Wildlife Crossing
This photo, taken in Egypt while travelling as staff with the 2007 edition of the Tour D’Afrique, is one of many that I could pull that feature wildlife.
Taken early in the trip, the group I was riding with were the racers. I wasn’t able to hang on very long with them, and that ability only diminished as we rode further through Africa. I was riding about one in every four days, maybe more frequently, but often had to do other tasks as staff, that I couldn’t always ride.
For some the trip wasn’t just about riding the length of Africa, but to do it at speed, racing a total of 96 stages over four months, having times taken and accrued, and ultimately finding out who was fastest as time wore on.
Early in the trip, there were a number of people who raced, but as the trip continued, their numbers dwindled. Even those who insisted on racing would have a gentlemen’s agreement not to race on certain days, effectively keeping the score even.
With so many things to see and places to stop, many of those who started out as racers gave up that pursuit, occasionally racing on certain days, but foregoing the chance to score an overall total that would be competitive.
However, no matter how steadfast a racer’s resolve, invariably Africa would force a pause, a moment to reflect on where we were, and what we were seeing.
We all coasted to a stop as the camels stepped into the road, took a moment, looked, pointed, smiled at how all of our ambitions to ride 12,000kms were put on hold for a few moments.
These moments happened with amazing frequency, and yet, on arriving in Cape Town with no further to ride, they happened nowhere near often enough.
To get the photo, I reached as high as I could, and snapped a few photos. It’s interesting how, as time wears on, the memory I have takes this viewpoint, not my view, which was certainly lower to the ground, and more “within” the group. I wonder how many of my memories have been tempered by those created in my camera. As I continue to explore this photo collection, I imagine that will become more clear.
