The Suez Experience

So my first and only long distance (well sorta) cycling trip has been from Cairo to Suez. That's only 140 kms, but they're a 140 kms that happened under not so ideal circumstances.

First of all, I was scheduled to head out with my buddy Sherif at exactly 5 AM to catch most of the light while avoiding the blinding and blistering heat of the sun, but because my smart ass got me to stay up late (3:30 AM) at a friend's birthday party, I totally overslept, managing to barely wake up around 7:30 AM and finding several missed calls from Sherif.

I tried to call him back but got no answer, so I figured he either went back to bed or head out for Suez without me. I honestly thought chances were higher that he'd just went back to bed and sulked, but a call from Sherif around 8:30 informed me otherwise.

Overtaken by feelings of jealousy mixed with obligation, I declared I would catch up with him, without really asking how long he had been biking for, which I presumed couldn't have been for that long. So I head out after him on my own. The problem with this plan is that:

1. I had no bike racks or panniers or bottle holders (as opposed to Sherif), so I would have to carry my water, my tent, my change of clothes, all in my backpack.

2. I had no tools or spare tires in case of emergencies (also as opposed to Sherif)

But y'know what? I head out anyway. I figured I'd eventually catch up with Sherif at one of the rest stops along the way or something.

About a couple of hours into the biking though, over a phone conversation with Sherif I happened to discover that he had actually head out at 5:30 AM, easily over 3 hours ahead of me, and was already way past the 80 km mark of the road!

Basically, I was in mildly deep shit.

After biking for two hours already on the road, there was no way I'd turn and bike two hours back to Cairo, and I also knew that with Sherif being over 3 hours ahead of me, there's no way I would catch up with him, and I would be stranded if I merly got a flat tire. The risk factors were high, my back started to kill me, my inner thighs became growingly soar, and the slightest touch of the palm of my hands made me scream like sissy, but I was determined to get there anyway. However, I learned some very important cycling lessons:

1. Never ever carry any weight on your back. Bike racks with proper panniers are essential. All the weight should be carried on the bike and not on your body.


2. Biking gloves are essential.


3. Never bike for long distances during the day without sunglasses, especially if the sun is rising at the end of the road in front of you, and its the freakin' sun of motherfuckin' Egypt. Personally, I don't like super dark sunglasses that totally change the natural color spectrum of human vision. A slightly tinted UV protected glass will always get my vote.


4. Sun block if you dont want to lose your skin.


5. Biking shorts with padding for the ass and balls are very, very essential.


So yeah, I actually managed to make it around 9 hours later. But I had to cheat the last 30 kilos by hopping on the back of a pick-up truck because it was getting dark and I had no headlights (also very important), not to mention the whole sever pain part. One of the things that also put me behind was my water finishing a little early than expected, making me detour into the nearby Badr City to resupply myself with water, which took a bit of a while.

The good thing about the road Cairo-Suez road, although entirely uphill, is well equipped with a couple of gas stations and rest houses for necessary supplies.

Although this little trip had its hardships, I don't regret it for one bit and actually very much enjoyed it. Something about being on the open road on a bike puts you in a certain mindset that is very different from everyday urban life. I somehow felt a little tougher and more badass... and I really liked it.