The plan for this year is to pick up the bikes in Nouakchott (the capital city of Mauritania), and then wander down the west coast of Africa taking in the sights, sounds and smells of the dark continent.
A bit of pre-ride maintenance is required before we can set off on our journey. Last year's trip across the Sahara was not without mishap; and both Gary and Ty's bikes require some serious attention in order to proceed safely. Gary in particular managed to 'break the back' of his bike on the Sahara crossing, and will need to drill right through the frame and bolt it together using hi-tensile bolts. Hopefully this 'temporary' fix will be permanent enough to get him through to South Africa.
It will be a good opportunity to renew our friendships with Franck from AGS Worldwide (who has generously helped store the bikes in a shipping container for the past 11 months) and the team at the local garage who cleared out the entire workshop in order to work on the bikes.
A couple of days in Nouakchott is not found on many travel itineraries, and it is routinely referred to as the sandiest capital city in the world. With harmattan winds blowing straight in from the desert, it is a constant battle for the authorities to prevent the city simply sinking back into the surrounding sand. We are looking forward to crossing the border into Senegal and then down into the jungle and other green zones of West Africa.
