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owner who made art from jade. They were absolutely stunning and all done by hand. He
even made things for dignitaries including visiting presidents. We returned to the mission,
gathered my things and after saying a big thank-you to Father Andre and the others, I was
off by 10:00. As I cycled through the town, I was struck at the number of people in their
finest clothes lined along the road ready to greet the visiting Governor of Shaba.
The road was excellent but every time a vehicle approached, I darted onto the
shoulder of the road. I couldn't get into a rhythm and my feet felt like mud which was get-
ting me quickly agitated. However, once I left Kolwezi, my pace quickened mainly due to
the slow decent to Lake Delcommune. As I neared the lake, the road was lined on both
sides with hundreds of adults and schoolchildren wearing badges to greet the passing gov-
ernor. However, as soon as the rain started, all the spectators scattered to find shelter.
I kept going and when I arrived at the lake, the massive bridge that cut across its
centre was in disrepair forcing me to take a detour along the lake's southern shore. I even-
tuallyrejoinedthemainroadwhereitssurfaceswitchedtoahighqualitygravelroad.Even
though I maintained a relatively good pace, I still felt lethargic and simply wanted to sleep.
The road surface switched back to asphalt and at the 50 kilometre mark I got a flat
in the rear tire. Without any shelter nearby, I worked in the drizzle to do the repair. It took
me only 20 minutes and I was back on the bike. This short break really helped my disposi-
tion and with the lethargy gone, I tackled all the climbs at a faster pace.
After a quick lunch of jam sandwiches, I pushed onwards. The final 40 kilometre
were very fast. The road had numerous potholes but I managed to avoid them in a little
game I conjured up to amuse myself. I lost the game one kilometre from Fungurume (also
known as Tenke) when I went into a pothole. I punctured the front tire for a change and
because I was so close to the village, I decided to walk and repair the tire after I arrived
and settled in. I must add that the last 10 kilometres had stunning scenery except for the
massive hydro-electric towers and power lines that ruined the landscape.
I arrived at the Catholic mission at 6:00 p.m. and met the rector who was chatting
with two of his friends. He welcomed me to stay and invited me to share a beer with them.
On an empty stomach, it went straight to my head so I switched to drinking water. Since I
arrived so late, I left my bike in his office and went to the dining room where they made
space for me. We ate fish and potatoes for dinner and nothing tasted so good. After dinner,
I returned to the office to repair my flat but the rector asked me to leave so he could lock
up. I planned to do repair the tire first thing in the morning. I went to my room but didn't
feel right, something was off…was it the beer? Or, was it the meal? Or was it not having
the peace of mind that my bike was 100% ready for departure? As I lay in bed listening to
therainhittingtheroof,ItriedtobrainstormotherreasonswhyIfeltoff.TheenergyIused
trying to think of a solution was enough to push me into a deep sleep.
After waking up at 6:00 a.m., I asked the rector if I could open up the office to fix
my bike. He opened it up and within 10 minutes I repaired my flat tire. The rector, who
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