Expedition Africa
On the Swazi Trails (Exp. Africa Review Part 3)
German Cuevas/AdvFeel Communication (Edited by Rob Howard) / 13.06.2015
It is not easy to know which is the right path trekking through Swaziland, either around Sidvkodvo in the south or through the Sinceni Mountains.
The footpaths are not typical of the paths in Europe or other countries. Here the trail is like a huge highway with 20 or thirty small surrounding trails created in the red sand that intersect. The foot trails surround the vehicle trails, and there are thousands of branches in many cases just created by animals and not leading anywhere.
Here almost everyone speaks some English, so that the international system of orientation is usually a great ally. Ask the local people!
We are back in T4/T7. Again we find two teams from the rear of the race, and they are in no hurry as they have almost 10 hours to leave for the river. A good impala burger was welcome and the kitchen was open all night ...
At night, crossing the bridge on the main road we could see lights bobbing about. They grew brighter and Team Merrell slowly approached what now was T7.
The entrance to the transition was a long way around the farm .... but the team found a shortcut through the buildings and appeared next to the blue light of the pool.
They looked fine, in a hurry, because they knew that the Estonian team was close behind. This was no time to relax or for a burger. They asked about cokes and built their bikes. (They had a problem with safety clamps on the race bike boxes but these were soon cut).
One issue to consider is a rule which has slipped of late and is very important for adventure racing. Race bibs are very important for identifying racers and to the image of the race but some teams do not always wear them on top.
After preparing the bikes the team disappeared into the darkness, leaving the way they come in after which the Estonian was not far behind.
Our transport had to carry boxes to T8 at end of the bicycle ride so we perched on the Pick Up with our friend José Pires and set off.
T8 is located high in the mountains surrounding the capital Mbabane, a small town with few modern buildings about 12 stories high. The surrounding peaks are about 1500m and T8 is situated in a private village where we head between the wooden houses that look a little fragile. It is 08.30 and the teams do not appear before 11.00pm.
We're lucky the restaurant is open. "In the Woods" transports you to any cafe in Paris, or any city in Europe with its friendly staff and good food.
The complex is a sports centre surrounded by fields and has a room where the bike boxes are stacked and stored. There is a good fireplace, coffee and tea, an excellent transition stop.
The cold is very intense inside and outside the building, reaching 2°C in the morning.
The entrance of the transition is hard to find among the vehicles. Shouts indicate that the first team are here. Merrell come in and are in surprisingly good condition. These guys are really strong!
They quietly dismantled their bikes and take something warm as they prepare to leave on the trail that will lead to the finish. Transition takes 30 minutes. A few minutes after they left the Estonian team arrived. Their condition was not so good, they looked more tired. We thought they were longer in transition but actually were the same as Merrell.
Leaving they are lost in the maze of streets of the small town and don’t have enough hands to carry sandwiches, cokes and maps. They looked eager and were gradually recovering time on the leaders.
Behind them the teams are a little more calm but without losing any of the motivation that has kept them in the top positions. 10 minutes by the fire were well spent warming up.
We left with the Peak Performance Team, following them some way as they went towards the next control but it was so hard navigating at night
The flow of teams slowed in the wake of the first 6 ....
SleepMonsters
