There comes a time in the preliminary stages of every journey, where all of the prepping, training, and planning finally come together. I had been waiting for this moment for months, and it just happened this week.

For the first time since deciding to take part in the Tour d’Afrique, it has actually hit home that we are going to be riding for almost 12,000 km in just 2 short months.

The Toronto Crew

TDA Toronto Group

We met some people from the Toronto crew on Friday night thanks to the organization skills of Jamie McRae and even though Dave and I were a little late because of a spinning class, we had the chance to get to know a bit about some of the riders. Judging by the people we met, we are going to have a blast in Africa! It made the trip feel more real, putting faces and personalities to their blogs.

The thing that I noticed most is that we all have the same fears and worries. The same stress about our passports being lost at the Sudanese embassy, the same questions about bikes and tires and what type of tubes to use, the same worries about riding in 50° weather in the desert and how are we going to fit all of that great in a little red box. It was comforting to know that other people are going through the same thing.

Saturday night was another amazing evening where our friends Lorri and Shawn Horton hosted a charity poker event for our cause “The Stephen Lewis Foundation” It was a great turn out and thanks to all of you amazing people, we managed to raise $500 to help ease the pain of those suffering from HIV/AIDS in Africa.

We are overwhelmed and humbled by the generosity and support of our friends.

Poker Night

The packing and organizing is unbelievably coming together nicely. We have our backpacks organized and most of our bike parts in order. We decided to stage a little mock pack to see how things are going to fit, and since doing so, we are feeling a lot more confident about our gear. It is quite funny to see everything strewn across the floor and wonder how we are going to fit it into 2 back packs and 2 bike boxes. But incredibly, I think it is going to work out!

Only 10 days until we move out of our apartment, and our backs are getting used to sleeping in a tent ahead of schedule because we are sleeping on a foam mat on our floor at the moment.Things are really moving along nicely.

We just can’t wait to strap on our packs and head to Cairo! Cheers to all. Dave and Deb