Bike for BurundiGLO

cyclists

Do you want to take part in the ride of a lifetime?

Join the 7th GLO African Cycling Fundraiser Tour in Rwanda. Fly in on the 23rd May, ride 25th to 31st May, and fly home 1st June.

We aim to give you the best ten days of your last five years, and many agree at the end of it – it really is an amazing experience.

Are you in? Or do you know anyone who might be? Do pass this on to any cycling friends.

For more information, contact us at info@greatlakesoutreach.org

“The time was a period of true euphoria, ‘being in a zone’ and any other superlative that might be used to describe in total visiting a gorgeous tropical and mountainous country, local people giving you rock-star like treatment, immersion in a band of brothers type atmosphere with complete strangers that transform into likely lifelong friends, and feeling a sense of purpose and spirituality like nothing I have ever experienced anytime, anywhere in my life.”

Bike for Burundi

The GLO Africa Cycling Tour 2018 was another absolute cracker!

This time we had Tallis Woomert blasting around all week taking photos on his motorbike, hence the quality of these beautiful pics. If you want to contact him, his email address is tallis.woomert at gmail dot com, he’s a great guy – all picture credits are his.

So the stats vary according to different cyclists’ gadgets, but all in all, we cycled for 7 killer days (2 easy ones actually, relatively!), covered 780km, with the most important statistic being 49,000feet of elevation. Ouch!

Actually the most important statistic was all 14 cyclists completed it with no deaths – that responsibility is what weighs heaviest on me, and it’s with total relief that I pack everyone off at the end of our amazing time together back to their loved ones. It is a dangerous activity with some nutty drivers coming around blind bends on the wrong side of the road, and there are always some close shaves. Oof!

A lot of money was raised for our projects, but I won’t write the sum as I don’t want certain folk to get excited and want a piece of it. Read between the lines there.

As always, it is the relationships that are formed over the week that are the most precious to me. Each night, someone shares their story – it’s invariably raw, honest, open. Powerful times. Microwaved relationships of depth at speed. I love it! I love comments like: “This was the greatest thing I’ve ever done.” “That was the most beautiful day of cycling in my life.” “I’ve never been so stretched mentally and physically.” And more.

Three days on and I’ve still got diarrhoea – the stuff we slam down our throats for energy doesn’t sit well with me. My muscles are still aching deeply. It’s my toughest and my most fun week each year.

The team was of mixed ability. 11 guys, 3 gals. 5 nationalities. We all pulled for each other. Phil spent two days out with gastroenteritis, and then managed the whole 125km on the last day, what a trooper! A number battled diarrhoea. Mariko took a fall and got some decent cuts and we feared she’d fractured her wrist, but she soldiered on bravely through the pain on the last day.

I could write more, but that gives a flavour. Might you be a part of it in 2019? I would wish it on anyone and everyone. But you need to get training!

Bike for Burundi

It’s all over. Nobody died (although it was close on one occasion, more on that below), and today we all fly/drive back to different countries across the globe after an unforgettable adventure.

The 5th annual GLO African Cycling Tour was a huge success. In stats, 13 riders from 5 nations cycled just shy of 500miles with nearly 50,000ft of elevation, eating 764 bananas, 392 gels and  521 energy bars (give or take), drinking 511 litres of water in 7 days, and a beautiful sum of money was raised for the work in Burundi.

This is the second year that we did the Tour in Rwanda because of the security situation in Burundi. Although most of Burundi would be fine, it was just too risky a call to do it there. There would be no easier target than a group of white folk riding slowly for eight hours a day through the hills, if someone wanted to make an international splash.

Burundi is almost all hills, but Rwanda is even more mountainous. So I write this aching all over, but deeply thankful for the incredible depth of relationships forged. This year included the first two women, Jo and Marina, who were stronger cyclists than half us men. Each night people shared their stories, often very vulnerably and movingly, and everyone expressed what an amazing week it was. We went through majestic scenery, thick rainforest with monkeys in the trees, along beautiful Lake Kivu, and more.

It could have been ruined, however, on day three. In the middle of nowhere, coming down a mountain, Viktor took a bend too fast and crashed on his head at c.35mph. His (now broken) helmet might have saved his life. But of all the places to crash – it was usually cliff edges or rock faces or trees – he thankfully landed on a grass verge. It could be a fortunate coincidence, but I prefer to attribute it to the fact that thousands of people were following us and praying for us, and we started and ended each day in prayer. We were so utterly relieved when analysing how much worse it could have been. Thank GOD! And Viktor was able to carry on cycling the next day!

Last night ended with a wonderful celebration at the British High Commission in our honour. In a few hours (it’s still pre-dawn as I write this), I’ll drive back to Burundi to Lizzie and the kids who have done well in my absence through the on-going petrol crisis which is further crippling the country. May that end soon, for everyone’s sake.

So thank you to all the riders, their families, the support team, and those who contributed in finances and prayer for what was truly an epic experience. I say to folks who are considering whether to do it, I will try to give them the best ten days in their last five years, and I think most will agree, it was that good!

So who’s signing up for next year? Do get in touch!

Bike for Burundi

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-thBOf956Gc
“Bike for Burundi” is a group of men seeking to raise $1 million for Batwa pygmies and orphans’ education and empowerment in war-torn Central Africa. Simon Guillebaud spent a decade living there and founded Great Lakes Outreach (GLO) as a vehicle to reach out to the last, the lost and the least in Burundi. He risked his life during those years and gained much credibility and trustand in the process, identified the most capable, gifted and trustworthy local people to work alongside. He has written two books based on his experiences in Burundi, which can be obtained at www.more-than-conquerors.com.

Simon Guillebaud, Geoff Morris and Craig Riley will cycle 3000 miles at 100 miles/day from Los Angeles to Charleston, SC during March and April of 2012. This challenging endurance feat could be likened to doing a marathon every day for a month! What will keep us going? Well, because the needs of our Burundian brothers and sisters are so huge:

The Batwa pygmies currently have a life expectation of 27! Our beautifully transformational project with them involves building a school, providing clean water and training in farming methodologies and literacy classes. This marginalized and ostracized people group are being empowered to move beyond surviving to thriving and GLO has full government backing in the process. GLO is also in the process of building and equipping a clinic, orphanage and high school. The latter is to consolidate the orphanage school (as the children are reaching high school age), which has the reputation as the best school in Gitega, drawing people from a wide area. The vision is that these orphans will end up as the future shapers and shakers of Burundian society. We have relationships going back 10 years with local brothers of impeccable integrity with proven track records to deliver on all we are aiming to do.
 

What will money raised go towards?

  • Land purchase – $120,000
  • A fully functional clinic – $35,000
  • Water Missions purifying system – $29,000
  • Orphanage family homes – $24,000 each
  • School dormitories – $17,000 each
  • Youth Camps – $4,000
  • School equipment – $2,500 per classroom
  • Outreach events – $500
  • Staff salaries – $100/month

Please would you consider supporting GLO’s efforts?

Go to Bike for Burundi Website >>