a few rough patches of loose gravel. Traffic still good, but a bad car accident reminded us of the dangers of African roads.

Usually, cars and trucks honk to warn us of their approach, and move to the other side of the road when passing by—if there’s space. I was quite surprised today when a truck passed me at high speed with only a few centimetres gap. This, because a car was overtaking it at the same time, so the truck had no space to move over. Of course, slowing down wouldn’t have been an option in the drivers’ mind. Good reminder to always watch out.

Weather:

Getting bit warmer, still perfect for riding, mostly tailwind

Culinary highlights:

Chicken curry—yummy!

Group highlights:

Having our afternoon free to wash clothes, rest our sore butts, stretch our tense muscles and relax. This because of an early morning start and good road & wind conditions, i.e. most of us arrived at tonight’s hotel around noon.

Personal highlights:

My brand-new GoPro fell off my handlebar mount while cycling. This even though I constantly made sure it would sit firmly. Good news—I immediately noticed it and could cycle back to pick it up. Bad news—the lens protection glass is shattered into pieces. But it still works, so I won’t let it spoil my good mood. The broken glass shall give an iconic glare to my Tour d’Afrique videos. That, however, doesn’t mean I won’t give GoPro a very hard time now for selling that piece of sh.. (meaning the handlebar mount—still loving the Hero5).