Day 213 – Sat 1 May - 17,960 km, Dukwe, Botswana

I can’t quite believe it’s May and Comrades is very scarily only 30 days away. Unfortunately cycling muscles are about as much use for running as TV debates are for Gordon Brown’s chances of getting re-elected, so it’s down to putting in the hard miles on foot pre race. With this preying heavily on my mind, I started the day with a 10km run before resuming my battle with the Botswana headwinds. For now, my main comrades on the road are truckies thanks to a mutual love of flags, good roads and pies. Judging by the number of South African flags thundering past, I must at least be heading in the right direction. Temperatures are now ideal for riding and camping, although the days continue to shorten. I’m now camping on a remote cattle ranch, cooking over an open fire, because my stove has packed up in protest against the amount of pasta and noodles it is being forced to cook.