Continental tires!

"Are you tired of always having air in your tires? Tired of going for a care-free bike ride? Never fear! Continental Cyclocross tires are here! New and improved, they are guaranteed to hemorrhage air as fast as you can pump it in! Built on a weak and flimsy rubber casing with no puncture resistance whatsoever, Cyclocross tires will leave you stranded in the rain and mud every time you ride your bike! Listen to this real life testimonial!

Daniel Emerson, Ottawa, Canada: "I never used to leak air out of my tires. I would just get on my bike and ride. Thankfully I discovered Cyclocross tires and I've been collecting thorns and patching tubes ever since! Thanks Continental!"


Ok, so on a different note, here I am almost finished riding Tanzania! I'm in Mbyea, a town of about 200,000 people which lies (of course) in a mountain range. We've just finished riding an 8 day section of dirt roads from Arusha to here. They were hard, for sure. But not hard enough for me. So, what did I do? I rode the whole section in two gears. And climbed a mountain in one gear. Just to see if I could. And I did. But guess what? My legs hurt. A lot. The whole section was probably my favourite section so far. All of the colours here are so vivid! There is green everywhere and animals a-plenty. Well, insects a plenty. I have really only seen one warthog while cycling. I have seen a ton of cool bugs, mind you. There are a ton of ants that streak across the road like black veins, numerous large caterpillars, a ton of butterflies and moths, lots of praying mantises (manti?), some snakes (which I've only ever seen squashed on the road) and just generally a lot of cool stuff. Oh, did I mention how green it is? Ya, it's green. When I cycle by the long grass, it actually looks illuminated a-la-Avatar. The flowers as well. It's just so green! Along our route, there is also a ton of farming (green). There are corn fields and tobacco fields everywhere. It seems to be a great source of income for the country. The people are very nice along the road as well. They all pass by and yell "Poa, poa" (Good, good in swahili) and give you a thumbs up, or stop to help you fix the 26 punctures you've had.

The weather is the only bad part of this section. It's the rainy season here, so it rains every day. Now, the rain during the ride is actually a lot of fun. It just teams rain down on you. I mean it absolutely pours. And it's nice. It cools you down and cleans your bike a bit. The downside is that the roads become mud and I mean deep mud. The kind of mud you step in and lose your shoes. And that mud gets thrown upon you and your bike and in your eyes, nose, mouth and whatever else is exposed. Somehow it even gets under your clothes. Still, not too bad. It's fun to feel so dirty after a hard day of riding. What sucks is not having a shower for the next 8 days. Then waking up to a soaking wet tent and putting on soaking wet cycling kit and shoes. Then you pack up your wet tent and eat breakfast in the rain. Then when you start cycling, your bike weighs 20 pounds more than normal because you're collecting mud like it's rare. Then you climb uphill (always) and your back tire spins and it takes you twice as long to get up said hill. That is unless you've stopped and fallen over because your tires can't turn in the mud. Now, again, I sound like I'm bitching, but I love it. I don't mind being dirty and my sleeping bag is not wet (thank you army and Goretex) so I just ride it out like any other day. Overall, I have really loved Tanzania.

On another different note, thanks to all for the encouraging comments after my last post. I never expected such a response. The post wasn't meant to be a grab for compliments, just a view into my headspace at the time. However, I have renewed confidence in my journey after such a flood of positive words. I really could not do this without the help from you guys. It's very encouraging to check e-mail after 8 days and find a slew of people offering a helping hand or a thoughtful word. Also, I have received a few compliments from some riders on how strong I've become on the bike. Even Horst (#2 racer) said he is proud to see me ride now. So, thank you all again for all you've done for me. It has really made a difference. Anyway, I have to head off an eat. Must fuel the furnace. So, I leave you all with a thank you and some more random stats.

Punctures to date: 26
Total mileage: 6400km
Number of showers to date: 8
Parts worn out on bike: chain x1, cassette x1, crankset x1, brakeset x1, tires x1, front wheel bearing x1, rear wheel bearing x2, derailleur jockey wheel x1