We like to think we’ve done a fair bit of bike riding in our time here at Mpora. From MTB in Romania to road riding in the Swiss Alps, it’s fair to say we’ve been pretty lucky in terms of seeing the world on two wheels.
Now though, a whole new type of challenge has presented itself – in the form of Street Child’s West Africa Cycle Challenge. The first ever edition of this supported ride, which is taking place over seven days in May, will see participants complete 300 gruelling kilometres (186 miles) and travel from Bo, a city in Sierra Leone, all the way to the deserted (but surfable) beaches of Robertsport on the coast of Liberia.
Now for you hardcore road cyclists and enduro racers that may not seem like a lot of mileage – but then you probably haven’t cycled in 40°C heat or 95 per cent humidity all that much in the past. Trust us when we say it makes life a little more difficult.
And then of course there are the roads in Sierra Leone. Organisers say the route is about 50 per cent paved and the rest of the time you will be tackling hard-packed dirt roads, farm tracks and just about anything else you can imagine being used as a way of getting from A to B in rural Africa.
