Riding with Ross Methven: day 6

Ross Methven is riding a bicycle from Edinburgh, Scotland, to Cape Town, South Africa. He is currently cycling through Tanzania and I am accompanying him on part of the Tanzanian leg. My Mt. Kilimanjaro guide, Yahoo, says cycling is one of the best training options for climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro.

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Saturday, 3 August 2013
For someone who has never cycled more than 10 kilometres at a time, I feel in relatively good shape having cycled more than 200 kilometres in 5 days. True, my thigh muscles are yet to overcome some of the uphill cycling challenges but I am heartened by the fact that during this cycling trip I have not yet experienced the perennial question that I face when I climb Mt. Kilimanjaro: what am I doing here?

If you face the challenge of climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro without devoting the recommended three months of training then you will face a daunting task to reach the summit and you will most likely ask yourself that question as you struggle up to the summit. I always feel I do not spend enough time on training.

Just before having our lunch, Ross poses at a signpost at Usagara, near Mwanza.

Earlier, after passing Buhongwa, we rode down a long descent and I was left far behind. When I caught up with Ross he had been stopped by a traffic police officer and I told him I thought he might have been stopped for overspeeding.

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If you want to donate to Ross' cause please follow this link:

http://fundraise.unicef.org.uk/MyPage/value-adder-to-vagabond

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Our original destination was a village beyond Misungwi but after we arrived at Misungwi and asked a police officer for advice she suggested that we should find accommodation at Misungwi because our intended destination did not have suitable accommodation. We decided we would compensate for the shortfall tomorrow.

A short rest and a photo of one of the day's scenes.

When I called my cousin who works in Misungwi and informed him of our presence, he insisted we visit his home where his wife prepared us an early dinner that was voraciously consumed. Unlike on Mt. Kilimanjaro where some climbers experience loss of appetite, I have found that while cycling the absence of an appetite is highly unlikely. Both while cycling and climbing Kilimanjaro, consumption of food is absolutely necessary to sustain the body's strength.

Not stopping at hosting us at home, my cousin also insisted in paying for our accommodation.

Next: Ross orders lunch in Swahili

Related posts:
http://www.rossmethvensbigbikeride.co.uk/
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/08/riding-with-ross-methven-day-5.html
http://blogkili.blogspot.com/2013/08/riding-with-ross-methvenday-7.html