Ghana - The Lions on the Road: Cycling London to Cape Town - page 143

The roads were in excellent condition and I was able to maintain a fast pace for the
first three hours. Even though the weather was threatening, I focused my attention on the
viewsoftheoceanonmyrightandpushedonuntil25kilometresfromSekondi-Takoradito
have lunch. I ate what I had on the bike (an orange, bread and peanut butter) to the amuse-
ment of dozens of children. As much as I tried not to dwell on how much I stood out not
only as a cyclist but as a “white man”, I was constantly reminded by dozens of Ghanaians
throughout the day. It was hard not to dwell on my “”white man” label for they greeted me
from the fields and from the roadside by shouting, “Hey, white man!” I didn't think it had
any racial overtones so I just waved in acknowledgement and moved on.
The roads into Sekondi-Takoradi were very bumpy with an increasing number of
potholes. However,the hardest thing toget usedtowasthe suddensurgeintraffic. Cycling
on one gear and having the need to climb was tough. In the past, one technique I used was
to snake up a hill to ease the strain on my knees and on the bike, but with the constant flow
of traffic and the lack of space, it was impossible.
I went to the Catholic mission and was immediately given leftover food from the
lunch meal. Father Francis went off to the hospital and let me stay in his study where I
wrote in my journal. I usually said the Rosary when I cycled, however all day I couldn't
concentrate due to the traffic. When Father Francis returned, we had dinner together, and
at 7:00 p.m. he excused himself to say the Rosary. He was more than happy when I asked
him if I could join him.
Even though I slept better than the night before, I was hoping to wake up later than
I did. It didn't happen and so by 5:00 a.m., my eyes opened and at 6:00 I attended mass.
Afterward, I sat down with Father Francis to have breakfast and stupidly over ate. I re-
turned to my room and slowly packed my bike really wanting to go back to bed for a quick
nap. After thanking him for his hospitality, I left.
The problem when eating too much at breakfast was that it resulted in a sluggish
start.MylegsfeltthickandIyawnedalotbutasmyfoodstartedtodigest,mypacepicked
up until I was able to establish a rhythm. The road curved around many small hills eventu-
ally running next to the ocean. I had to stop and photograph my bike resting on the palm
trees at the beach.