Every corner brought a new stunning view, sometimes of tea plantations, other times of Lake Kivu. When Alex needed a rest, I was delighted to have an opportunity to cycle, enjoying all the pleasures that travelling by bicycle in Africa brings: friendly smiles, warm greetings and people hanging out of a bus with their ‘thumbs up’ as a sign of respect for tackling a big hill. 

I came into small difficulties when the chain came off my bike. An easy problem to fix, although I was soon surrounded by hundreds of children who asked me where I was going. “Kamembe”, I replied. They didn’t believe me. I waved goodbye and cycled on to Ngwino Nawe where we had a pit-stop and switched cyclists. 

Marcel came into difficulties with his bike, which meant we were down to 3 bikes. The team who were not currently cycling didn’t want to feel like cheats, so they decided to run some of the route instead.

The final 3km was through Kamembe high street, which created lots of interest and cheers as we cycled and jogged as a team together down to Baho Neza Mwana. We reached our destination far quicker than I had expected, enjoying a satisfying meal together whilst reflecting on what a great day it had been. Everyone was delighted to learn that they had raised over RWF 500,000. A fantastic effort from everyone who participated, especially David who tackled some of the hilliest sections, and Jerome, who had never ridden a bike before!