Africa Solo tells the story of Mark Beaumont’s record-setting ride, down the continent of Africa. He rode 6 762 miles, to complete the race (and a race it was) in 41 days, 10 hours and 22 minutes. Beaumont set the round-the-world cycling record in 2008, and set a new round-the-world record again, in 2017. That should set the stage for the calibre of person he is.
The Challenges
Beaumont was going for a record that he knew would be hard to beat, and he was determined to (mostly) do it unsupported. Africa is a beautiful, and extremely varied continent, but it is full of danger, too. To make matters more complicated, Beaumont’s route often took him off the tourist trail.
It’s hard to grasp what that means. In the UK, excepting some very remote parts of Scotland, you’re usually never particularly far away from a shop. Stocking up on food when cycle touring is easy in the UK. In parts of Africa, just obtaining safe drinking water can be challenging. That’s before we look at the logistics of carrying enough water through dry and desert regions.
It’s quite normal for a cycle tourer to need several thousand calories per day, just to keep going. Beaumont wasn’t touring – he was racing, carrying a bike-packing setup on his bike. He calorie needs were huge, and of course he had to buy food along the way. Sometimes, that had rather negative consequences, as you’ll discover when reading the book.
Equipment trouble
Presumably because he was racing, Beaumont opted for a road bike, instead of a more sturdy gravel bike. I can see the benefits of that choice, but Beaumont also experienced the disadvantages of that. These included tyre failures, and plenty of punctures. At times, the roads were so bad, he had to push his bike for long distances.
He also had a rear cassette fail on him, depriving him of essential gears. That often meant he had to suffer up hills, standing up on the pedals, instead of sitting down and spinning in an easier gear. That failure alone will have been enough to make most people quit, yet he rode that way for thousands of miles.
Beauty and bureaucracy
Africa is undeniably beautiful, and Beaumont’s writing makes it clear by how much he marvelled at the beauty of the continent. He was fortunate enough to have had close encounters with both elephants and giraffes, and lucky enough to have escaped those entirely unscathed.
His entire race was regularly frustrated by the bureaucracy that stifles Africa so. From limiting the roads he was allowed to take, to trouble at border crossings, bureaucracy risked ending his race early.
Verdict
Beaumont and I are from different world – his is all about must-go-faster, while mine embraces slowing down. His is racing for a record, while mine is about stopping often, and enjoying the journey itself. As such, this is not a cycle-touring book, but a book about extreme-distance racing.
Nevertheless, there’s sufficient overlap between our worlds for this to be a thoroughly enjoyable book. Beaumont is a great writer, and his writing is open and honest. He comes across as a genuinely nice man, and I have no doubts that you’d enjoy reading this book as much as I have.
Get your copy here, or from any good bookshop.