Day 187
Sleeping location: Divani Hotel, Kabarnet, Kenya
Distance (km today/total): 96 / 13025
Estimated climb (m today/total): 1500 / 96600
Descent: 1150m, 26km, 40min, avg speed 39kph
Distance (km today/total): 96 / 13025
Estimated climb (m today/total): 1500 / 96600
Descent: 1150m, 26km, 40min, avg speed 39kph
Day in three words: Rift Blast 1
Today we absolutely pillaged the buffet and also managed to take away some pocket eggs (the first in ages) and a pocket muffin for the ride. And what a ride it was to be: we were cycling the Great Rift with the majority of our gear off the bikes and stowed in a cupboard in Eldoret. As soon as we set off the bikes felt so different; when you put some power through the pedals you really felt it, and we zoomed up the small hill out of Eldoret. We had to get to the Rift, which was 30km down a quiet smooth road through more rolling hills and English style scenery. Because nothing in Kenya is ever easy we had a raging headwind and a slight uphill to deal with, but we were so overjoyed that it didn’t feel that difficult. On the way into Iten on the edge of the Rift we saw loads of runners, this area is a high altitude training mecca for them. We also found the HQ of the Kenyan Riders cycling team and popped in to say hi. It was quite ramshackle but they had some nice gear and were very friendly. One guy told us that one of the climbs on the route I’d planned was an outrageous dirt road* that even they didn’t use. Eliminating this meant that the route was now a simple out and back, but still slightly more interesting than the average Sunday cycle.
We took a slight detour down a boneshaking track to a cafe that had been recommended for its views and coffee. Here we got our first view of the Rift. The land dropped sharply away via a sort of “shelf” to the valley floor over 1000m below, then almost immediately climbed back up almost 1000m on the other side. Everything was verdant and green as far as the eye could see. It was a spectacular sight. We ate and drank some nice things here, including our first “proper” Kenyan coffee which was sadly way too small. Then we went over the edge and into a descent that was breathtaking in more way than one. The first section down to the “shelf” was straight and steep and I covered the first 8km in a ridiculous 10 minutes. Then there was a flat-ish section along the shelf, then an outrageous series of high speed bends that were an absolute riot. The road clung to the side of the green cliffs and wound through trees and past fruit sellers. I was so “in” the cycling that I didn’t really check out the views, but I knew I’d have plenty of time on the way back up the next day.
Down in the valley it was very hot and humid, which made the first stages of the climb back up the other side quite hard. This side was more gradual than the dramatic cliffs on the other side, so the climb up was never spectacular but was still constantly medium to steep. It was much easier than usual on our lighter bikes, especially a bit higher up when the air cooled and a breeze appeared. It all felt quite low key since we knew we’d be heading back up the other side the next day. That said we still climbed 900m over 15km so it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. At one rest stop four children and a dog came out out of the bushes then crossed the road and tried to secretly watch us from the bushes on the other side. It was like a scene from the book “The Famous Five Find a Mzungu”:
Julian: Look at how pale their skin is and how light their hair is!
Dick: They must not be drinking enough ginger beer
Timmy: Woof!
Dick: I wonder why they’re cycling around here
Anne: Perhaps they’re German spies...
Julian: By jove you could be right! Let’s inform PC Kipchoge!
(I can’t believe this is the second Enid Blyton reference in three days)
We stayed in Kabarnet (in Baringo, proudly advertised as “county of mining bees”), a hillside town notable only as a place that’s about 1 day’s cycling from Eldoret. After the excesses of the last couple of days we found a budget hotel that was small but perfectly formed. Dinner was a pretty good collection of nice things, the food since we arrived in the richer part of Kenya has been much more varied and tasty, albeit more expensive too.
*It even looked outrageous on the map, like the cartographer had slowly died whilst drawing the line for the road
Today we absolutely pillaged the buffet and also managed to take away some pocket eggs (the first in ages) and a pocket muffin for the ride. And what a ride it was to be: we were cycling the Great Rift with the majority of our gear off the bikes and stowed in a cupboard in Eldoret. As soon as we set off the bikes felt so different; when you put some power through the pedals you really felt it, and we zoomed up the small hill out of Eldoret. We had to get to the Rift, which was 30km down a quiet smooth road through more rolling hills and English style scenery. Because nothing in Kenya is ever easy we had a raging headwind and a slight uphill to deal with, but we were so overjoyed that it didn’t feel that difficult. On the way into Iten on the edge of the Rift we saw loads of runners, this area is a high altitude training mecca for them. We also found the HQ of the Kenyan Riders cycling team and popped in to say hi. It was quite ramshackle but they had some nice gear and were very friendly. One guy told us that one of the climbs on the route I’d planned was an outrageous dirt road* that even they didn’t use. Eliminating this meant that the route was now a simple out and back, but still slightly more interesting than the average Sunday cycle.
We took a slight detour down a boneshaking track to a cafe that had been recommended for its views and coffee. Here we got our first view of the Rift. The land dropped sharply away via a sort of “shelf” to the valley floor over 1000m below, then almost immediately climbed back up almost 1000m on the other side. Everything was verdant and green as far as the eye could see. It was a spectacular sight. We ate and drank some nice things here, including our first “proper” Kenyan coffee which was sadly way too small. Then we went over the edge and into a descent that was breathtaking in more way than one. The first section down to the “shelf” was straight and steep and I covered the first 8km in a ridiculous 10 minutes. Then there was a flat-ish section along the shelf, then an outrageous series of high speed bends that were an absolute riot. The road clung to the side of the green cliffs and wound through trees and past fruit sellers. I was so “in” the cycling that I didn’t really check out the views, but I knew I’d have plenty of time on the way back up the next day.
Down in the valley it was very hot and humid, which made the first stages of the climb back up the other side quite hard. This side was more gradual than the dramatic cliffs on the other side, so the climb up was never spectacular but was still constantly medium to steep. It was much easier than usual on our lighter bikes, especially a bit higher up when the air cooled and a breeze appeared. It all felt quite low key since we knew we’d be heading back up the other side the next day. That said we still climbed 900m over 15km so it wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. At one rest stop four children and a dog came out out of the bushes then crossed the road and tried to secretly watch us from the bushes on the other side. It was like a scene from the book “The Famous Five Find a Mzungu”:
Julian: Look at how pale their skin is and how light their hair is!
Dick: They must not be drinking enough ginger beer
Timmy: Woof!
Dick: I wonder why they’re cycling around here
Anne: Perhaps they’re German spies...
Julian: By jove you could be right! Let’s inform PC Kipchoge!
(I can’t believe this is the second Enid Blyton reference in three days)
We stayed in Kabarnet (in Baringo, proudly advertised as “county of mining bees”), a hillside town notable only as a place that’s about 1 day’s cycling from Eldoret. After the excesses of the last couple of days we found a budget hotel that was small but perfectly formed. Dinner was a pretty good collection of nice things, the food since we arrived in the richer part of Kenya has been much more varied and tasty, albeit more expensive too.
*It even looked outrageous on the map, like the cartographer had slowly died whilst drawing the line for the road
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