Chris Froome, who is he?
I should have been writing from at least one hundred kilometers from Nairobi, instead I write from the small bedroom which David’s boys have freed for me in the compound of Kikuyu, which is immediately after the more famous suburb of Karen, believed to be called like this because there Karen Blixen who wrote ‘Out of Africa’ used to live, the origin of the name is actually more complex even though Blixen herself declared that the suburb was named in her honor. Together with me they will sleep about fifteen brand bicycles, one of them hanging from the beam which supports the iron sheet roof, and a motorbike temporarily out of order. It is cold. Hanged on the wall many bibs of races among which the Cape Epic, which if I am not mistaken David did eight times, and a poster of Mario Cipollini.
David Kinjah came to see us around 9 at Mvuli House with a group of young cyclists to accompany me until Thika, Serena should have done some videos before catching the plane for Lusaka. Before starting off he gave a very professional look at my bicycle, and he diagnosed a problem with the fork, or better with the handlebar, there were some kind of bearings, which I did not even know existed and were worn out, moreover one had been mounted the wrong way. David has the spare parts but in his house 23km from our hotel. We go by taxi taking double the time David and the boys take by bicycle because of the traffic. The handlebar is fixed quickly, then they remove and fix the hub.
David’s house is simple but furnished with taste, in the sitting room 2 bicycles hanging from the beams are integral part of the furniture, with all the trophies won around the world, many magazines and video tapes of Giro d’Italia and Tour de France, but also for triathlon.
After eating we watched two pieces of stages in which Pantani, pre-disqualification of Madonna di Campiglio, was thrilling the boys and, to tell the truth, me too. David’s son, who greets by stretching the fist looking for yours like the Rastas, has fun turning the wheels of one of the bicycles which he can reach climbing the couch. He reminds me of Chimba with malaria and tonsillitis, and the little one turned in the wrong way, but he will turn around at the right time I am sure.
It is very late but we are ready to start I think I will do about 60 km, I mount the panniers, David and the boys are ready, the boda boda the motorbike which will take Serena for the video has come, we start off. The gear immediately gives signs of unbalance! You change one it goes down, or up, three rapports! The chain falls down … Yesterday while I was at the Embassies Serena brought the bicycle to another mechanic, who put on the new gear arrived from Italy … but something has not worked! According to David we have to change all the crowns in front and behind. Considered that I am at less than a third of the journey, I do not know if they will let me in Ethiopia before than the 15th July, and the components of my bicycle have already done many kilometers even before this journey, we decide to change them, but by now it is late afternoon, they have to find the right pieces in the organized mountains of spares which they have in the store rooms like the one where I sleep, so I will start off again tomorrow morning.
The boys who are part of this project train every day, some go to school others do not, because they came here late and when you are 16 or 17 year old it is difficult to find the motivation to go back to the school desks. So very pragmatically David, other than the sport activities, teaches them the art of maintenance of the two wheels.
After the afternoon snack we all went by bicycle to play football nearby, first we warmed up standing in a circle and passing 4 balls being careful not to let them pass over us, then we went crazy in a small match, during the match David received the news that Chris Froome, has won today’s stage at the Tour de France. Chris, white Kenyan of a poor family naturalized English, who now rides with team Sky is a great friend of David who was even his first coach. David was very happy and he received many phone calls of congratulations and requests of information, it was as if he had also won himself. I understand him. His project has few funds, but he believes in it and you can see it, and I think he puts in some of his own, David is a role model who has a grip on the youngsters, he is himself, he preaches what he does himself, he has fun and attacks on the uphill like a young boy. I was surprised that the taxi driver, like many other people on the road recognize him, and greet him.
Africa needs many David Kinjah!
(David has his facebook page and the website www.safarisimbaz.com)