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At least I have my passport back.  This lets me fly to Cairo where my next step will be to apply for a visa at the Sudan Embassy in Cairo.  Apparently, the embassy in Cairo is in new quarters, so will have to find the new location.

Rather frustrating to have sent away my passport nine weeks ago and then not yet have the visa.

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The first photo is medical and toiletries related. I’ve got my Yellow Fever certificate, malaria pills, Imodium, Cipro and Aleve. Also good sun screen including lip balm. A few different types of band-aids and neosporin might get narrowed down. There are a few rehydration salts and water purification tablets (not needed?). Some soap and antimicrobial towels for cleaning in the desert.

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This photo is bike related, except obviously the bike, helmet and a few spare tires. While riding an odometer, cycling gloves and Camelbak. Tools for immediate fixes include tire levers, multi-tool, pump, fiber spoke, patch kits and some spare tubes. Bringing along a few cleaning rags, a brush and lube/degreaser. I hope not to need them, but also added my lights. Spare parts are probably the area I’m still most trying to figure out. I’ve got extra pedals, chains, cassettes, cables, derailleur hangler, chainrings, bottom bracket and brake pads. My bike has hydraulic disc brakes which is nice for stopping power but have a mechanical disc brake as backup since bleeding/replacing fluids can be challenging. Also not in picture are some spokes and extra rim.

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A few toys to bring along including a laptop, kindle and cell phone. Adapters and solar charger to keep it running. Camera to catch the pictures of the trip. A notebook and pens to record things when electronics don’t work.

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Camping gear is pretty straighforward: sleeping bag, tent, pad, sleeping bag liner, inflatable pillow (a luxury!), flashlight and nylon line. Still need to pick up some clothes pins.

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Clothing is also pretty straightforward. I’ve got swim trunks, towel, socks, underwear. One pair of cycling tights and multiple pairs of cycling shorts. Some non-cycling shorts and a nice pair of pants to fly in along with a belt. A few cycling jerseys and mostly short-sleeved shirts along with a few long sleeves. A windbreaker, light fleece and rain jackets.

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This photo is a quick update once everything is packed. Most of my stuff fits in 4 panniers: one for most clothes, one for spare parts, one for rain gear/fleece and toiletry related, one for camping gear and electronics. Not in the panniers but extra is a tent and sleeping bag and pad. The two tubs in the photo are each 18 gallon tubs and total volume of our lockers is 60 gallons, so it should it fit but I’ll be pretty close to full.

The complete list is on my equipment page.

Today was my last day in the office.  I manage a small team and hence made certain to write all employee evaluations, discussed those evaluations and made sure tasks and people were transitioned as best I can.  Cleaned out the cubicle and packed everything up.  I enjoy my work and teams I work with – but will also be nice to take a long break, doing different things.

Over the next week is what I jokingly refer to is transition to becoming “homeless and unemployed”.  In addition to starting a vacation + leave of absence for until July 2013, everything from my Austin apartment needs to get packed into storage and I give up the apartment.  Monday morning I pick up a U-Haul truck and load everything (keeping the TDA items to the side).  Just to add fun, I also have a closing sale for a condominium I owned in Portland, OR.  Keys have been turned in and paperwork signed but assuming buyers financing completes, the official sale will be done by Thursday.  I also drive up to Colorado after that.

Also in next week, is day the Sudan Embassy gave as pickup date for my passport.  I hope it has a visa stamp attached.  This has been a somewhat frustrating saga.  I originally sent in my passport to a visa expediter on October 25th.  It went to the Sudan Embassy in Washington, but they returned it five weeks later and said they needed more information from TDA.  So we pass along info as best we can and resubmit.  I was given a pickup date of December 28th for resubmitted passport.  Still no indication if it will have a visa attached, but if not I need to get the passport back to try in Cairo.  A visa expediter is supposed to ease this process but they can’t tell me any more than I can do myself and only a level of indirection here.

In two weeks is day I fly to Egypt. My bags aren’t yet packed but I’ll go through checklist and assemble things at same time I pack the apartment for storage.  Once in Egypt, it will be one more week until we start.  The trip itself will be a pretty big change from living/working in Austin, TX particularly after flurry of activity to have all in place for departure.  Unfortunately, I’ll get in some bicycling but not as much as perhaps might want, however will look forward to changing all that in Cairo.

It will nice to finally be on the road and have a simpler life with lots of cycling…

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Prior to the ride, I stopped for a breakfast at nearby Jack in the Box. I actually left an hour before sunrise with my lights on since I needed to cross Austin from Southwest to Northeast and figured I’d have less traffic. Riding went well though I still had some stop lights. After crossing middle of Austin, I went outbound on Springdale and then met up with US 290. US 290 had wide shoulders at this point, but it was still nice to take the next westbound exit and the backroad (Old Manor Drive) in to the town of Manor.

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I had cycled 25 miles and the Manor grocery was nice place for a stop. Overcast skies, but temperatures still ranging from 60F to 80F today. July and August can be hot in Austin, but in return there is some nice cycling in December. After Manor some more back roads for 13 miles until I reached Elgin and US 290 again. Once again, decided to stop since I wasn’t certain how many places I’d have in next stretch.

After four miles, I had a left turn onto TX 696. This was small back road. There wasn’t much of a shoulder, though there also wasn’t much traffic. Austin is on edge of “hill country” but the hills are to the west, so this part of the route kept pretty flat. It was a nice gentle ride through ranching areas. At the 64 mile mark I came into the small town of Lexington. Lexington was big enough to have a main road (77) and a bypass (77 business) though both were still smaller roads. At the south end of town was a little restaurant that served an excellent burger. It was only 11:30am, but I’d already cycled two-thirds of the distance, so had a relaxing lunch.

After lunch, it was back to TX 696 and quiet country cycling. At almost 70 miles my cycle computer beeped and displayed “low power”. A little later it beeped again and turned off. Here was the overall Garmin Report. This same computer had lasted a full 100 mile ride before, so wasn’t quite certain why it wasn’t holding as much charge this time. However, the overall route was pretty easy to understand. At 79 miles I met up with TX 21.

TX 21 was a busy four lane highway, but fortunately it also had wide shoulder. I cycled nine miles into Caldwell and stopped for one more break here. After that rode the rest of the way to 7 Oaks Bed and Breakfast. As requested, I called them half an hour in advance to alert them to my arrival.

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I was the only guest at the Seven Oaks B&B and had a quiet restful stay. I read a cycle account and had an early nights rest after a long but good ride. The next morning after breakfast, I cycled another 14 miles to the airport for College Station and rented a car to drive back to Austin. Overall a good training ride and chance to get on the bike. I did drop off the bike on my return at Mellow Johnny’s bike shop to have some professional mechanics make a good once-over prior to the trip, though the bike has otherwise been riding well.

• 25 days – 0 km riding (with an extra rest day added in Aswam)
• 2 days – <50km riding; both of these total 20km and are otherwise on the Aswan Ferry
• 1 day – 50km to 69km riding
• 10 days – 70km to 89km riding
• 21 days – 90km to 109km riding
• 22 days – 110km to 129km riding (median distance is 125km)
• 19 days – 130km to 149km riding
• 13 days – 150km to 169km riding
• 7 days – >170km riding

Those keeping careful count will notice that I am missing 1 of the 121 days.  That is because TDA chose to take a bus for 185km across small part of Northern Kenya for security reasons.  I hope this year the situation is better and we are able to ride that stretch.

It is a little daunting, not because I haven’t done similar distances on extended basis but more because we need to keep this consistently day after day on rougher roads and also because I anticipate being a slower rider and hence need to make sure I keep enough speed/daylight to finish the very longest segments.

However, that is all part of the fun and adventure!

This weekend I took a training ride to the “Barbecue Capital of Texas” as well as nearby Lockhart State Park.  The distance was just over 40 miles each way, so an easy afternoon ride and then return the next morning.  Along the way, I was also experimenting with equipment, particularly contemplating what if any to bring in way of computer.

What electronic recording tool should I take on the trip if any?  This is one of the choices I am also weighing.  Since I first took a 286 Sharp laptop across the USA in 1992, my touring has often carried a small computer in netbook format (even before there were netbooks) and sometimes another device.  For example PocketMail was used to record my journals in Australia.

However, there are also good reasons to avoid taking a computer with me on this next trip.  Last year a bag containing multiple laptops was stolen.  There will be limited opportunities for connectivity and even getting power to recharge could be periodic.  Instead of a full-fledged PC, what about bringing a smart phone and sending brief SMS messages with twitter updates?

I do want to make an effort to record the trip in my journals for my own purposes as well as to put on the web.  A notebook and pen is likely journaling tool (just as I also did in Russia).  I will likely try bringing an unlocked phone with local SIM cards.  I’m wary of high data rates – so likely set that up only with wifi and SMS messages.

One experiment I am trying with this message posting is a chromebook.  That may seem like an odd choice since Chomebook is a web-focused PC and wifi/internet is likely to be sparse.  However, google docs has a good offline mode and the processor has long battery life.  This weekend is an experiment to try such offine edit and then cut/paste when I get back to a wifi zone.  Still have to see and sort things through.

50 full tour riders

33 men/17 women

15 countries: Canada (10), Britain (7), USA (4), Germany (4), Netherlands (4), Australia (4), New Zealand (4), Switzerland (3), Ireland (3), Italy (2), Denmark (1), Brazil (1), Belgium (1), Norway (1), South Africa (1).  This is first full tour crew with Italian and Brazilian riders.

Age demographics: Teens (1), 20s (15), 30s (8), 40s (10), 50s (10), 60s (5), 70s (1).

The crew is slightly younger than I would have guessed and slightly higher % of women.  However, overall somewhat in line with my guesses having watched a few of these rides.  Will be fun to meet everyone in Cairo.

The packing list TDA gives us is:

• Derailleur hanger
• 2-3 chains
• 1 rear cassette
• 5 patch kits
• 5-10 spare tubes
• Bottom bracket (not needed if you start with new one)
• Chain rings
• Spokes
• Brake and shifter cables
• Brake pads
• Bar tape/handlebar grips
• Seat post with clamp and collar
• Saddle
• Tires (3 sets including the one on bike)
• Extra nuts and bolts

They also give us the following tool list:

• Multi-tool
• Mini-pump
• Tire levers
• Chain break tool
• Gear brush
• Chain lube, degreaser, rags

Along with an admonishment to not excess spare parts since they are heavy and bulky.

There are a few things on this list I will probably not bring (e.g. saddle, bar tape) and a few areas based on my past experiences of what has broken, I think of bringing spares.  If common things break, I might be able to borrow.  Here is roughly how I look at it based on sub-system:

• Wheel sub-system: Tubes and tires are the most common things to wear and makes sense to bring spares.  A total of six tires is likely overkill based on reliability I’ve seen with Schwalbe XR (used three tires total crossing Russia) so might end up with five.  I always seem to bring more tubes and patch kits than I really need, but they aren’t too big or bulky so probably bring close to recommended amounts there.More significant is the wheels/rims themselves.  On past long trips, with my size, this is the sub-system I seem to have most stressed.  I broke three rims crossing Canada in 1997 and after that I switched to stronger 48-spoke wheels (as opposed to standard 32 or 36 spoke rims).  Even with strong rims, I broke one rim circling Australia in 2001 and one rim crossing Russia in 2007.  I’ve also broken those nice rear hubs once in New Zealand in 2002 and once in Thailand in 2007.  Hence, this time I’ve tried to account for this in a few ways: (1) I had new strong 26″ wheels built with solid cliffhanger rims and 40 spoke wheels (2) I’m using disc brakes rather than ones that rub and wear on the rims (my Russian failure in 2007) (3) I took a wheel-building class to help my skills in building a replacement wheel. This results in the following spare parts list:
  • Spare rim, hub, spokes and rim tape to rebuild rear wheel if necessary. Also a few spare spokes for the front wheel.
  • Three spare tires plus two on the bike
  • 5 patch kits
  • 5-10 spare tubes
• Drive train: Chain rings, chains and cassettes are wear items.  I’ve broken pedals three times in the past (Natchez Trace, Atlantic Coast and Russia).  It has been a long time since I broke a bottom bracket and newer sealed cartridges seem pretty durable.  So I’m more inclined towards spare pedals than bottom bracket. This results in the following spare parts list:
  • 2-3 chains
  • 1 cassette
  • Spare pedals
  • Chain rings (candidate to leave behind if I have too much)
• Derailleur sub-system: I’ve never bent/broken a derailleur hanger, but they aren’t very heavy so I’ll probably take a spare just in case.  Replacing cables and housing is a nice to have mid-way through the trip, particularly if go through a lot of grime.  However, a lot of separate ferrules and housing here as well.  This results in the following spare parts list:
  • Derailleur hanger
  • Spare derailleur cable kit (candidate to leave behind)
• Brake sub-system: My bike has a hydraulic brake system. This is a plus from standpoint of not wearing on my rims and providing excellent stopping. Brake pads are a wear item and I’ll bring spares. However, I don’t have much experience with long-term reliability and maintenance items like bleeding hydraulic brake lines and carrying mineral oil.  Rather than repair broken hydraulic lines, I’m bringing replacement in form of a mechanical disc brake that works for both front/rear along with cables/housing.  I hope either front or rear hyraullic brake doesn’t fail but if it does, I’ll put in a mechanical brake instead.  This results in the following spare parts list:
  • Spare mechanical disc brake, rotor and both front/rear brake levers
  • Spare brake pads
• Miscellaneous: I’ve broken both seat post clamp and even a seat post in the past.  I’ve got a good brooks saddle and these seem to last well. I’ve definitely had screws vibrate loose and will need to watch for these.  I also prepare for miscellaneous repairs with duct tape.  This results in the following spare parts list:
  • Seat post clamp
  • Spare screws/bolts for major areas such as those holding racks or shifters in place
• Tools: The TDA list is pretty close to what I’ll bring.  I need to do basic tune ups and adjustments along the way.  I also assume that a chain whip, crank arm puller and more complete tools will be among things TDA has along.  This results in the following tool list:
  • Multi-tool
  • Spoke wrench (4-sided)
  • Topeak road morph pump
  • Tire levers
  • Gear cleaning brush
  • Chain lube, degreaser, rags

Overall, I still have some time to finalize the list (comments welcome), but feel like I’ve got a reasonable list in place based on both the TDA list and my past experiences of what has broken on me in my tours – and where I’m likely to stress the different sub-systems.

Sudan is going to be a bit tricky. The Sudanese Embassy in Washington DC says it issues entry visas for 30 days, so I don’t want it to expire before I arrive. In contrast the Sudanese Embassy in Ottawa says it issues visas for up to 90 days. I will have to wait until 30 days before arrival in Sudan to apply but then still need to get the passport back before I leave the USA. That is a window of 14 days (including both Christmas and New Years holidays). Add in the note on Embassy web site that says normal processing time is 4 to 6 weeks.

This is a case where I’ll try working with a visa expediter. Probably call them up to make sure they can help hit this time window including processing time and otherwise make sure there aren’t problems with the application.

I will still need to be careful about water, mosquitoes and blood (and hopefully not too much blood) since there are diseases you can’t guard against or aren’t 100%. However, better safe than sorry on these things.

Most immunizations made sense, but there was one I briefly waffled on: rabies vaccine.  As I’ve read and learned – it seems that getting a pre-vaccine helps if you are bitten by a rabid animal, however one still needs to get the post-vaccine as well.  Hence, my logic was that if you need to evacuate to get help anyways and probability of getting bitten was very small, why not wait.

However, in the end I decided to go for rabies vaccine this time, mostly based on two factors: (1) it was in the TDA recommend list and (2) when cycling across Russia, I had the same choice.  Both Mickey and I opted not for the vaccine but in eastern Siberia Mickey was bitten by a dog in back of knee.  The wound was promptly cleaned and we even checked on the dog the next day.  In that case, she did end up getting the follow up vaccine on returning to Netherlands three weeks later.