Cycling For Rangers - Update From Africa

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U-ganda love this update covering Rawanda, Kenya and you guessed it Uganda

The expression 'so close yet so far' has never felt so apt for Theo, Charlie, Will or Johnno as they peddle their way into the final days of what's been a truly epic cycle adventure. The boys have endured as many punctures as steep hill climbs, putting their bikes and their mental and physical strength to the test. But as the days go on and we see beards continue to bushify, it's clear these boys on bicycles have become men on missions - they are after all, Cycling for Rangers.



Just over 1000km to go and one filming location left, Will, Charlie, Theo and Johnno have just cycled through Uganda and have made it to KENYA!! (often taking the scenic route with Theo's (not-so-) shortcuts.)

Here are a few questions we posed to the CFR boys

What has been the toughest moment for each of you so far?
Our lowest moment from the trip all happened on the same day... Day 99, 14th of July!

Charlie: After a 2000km stretch and just 60km to go until we made it to Kigali, capital of Rwanda, I found myself with absolutely no gas left in the tank. Due to illness and no sleep, I had to be the one to get a lift on the back of an electrician's truck for fear of collapsing from exhaustion.

Theo: Sprawled out over the muddy ground, wrapped in my broken sleeping bag, in a pile of my own sick, on a punctured/rapidly deflating mattress. Feelings of self pity were interrupted only by Charlie's frequent dashes to the bush to relieve his bowels. This has to be my darkest hour (3 hours)!

Waddi: With Charlie and Theo having gone ahead sick, Johnno and I were left to tackle the 105km that day. It was 6.10pm and the sun was beginning to set. With 25km still to go, we received a txt saying the boys had gone to hospital. The 2 goat and chip omelettes from our lunch were beginning to gurgle inside me producing frequent burnt goat tasting burps. My head torch was on. 10km to go I had to pull off the side of the road and was met with a violent episode of D & V. Back on the bikes we finally reached the hotel. It was pitch black. In response to where are our friends, a confused receptionist utters the terrifying words, 'hospital... malaria..'

Johnno: I'm the last man standing... HELP! At this point, the SOS button was looking increasingly tempting!

Which song best captures your ride through Tanzania?
Songs died on this leg of the voyage! To enjoy music you have to have some positive thoughts present and things were looking pretty bleak. Instead we resorted to podcasts. 'The infinite monkey cage' became a group favourite. This mixes science and comedy and listening to other people's fun facts and amusing witterings meant we could share what we'd learnt between us.

Which photo is your favourite from the last few weeks?


Probably Johnno getting dropped off at our camp in a helicopter having done an aerial survey of 11 rhinos before 7.30am, waking up Charlie and Waddi in the process - just in time for breakfast!

Can you tell us about any other travellers you’ve met along the way?
Mio, the owner of the Japanese restaurant kiseki in Kigali who hosted our night on Rwandan TV, is one of the most inspiring people we've met on our journey. Aged 22 she left Japan to cycle solo from Kenya to Capetown. She shaved her head, wrapped up her breasts and painted her face to make it look like a beard so men who came across her tent didn't try to hop in. To convince her parents she was capable of achieving such a feat, she cycled around Japan (4000km) as a warm up. Since then she’s cycled across China and Indonesia with her three children being pulled along in a trailer behind.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given on your journey?


Our random encounter with a German cycle touring coin collector was a bizarre one. After finally reaching the top of a brutal mountain on the edge of the Rift Valley we had stopped for a Fanta on the side of the road. It was around 5pm. Having not seen a fellow Mzungu (white man) for weeks, we suddenly bumped into a German bike tourer on a locally sourced bicycle with a suitcase strapped on the front and back. He was on holiday with some friends but decided to part with them and spontaneously cycle diagonally across the Tanzanian desert. Out of his pockets he pulled several coins which he later told us he’d found using a metal detector he was carrying in one of his suitcases. The coins were from the German colonial in what was then Tanganyika pre WW1. And as soon as he had arrived he disappeared off with parting advice that you can camp anywhere as long as you check for snakes!

Can you share the most inspiring encounter from your most recent filming location?
The most inspiring character from our recent filming in Akagera national park, Rwanda was a ranger called Jackson. Also 23, he spends his days tracking lions on foot through the bush. His parents are local farmers. His father frequently asks him why he spends so much time 'grazing' buffalo, lions and elephants when he could be grazing cattle and goats? He tells him because if he doesn't there will be no more. His mother says if you spend so much time in the park how will you find a wife? He says “I'm only 23 I don't need a wife when I love my job”. Despite the pressures from home, Jackson is leading his outpost of 11 other rangers and is also the youngest. A very inspirational character.our story.

What would you tell yourselves at the beginning of this journey?



We would tell ourselves the following:
- Patience is everything.
- Bring two pumps.
- Africa is massive and it's not just desert. There are mountain ranges, lots of mountains ranges.
- Your body forgets the pain you put it through.
- If you eat porridge for two weeks straight when you are sick, you will never want to touch it again.
- Training helps.
- Enjoy making local mates as they will bring the memories to every new place.
- Bring two kindles!



August 18, 2017