Junior Duke John – Q. and As

The most recent questions asked to John are:

1. What is the coolest animal you have seen?

The lions are my favourites. The cubs play, the mums hunt and the males look magnificent, are enormous and sleep all of the time!

2. How are you feeling?

Knowing that I am past half way makes me feel great. It also means that there are another 50 days of hard riding ahead of me!

3. What is the group of cyclists you are with like?

I am the youngest of the group by quite a long way. They are all very helpful and fun and I ride with a group of the fastest every day. We take turns at the front just like in the Tour de France!

4. Have there been any accidents?

Yes. Two of the group had to go back home because they had accidents, broke bones and had to end their trip. One person became too ill to carry on so flew home. It’s very disappointing for them and it is making me feel very lucky as well as careful!

5. How many punctures have you had so far?

Hmmm. Quite a few. I think maybe six so far?

6. What has been your favourite food so far?

The camel tagline in Egypt.

7. How often do you message home?

Reception isn’t great but I probably message home every few days.

8. Is there anything you are most missing from Scotland?

I’m missing normal food sometimes. One perk of being at home is not getting ill once a week!

9. What has been the best thing about Tanzania?

The best thing about Tanzania is the greenery. Ken was also nice and green compared to the desert but Kenya was in drought. The rain that Tanzania gets make it super green everywhere. I experienced a decent amount of rain too! Very splashy riding on very muddy roads. Rain does make everything more difficult.

10. What has been the furthest and shortest that you have cycled in a day?

Shortest day so far has been 71km and the longest day so far has been 173km. The longest day on the trip will be 217km!