I cycled to Maundu Ni Meri & Back to Nairobi in a Day! скачать в хорошем качестве

I cycled to Maundu Ni Meri & Back to Nairobi in a Day!

Route: Nrb - Gilgil - Nyahururu - Rumuruti - Maundu This route became queen in my head the moment Kasongo’s “Mambo ni Matatu” (There are only 3 things) started trending. I remember seeing a photo of a road sign labeled “Maundu ni Meri” (There are 2 things), but someone had cheekily crossed out Meri and scribbled Matatu beside it — tying it perfectly to the trend. Curious, I looked up the route on Google Maps — about 250km one way. I plotted it on Strava, shared it with a friend, and we planned to ride one way over two days. But life got in the way — especially for my friend, who, like me, is an actively working cyclist. Finding a date that worked for both of us became nearly impossible. Almost a year passed, and I decided to stop waiting. I turned it into a personal challenge. The new goal? Ride it in a day. After all, I’ve done Nairobi to Mombasa (500km) in under 24 hours. So 450km felt doable. I left home at 2am. But the cold around Limuru slapped hard. I only made it to Nyahururu before turning back. I wasn’t prepared for that kind of freeze. This time, I checked weather forecasts thoroughly. I chose a day with minimal rainfall and plotted warming points along the route. Still, after Limuru Junction, the cold crept in — slowly at first. At Kimende, it started stinging. Just past Kijabe, my backlight fell off. I stopped to fix it, only to realize my fingers were nearly numb. Shifting gears was a struggle. Braking? Almost impossible. Then came the silly puncture at Soko Mjinga. I looked for a stall in the market — not for security, but to hide from the cold. I had to blow warm air into my hands and sandwich them between my thighs just to get them working enough to replace the tube. I made it to Rubis Flyover before the Kinungi descent, hoping for hot coffee — but no one was there. I descended Kinungi kwa kipole, cautiously, with limited visibility. Sadly, my backlight fell again and this time got crushed by a passing vehicle. It was only 4am. By the time I reached Gilgil, it was warmer. I turned off towards Nyahururu — still dark at 5am. Thirty minutes later, my front light died. I couldn’t charge and use it at the same time, so I climbed the long hill in total darkness until it came back on. At 6:30am, I found an open hotel in Captain. Took lots of tea and napped for 30 minutes — it had started drizzling. (I always sleep early before a night ride, by the way.) From Captain to Nyahururu: uphill, but manageable thanks to the breakfast. Nyahururu to Rumuruti: mostly downhill. Then a 9km detour toward Maralal — just to find that iconic Maundu ni Meri sign. Mission accomplished. THE WAY BACK Rumuruti to Nyahururu: false flats, headwinds, and tired legs. At 4:30pm, I left Nyahururu — it started raining for 30 minutes. Drizzles made my toes numb again. Couldn’t go fast on the wet road. At 7pm, I made it to Gilgil. 100km to go. I debated sleeping over and finishing the next day. But something in me said: Just finish it today as you had planned ‘Finishing is Key’. Had an early supper, then pushed on — again, light rains accompanied me. Took a break at Delamere, then rode through Naivasha to Kinungi. At 10:30pm, I began the Kinungi ascent. Reached Flyover at midnight — where that same stinging morning cold was waiting for me. No tea. No shops open. I just huddled briefly in between closed stalls before the final push. Finally, at 2am — exactly 26 hours later — I was home. Now after going through all that trouble, you would think that the devil would give me a break from his snares. How wrong was it because I found the caretaker had locked the gate from inside in a way only someone inside could open it. Whom would you be calling at 3am to wake up and open it for you. I climbed the gate and opened it for myself. DISCLAIMER: Don’t try this anywhere with whoever, nakurumia, utakufa vibaya sana 🤣 0:00 Intro 0:55 Pitstop at Flyover 1:55 Welcome to Nyandarua County 2:48 Breakfast at Captain 4:10 Ol Kalau 8:38 The sun is out 11:00 Ol Joro Orok 14:21 Nyahururu 17:20 leaving Nyahe 20:13 Dropping to Maili Saba 24:50 Maundu ni Meri 28:17 Back to Rumuruti 31:18 Through Njebi 33:15 Another Cyclist 36:03 Rain at Nyahururu 38:15 Back to Ol Kalau 40:35 Gilgil in the Dark 41:45 Rain again