Go Ghana Cycle Challenge: Koforidua to Begoro

Wednesday 5^thOctober: Cycling Day 4

Distance                     64km

Calories burned          Running on empty

Sleep                          None

Level roads                 0

Hilly roads                   Over 3,800 feet climbed

Degree of difficulty      10/10

Misery factor               Rock bottom

Lowlight of the day      Soaked to skin pushing broken bike into town

Africa being Africa, timing is always a bit elastic.  I doubt even Mussolini could make the trains run on time here – not that there are any trains, lack of track being a major disadvantage on that score.  In our case, the timing elasticity refers to breakfast and, indeed, lunch, which in turn impacts on our set off times each day.  While I’m happy for lunch to extend way past 2pm to lessen the searing heat of the sun, it seems impossible to get an African hotel to serve breakfast before 7am, by which time we should already be on the road to make the most of the relative coolness of the early morning.  Today there is a further delay as several bikes need major fixes before we set off around 8.30am, and the sun is already beating down as we cycle out of the hotel and back through the busy town. 

I fear today may sound like one big whine, but there are extenuating circumstances. 

1. I’ve slept badly every night.
2. Suzi, my room mate, was sick all last night
3. The combination of 1 & 2 meant virtually no sleep whatsoever.

Add to this three exhausting days of cycling so far, and I hope you can find it in yourself to forgive a one-day whinge.  And to offset the bad bits, there was an early high spot.  As the cyclists headed up hill out of town, on the other side of the road heading down hill marched a parade of blue uniformed school children singing and playing drums in support, I believe, of universal schooling.  All very cheering.  In fact, the whole trip has been made easier by the support of gaggles of school children along the way; weary legs definitely turn a little faster when they hear their cheers and cries of “obrouni” literally, white man.

I think I remember one long down hill after this, but then just an unrelenting uphill section for several kilometres to our first stop at Boti Falls.  We leave our bikes and walk down to the roaring water where Tim, of course, ignores the risk of bilharzia and dives straight in swiftly followed by the local bike crew, while the rest of us look on.  Then it’s back on the bikes for more cross country cycling, by now both my head and my spirits are down and even the lovely Dr Rob can’t lift them, despite being full of the joys of our beautiful surroundings and having enough energy for both of us, stopping to take photographs and then catching me up and surging ahead. 

By midday the heat is winning and shortly after that I hit the wall - a steep, near vertical section of concrete road rising from the dirt road floor and leading on to a slightly less steep but deeply rutted dirt road that continues up the hill.  I get off my bike and push up.  By now I am moving so slowly that the back of the group has caught up with me and there is still 25km to go to lunch.  I decide there is no point in killing myself and hitch a ride with Suzi in the van.  Dave’s there too, with Mel and Lou in another vehicle with Humphrey, and as the miles roll on and on – up hill and down dale past 1pm, past 2pm, with still no lunch stop in site – we are joined by Ralph, Patricia and even lion-hearted Jim, all defeated by the unrelenting roads and sun.

Finally those left cycling are allowed to stop.  But there is still no sign of lunch.  Peter and Jessica have missed the designated lunch stop and set up we know not where. After several phone calls, they are found and lunch is ferried down to the weary cyclists. After this, the good news is that we only have 8km to our final destination, Begoro.  The bad news, that it’s is all uphill.  Even worse news, my bike has been damaged on the truck; as I begin cycling up the hill I find the gear selector has broken.  I struggle up the hill in the two gears I have left and manage to get almost to the top when the chain falls off.  Tim is also having problems with a completely locked chain. As we walk into town there’s a flash of lighting, a clap of thunder and the heavens open.  Within two steps we are soaked.  At least there is a beer waiting for us at the fabulously named KitKat club.

The day’s excitement is not quite over.  The light bulb doesn’t work in our hotel room and they don’t have a bulb that fits the socket.  No problem.  Two men arrive to change the socket.  They balance a folding chair on the bed, unscrew the live socket, change it for another one, tack the dangling wire to the ceiling, replace the bulb and leave.  Not sure my friends at the Electrical Safety Council would approve, but we do have light.