Tour D'Afrique Pre Information
1,184 km, 9 days riding, 3 days rest
average km per riding day = 132km (82 miles)
Kenya: 900km. Approximately 90% of the route in Kenya is paved and most of it is of reasonable quality. (Northern Kenya is a lava rock desert with terrible rutted roads)
Tanzania: 1200km; Approximately 60% of our route in Tanzania is paved.  Most of the time we are on a dirt road cutting through the centre of Tanzania.  This road can be very muddy if it rains, and can be rocky with loose gravel in parts.

Day 60: Nairobi to Namanga - March 9, 2015 
We were back on the road after a day of rest in Nairobi. Had a couple of  good dinners and got a  nice haircut.  I'm still having a problem with my stomach and have decided to take some antibiotics that I had in my small pharmacy bag that I had with me.
Today is the first day of new section called Masai Steppe.  Apparently it is one of the hardest sections on the tour.  Still we had another nice day with some heavy winds blowing from the side  or from behind.
We were riding towards the border with Tanzania. We also did some climbing today with a total of 1137m and around 30km mark we had the 10km with off road conditions. It was a tough ride especially with the narrow tires on the bike. I stopped twice at coke stops and after lunch at around 120km mark we had another refreshment break. We stopped later for refreshments in a small town.  It was in the middle of local market that was very colourful.  
Arrived at a nice looking camp around 4PM and they had some rooms there. I was able to get one for myself.  Some new riders joined us in Nairobi and also a couple of guys who left in Egypt due to health reasons have rejoined us.
Tomorrow will be the border crossing with a long ride to Arusha and some climbing.We will arrive in Arusha and then we will have three days off.  Steve the lunch truck driver he is from Tanzania and he is arranging  the safari for us.
Total distance cycled today was 156 km and it was one of those long days on the bicycle.  My average speed was 22.1km/hr and max speed was 58.9km/hr.  I was on the bike for 7hrs and 3 min. 

Day 61: Namanga to Arusha in Tanzania - March 10, 2015 
We had a pretty smooth crossing of the border  and now we have started cycling through Tanzania. We passed by two big mountains and at the distance we could see the peak of Mount Kilimanjaro in the clouds.  I tried to take pictures but it was too far to get good shot. 
It was an enjoyable run with some climbing between 75 and 81km.  We climbed over 500m. Today we run total of 117km and my avg. speed was 21.6km/hr max speed 60.5km/hr and I spent on bike 5hrs and 24min. We went up a total of 1000m, most of it before the 81km mark.  
I arrived in Arusha at around 2PM.  It was a nice camp.  They also had a few rooms for rent and again I got one. I went to the Africafe for a good dinner and got my new SIM card. Tomorrow morning we will go for a three day Safari.  After the three day's rest we will cycle for 7 days straight with no official hotel rooms to stay in but  I will try to find one.

Day 62,63,64:  Rest days in Arusha - March 11, 12, 13, 2015
The three days we stayed in Arusha were our rest days. It is a small town just off the border with Kenya and a lot of companies organize safaris from here.  I decided to take a 3 day safari from Arusha into the Serengeti and Ngorongoro. It was an incredible experience. I saw for the first time many animals roaming at large. The places we drove through were very picturesque. It is one of those places that you will never forget and I would like to come back.
There were 12 of us on this trip in two cars. We slept at public campgrounds in tents. Some took their own tent but I got one supplied by the company. They  put up my tent and supplied mattresses.  The places were relatively clean and the toilets and showers were clean.  At night from our tents we could hear elephants and also buffalo walking around. I did take a lot of pictures and some of them I posted on Facebook. 

Day 65: Arusha to Babati -  March 14, 2015  
We stayed for one night in Arusha after coming back from safari and now we will start 7 days without break ride to Mbeya. Again in Arusha I stayed in a room so I did not need to put my tent up. It looks like everybody was well rested and ready to ride on the bikes.  
It was a long day today with an  172km ride and I spent on the bike 7hrs and 8 min. My average speed was 24.2km/hr and my max speed was 64.9km/hr. We had some climbing to do today and half of it at last 15km.
I rode with Johan and we took long coke stops between 1 and 3pm as it was getting hot around 1 PM at about 35deg C.  We got to the camp around 5PM and I was able to get a room in the motel near camp. I had a good shower and updated Facebook.  It was nice ride today with some pretty views and friendly people on the road. No more screaming kids and stones being thrown at us. We see a lot of schools and children dressed up. 

Day 66: Babati to Singida -  March 15, 2015  
Today we ride a total of 157km and my avg speed was 20.6km/hr and max speed 63km/hr.
When we woke up in the morning, the manager in the motel prepared breakfast for us. He made a nice omelet, also bread, some fruit and a coffee.  It was really a nice breakfast.
It was picturesque ride today with beautiful landscape. We did quite few steep climbs. Total ascent was 1618m and I felt it at the end of the day. 
I rode today with Andy from South Africa and we tried to keep good pace. We stopped at the top of the hill at 130km. When we started cycling again, he fell  off the bike with his shoes clipped in. It was in the middle of the road and I rushed to get him off the road. I looked at his bike and it looks like the derailleur was bent. I was able to bend it back and prevented the chain from falling off.  We camped and waited for the truck as Hans already arranged room for us as he rode only until lunch. 
This day we were changing tires to wider ones, as tomorrow we will have some off-road conditions. Once again Alex changed my tires.

Day 67: Singida to Game Post 1 at Muhesi game reserve - March 16, 2015 
Today was a day with some off road conditions. We travel the first 90km on good paved road and then we turn into a unpaved section for another 43km.  We ride through a small town called Itigi and cycled by the gates of Muhesi Game reserve.  
Just before Itigi we met a group of ladies driving in a minivan and had a nice chat.  We took some picture on the road with them. 
It was pretty good run and we arrived at the camp around 3PM. The scenery and the  views were beautiful and looks like everybody I talked to enjoyed the ride. When we arrived at the camp the local people had a buckets of water for us to shower.
Today we cycled total of 132km and my avg speed was 20km/hr max speed 39.3km/hr and I spent on bike 6hrs and 36min. There was not much climbing today only 466m. 

Day 68: Game post 1 to Soccer field - March 17, 2015 
We were riding today through some small villages, first Igana then Mgandu and before lunch Miteande where we stopped for a coke. 
There was not much climbing today but we still ascend 742m.  My avg. speed was 17.2km/hr and max speed 37km/hr. I spent on bicycle 6hrs and 31min and total distance travelled was 112km.
The whole distance was on a dirt road and it was first time since Sudan that we had this type of conditions. One thing in our favour was weather because it was not as hot as in Sudan.  Still around noon the temperature is rising. 
The scenery was beautiful and we went either through farmers fields or forests. At one point we had to go through sand.  I had to get off the bike and walk my way out of the sand.  Today we are at the edge of Rungwa Game reserve. I got to camp late as I stopped at some coke stops, and also got food at the first stop.
It is a big change between Tanzania and Ethiopia.  There is no more screaming and  throwing stones at us . A lot of children are in school uniforms. The people are friendly and they welcome us here. The country is beautiful and also the climate is really good. So I survived the first day on dirt road. Again we had local people selling us water buckets for showers.

Day 69: Soccer Field to Bit Manyanga school - March 18, 2015 
It was an incredible ride. All the way on the dirt road and in some areas I had to get off the bike as the sand was deep and I could not find a place to ride the bike. I cycled on the right side, left side and in the middle of the road. Wherever conditions were the best but at the end I felt the effect of the ride in my grip. The road could not be called a road in some sections and we were lucky it was not raining so it did not turn into mud. 
It was nice scenery and the views were incredible. It compensated for the difficulty of the ride today.  At certain points we had dozen of baboons crossing the road. Rocks were sticking out of the ground in the fields and we had horizon and green forest around us.  It was not an easy ride, but I think the protein powder I got from Ivan in Nairobi is helping in my recovery after these long days of riding. I also bought a Masai blanket that I use at night to cover while sleeping in the tent.  
We again got buckets of water from local people at the camp so I had my bucket shower.  It is better than nothing. I still remember sections in Egypt or Sudan where the only source to wash were baby wipes.
 I went with Dirk to the village and got a couple of beers. We met a teacher from the school and saw a  chart about the education system in Tanzania. It turns out that for primary school you have to pay 10000 schillings a year app 6US$.
We cycled today 127km and my avg. speed was 17.3km/hr and max speed 37.6km/hr. I spent on bike 7hrs and 20 min. We had 750m of climbing today. 

Day 70: Biti Manyanga to Makangolosi school camp - March 19, 2015 
From today's run we rode total of 120km with an avg. speed of 14.8km/hr and max speed 41.2km/hr and I spent on bike 8hrs. Total climbing was 1050m. 
It was a mando day for racing and one of the most difficult days on tour to ride. All the time on dirt road that was sometimes hard to call it road. The ride was difficult but I enjoyed every moment. The scenery the views made up for difficulty level. People in villages were friendly and they always greet us with welcome or how are you. 
I ride today again with Andy from South Africa and it was a pretty nice ride. He waited for me a few times as I had small crisis at 50km mark. It was long day on bike. We arrived at the camp at a local soccer field by the school. Local people prepared a show for us and it was nice to watch. 
I could rent a room couple of hundred meters from camp but since I had already put up my tent I decided to stay in the tent.  In the evening I went for a couple of beers in town.
We had pretty good dinner today at camp of Spaghetti Bolognese. I still take my protein powder every day after the ride. I think it helps in my recovery and I feel much better since I am supplementing my diet with protein powder.

Day 71: Mahangalosi to Mbeya - March 20, 2015 
Today was our last day of the 7 days stretch on the road without break. I felt a bit tired today and I was very slow at the beginning of the day.  Because of this, I decided to run only till lunch at 53km. My front breaks were also gone after few miles. 
I had avg speed 13.2km/hr my max speed was 34.2 km/hr and spend on bike 4hrs. Total climbing till lunch was 832m and it was tiring. 
So of 110km I did managed to ride only 53km and stayed on the  lunch truck to Mbeya where Andy arranged rooms in hotel.  So the section Masai Steppe is finished and after day of break in Mbeya we will start new section called Malawi Gin.

If scenes of Wildebeest migration and big cat kills on the Discovery or National Geographic Channel are your favourite vision of Africa, then this is the section of the Tour d’Afrique for you. One day south of Nairobi, you will arrive at the border of Tanzania and immediately spot the unmistakable Mount Kilimanjaro and its smaller sibling, Mount Meru. 

From there, it’s a day’s pedal to the rapidly growing and vibrant city of Arusha. As the gateway to such famous attractions as Serengeti National Park, Ngorogoro Crater, and “Kili,” 

Arusha is East Africa’s safari capital. Here riders are given 3 days off, affording them the opportunities to experience wild Africa at its most spectacular, to shop in the local stores and markets, or simply to rest and replenish their energies.

Heading south from Arusha, the red-cloaked Masai tribesmen will be your constant companions as you spin along roads with relatively little traffic, keeping an eye out for zebra and giraffe. 

At Lake Manyara you trade the tarmac for several challenging days of ascents and descents – the Masai Steppe – on a rougher gravel road, that can be treacherous in places if the rainy season has arrived. However the friendliness of the villagers, the roadside banana stands, and the sheer beauty of this unique and verdant land ensures that come rain or shine, this stretch is one of the most memorable on tour.

Riders head into western Tanzania, cycling through isolated villages and skirting some of the country’s most unknown game reserves. 

A highlight will be the last day on the section where cyclists will climb 1300m to the the ‘World’s End’ viewpoint before speeding down 800m into Mbeya.