With many thanks to Peninsula Beverage for their South Africa 'country' donation
100%
Current Amount: £23205
Target: £23205
Welcome to Rob's Blog. Read all about Rob's progress with Tri4Africa....
> Inner tube woes
Day 60, 6156km, Bode, Senegal
A multitude of puctures, burst valves and faulty chinese inner tubes left me stranded in the village where I woke up this morning. Fortunately I was able to stick to my sustainable principles by hitching a lift on a horse and cart to and from the local town where a guy was able to fix me up with some more of China's finest inners.
Sure enough I spent much of the afternoon continueing to fix punctures, and I can't believe I'm saying this but,...
Read Full Story & comments...
> Defeated by food
Day 59, 6068km, Near Thile Boubakar, Senegal
The red african sands were turned a shade darker today with the sacrifice of millions of goats to celebreate Id Tabaski. It made for a fascinating days riding passing countless groups of friendly muslims either praying or feasting and my waving arm soon became as tired as my legs. Unfortunately I suffered from numerous punctures which had to be repaired under the pressure of countless inquisitive kids.
Progress was then...
Read Full Story & comments...
> Pea sandwiches
Day 58, 6000km, Richard Toll, Senegal
I've just discovered how to eat cheaply in Senegal - spicy pea sandwiches at 40p, bargain! We didn't travel far today after taking a boat trip in the morning and seeing crocs, monitor lizards, and even a python, each of which looked like it would take more than a pea sandwich to satisfy. Headwinds and dirt trails also kept our speeds down and then once on paved roads the ever present danger of pot holes prevented one from drifting off. Anyway...
Read Full Story & comments...
> Back to nature
Day 57, 5907km, Djoudj National Park, Senegal
Leaving St Louis this morning we had to dodge and weave our way through countless goats tethered outside peoples houses or being moved in the frenzy of buying and selling that is proceeding the Eid celebration on Saturday. Arriving at the Djoudj National Park (regarded as one of the best bird watching sites in the world) in good time we opted to make the most of a rare bit of leisure time by exploring by bicycle! We were rewarded with...
Read Full Story & comments...
> Lessons from the road Part II: North Africa
Obtaining my entry stamp into Senegal from a bare footed policeman stretched across a lounger yesterday afternoon, with Bob Marley’s "We’re Jamming" blaring from the hut's speakers, I knew that I’d finally arrived in West Africa! The sensory bombardment of negotiating the St Louis rush hour that followed provided a stark contrast to the long monotonous...
Read Full Story & comments...
> From desert to delta
Day 55, 5822km, Saint Louis, Senegal
Wow what a difference a few hours in the saddle can make! Taking a scenic and rarely used route into Senegal via the Diawling national park in Mauritania the desert sands have been replaced with vibrant reedbeds and acacia thickets ringing with the sound of birds and crickets. The border crossing was quick and laid back by comparison to the 5 hour multi check point ordeal getting into Mauritania that included negotiating a 5km sandy trail...
Read Full Story & comments...
> Visa success
Day 53 - 5540km Nouakchott, Mauritania.
With my Mali visa ready for collection at noon, I should be back on the road to South Africa this afternoon and on the trail of my French amigos, who had to carry on without me. Fortunately the delay has allowed me to recharge the batteries, overcome the now familiar traveler's stomach, collect an emergency resupply of malt loaf and give Bertha some much needed TLC. In many respects I take back...
Read Full Story & comments...
> Back to civilisation
Day 51 - 5520km Nouakchott, Mauritania
Hi All, me and my new found French companions have finally ridden out of the beautiful but endless desert and have arrived in Nouakchott, the Mauritanian capital, to indulge in a binge of salad and fruit eating and obsessive showering. Existing on bread, tinned fish - when I could stomach it, biscuits that had more in common with polystyrene than a sugary food source, the occasional bit of pasta or cous cous with...
Read Full Story & comments...
> Sahara sands
Day 48 - approx 170 km into the Mauritanian deserts. Rob may not be able to send any blogs for a few days, however you can see his position at 11am and 11pm each day if you click on "Rob's satellite location", which indicates his position on a Google Earth map and then zoom in to get a closer look at the friendly terrain!
Read Full Story & comments...
> The camel effect
Day 46, 5060km, the Mauritanian border
After spending half the night ejecting the delicious but subsequently lethal camel tagine I ate for dinner last night, I felt very weak today and really struggled to make the 87km to the border with Mauritania. It wasn't quite the way I envisaged racking up the 5000km milestone but fortunately the others were keen to stay at the border for the night so I've got a chance to try and hold down some solids and prepare for some mine...
Read Full Story & comments...
England!
Triathlon Completion: Day 255 - Sat 12 June
-20,293km Rustenburg, SA
Click here for blog, videos, photos & GPS location
Latest Press:
JustGiving "Fundraiser of the Month"
JustGiving [29/06/2010]
"Fundraiser of the Month"
Times LIVE [17/06/2010]
"The World Cup's most extreme fan"
ITV4 [12/06/2010]
"World Cup Countdown"
(FF to 16min 45sec in)
BBC Breakfast [05/06/2010]
"The incredible Rob Forbes"
(facebook account required)
Inside the Travel Lab [05/06/2010]
"Swimming to South Africa"
The Sun Newspaper [27/05/2010]
"Fan swims to World Cup"
Rob on BBC Radio 5 Live:
-
Cheers!
-
Well done dude
-
Well done!!...
-
Well done - what an...
-
Make-over
