I'm working from home and riding everyday so every day is a weekend.
Today I test-rode the 40km loop for North Nairobi Cycle Club's social ride on Sunday. I'll have to change the route because it'll prove too hilly for some members. But it was fun for me to thrash around. You know when a hill appears and you think "I can just push hard in the saddle for two minutes and fly over this". I faced probably 9-10 of those hills today and I'm starting to judge them better, riding less like an eager puppy - you know, sprinting up the first half and limping the rest.
As the cycling white boy zipping around semi-rural Kenyan roads you have only two possible modes, "very patient" or "slightly rude". Not a minute passes without some gang of small children shouting MZUNGU (white person) at you and then waiting, yearning for a response. I have lost the will to reply verbally, so these days I just wave. On the other hand, I often greet random peds because their smiling responses make me feel good. I'll miss the smiles of strangers when I return to the UK, and I'll seem really creepy when I to greet everyone I walk/cycle past.
I made in total three brief stops:
1) An attempt at asking where a mysterious slip road went. Nobody knew. I didn't risk it.
2) Banana stall pit stop, fittingly in the town of Banana Hill. "Ndizi moja" "10 bob" "Sawa". I had probably 75+ opportunities to buy a banana along the route as there are fruit stalls EVERYWHERE in Kenya. Totally handy.
3) Stopped and took this photo. I remember noting that Warwick Uni is 13km from Warwick, but this Leeds Prep School is an impressive 7065km from Leeds.
I'm working from home and riding everyday so every day is a weekend.
Today I test-rode the 40km loop for North Nairobi Cycle Club's social ride on Sunday. I'll have to change the route because it'll prove too hilly for some members. But it was fun for me to thrash around. You know when a hill appears and you think "I can just push hard in the saddle for two minutes and fly over this". I faced probably 9-10 of those hills today and I'm starting to judge them better, riding less like an eager puppy - you know, sprinting up the first half and limping the rest.
As the cycling white boy zipping around semi-rural Kenyan roads you have only two possible modes, "very patient" or "slightly rude". Not a minute passes without some gang of small children shouting MZUNGU (white person) at you and then waiting, yearning for a response. I have lost the will to reply verbally, so these days I just wave. On the other hand, I often greet random peds because their smiling responses make me feel good. I'll miss the smiles of strangers when I return to the UK, and I'll seem really creepy when I to greet everyone I walk/cycle past.
I made in total three brief stops:
1) An attempt at asking where a mysterious slip road went. Nobody knew. I didn't risk it.
2) Banana stall pit stop, fittingly in the town of Banana Hill. "Ndizi moja" "10 bob" "Sawa". I had probably 75+ opportunities to buy a banana along the route as there are fruit stalls EVERYWHERE in Kenya. Totally handy.
3) Stopped and took this photo. I remember noting that Warwick Uni is 13km from Warwick, but this Leeds Prep School is an impressive 7065km from Leeds.