http://www.ambmag.com.au 55TRANS PROVENCEKILIMANJAROAfter a ride across a wide open plan and
another feed zone we traversed a volcanic plateau
dotted with Maasai villages. The other Australian
racing, Ray Marcelo was super excited at the end
of stage 3. He was lucky enough to be privy to the
a group of Maasai women dancing as he rode by.
The day’s racing ended with a series of rocky
ravine crossings which for us included some
hike-a-bike and Nola got attacked by a tree whose
prickles grabbed her face and wouldn’t let go.
As we neared the camp for the night we were
taken by what we thought were kites they had
put up. Turned out, it was a tent and a tarp being
picked up and thrown high in the air by a dust
storm. The ravine crossings proved worthwhile,
enabling us to camp high on the hills with 360
degree views of Africa below us as we lazed in the
sun, debriefed, readied for the next day and drank
the occasional Kilimanjaro beer.
The Bomba Traverse which dominated day
4 was always to be the most technical with
primarily rocky singletrack. At only 45km it still
took us over 5hrs to complete. On leaving camp
we descended as a group down rocky terrain and
then out onto a plain. Slowly Oldoinyo Lengai
“Mountain of God” volcano revealed itself in front
of us and remained a stunning vista throughout
the day.
On reaching Gelai Bomba Township were told
to ask for Mama J’s Grocery. Grocery, in Tanzania
means bar. The feed zone for this section had
an open tab. Nola and I sailed on past but there
were those who partook before descending the
traverse.
The Bomba section is lava rock. At times very
steep, sketchy, hard to read it in places where
momentum is your friend. Used for centuries by
pack donkeys and goat herders, K2N opened it up
to mountain bikers. For us it was a combination
of riding and walking. Both of us came away
from the day with a little less skin but a sense of
achievement and maybe some new skills too.
Our last campsite was at the Maji Moto hot
springs on the shores of Lake Natron with the
pink flamingo in the distance and the donkeys
grazing beside us. The race finish culminated in
debriefing with beers in the hot spring as the sun
went down and then gathering around our final
campfire for dinner and celebrating everyone’s
achievement.
The event team have worked hard to show
riders the Tanzania they know by bike with manyweekends spent recceing different parts of upper
east Tanzania looking for the best ways to connect
hidden gems your average tourist will never have
they opportunity to see. As a rider from Australia
it is worth being aware that in order for you to
experience all that Tanzania has to offer and
to get that unique experience that some of the
terrain is tough, even brutal. It does not mean
it is unrideable, the likes of Tinker, Trevor and
Anka proved that it is. For us though at times it
was either beyond our skill or the consequences
of trying and failing were too high so there were
times we walked, a lot. Don’t take your best
carbon-soled shoes.
Our favourite parts were the descent on day 3
followed by the descent from Simba Farm. Most
memorable experience was the Hyena running
across our path. As with any travel leave your
expectations at home. This is Africa, things are
not the same as you would expect but hakuna
matata - relax, no worries. What is for sure, this
is an experience you will be talking about in your
rocking chair with a smile on your face.
To the team at Red Knot Racing and Ashanti
Tours - Asante Sana for the experience you
create!http://www.ambmag.com.au 55