A few weeks have passed since we exited the Kenyan border and we are now two countries further on.
The pace of the tour has been hard to keep up with the days getting longer and the stages getting harder.
Leaving far less time to keep my records of what has happened along the way updated. But one thing it has allowed me to do is spend hours on the bike reflecting on the past few weeks and the amazing things that have happened along the way. Especially the special moment created in Kenya which taught me a great life lesson.
How many people can say they managed to meet one of the greatest marathon runners of all time in his home town?
How is this even possible?
A few cyclist passing through The City of Champions in Eldoret.
The simple answer is a combination of the power of social media and just asking a simple question. “Do you know where the marathon runners train?” A question posed on a You Tube Channel of one of my fellow riders.
Just like that we received a response from someone who happened to know him, and hooked us up for a meet and greet. Which taught that me sometimes you just have to put yourself out there and ask the question you want to ask.
The guy was incredible, for someone clearly so busy, he spent time with us all, ducking out of a corporate function to answer all our questions and make sure we all had a photo.
His humility shone through, and in a few weeks he will take to the streets to the streets of London for the greatest marathon in the world (of course I am biased).
Kenya not only offered this incredible experience, but some brilliant riding. Entering and descending into the Rift Valley for the first time, was breathtaking.
The quote of this segment as we finished the descent was “this kicks the shit out of Egypt” and boy he wasn’t wrong!
The early morning riding was the best of the tour to date. At times you felt like you were in a scene from the Lion King (minus Simba!)
With endless views of Acacia Trees with amazing sunrises and sunsets continuing.
We were teased by views of Kilimanjaro from our last Bush Camp in this country (more to follow in the Tanzania blog), and our first interaction with the Masai tribes.
The huge contrast to the magical riding days, was the first taste of safari on this trip. Our rest days were close to the Nairobi National Park. It felt totally surreal to be in the middle of a city with the wildlife.
I could have stayed in Kenyan for more days, but the social experiment I feel like I am part of rests for no one. So Tanzania here I come!!!
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