Here is an overview of the week's route within google maps:
Although someone from last year thinks these elevations are very light (ugh - was hoping for "positive" errors!), here is the blow by blow itinerary for the coming week from Strava.........
The week starts with a 600m climb over the first 25km followed by what looks (I trust nothing!) like a reasonably enjoyable ride until we hit 62km mark and a rather steep 550m ascent over just 8km - ugh. Not going to like that part at all although excited to see the volcanoes at the end of the ride! We get to stay at Africa Rising Cycling Center - home of Rwanda's national cycling team.
Day 2 looks like possibly the easiest day of the week at 60km plus the promise of a cafe at the end run by two women from California. Seemingly the calm before the storm......
Monday the 29th has been hanging over my head for some time! We start the day with a 30km 967m climb (yes - that would be over 3,000 ft). That will challenge the breakfast to remain in the stomach for sure. Simon promises "spectacular views" for our enjoyment - yet I am guessing this will be strictly a sideshow to the pain of nearly 3,000m (or more) of climbing on the day and 140km.
Day 4 has an interesting elevation profile as we meander a bit until 25km - then a monstrous 770m climb over 23km. If I can survive that climb, the rest of the day seems (again - caution!) downhill. We finish on the shorts of Lake Kivu - certainly some swimming will be in order.
Day 5 has a ridiculously steep downhill at 30km. It looks like we drop off the hill. Some very brutally steep looking climbs on the day make this another day close the eyes and bite the tongue and hope to finish. At 100km mark there is a 450m climb that just looks like no fun at all - though we are promised a brand new road to cycle on (oh boy).
Thursday Day 6 is to be the most difficult day of the week so says Geoff (Burundi 2014, Rwanda 2016). Certainly all of this actually looks manageable in these pics. That is a big worry though this day should be fantastic as we will be cruising through Nyungwa Forest - one of the oldest forests in all of Africa. The road will be very isolated, though through the jungle and rain forest should be visually impressive!
The ride home to Kigali looks like one climb after another (of course downhill in between). There are some steep average gradients in those climbs and after a brutal week - this promises to not let us off with an easy finish. On the bright side, we will be hosted by the British Ambassador to Rwanda on Friday evening - the carrot at the end of our 750km, 15,000m stick!!
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