On Friday 19th March 2010 I finally managed it. I reached Cape Town.
Its taken me over six months to cycle nearly 17,000km through 20 countries. An incredibly arduous and rewarding journey. It took me a further three days of battling hangovers to limp down to the Cape of Good Hope.
Its just as well I've finished as I'm not sure how much puff I've get left in me. I'm physically and mentally exhausted. My knees which began to moan buckling under my weight crossing the Alps have now become excruciatingly painful. But its been worth it. My first glimpse of Table Mountain reduced me to tears.
There is no way I've been able to write or even express all I've seen on route.
Knowing what it's like to go to be hungry, or so exhausted you struggle to talk, to live for days at a time in the bush, to spend hundreds of hours alone or spend weeks unable to sleep at night because of the pain your in and hundreds of hours in your own company teaches you a lot.
Africa is a magical place. A place where you have the freedom to live your own adventure but have to watch your back whilst doing so. A place where the rules you abide by are those set by nature rather than bureaucrats. Cycling its length is a massive challenge, meeting its many diverse and incredibly warm people (except those ruddy Ethiopians!) a great experience. It has provided me with the most amazing set of memories.
I will miss it tremendously. I'll miss waking up and heading off for a new adventure each morning. I'll miss the space and freedom, the piece and quite and the closeness to the environment but I can't say I want to cycle back home. I'm ready to finish and face new challenges at home and its probably the way it should be.
I've had the most incredible few months, I've done what I've set out to achieve – the cycling, the thinking, the adventure. So worthwhile.
The final part of my challenge is to help raise funds for Hazel Footprints Trust – to help give other people a fraction of the opportunities I've fortunate to benefit from so do please visit the Charity page on this website.
TRIP STATS
Time – Left Northamptonshire 9/11/09, Cairo 6/1/09 Arrived Cape Town 19/3/10 and Cape of Good Hope 22/3/10
Countries Visited – England, France, Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia, Albania, Greece, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and finally South Africa.
Biggest Day – 289km in Sudan. Tar roads with a tail wind.
Smallest Day – 25km battling food poisoning in Ethiopia followed by 49km climbing the Alps
No of Punctures – I think only about five or six true punctures and a few failed repairs
No of Wheels – I managed to go through nine yes nine rims. Original tyres though
Highest Mountain – 3900m in the Alps but spent a week at virtually 3000m in Ethiopia
Crashes – A few. I got hit by a bus in Tanzania, had a wheel collapse in Ethiopia and 50km+ blow out in South Africa
Cycled since - No. Hitched hiked the 60km back from the Cape of Good Hope. Didn't een cycle out the car park!