These are some of the frequently asked questions we're already encountering...
Once we're on the road we will know if we were right, wrong, naïve or just plain stupid!
We'll update this section as the questions come and as we gain some first-hand experience…

So why don't you email us your questions or post a message on our new message-board?

1. Can you really cycle from Cairo to Cape Town in 100 days?
You’ll have to excuse us some artistic licence here…our goal is 100 days of cycling (averaging 120 km per day) with around 30 days resting and seeing the sights.

2. How much training have you done?
S: Not very much! My working hours mean it’s virtually impossible to ride during the week, so it has mainly been weekend rides plus gym during the week. I’ve raced a lot in the past so hopefully I will adapt to the distances again quickly. Then again, Craig is super strong so I’ll probably just slipstream him through Egypt and hopefully find my legs somewhere in the Sudan…

C: Mmmm...super strong, eh? In the summer I was happily going out for 200km rides on Sundays on my own, but now that it's winter it's all SO much harder to do! And, although I raced track at Herne Hill all year, whizzing around in circles does nothing for your ability to last 8 hours in the saddle! Still, I do cycle to work and back during the week (which isn't really much!) and then I do a 4-5 hour ride on Sundays with my clubmates. 

3. Why aren’t you using mountain bikes?
It’s a personal preference, but our own experience (and what we have learned from others who have ridden similar routes) suggests that touring bikes will still handle the worst of what we will ride i.e. mostly tarmac and dirt tracks. Add to those some good tyres (designed for both tarmac and dirt-roads) and suspension seat-posts (for our soft derrieres!), and our bikes should have a good balance of comfort and handling. And after all, we mainly ride road bikes at home, find the position more comfortable over distance and prefer the rolling momentum of 700C wheels.
Of course there’s a strength trade-off in 700C versus 26” wheels; although well-built, 36 spoke wheels on touring-specific rims, running 37mm tyres should be enough to carry around 90kgs of cyclist and kit!
Have a look at our equipment page for a bit more info...

4. Will you find yourself?
Without a bike in Nairobi?!
Probably…

5. Have you done much cycle-touring in the past?
S: This will be my first trip, but what I lack in experience I hope I have made up through research and planning. I’ve spoken to many people who have done similar trips and trawled through the web for tips (our Links page has some useful sites).

C: I used to go touring every year with my university. But it was the cushy version with a support vehicle carrying all our kit, someone else to cook your meals and a big bunch to sit behind when you got tired! So I guess this will be as different an experience as I can get...which is exactly what I'm after!

6. Will 12,000 kms over the bumpy African roads render you impotent?
A good question and actually the one asked most frequently. As far as we know Viagra isn’t the performance-enhancing drug of choice for pro-cyclists, so we think we may be okay. Just in case, we’re using man-friendly saddles. (See our equipment page for more...)

7. What is it going to cost you?
We had to outlay a fair amount on equipment as you really want o be sure you can rely on what you take. Our sponsored bikes have greatly helped in our budgeting too. We’ve budgeted £10 each per day, but think we can do this on less as we will be camping wherever possible. All the money raised though will go to the charities themselves.

8. Is it safe?
We will be visiting some of the poorest and most marginalised countries in the world, and ultimately we represent affluence far beyond the average person we will meet. Apart from avoiding big cities where we can (getting visas means this won’t always be possible), cultural sensitivity and plenty of common sense, there isn’t much more we can do.

9. How will you stay in touch?
Apart from some hefty phone bills, we aim to update this website roughly once a week with text and photos, internet cafes permitting. Kona, Magicalia and various other sites will also carry stories on our trip.
Make sure you email us if you want to be on our mailing list and get notification of the updates.

10. Is it physically possible to complete this tour?
As a (remarkable) number of people have completed this route and others of similar or considerably further distances, we're quite confident we'll make it!

contact us at cairo2capetown@gmail.com 

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media by www.magicalia.com