Tour d’Afrique Off and Running!

by Kraig Becker on

The 2009 edition of the Tour d’Afrique got underway last Sunday, with cyclists setting out from Cairo, Egypt on a 7317 mile long race to Cape Town, South Africa. In between they’ll pass through the Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana, and Namibia, fostering international goodwill along the way, while raising funds for environmental protection and promoting cycling in Africa.

The race is broken down into 96 stages of various lengths, with a typical day getting underway at 7:30 AM, when the top riders start out on the course. They are soon followed by another group who may not be contending for the top spot, but still want to complete every mile, while the “Back Pack” is made up of a group of riders who just want to enjoy the adventure and soak up some of the culture of the countries they are passing through.

This is the seventh year that the race has been run, and the web coverage seems to be the best ever. For instance, there are photos from each stage, videos from the various countries and introductions for some of the riders, and a daily blog with results and news from the course.

With six stages done, the riders have more than three months of riding ahead of them through a variety of climates and terrains before reaching their final destination on May 9th. They’ll struggle through the Sahara Desert, roll across the Equator, and race across an endless savannah, and they each payed more than $10,000 for the privledge. Seems like it’s an adventure worth every penny.

Photo of the Day (03/10/08)

by Iva Skoch on

I know nothing about tribal cultures, but based on this photo, I would guess this man is a one of those wise, respected tribesmen. His face says it all.

Fiznatty, who took this photo in 2007 in Tanzania, says: “The Hadzabe tribe, made up of several wandering families such as the one we visited, is nomadic. They are hunters who follow their food, and have been living in the region for over 10,000 years. They supposedly shun Western society and “modern” ways. On this day, we got to join them on a morning hunt.”

Great photo!

***To have your photo considered for the Gadling Photo of the Day, go over to the Gadling Flickr Pool and post it. Make sure it is not copyrighted, otherwise we can’t use it here.***

Kilimanjaro’s Glaciers May Last Longer Than Predicted

by Willy Volk on

Weirdness.

In contrast to reports of global wreaking havoc worldwide — from Kiribati, to Greenland; from Costa Rica, to Siberia; from the US, to numerous other destinations — a joint Austrian-U.S. research team is reporting that there’s one place that isn’t succumbing to global warming quite as fast as expected: Kilimanjaro.

After reviewing 7 years of measurements taken from weather stations atop Africa’s tallest mountain, the researchers have concluded that Kili’s ice fields will be around for another 30 to 40 years, at least — and the glaciers on its slopes could last even longer. That’s pretty sweet news, especially considering Kili’s icepacks have been retreating since the 1800s, and scientists had thought they could disappear altogether as early as 2020.

Before you get all giddy about the prospect of the ice pack being around forever, it’s important to bear in mind that the glaciers now measure about 0.8 square miles, down from 4.6 square miles in 1912. However, it appears that the 2006 El Niño brought heavy snowfall to the mountain that fattened the peak’s glaciers, increasing their thickness even though their surface area stayed the same. Of course, 0.8 square miles is still pretty tiny, but not too tiny to plan that once-in-a-lifetime trip to tackle Kili.

[Thanks, Marilyn!]

Africa Travel: Tanzania

by Adrienne Wilson on

Kilimanjaro is the largest free standing mountain in Africa and has the highest peak at 5,895 m. Located in Tanzania, an east African country bordering the Indian Ocean between Kenya and Mozambique, many a climber make the trip every year to drool at the base of the mountain in the Kilimanjaro National Park, preparing for the day their quest will begin and non-climbers give glimpse wishing they only had the guts. Tanzania is many things, but if there is one thing that makes it most famous it is this particular site. I’m not a climber by any means. The last thing I probably climed was a jungle-gym back in 4th grade in Enterprise, Alabama and as you can imagine I must feel a bit embarrassed sharing that when talking about Kilimanjaro in the same paragraph.

So… Let’s start planning a vacation to the area. Gain some basic info at UNESCO since the mountain is a world heritage site. This Tanzania Parks site is good point in seeing pictures of the area as planning what to do and when to go. Additionally the Tanzania Tourism site has the full scope of what the country can offer visitors interested in safari or even Zanzibar. For now we’ll focus on Kilimanjaro. You’ll need to pay full attention if attempting to summit.

Times’ BIking Guide

by Erik Olsen on

Haven’t posted too much about biking lately, and while I dug around a lot and found some good links, I did just want to alert folks to the New York Times’ biking guide. Now, you may not think that the Times is exactly the kind of news source that’s gonna have a lot to say about biking. You’re probably right. But bear with me for a moment, and take a look at an article like this one, by Jeffrey Gettleman, who biked his way around Tanzania earlier this year. Now, that’s good biking journalism. Another piece takes you to Sedona, where the fat tire opps are prodigious. So you see. Good stuff for you.