Some time has passed after the last AltTour Vuelta start. It took some time to let the tendons in both my knees heal completely. But now I finally have a new project coming up, for which the preparations are in full swing:
On September 05, I will fly to South Africa to cycle from there to Uganda starting on Saturday, September 09. A journey on which I want to explore and get to know the most different countries, cultures and landscapes. I have planned an average of 130 km per day. This is a much more relaxed distance than the AltTour project. Bikepacking does not always have to be so extreme in my opinion. I do what I enjoy. And that doesn’t always have to be higher, faster, further. This time the challenge is the journey itself. Just under 6000 km from Cape Town to my destination Kampala in Uganda. Start will be at VillaViva in Cape Town; end of the trip a well construction project in the middle of Uganda.
In addition, my bike got an extra new design for this project, matching the Africa trip. I worked out the design together with the artist Hyazinth Pakulla, who then painted the frame by hand. At the end of the project the bike will be auctioned to the highest bidder.
With my projects it is always very important to me that they are not just pure sporting events, they should also offer added value.
That’s why I’m working on this project together with the non-profit organization VivaConAgua, which campaigns for access to clean drinking water. The money raised at the auction and the donations collected during my trip will then go to VivaConAgua’s well construction project.
It is currently two days before departure. The tension is rising. There are still a lot of things to plan, which I was not aware of before. Today at noon I broke a brake caliper while setting up the new bike. The bags are only half packed. The outward journey to the airport only roughly planned. Last time I had resolved to start everything a little earlier. Somehow it never quite works out that way. Maybe that’s normal for such a big trip. Despite all the tension, I feel somehow ready and well prepared. I have all the necessary documents, vaccinations, medicines and of course the right equipment. Not so easy not to take too much and not too little. Especially on a trip to such a large and distant continent, I have a hard time deciding on some things. Water boiler, yes or no? How many drinking bottles, which tools? At the moment, I’m betting more on “better too much than too little”. It will be, at least as far as the daily mileage is concerned, a comparatively relaxed trip.
I have more than respect for this new project, but at the same time I am looking forward to many new experiences and adventures. Stay tuned!