On Sunday Abraham and I rode back to Butare, that ride will never be an easy ride, for a 78 mile ride it really takes it out of you with its 6400ft of climbing. I don't know how the other riders know either but Rambo, Samuel, Hamza and the others were around the half way point hovering to find us on the way home. I see such a profound interest in these men to be part of something that is meaningful, for them it's the bicycle and their time is now. It seems to put not only a different identity in them but also it generates an energy that permeates all that they do, it's really a remarkable phenomena to observe. And now with them being a part of this it is hard to imagine what "Team Rwanda" means to them. It gives them this curious anticipation of something that is happening to them and this hope that something else that they cannot grasp will happen with their lives, something that even I cannot fathom without their perspective.

Two days following Abraham and my return to Butare, the other four arrived, Rafiki and Nathan a bit skinned up from a fall in the rain on their way in but no complaints. They all, including Abraham, anticipated the meals at the St Jean Batiste Center, and thinking back at the plates of foods they served themselves at the meals I wonder if these meals here are the only ones that they actually can eat the amounts they need to be able to ride as much as they are riding.

On Wednesday we all set off to Nyungwe forest about 35 miles away and 35 miles across. But before the ride I gave them some Oakley M frame sunglasses, I had contemplated to wait to give them to them because somehow we didn't bring the nose pieces and wouldn't get them until Tom and Doug got here next week. I had not expected the response I got, they were all beside themselves to say the least, it was like giving someone a car or something like that, these were real Oakleys they examined, not Chinese copies and they were theirs! And if I thought that they would wait until next week for the nose pieces before they wore them I was wrong, they were on their faces and never came off!

We were not 12 miles into the ride when Rafiki and Samuel crossed wheels and went down... they were both a bit dazed but nothing serious so we kept going just a bit more cautious. Kyanoui was having some chain issues so it took a rock to resolve them, see photo. Another ride that just kept going up and up, when we entered this pristine rainforest we were at about 7000ft altitude and still had another 1400ft to the highest point of 8400ft! This time we were able to cross the complete 35miles of the forest, and as we got deeper and deeper into this amazing place it seemed to get denser and denser, we saw quite a few monkeys and birds but what was the most amazing part was the trees, flora and extraordinary plants that filled our view wherever we looked. Through the hammering up the hills and fast descents, everyone seemed to enjoy this peaceful reprieve from the hazards of the people on the roads.

As we exited the forest this time on the other side we were completely surrounded by this tea plantation. It was if we were riding through these 2’ high bright green living carpets, wow what a sensation! They made you stop and just stare at the miles of carpets filling our view, I had rented a guest house at the tea plantation so we were in search of "Serafina" our host. She was out when we got there so with 7400ft of climbing in 70 miles we were off to the nearest town only 2miles away to fetch some imenekes and water. The town was on a steep descent and on a ridge so it was condensed to a few rows of tightly knit houses that formed sort of a market with the road going through it. The whole town was present as we flew down in all our colored lycra the team sporting their fit bodies with bright beaming eyes and smiles. Even I couldn't stop smiling and shaking my head as I trailed them watching the already alive village start to buzz into a frenzy as the bicycle heros stopped at their village to feed, and as the "white man" arrived on the scene it was like more fuel for the frenzy. Even the town drunk seeing the scene getting a bit out of hand took it upon himself to put order into the crowd of mostly children pervading our space, he drew an imaginary line and with his imaginary whip kept the crowd from getting too out of control. For us it was warming to see so many people interested in our massive banana and water purchases and our ability to make countless bananas disappear in a matter of seconds down our hungry throats. A sight for all to see not just the villagers. The dead car we leaned our bikes up against immediately became the optimal viewing point of any kid that could climb atop its rusting carcass. Soon our fill of bananas was met and we headed back to find our lady Serafina waiting for us at the guest house. Our view was just spectacular, to the south rolling hills descended to Lake Kivu in the distance, all other directions were the tea carpets to the edge of the Nyungwe forest, perfect green order meeting complete vegetational diversity in surplus. Our accommodations were five beds, four singles one double for six people..... the two smallest shared the larger bed without any comment. I seemed to be the only one that cringed when Serafina said there was no hot water, they were too excited at the fact there was running water, hey who cares if its cold! It’s running and they could take a shower without having to haul the water to their houses. I could see they meant it by how long they took in their cold showers, me it was more record time short and another 30 minutes under the covers to get warm again! Just more evidence that I am not as tough as these guys. We waited patiently two hours as Serafina made us a large and well earned meal that we all devoured within minutes from her setting it on the table. While waiting I was blessed to be able to get to know each rider more, and learn from the pasts they each have experienced.

Morning came too quickly, Serafina was there at 07:30 with a great breakfast and we spent the next 1.5hrs preparing the bikes for the ride home. I saw how they made a tyre liner from a dead tube and how to revive (with a match) a leaking patch so that it could be repaired. All of us thinking of the 3 mile descent that we finished up with on yesterdays ride that we would have to tackle going up the first thing this morning. It was a super sunlit morning with my highlight of the ride being a real live Boomslang snake on the road at the beginning of the ride, highly venomous but very beautifully bright green, see photo... We also came across another dead lorry disemboweled on the road, this time I got a photo of proof, see photo.

The ride started tempered but ended as all our rides end, hard and fast. Each week they go up a notch and we keep upping the miles and intensity. It's almost like it they have fuel they will recover and keep getting stronger. I can even see psychological changes in them, their legs are getting more defined and they are becoming more lean, the signs of true cyclists. Not only am I impressed by their motivation to ride more and more but by their continual demonstration that very little phases them, things that would disrupt me in my direction doesn't even register in their life as a disturbance. On the way riding back to Kigali the next day Rafiki’s hub blew up, Adrie had ball bearings in three sizes, grease and the tools to dismantle his hub and we just stopped and rebuilt his hub then continued on the way as if it was a normal thing to do, (no wonder Adrie's bike weighed so much). I have a lot to learn from these young men with so much determination.