Click here for the US site. 
Newsletter Articles
Cycling for the Masai
A
big thank you to the friends, colleagues and clients who sponsored me
and two friends to take part in Kenya’s ‘10 to 4’ mountain
bike challenge, helping us to raise money for the Koiyaki Guide School
in the Masai Mara.
The ‘10 to 4’ course starts at 10,000ft on the shoulder of Mount Kenya and follows rough tracks, many down but often up again, to a height of 4,000ft above sea level. Though warned that it would be very tough, with heat, high altitude, and plenty of uphill stretches to contend with, I entered, along with Hampshire cycling friend Paul O’Halloran and Dan Compton who’d accompanied me on a Rwandan gorilla trekking expedition a few years ago.
On 25th February 2006 we found ourselves high up on Mount Kenya with over 200 other competitors from around the world. A mixed field included some ex-world champion mountain bikers from North America and some serious teams from South Africa and Kenya, all on the latest mountain bikes and wearing all the right gear. As enthusiastic amateurs we had decent lightweight bikes with full suspension, disc brakes and water packs, but there were also some keen locals on heavy old bicycles with no suspension or even gears. The race itself was much tougher than we’d expected with some tricky, scary, rough downhill sections, followed with some long hard climbs. Even with our relatively sophisticated equipment it was hard going, and I have great respect for the locals who managed to complete the course on their old boneshakers. Despite having to repair three punctures Paul and I, the keener cyclists of our trio, finished the course in 2 hours and 40 minutes, 71st and 72nd overall. Dan finished a bit after us and we were all absolutely exhausted.
It was a great event and a tough enough challenge to
have warranted all the effort and expense, but thanks to friends,
families and work colleagues we collectively raised almost £4,000,
every penny of which went to the Koiyaki Guide School in the Masai
Mara. The school is dedicated to training local Masai men and women
to become safari guides, helping them to benefit financially from
tourism and strengthening the link between wildlife conservation
and the future of the Masai community. Immediately after the race
we flew down to the Mara, where Ron Beaton, Koiyaki’s founder,
had asked me to give the 23 students a tour operator’s perspective
on what makes a good safari guide. I found this more daunting than
the previous day’s race. A tour of the school, dormitories
and sleeping areas showed a simple but impressive facility, and
it was clear that both staff and students took great pride in their
school and the opportunity to develop careers in conservation and
tourism. My talk was received with keen attention and Paul and
Dan also joined in with a question and answer session. It was fun
for us and all the banter was useful for the students in giving
them the confidence to entertain their future clients.
With your help we raised enough for four student places for next year and had had a great adventure in the process.
Thank you.
>> Back to Newsletter Stories
The content of this website is © Aardvark Safaris unless otherwise stated.