CAIRO: Most of us are partial to the occasional daydream during work, planning out the weekend perhaps or even the ideal holiday. But it is probably safe to say that cycling 12,500 km the length of Africa for charity would not feature high in the average work-induced fantasy.
It was likely a restless day then for Irishman Niall Treacy when he dreamt up the “Cairo to Cape Town Challenge in his London office, where he was working for Deloitte.
For some time Treacy had wanted to do something extraordinary with his life, and traversing the African continent with nothing but a bicycle, a backpack, and a solar-powered satellite phone to raise money for charity fit the bill.
Eager to get more people on board, he put the feelers out with a Facebook group advertising the project, which, to his surprise, racked up over 400 members. Eventually the group was paired down to six – including Treacy – who are set to embark from Cairo in the coming days on an odyssey expected to last six months.
The project will raise money for the “Millennium Promise fund, established by renowned economist and founder of the Earth Institute Jeffrey Sachs. ‘Promise’ works with impoverished communities, governments, NGOs and corporations to try and end extreme poverty.
The trip is entirely self-funded by the individual participants, and every penny they raise through sponsorship and donations will go directly to the fund. So far the group has generated $50,000 and Treacy is hopeful that they will make it to $120,000.
The other two Irish participants, Denis Dwyer and Ollie Fegan, both studied with Treacy at University, while Gareth Brauteseth, Rich Conyngham, and the group’s only girl Didi Francis, all hail from South Africa.
“If there were too many of us it could be difficult to get around easily, Treacy told Daily News Egypt during the project’s launch at the Irish Embassy in Cairo Monday night. “The group needs to be mobile, especially considering some of the places we will be going to.
Indeed, out of the nine countries the cyclists will pass through, two – Sudan and Kenya – are engulfed in major political turmoil, while others, like Malawi, are known for food and water shortages.
Francis is not worried though. “Definitely that aspect of it has crossed my mind, she said, “especially with what we have seen in the news lately. But our routes are generally away from the hotspots. We will be avoiding Darfur completely, and we won’t get to Kenya for two and a half months, so hopefully it will have calmed down by then.
Apart from the prospect of cycling through war zones, there are several logistical issues to navigate. Getting visas to secure entry to the various countries has been at the forefront of preparations, and the Irish Embassy in Cairo, said Treacy, was instrumental in securing visas to Egypt and Sudan, where it is also accredited.
In some countries they will arrange entry when they get there, while in others a visa may not be required at all. “There may be some hiccups along the way, said Ollie Fagen, “but we’ll make it to Cape Town eventually. No worries.
In sub-Saharan Africa temperatures can climb as high as 50° C during the spring season, and to stave off dehydration each cyclist will carry eight litres of water on their bike in purpose-made carriers that sling over the back wheel. They will fill up at every opportunity in the villages and towns they pass through.
Apart from a stack of pre-packed energy bars (insisted on by Treacy’s mom), Francis admits they may at times have to rely on the kindness of strangers.
Each will also carry a satellite phone in case of emergency, and in order to record regular text and blog updates of their trip on the project’s website. They will recharge their phone batteries on solar-powered panels attached to the back of their bikes.
Beginning in Cairo, their route through Egypt will take them along the Nile until Lake Aswan, at which point they will take a ferry into Northern Sudan and continue south-eastwards through the country and into Ethiopia. From there it is on to Kenya, then down through central Tanzania and into Lilongwe on the western side of Lake Malawi.
They will then continue down Livingstone’s way into Victoria Falls, exiting Zambia into Botswana and then into South Africa where the famous “Garden Route will lead them to Cape Town, hopefully by June 2008.
“We will see some breathtaking scenery along the way, said Dwyer. “It will be an unbelievable experience.
The aim is to cycle 100 km a day, which they estimate will take five to seven hours. At night they will sleep in tents they are taking with them, or stay in budget hostels they have identified along the route.
The six might all be physically fit after training for three months, but none are experienced cyclists. Veteran cyclists they have consulted for advice have assured them, however, that after the first two weeks it will become a lot easier. “I’m sure the padded shorts will come in handy, laughed cyclist Grant McDermott.
For Francis, however, the biggest concern is getting out on the open road. “At this stage I just can’t wait to get going . The waiting, I reckon, is the hardest part.
For more information see http://millenniumcycleforchange.org or go to the Cairo to Cape Town 2008 group on Facebook.
