I apologize that, if you’re one of many who have de-coupled from social media and have been hoping to follow our journey through updates on the website, things have been quiet since we kicked off early in the morning 24 October from Gaborone – and they are probably going to stay quiet until at least 7 November, our conclusion in Kasane (1000 km, approximately). For the most part we are camping out nights and, while we were donated a Starlink station which works pretty well, it’s not easy to get out my computer to handle the website. Instagram and Facebook are getting regular posts through our phones…and my Strava at mattgamser is another possible way to at least follow us on a map.
We are just completing Day 6, our rest day, about 30 km south of Francistown, Botswana’s second largest city. We’ve come almost 400 of the 1000 km and have really come a long way from early teething troubles to doing almost 100km on Day 5. While we had one overcast day that was a complete blessing, the heat has been pretty extreme, but we are finding ways to overcome it and to get the best from our party of 11 adaptive riders, 4 two wheel support cyclists (including one on a tandem), a support crew from Botswana Council for the Disabled , and more.
My colleague Marcy Kelley put together this useful account of what things are like here:
What does a day in the life of Bidii Yetu 2026 1,000 kilometer cycling tour look like?
4:30 am – We are all snuggled in our tents and an internet prayer service softly wafts out of a tent and someone starts singing. This is our alarm. We pack up and hope breakfast will soon be ready because we want to be on the road by six. We have been camping in tribunal centers. There are basic bathroom facilities and a roaring fire in the evening to heat up water for washing. Food is being catered by local cooks and are traditional meals of sorghum, maize, and meat. Breakfast may be porridge and bread.
6:00 am – When we start in the morning, there are usually 9 hand cyclists (PIC), a tandem led by Greg (Inclusive Cycling International) with David, a sightless rider from Botswana (alternating with Hipolito, a one legged rider from Mozambique) and 5 regular cyclists. We have a police car escort in front of us and various support vehicles behind us.
Leaving as early as possible has proved invaluable as the days are hot, hot, hot. This way we can ride more than half the ride by mid-morning.
Hand cyclists ride on the left and regular cyclists to the right, providing a wind shield and visibility. Because handcycles are low to the road, they are not always visible to drivers.
7:00 am – Our first water stop – Hopefully we have gone 10 kilometers or more. The ideal stop has shade and there are pull offs at regular intervals. The support vehicles quickly arrive with cold water and energy drinks.
7:30 am – Back on the road. We are on the A1 highway, paved and mostly two lanes, which is the main route going north/south with major intersections at towns that lead to Zimbabwe and Zambia. There are lots of trucks with double trailers carrying loads under tarps. While pedaling, I spend time wondering what could be hidden underneath them. Others are coal trucks, a Botswana export.
We were concerned about the safety of biking on this highway but trucks and cars have been good, often beeping and waving. We are an unusual site.
8:30am – We try to break for water every 45 minutes or so, dependent on finding a safe spot to stop. Usually, at this point, a rider or two are tired so we load their bike into the trailer and they take a seat in the van. Oftentimes there is a small mechanical problem that may also require loading the bike up until the lunch stop. Fixing it while everyone is waiting is just too hot. By this time, temperatures will likely be in the mid-80’s and there has only been one day of cloud cover.
10:00 am – Water stop. Riders are feeling the heat so in addition to hydration, we pour water on ourselves. It feels wonderful. Matt begins to calculate how far we will be for lunch as it has to get picked up and delivered to us on the road.
Another rider may decide to go in the van.
11:30 am – Rest and lunch stop. It is at least 20 degrees cooler in the shade. We eat and rest. Matt is always calculating how much we have left to ride. Afternoon heat has been in the mid 90’s and there is often a strong headwind.
For two wheeled cyclists, the cycling is not the challenge, it is the conditions of extreme heat and wind. Botswana is feeling the effects of El Niño and the country side is brown. Every river we go over is dry.
1:00 pm –At this point, it is usually only the truly masochistic few that get back on the road. To date that includes the guys from Mozambique, S. Africa and one or two from Botswana and Matt and Greg. The rest of us nap in the vans.
3:00 pm – A few miles out from the village where we will spend the night, we all load back up on our bikes and ride in. We have had some great receptions with singing and dancing. There is a lot of joy and happiness and we are thankful to complete another day.
4:00 pm – We set up camp, clean up, rest, deal with any mechanical issues, wash clothes and wait for dinner.
6:00 pm – Dinner and then, some of the time, the community shows up and we have a bonfire (yes, in this heat) while they perform traditional poetry and dancing. It is delightful.
9:00 pm – The camp is quiet as we are all in our tents, tired from our ride and excited to be part of this amazing journey.
So that’s where we are – not quite halfway, but feeling very good about what we’re doing. We are getting tons of attention from local media, local government and traditional officials., Local in kind support keeps coming in, including free massages from the students of Francistown College of Technical and Vocational Education which really were appreciated after the hard riding!
The biggest difference from our 2023 cross Africa journey is how amazingly far our African adaptive riders have come. Then we had push poles on all the adaptive bikes, and the two wheeler bikers did a lot of helpful pushing each day. This time the two wheeler role is almost entirely shielding the three wheelers from the cars, and helping them keep together. The adaptive riders push each other. Some are stronger than others (some would give me a challenge keeping up on my two wheel bike!), but all help each other…it’s truly inspiring, and very much demonstrates the importance of giving persons with disabilities in Africa more opportunities to take part in sport and recreational activities.