English - Mats TdA 2019

It is November in Stockholm 2017. The dark water under the bridge lit up by the lights from new houses at Liljeholmen. Yvonne and I are walking home and talking about the usual things when she suddenly asks me.

- Shouldn't we do something special before we get too old?

- Yes, and?

- Why not take a half-year off or so.

- Maybe... Do you have something in mind?

- No, not right now, do you?

- How about cycling through Africa!

It was at this moment it all took off. I had seen this trip on the net but never really thought it could become a reality. Now Yvonne opened the issue and I took it on the fly!

I asked her about joining but she answered. 
-This will be your thing!

Tour d’Afrique is one of the longest cycle arrangements in the world. The seventeenth edition starts in Cairo on January 17, 2019 and ends in Cape Town on May 12. About 40 participants are registered for the entire route. Another 40 will run selected parts on the road down the continent. As a participant you can choose your own pace and make your own stops during the days, maybe for a cup of coffee. Stages are usually between 120 and 140 km per day. The organizer arranges breakfast, lunch and dinner. They transport the participants' tents and packing to the next camping spot. In this party of holiday travellers, we get service from mobile nurse, chef, bicycle mechanic, tour leader, assistants and drivers.

Since November 2017 lots of thoughts and dedication has been put in different types of equipment, how to arrange for leave of absence and funding, incubation, visa and more. During the last year point by point on the checklist has been dotted. But it was not until the fee was transferred to Toronto and the organizer TdA Global Cycling that all this became a reality. The final focus has been on visas for Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya. Entry in Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, Namibia and South Africa will be arranged during the trip.

There is something special about cycling new roads. Slowly rolling into environments you've never  seen, heard or felt the fragrance of . Images and experiences from bike rides are etched into your mind with special sharpness. I clearly remember moments from cycling holidays Yvonne and I have experienced in Sweden, in England, Germany, Poland Hungary but also from my solo cycling trips from Stockholm in the Nordic counties and into the European continent. Now, I look forward to meeting an international group of cycling enthusiasts and brand-new impressions from the African continent!