Cairo to Cape Town: The First steps

It would be silly to try and justify that a journey of 11500km's begins with the first pedal strokel. It in fact starts months and years before the first commitment in pen and word is ever offered to an open ear.

My journey from Cairo to Cape Town started in a little coffee shop down the road from the University of Pretoria. I sat munching on a sadnwhich while discussing the prospects of a world record bicycle trip with a proffesional sports scientist and another friend who had seemed to take a massive interest in my venture. The first step however, the promises, the commitment, the interest and funding also ended at that little meeting. Months later, the emails stopped, the phone calls were ignored and I was left alone with this little dream in my heart.

As much as people believe in thier diets, in nature, in people, I believe in God and I felt a strong pull to this venture despite any shortcomings. And so, I began planning a trip into the unknown with no professionals. It started behind a computer researching the the towns that would possibly be stop over points while on the long road. It took me a month to fully map out the route on google maps and after that another month to ully adjust the distnaces and targets for the trip. In 2012 Robert Knol finished his Cairo to Cape Town trip in a record breaking 70 days, I kept this in the back of my mind as I planned vigourously day and and night.

I looked for sponsors among the heavyweight companies in South AFrica only to be ignored, sometimes just a sad little email would have given me hope to keep trying, but being ignored brings it to ones attention, that nobody has time for your dreams. I pushed on and finally landed a couple of small sponsorships in my home town of Witbank. These loyal friends saw something perhaps that I had even begin to doubt.

The money has only just been secured, some 43 days before my departure. To close for comfort some would day, perfect timing an optimist would say.

As I sit here on a rainy day in my home town I am again pushed down by the facts. My bicycle is broken, Im in need of new tryres, I dont have a visa, I havnt paid for my flight and on and on the list goes. If theres something I have learnt though, the facts are never the end result, faith and hope and hunger always prevail. If you wait for the conditions to be perfect, Im afraid you will never persue those dreams!
"Are you scared?" some people ask me, to which sometimes I cannot answer as a rational person and chose to rather remain silent. Theres is an excitemnt in my heart a deep feeling of peace towards what lies ahead. Everyday im researching the history of the places I will be travelling through and feel like an adventurer, Indiana Jones, preparing to trek through ancient lands. I think many adventurres have lost that connection with themselves, technology, funding and the perfect team have become the be all and end all of an expedition. Lest we cast our minds back to the tale of Scott vs Admunson, trekking the South Pole. Scott had a massive team, the best technology and a rediculous amount of funding. On the other hand, Admunson had prepared for a trip to the North Pole only to find, just weeks before leaving, that another explorer had beaten him to the pole. He turned his intentions to the South Pole, not telling anyone his plans. He relied on what was inside of him and not was outside of him to complete a mamoth task with limited resources. Often money comforts us, it taps us on the back and tells us that if something goes wrong, you will always have me to pull you through. This perhaps sets your mind on a plan B always, not fully acepting that your plan A needs to work.

Im grateful for my sponsors, VW Tri sec Autohaus, Timbercity Witbank and Denbey Liquor Warehouse for their generous contributions to the trip. Im looking forward to the challenge and the adventure through Africa. Tri-Sec Autohaus Timbercity