I made it out of the first three stages alive, much to my surprise. After way more water than I thought I could drink and a rest day I was actually able to participate in the bike race.
The rest day itself wasn't so restful. After stage 3 we were scheduled to fly south to Bafoussam. The race started late because that's what races do in Cameroon. By the time the race was over and everyone was at the airport, there was only time for one flight instead of two. The airport in Bafoussam had no lights so the plane wouldn't be able to land. Way too many people tried to get on the first flight, a fistfight broke out and people were ornery in general.
After sitting around the airport for a bunch of hours, we finally found a hotel, ate dinner and found internet for the first time. In the morning we got to the plane finally and still it was chaos with pushing and shoving. Some time between the end of the stage and making it back to the hotel I developed a cough that kept me up all night. I was still coughing and generally tired. Some rest day.
But it all worked out for stage 4. We rolled out of town onto the hilly course and I was riding uphill with the peloton, something I hadn't done in the previous three stages. The weather was cooler (but it was still hot and humid) and I was working better.
The stage was 80km long with about 1000 meters of climbing. I lasted about 45km in the peloton and another 10km in sight of the peloton or race caravan. Sometime around then Ido told me I could ease up and just roll in to save energy. After making it over the last climb there was some beautiful descending that I could mostly enjoy. There are a ton of speed bumps in Cameroon and some bad pavement to keep you honest but it was good to save the legs nonetheless. I also couldn't quite sit on the saddle because of some brutal saddle sores from up north, but I'll save you the details there.
The rest day itself wasn't so restful. After stage 3 we were scheduled to fly south to Bafoussam. The race started late because that's what races do in Cameroon. By the time the race was over and everyone was at the airport, there was only time for one flight instead of two. The airport in Bafoussam had no lights so the plane wouldn't be able to land. Way too many people tried to get on the first flight, a fistfight broke out and people were ornery in general.
After sitting around the airport for a bunch of hours, we finally found a hotel, ate dinner and found internet for the first time. In the morning we got to the plane finally and still it was chaos with pushing and shoving. Some time between the end of the stage and making it back to the hotel I developed a cough that kept me up all night. I was still coughing and generally tired. Some rest day.
But it all worked out for stage 4. We rolled out of town onto the hilly course and I was riding uphill with the peloton, something I hadn't done in the previous three stages. The weather was cooler (but it was still hot and humid) and I was working better.
The stage was 80km long with about 1000 meters of climbing. I lasted about 45km in the peloton and another 10km in sight of the peloton or race caravan. Sometime around then Ido told me I could ease up and just roll in to save energy. After making it over the last climb there was some beautiful descending that I could mostly enjoy. There are a ton of speed bumps in Cameroon and some bad pavement to keep you honest but it was good to save the legs nonetheless. I also couldn't quite sit on the saddle because of some brutal saddle sores from up north, but I'll save you the details there.
The nice thing about this stage is that we drove back to Bafoussam on the race course so we could enjoy the views on the way home. Here we're driving up the descent. I'm sitting with one of the Rwandan riders. Obed won the stage that day and everyone was in a celebratory mood.
More from the drive back on stage 4.
Pee break!
It was just after stage 4 that my camera's battery died and I didn't think to charge it. No more pictures from the bus for a while. Stage 5 had a pretty crazy profile. It started with a short, steep climb and then descended for 40+km onto flat terrain into Douala, the biggest city in Cameroon. The plan was to save attacks until about 40km from the finish. We tried to get away, but the day was destined to end in a bunch sprint.
Rolling into Douala got crazy. Cars everywhere, really bad pavement and a high pace made it very nervous. With four km to there were train tracks across the road at a very low angle, perfect for causing crashes. A bunch of guys fell down in front of me, including Matan. I stopped to stay upright and held up to make sure Matan was OK. We rolled into town to finish out the day.
The next day we had a 25km neutral start! That's a long way to go to not race. On top of that, stage 6 was the longest stage, at 167km. The plan for the day was to go anytime after the halfway mark of the race. A break went early and everyone let Burkina Faso, who were defending the leaders jersey, control the race. We mostly rolled along and snacked the whole day.
With about 25km to go and the break at just under a minute and a half up the road Matan started asking me to attack with him. I wanted to wait until the break was in sight. But he kept asking and we had nothing to lose, so we drilled it. We were really cooking. To our surprise Burkina Faso cared that we went and caught us pretty quickly. Right after that the attacks started flying.
The break came back very quickly and then the pace got really hot. Matan attacked. He came back and I attacked. Right after I came back a group went and I went again. The peloton jumped on me immediately, Matan countered and made the group. They opened a nice gap and sat back and relaxed, waiting to mop up the sprint.
With about eight km to go I got a flat. The team car almost didn't stop for me because they were so focused on the break with Matan. I got a wheel and they immediately left me in case Matan needed help. I had a lonely roll into Kribi along the ocean. I started thinking about how my family is somewhere across that ocean and I'm here melting in the sun and humidity.
Matan didn't like how the break wasn't working so he attacked. From what I understand he went solo and got caught 400 or so meters from the line. He came so close to the stage win. It was probably the highlight of the race for us. It's the same town that Ido won a stage last year and we tried to repeat.
After the race we retired to our beachside hotel, complete with no electricity and no running water, for our second rest day. We were too excited about the location to actually care about minor inconveniences. We ate al fresco and listened to the waves. A little air conditioning would have been nice so we didn't have to sweat through the night, but it wasn't the worst thing.
In the morning I rolled out with Matan, Ido and Ilan for a nice cruise to keep the legs rolling. We went to grab a cold drink at another hotel and sit on the beach for a while. It might have been the most pleasant time of the tour.
Late that day there was a master's race that Ido, Ilan and our driver, Honore participated in. We went down to the roadside to cheer them on. It was a nice distraction for us, instead of just sitting around. It was also nice to support the guys that were supporting us throughout the race.
The last night in Kribi the electricity came back - for two hours. I charged my camera and computer. As I was sleeping I got woken up by a raging thunderstorm. I thought we were going to blow away. The wind was howling and hail was pelting down. And the electricity went out again. It may have been the worst storm I've experienced. It was a nice interrupted night's sleep before the last stage.
Sunrise after the storm, with a freshly charged camera.
These little guys were everywhere in Kribi. Think squirrels, Cameroon style.
The view from our beachside hotel.
Stage 7, the final stage of the tour, had a bunch of climbing, but only after the first 35km. Our plan was to attack until the band snapped and we would be away in the break. That way we'd have a head start on the climbs and make it to the finish with the front group.
The attacking happened but the break didn't. I'm pretty sure I attacked ten times in the first 45 minutes. I really turned myself inside out trying to get away. I even pulled a large break back alone when no one wanted to help and I couldn't bridge up to it.
Once we hit the first climb I was blown. I ended up in a groupetto, the group that rides together to make the time cut. We got our first rain of the tour that day too. It was much like the storm the night before, with lots of lightening and thunder and strong wind. We got hailed on for a while. Another bike racing tip here - if it's hailing during a race, put your hands in the drops to protect them. Trees were down in the road. We started riding much harder than the groupetto should; we wanted to get out of the storm.
Amazingly, when we rolled into the finish in Yaounde, the last 700 meters were bone dry. Strange weather. Once I crossed the line I realized I completed a race that I never thought I would - in dead last place. But have no fear! Twenty riders abandoned. I could have been one of them, a much worse fate.
Rolling into Douala got crazy. Cars everywhere, really bad pavement and a high pace made it very nervous. With four km to there were train tracks across the road at a very low angle, perfect for causing crashes. A bunch of guys fell down in front of me, including Matan. I stopped to stay upright and held up to make sure Matan was OK. We rolled into town to finish out the day.
The next day we had a 25km neutral start! That's a long way to go to not race. On top of that, stage 6 was the longest stage, at 167km. The plan for the day was to go anytime after the halfway mark of the race. A break went early and everyone let Burkina Faso, who were defending the leaders jersey, control the race. We mostly rolled along and snacked the whole day.
With about 25km to go and the break at just under a minute and a half up the road Matan started asking me to attack with him. I wanted to wait until the break was in sight. But he kept asking and we had nothing to lose, so we drilled it. We were really cooking. To our surprise Burkina Faso cared that we went and caught us pretty quickly. Right after that the attacks started flying.
The break came back very quickly and then the pace got really hot. Matan attacked. He came back and I attacked. Right after I came back a group went and I went again. The peloton jumped on me immediately, Matan countered and made the group. They opened a nice gap and sat back and relaxed, waiting to mop up the sprint.
With about eight km to go I got a flat. The team car almost didn't stop for me because they were so focused on the break with Matan. I got a wheel and they immediately left me in case Matan needed help. I had a lonely roll into Kribi along the ocean. I started thinking about how my family is somewhere across that ocean and I'm here melting in the sun and humidity.
Matan didn't like how the break wasn't working so he attacked. From what I understand he went solo and got caught 400 or so meters from the line. He came so close to the stage win. It was probably the highlight of the race for us. It's the same town that Ido won a stage last year and we tried to repeat.
After the race we retired to our beachside hotel, complete with no electricity and no running water, for our second rest day. We were too excited about the location to actually care about minor inconveniences. We ate al fresco and listened to the waves. A little air conditioning would have been nice so we didn't have to sweat through the night, but it wasn't the worst thing.
In the morning I rolled out with Matan, Ido and Ilan for a nice cruise to keep the legs rolling. We went to grab a cold drink at another hotel and sit on the beach for a while. It might have been the most pleasant time of the tour.
Late that day there was a master's race that Ido, Ilan and our driver, Honore participated in. We went down to the roadside to cheer them on. It was a nice distraction for us, instead of just sitting around. It was also nice to support the guys that were supporting us throughout the race.
The last night in Kribi the electricity came back - for two hours. I charged my camera and computer. As I was sleeping I got woken up by a raging thunderstorm. I thought we were going to blow away. The wind was howling and hail was pelting down. And the electricity went out again. It may have been the worst storm I've experienced. It was a nice interrupted night's sleep before the last stage.
Sunrise after the storm, with a freshly charged camera.
These little guys were everywhere in Kribi. Think squirrels, Cameroon style.
The view from our beachside hotel.Stage 7, the final stage of the tour, had a bunch of climbing, but only after the first 35km. Our plan was to attack until the band snapped and we would be away in the break. That way we'd have a head start on the climbs and make it to the finish with the front group.
The attacking happened but the break didn't. I'm pretty sure I attacked ten times in the first 45 minutes. I really turned myself inside out trying to get away. I even pulled a large break back alone when no one wanted to help and I couldn't bridge up to it.
Once we hit the first climb I was blown. I ended up in a groupetto, the group that rides together to make the time cut. We got our first rain of the tour that day too. It was much like the storm the night before, with lots of lightening and thunder and strong wind. We got hailed on for a while. Another bike racing tip here - if it's hailing during a race, put your hands in the drops to protect them. Trees were down in the road. We started riding much harder than the groupetto should; we wanted to get out of the storm.
Amazingly, when we rolled into the finish in Yaounde, the last 700 meters were bone dry. Strange weather. Once I crossed the line I realized I completed a race that I never thought I would - in dead last place. But have no fear! Twenty riders abandoned. I could have been one of them, a much worse fate.
We had big plans for our last day in Cameroon before the flight home. In the morning I built up a couple of bikes with Asaf that we brought to donate to the Cameroon Cycling Federation. Then we went to visit the Israeli ambassador to Cameroon. It was amazing to have a delicious meal that we didn't have to second guess in a beautiful home with people that amazingly kind and interesting. For a minute I felt like I could let my guard down - the race was over, it wasn't too hot and there was nobody looking at me like I was made of money.
In the afternoon we visited the cycling federation. We met with the president to thank him for inviting us to the tour and to deliver the bikes.
Me with Max the mechanic and Obed from Rwanda, post tour outside our hotel in Yaounde.
Honore, team driver and Formula 1 racing champion. I'm told that his driving skills kept us from dehydrating during the tour. I'm thankful that the bottles were there every time we asked for them.
Asaf on the porch of our last hotel room, overlooking Yaounde. Goodbye, Cameroon!
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2 comments:
amazing recap. proud of you for finishing!
Great pics... I like your vaca style.
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