A rollercoaster ride..

Here's most of the team..
From left: Hans (Vancouver), me, Henry (owner of TDA), Nelli (Henry's niece, Washinton),  Christiano (our tour leader, Brazil), Bob (Ottawa), Shirly (Cape Cod), Dan (Cape Cod), Chelsea (our nurse, Ottawa), Andreas (Toronto, assistant tour leader), Joachim (Stuttgart, Germany), Chris (Vancouver),  Jacqueline, leaning back (Melbourne, Australia), John (Vancouver), Brett (Sydney, Australia), Sterling (Cairnes, Australia), Dara (London), Paul (London), Cathrine (Vancouver)..

Sitting around the dinner table - at another meal where I have to force myself to get it down. I am not a fan of indenesian food - so far. Considering the 3-4.000 extra calories we easily need when biking more than 120 k a day it is a bit difficult to keep one's weight. Well, my stomach problems did not help either - really bad start.. But today at our rest day I have decided to eat all day. We are in some kind of designer hotel that also offers international cuisine. Started out with hamburgers and french fries last night - and got 4-5 servings from the breakfast buffet + a Magnum ice-cream this morning. Am planning to go to a dutch bakery for lunch - so things seem to work out for me today.

 We just finished s section of 5 days riding with a sum of nearly 700 k's. That means that our overall sum is around 1200 k's. The last couple of days it was like being on a roller coaster. Pretty steep rides down and going up immediately  afterwards.. It's so much fun - better than Tivoli in Copenhagen.. But in the heat of the afternoon it gets tough going up. When I arrived at the hotel yesterday I did not feel well - the heat, says Henry - he has it all the time. I immediately laid down on my bed and got better in an hour or so.. 

 Tomorrow we start the last Sumatra section. After 6 days of riding we have a little ferry ride to Java - the most overpopulated island ever - wonder how the traffic will be?

Back to normal health/riding..

Finished the third out of a block of 5 riding days today. Did all the 122, 119 and 141 k's - it would not have been possible without normal health - so no more talk about stomach problems. The new "problem" is the heat. It is getting extraordinarily warm these days. Up to the far end of the thirties in c. Combined with extremely high degree of humidity. I am happy that I did India and South East Asia - I know that I can menage the heat. The rides are also getting more similar to each other. We now follow the coast south and make small detours in the backcountry during the day. There we get some climbs - but mostly like rolling up and down - and not the killer version just going mercilessly up.. Yesterday we had the most ugly accommodation so far - like a series of rooms facing a backyard with geese and chickens running around. It was very basic with like at basin of water and a hole in the ground for toilet. But it was not really dirty. In the middle of the night I woke up because a truck parked just in front of my room - apparently it was a truck driver's place.. We walked to the village (a couple of kilometers) to get dinner at a very local place. Lots of children were watching us from the street, hanging at the open windows - and women with or without babies and children came to have their picture taken together with us. I am slowly learning how it must be to be a royal - everybody want to come into contact with you..

Down, down, down to the Indian Ocean - through a manageable traffic inferno..

Started in peloton - we were 6 of us - and I think it was an advantage where we went today. Heavy traffic, lots of queues - and not any space for a cyclist. Well that was what it looked like - but it never the less kind of worked out for us. Actually we had a great ride - it cleared up after about an hours' ride and it was nearly like a revelation - it IS unbelievably beautiful around here. And the traffic is predictable. In the sense that especially the truck drivers really take caution and give us space. I find it challenging and it gives me some kind of a kick to navigate through the whole thing - including bad road stretches and sections where we go "in the rough" in the side of the road. I also had a flat - just after lunch - so I walked back and we found out that it was just the valve for the pump that had gone loose after I pumped it this morning and not fixed it properly.
 After approx. 100 k's ride going down most of the time  we reached the Indian Ocean - turquoise blue surrounded by palm trees - and a little Bounty island a little further out - just perfect. Had a little climb along the ocean at the end of the day - it didn't matter as the vicinity of the ocean chilled us a bit and the vistas were outstanding. Now at a boutique kind of beach hotel just south of the 1.000.000 inhabitants city of Padang - I think we are the first guests here - everything is new and nearly still smell of paint.. NICE!! So far I have been in a single room every night - wonderful!

MTB kind of riding, lots of wonderful children + muslim market ladies

Decided not to ride my bike yesterday - too little food to make the engine going - the little I get tend to run out right away.. Well it can only get better.. Today the issue was still there but no more patience for not being part of the cycling - so off I went on a super rewarding ride swallowing an Immodium.. Had my little "crisis" now and then but not any worse than I forgot all about it when the riding got challenging with kind of a MTB stretch - wonderful narrow forest "road" - with lots of stones and uneven passages - full concentration a must! Highly enjoyable.. Had a tee with lots of sugar just before we came back to normal road - that saved my energy level.
 Another thing that makes the riding very pleasant is the friendliness of everybody. The children first of all - they just smile, wave and shout hallo gentleman. Often the first that sees me/us shout out "westerner" in local language - and everybody come out to say hallo..
 Today I arrived to a larger rural town before 2pm - the hotel is like being in a Hemingway movie - 100% genuine colonial architecture - all wood with just the right shutters. Great atmosphere that seems to please everybody.
 Dressed in my long kaftan from Penang I took a stroll through the market. Felt extremely welcome - there nearly ended up being a competition between the market ladies to have a photo taken by me. They are all muslim and wear their hi jabs  - but incredibly friendly and laughing - wonderful!

No photos today - too week connection..

I love Sumatra..

It' s not that everything was perfect today. Still had my little problem with the stomach which together with heavy rains drumming on my hut kept me awake a lot during the night. Nevertheless the day ended up being perfect. 154,8 k's of riding and an approx. 1700 m climb - BUT even longer just going down - for ever and ever.. Started out - first time ever with Tda - in heavy rains. But they could not spoil the wonderful experience of riding through the Samosir island - traversing the island and afterwards going down along the western side of it. Charming villages and stunning views - just great.. Leaving the island and going up Sumatra with the view of  it was even more stunning. The rain stopped and we came up to more than 1800 meters (like Galzig) and every time we looked out there was another wonderful motive of lake Toba lying partly hidden in hazy clouds following the coast with peninsulas and small bays. Asphalt was changeable - but overall unexpectedly good.. Lunch at the top - with guess what: small newly harvested super delicious potatoes. The owner of the lot where lunch was organized was there - and we had a chat with his youngest son, Robin that studies economics. He told that we were the first white people he had seen since his childhood. Hard to believe - but it might be true. There are practically nobody but indonesians around - which makes the experience even more exciting.. After lunch came the long descent - wonderful except a couple of extremely heavy rainfalls including thunder and lightening.. Reached our destination just before 4 am - lousy room - cold water, no sink, no toiletpaper - and no towels. Happy that I brought my hairdryer -  can actually be used in stead of a towel..

Volcanoes, fertile soil and the world's largest crater lake..

First thing to see heading out of Brastagi - an active volcano! Super green and fertile all over - mandarines are grown all over the place. This is like paradise on earth: stunning views, wonderful landscapes, very friendly people and quite some good asphalt. A lot of hills - rolling and also just going up - a really nice ride.. Except for my second bad stomach - a bit tough to do the climb with that - but I survived and got to the ferryboat that took us to the Samosir island where we stay for 2 nights.. 118 k' ride with 1600 vertical. Heavy tropical rains last night - but now sunny and calm - sitting at the terrace of our hotel, the Tobo cottages in Tuk Tuk town.

First view of Lake Toba, the world's largest volcano crater late.

Genuine TDA start..

Finally first riding day - up at 5 - my phone (= alarm clock) went black yesterday after too much FaceTime, What's App or whatever so had my nice neighbors, Dara and Paul from England wake me up.. Laid everything ready yesterday - will quickly get into the rhythm of not forgetting anything - the routine from my last trip has not left my mind yet..
 Breakfast, bike all set, photo of group - here we go.
 Narrow roads, a LOT of potholes and pretty busy. After 25 k approx. 20 k climb - but a very "mild" one - not too exhausting - just narrowness - and traffic - and heavy roadworks. All this made it a genuine TDA start - not too easy - you better not forget alertness - at any time. Reached the top as the 4th person - not too bad.. May be my bike trips all through the summer are going to help me this time  - would be nice.. Anyway now in Brastagi (1320 m) - it is a bit chili - just like St. Anton, which lies in1302.. High mountains around here also - and volcanoes - with eruptions - last time in 2010.. The hotel is nice - and I have a single room, juppii!!

Trying to upload pics but I am afraid that the internet here is very slow - so might do it another day..

Counting down..

 Last morning in Singapore - studying guidebook, map and route. Good news: 55k short ride with 1500 climb first day - hill station kind of place to stay. Second stay on an island in the world's largest volcano crater lake. Stunning pic in the guidebook.
 Special diet for breakfast. Had my first food poisoning the evening before - nice clams - but no go for me - quickly in quickly out - fortunately..

 Visit to Singaporte chinatown for dim sung lunch before leaving. Ladies pic: Ming, Freja and me..

 First rider's meeting - 3 hours of do's and don'ts - good to know. Group of 18 riders and 4 staff (tour leader: Chrisitano, ass tour leader+ mechanic: Andreas,  nurse: Chelsea, photographer etc.: Nella (Henri's niece) + Henry = the owner of Tour d'Afrique and the man behind the whole concept).

Deli River Hotel in Medan, Sumatra. My room is just to the right - nice. Above my lucky number 111 - it means luck that it is not straight..

A Singapore highlight..

Went to visit the Singapore Wildlife Reserves with Freya and Troy..

The the panda - first impatiently walking around very fast - got her food, a big  Bamboo branch which she ate very energetically. A grown up panda eats 20 k of Bamboo a day.. We had a huge ice cream..

Getting Ready..

Already signed up for my next BIG bike ride, Trans Oceania (11.000 k through Indonesia and Australia) last winter - knew that it would be so much easier to go again just 8 months after my last ride, The Bamboo Road (Hongkong to Penang = 4.500 k). So now I am heading for Singapore to visit friends until Saturday the 16th of August where I go to Medan, Sumatra to start a 10 weeks ride through the Indonesian archipelago on the 18th.

Putting up my Hubba Hubba tent up in from of the summer house in Skagen at Dk's most northern point.
Tenting is said for Australia..


At the start of my practice race: Arlberg Giro 148 k 2400 vertical - 2 weeks before Trans Oceania..

Drama 4 days before departure for Singapore: not possible just to change chain - the whole cassette must be changed.. No such thing at my bike dealer and too late to get one from somewhere else.. A horror scenario: being forced to buy a new bike (only one could come into question) with practically no time to test it! Until Clemens,  my mechanic, "stole" the whole thing from a brand new bike in the shop - I was so pleased that I bought him 6 bottles of Antiniori Classico redwine for him..

Zürich Airport. 1 bikebox 25 k, 2 duffelbags 26 k. + present for Freja and Troy Storm in Singapore..