African Revival Charity Bike Ride

2009-05-23T13:51:00.000-07:00

After a few beers last night to celebrate the trip, today saw our Team AR participating in various forms of rest and relaxation.

Some took out a kayak on the Zambesi and had an enjoyable trip up the river joined by hippos, crocodiles and vultures. Other bungee jumped, others decided not to bungee jump at the last minute.

Other choices included white water rafting and or a safari - where they spotted many elephants.

Tomorrow is another half day of activity before catching a flight from Livingstone to Johannesburg and then catching the plane home to arrive at 6am (ish) on Monday morning.

They made it!

2009-05-22T09:56:00.000-07:00

All have arrived at Livingstone! Great excitement that everyone has arrived (mostly) injury-free!

The falls are awesome, quite stunning and breath takingly beautiful. Sitting on the terraces of the hotel, drink in hand, knowing that you've completed a 500km bike ride across Zambia bike is a wonderful feeling.

The blog will be updated tomorrow with news of how today's cycle went and what adventurous activities Team AR get up to in their rest time tomorrow - will it be elephant riding, bungee jumpring, white water rfting....who knows.

Cheers guys, well done all of you.

News flash!

2009-05-21T22:42:00.000-07:00

SteveO wishes to log on the blog that he cycled the last 10km yesterday with a puncture. He didn't realise he had a puncture, but cycling that far with a flattie must put him in some superhero category somewhere?!

Real Africa at its finest

2009-05-21T10:54:00.000-07:00

Had our lie-in and awoke to a hearty breakfast. We lubed up and I am pleased to report that now all of us are versed at the fine art of applying vaseling.

Today was our first cloudy day and we spend it cycling on sand. It was heavy going but the lack of pot holes made it easy. Hank fell off...I'm going to say that again, Hank fell off....

At one of the village watering stops, the village elder himself came out to greet us and insisted on showing us around his village, the grand finale being the church.

Part of our day saw us visiting another school to give out footballs. This school has in excess of 2,000 pupils all who insisted on putting on a various shows. Their singing is quite incredible. One class circled around us and sang their national anthem in local dialect. We were visibly moved, it was beautiful.

We handed over the footballs and had a quick game against their school team - all kitted out in red. SteveO showed them some of his amazing football tricks and then he had a kick about with the team. The school toilet walls have a sign saying 'Paper only in the toilets, no stones'.

We arrived at our allocated guest houses for tonight's stop. The showers give off a trickle of cold water so we are having to boil up saucepans to wash away today's sweat and grime. There are impala walking around the grounds.

Others have already headed off to the bar over the road for their pre-prandial. The clouds have lifted and the sky is awash with stars, it is quite breath taking.

Tomorrow is our last day's cycling and we head towards Livingstone. We aim to get their in time for lunch and have an afternoon's play at bungee jumping or just resting.

Hank's 'downhill'

2009-05-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

Famous last words from the Master of Understatement....downhill turned out to be over 40km of uphill struggle....

110km to get through today so we were up at 5:45am greeted by another of Clair's cooked breakfasts...bad luck anyone who was hoping to come home looking a little more sylph-like, we have no chance!

Today we saw more of real Africa - 'Hello buana how are you?', 'I'm fine thank you, how are you?' being the favourite greeting. Eye to eye with black mamba snakes and ominous eagles hovering overhead as we hit the 100km mark. We are over half way now and hoping for more downhill roads (but not Hank's style).

Plenty of sore bits from yesterday's tumbles and we are getting through pots and pots of vaseline to help lubricate sore butts on saddles - Dr Raj tells us it will eventually help to sooth our saddle sores. Hank insists we wear 2 pairs of shorts for extra padding.

We ended up at a lake in the middle of nowhere, set under a starry starry sky. To make up for our exhausting day, we are allowed a lie-in tomorrow so we don't have to be ready to leave until 6:15am.

Tomorrow we head for a beach and cycle 60km off road on sand. We have more footballs to give out and will be stopping at schools supported by African Revival. We're nervous about tomorrow night's accommodation - even Hank has little to say. The most enthusiasm he can muster is that there is a bar across the road.

Off to bed now on a full stomach.....apple crumble and custard courtesy of Claire & Sean. I think the custard is almost as comforting as the vaseline.......Jam Roly Poly possibly tomorrow.

Donga Day

2009-05-19T15:12:00.000-07:00

Donga is a ditch - a furrow in the track. If you get stuck in one, you've had it. You will fall off your bike. Don't ask how I know.

We have a great support team with us - Our cooks, Claire and Sean (great barbecue tonight, racks of ribs, simply delicous), Our guide, Big Blonde Hank who is master of the understatement. We were confident as we approached the 'slight incline' .... muscles are still aching. We also have Dr Raj who is following from behind handing out iodine swabs and blister plasters. In fact he ran out of iodine today such were the number of scratches, cuts, bruises and dents from the dongas.

The conditions were challenging, more so than any of us could have imagined and certainly not ideal for those amongst us who haven't been on a bike for over 2 years. We keep quiet if we're badly hurt, we want to cylce not travel in the car of shame with Dr Raj. One of us, who shall remain nameless, could probably apply for a vacancy as choir boy in Liverpool Cathedral such was the pain he suffered crashing from his saddle.

We visited a school this afternoon and gave out two of the footballs - one for the girls and one for the boys. They were delighted, as were the headteacher and staff - all 8 of them. So that's 8 teachers and 1,000 pupils, quite incredible.

Today we traversed tarmac, pot holes, sand, pot holes, dirt, pot holes, dongas and more pot holes. The fiercest animal we saw was a butterfly.

Tomorrow we head off to the lake where the roads are sandy, but with more dongas. Hank tells us it is downhill. We wait and see. It'll be a terrific adventure no matter what the undulating roads bring us.

Number of punctures: 0

Number of injuries: Many

Short, sweet and ouch

2009-05-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

I'm promised a more detailed update later this evening, but I have to report that we have scrapes, bumps, lumps and various injuries caused by tumbling off bikes - the state of the roads today made it less enjoyable and one second's lapse in concentration meant Team AR ran the risk of eating dirt face down in a pot hole.

A hot, 2-hour truck transfer from end of cycle ride to hotel/shack tonight meant just a short phone call before dinner beckoned (what are you cooking tonight Claire?).

More later.

The first of many challenging days

2009-05-18T12:55:00.000-07:00

Up early to be greeted by a fantastic cooked breakfast. Claire and her husband are travelling with Team AR to ensure that the trip includes culinary delights! So with a breakfast of egg, bacon, sausage and cereals, the team set off in the truck to go and pick up their bikes, now all complete with trusted saddles as the missing cases had turned up as promised.

The ride started on tarmac and gradually turned to tarmac with pot holes, sand with pot holes, compacted dirt with pot holes and finally dusty maize fields that went on and on and on and on. Nick was still croaky from swallowing so much dust when I spoke to him this evening. Today's biggest challenge was an enormously steep hill that tested the most muscular of thighs.....but the pasta lunch in the shade under the trees helped restore aching limbs.

The friendliness of the villagers is overwhelming. Every time Team AR stop for water or a rest, everyone pours out of their huts and shacks to greet the cyclists. Children pose for the cameras and then clamour around trying to spot themself on the camera's digital viewer. Riding through the villages, the children hold their hands out and try to high 5 or shake hands with the cyclists...and shout friendly 'hey buana, good cycling' messages at them.

Happy, tired and probably a little bit smelly, but all looking forward to tomorrow.

Total punctures today : 2

What, no saddle?

2009-05-17T08:59:00.000-07:00

Having carefully packed their bike saddles into suitcases, it seems 7 of our intrepid cyclists have a problem - their baggage has gone missing. Ongoing investigation has unearthed what is possibly their bags sitting in Johannesburg airport. WIth a bit of luck they'll be flown down to Lusaka and the bike ride will commence tomorrow as planned.

In the meantime, they are please to report sightings of giraffe, zebra, ostrich and antelope wondering around the grounds outside the hotel (behind a wired fence). They have been told to look out for a very proud new mother buffalo, but to stay well away as they are dangerous enough without the protective maternal instinct.

Fingers crossed the suitcases and saddles turn up in good time. I don't think it's possible to create a makeshift saddle!

Johannesburg Sunshine

2009-05-17T03:53:00.000-07:00

Nick sent a text this morning saying that they had arrived safely in Johannesburg and were sitting in the airport sunshine enjoying an early morning cappucino before their next flight to Lusaka.

The big day has arrived

2009-05-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

Dropped Nick off at the airport and met his fellow cyclists.

Elaine handed out everyone's cycling shirts - very smart! Each person has their name on the collar so there is no mistaking who is who! The sponsor logos are emblazoned across chest, back, armpits and sleeves in a variety of colours, they will be easy to spot as the team snake their way across Zambia.

Everybody did their bit by squeezing deflated footballs into their suitcases - these are gifts for the children at the school they go to as part of the charity visit. Lets hope someone has a pump.

We left everyone joining the queue at the check-in desk - many introductions and hand shaking going on.

10 days seems like forever when you're not joining in!

___________________
Just received a phone call to say they are about to board the plane. Everyone is full of beer, nachos and excitement.

Good luck guys!

Our Vision, Our Mission, Our Values & Beliefs

2009-05-12T10:36:00.000-07:00

Our Vision:
Our vision is of an Africa where all people are empowered with the skills and resources they need to lift themselves out of poverty

Our Mission:
Our mission is to provide assistance to poor communities in East & Southern Africa through appropriate, effective and sustainable education and income generating projects

Our Objectives:
We work directly with communities to -

Support universal basic education for children by providing fundamentals such as classrooms, books, desks, water, sanitation and teacher support

Establish financial and educational linkages between schools in the UK and Africa
Sponsor appropriate vocational, health and agricultural training

Pilot and develop income generating projects e.g. bee-keeping, vegetable farming, designed with specific reference to the local need and context

Our Values:

Impact: We prioritize making a direct impact in communities; as such our UK administration costs are sponsored to maximize donations to Africa

Accountability: We take the responsibility for both our donors’ funding and beneficiaries’ expectations seriously through close monitoring of project implementation and spend

Sustainability: We seek to ensure ownership and minimize dependency through the active involvement of local communities in the development and implementation of projects

Appropriate intervention: We assess local context and adapt our support so that it is appropriate to community needs

Coordination : We seek out, collaborate and exchange ideas with others who share our vision

Organizational effectiveness: As a team of volunteers, staff and trustees we seek to maximize our effectiveness through a professional and best practice approach

Our Beliefs

We believe that improved education and economic growth are the keys to a brighter future for Africa

We see the positives - acknowledging that there are huge challenges to overcome we are constantly inspired by the determination, resilience and optimism of the people we work with and assist in Africa

We believe in equality of access for all people and therefore select projects based solely on need

AFRICAN REVIVAL ZAMBIA BIKE RIDE 16 – 25 MAY 2009

2009-05-11T13:40:00.000-07:00

ITINERARY

Day 1 – Saturday 16 May
Overnight flight from London to Lusaka via Johannesburg

Day 2 – Sunday 17 May
Transfer to hotel
Team briefing
Test bikes

Day 3 – Monday 18 May
Kafue – Mazabuka
approx 73kms
Terrain : mix of tar roads & good dirt roads, tough going

Day 4 – Tuesday 19 May
Mazabuka – Monze
approx 94kms
Transfer to Choma
Terrain : first 20km is on tarred road then off road. Roads vary from good dirt roads to slightly sandy

Day 5 – Wednesday 20 May
Choma – Lake Kariba – Choma
approx 88kms
Terrain: unknown - lakeside roads, tough going

Day 6 – Thursday 21 May
Choma – Kalomo
approx 78kms
Terrain: 70kms of off-road. Dirt roads are generally in good condition with just a few small sandy sections, untouched by tourism.

Day 7 – Friday 22 May
Kalomo – Livingstone
approx 69kms
A special start to the morning as we visit two of African Revival’s projects in the area at Kinnertone & Maziba Farm.
Terrain: tarred road with potholes to negotiate

Day 8 – Saturday 23 May
Relax, we’ve done it!

Day 9 – Sunday 24 May
Transfer to Livingstone airport for our flight to London via Johannesburg.

Day 10 – Monday 25 May
Arrive London

5 days and counting!

2009-05-11T13:30:00.000-07:00

As the team prepare and get in their final training rides, yet more sponsorship and donations are pledged.

A massive thank you to all who have made this possible

If you would like to make a donation

2009-04-22T12:06:00.000-07:00

Please visit the Just Giving site and make your pledge.

Thank you, your help makes all the difference.

A BIG thank you to our sponsors

2009-04-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

We are grateful to our sponsors and to all who are helping us to ride across Zambia.

Lusaka to Livingstone - by bike in just 5 days!

2009-04-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

Zambia cycle ride to raise £75k

Keep up to date with the team of intrepid amateur cyclists as they train and prepare for this mammoth cycle ride.

The group leaves London to fly to Lusaka on May 16th, returning on May 25th.

In between they will cycle over 500km in just 5 days, from Lusaka to Livingstone. The journey will take them through the undulating terrain of Southern Zambia with its stunning and spectacular scenery.

All money collected will go to African Revival - based near Kalomo in the Southern Province since 2006, establishing schools, providing water and sanitation, supporting teachers, providing classroom resources and building sustainable livlihoods projects.