On the second day…

28 January 2016  
 

…The Gold Sponsors got ready for their departure to Dakar. It is thanks to them that we are able to raise more funds every year because they give even more visibility to the project.

They are an easygoing, relaxed group of people who, and this we know from the previous Bike For Africa edition, are known to be quite competitive on the bike. But nevertheless they never forget to have fun.

They have all taken 7 days out of their busy schedules to cycle for a good cause. Most of them we already met last year, but we also have five newcomers in the team! (remember Chris who flew to Dakar one day early? That’s number one)

In the lounge at Brussels Airport we meet Piet Goddaer (Ozark Henry), who is happy he could finally join. Last year, his plans to join Bike For Africa were ruined when he fell down a flight of stairs and was unable to do any sports. We’re happy to have him here. He will hopefully warm up some of our evenings with his lovely voice.

Also first-timer is Lars, our own Chief Commercial Officer. Lars was challenged by our colleagues to participate because he is a VERY sporty type, but his main sport is kitesurfing, so he has yet to prove how good he is at mountain biking.

The last new face to meet is Jean-Paul Philippot from RTBF, who is keeping a low profile for now, but who is quite the adventurous type as well. Wouter from Ulvenhout has brought his brother Jeroen along this year. They look. exactly. the. same. And they have the same great sense of humor. I guess we won’t be bored at dinner.

Maurits Lemmens from TV production company deMENSEN decided at the last minute that he wanted to participate again, and it looks like he is in great shape!

Christian van Thillo (De Persgroep) and his lovely sporty wife Nathalie have joined us again this year and they are really up for it!

While they were all flying to Dakar, the others visited Muriel Maternity today, one of the humanitarian projects we are supporting this year. It is a very basic maternity clinic founded by a Belgian woman, Muriel but what she does makes all the difference in Africa. With our support she will train staff to work better with hygiene, which is the biggest cause of child death here.

After the visit the group started a warm-up tour around the Guéreo accommodation. A beautiful prologue of 25km along the laguna. Everybody agreed that the sometimes deep sand makes it a challenge this year, so it was a tough day. Good thing the pool at Guéréo was waiting for them after.

We're sorry we couldn't update all of you earlier, but the internet connection isn't really on our side for the moment! We'll keep on doing our utmost to keep you posted as much as possible in the coming days!