SUMMARIES Conquering Sahara
Kari Oksman, a veteran biker, has taken part in an international bike tour from Paris to Dakar, Senegal. He describes the tour on pp 18 - 24.There were 20 to 30 people riding together, some fast, some slower. It was luxury to have your luggage carried by a car and have cooks prepearing dinners, but sleeping in your own tent out in the desert and having warm water only every now and then was more demanding. Daily rides were 100 to 180 km. Most riders had a road bike or a hybrid, and you had time enough to get acquainted with the surroundings after the daily ride. There were 59 riding days and 11 for rest. Weeks after start in September were good to ride in France, only mornings were cold. But climbing the Pyrenees was tough with cold and rain. Actually riding up was OK but coming down in zero degrees and rain was a hell. You could not press the brake levers enough. Only after resting a while it was possible to continue. Spain was mountaineous. The views were breath taking. Olive trees all over Andalusia. After a few weeks you were used to schedule: wake up at
six, have breakfast at seven, start at eight. Riding till six pm and dinner. Things changed in many ways after crossing over to Africa. In Africa bicycle was for commuting, not for sports. Bicycle repairers offered service for everybody. They could even make spare parts from waste. Most goods were delivered by bike, the other vehicles you could see were small lorries and donkeys. The smell of Africa differed from that of Europe. Not only the warm breeze and soil, but also burning waste, rotten animals and thick gasoline smoke gave an exotic odour in the air. It was good to have a rest and a cup of the de menthe every now and then.
L’amour de loin
In his essay Markku Lahtinen deals with Sehsucht, the theme of this issue (pp 30 - 31). Among others, bikers have found distant places and routes. Bikers, like hikers and interrailers, enjoy travelling, not arriving. You ride the bike as fast as the horse carriage. That seems to be the ideal speed for making notices, sense the surrounding, make acquaintance with local people, taste the smell, feel the moisture
of the river on your skin. Getting lost in one of the most wonderful characteristics of bike travelling. Most often it leads you to an adventure. That’s why you should not carry with you a GPS or a detailed map. It’s better to follow your instinction, or let the winds guide you. The most important in bike travelling is being en route. Already after the first pushes on your pedal you have forgotten your daily routines and you feel free to choose your direction, rather tailwind and downhill, but you must admire the ones that choose uphill and headwind.
John Grafton
John Grafton is not a name you should expect to be a Finnish bike label. But it was. Rauno Grönbacka deals with the history of John Grafton on pp 28 - 29. John Crafton was actually an English vessel that brought guns and ammunition to activists that were preparing to fight with Russian revolutionist against the Soviet government. Unfortunately the vessel was shipwrecked near Kokkola. The crew made a decision to explode the vessel and the cargo. That was the noisy end of the adventure.
Book release Vanhat velot continues publishing books. Bike trip memoirs of a Finnish journalist and photographer I. K. Inha was published for the first time since their appearance in the newspaper in 1886. The book consists also of an essay in bicycle and travelling history by the editor, Mikko Kylliäinen, and an English abstract. More on pp 14 - 15. In July another remarkable publication will come out, as after several years of studies the book of Finnish bicycle labels is finished. More than 500 makes are presented with information about the manufacturers, dates and places of origin, some of the labels are presented in full colour. A taste of the book is seen on p 35. Books can be bought trough the club. Please contact markkuwlahtinen (at) gmail.com.
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