U.K, Singletrack Magazine-Uganda/Kenya

8/13/2019 U.K, Singletrack Magazine-Uganda/Kenya

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Hans Rey and his wife Carmen follow some of the bikes their

Wheels 4 Life charity has donated to the wilds of Uganda.

Needless to say they also find a Precipice of Certain Death

for Hans to hop around on

Words and photos by Carmen Freeman-Rey.

Our charity, Wheels 4 Life, has evolved and grown a lot. It now has aninfrastructure in place, with a team of field volunteers that enables us to run thisnon-profit organisation purely, efficiently and effectively. It was time to headback to East Africa again to follow up on some of the work we have been doingthere in previous years.

Our mission was to meet many of our project leaders from Kenya andUganda in the field, as well as a lot of the previous bike recipients, to monitorfirst-hand the impact the bicycles have had on their lives. We would also begiving a whole lot more bikes away at the same time, 270 to be precise.

We also wanted to learn; about the countries, the people, their needs andcharacter. We are often asked the questions: Can we make a difference? Are wemaking a difference? Te answer is yes; most definitely we can, and we are.


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Big bike, big difference. Hemispheres apart.


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Exotic travel 101.Exhausting, hot, dusty; indescribably bad roads, cold showers,cockroaches the size of rats; thats the negatives. Gratitude,love, happy faces, hugs and witnessing the incredible differenceour bicycles have made; thats the positives.

Of course, it would be unthinkable for us to visitUganda, a first for both Hans and me, without taking ourbikes. Our day jobs allow us to cover our own Wheels 4 Lifeexpenses and we took this opportunity to combine our workfor the charity with a little Hans Rey adventure on UgandasMount Elgon; a place that can only be described as EarthsGarden of Eden.

After several days of work in Kenya, we arrived inUganda on our way to Mount Elgon. We rattled, bounced

and groaned our way to the Sipi River Lodge situated5,889ft up Mount Elgon. On arrival, our host for thenext two days, a British expat named Will said: We wereexpecting you for lunch No kidding, it was now 4pm.Journeys here always take a lot longer than anticipated.

Close your eyes and imagine a verdant countryside withrich soil, everywhere lush and vibrant, water thunderingdown from high falls and then flowing into a river whereit gently cascades over rocks. Imagine a garden that everygardener would dream of having, with every plant, flowerand fruit growing; this is natures garden and to us it was theembodiment of the Garden of Eden. Our travels have takenus both to some truly spectacular places and this is right upthere, as near to perfection as you can get; not the dry aridAfrica one might imagine, but much more like Costa Rica.

After our boneshaker drive we were more than readyto get on the bikes and head for the slopes of the mountain.For this trip Hans was taking with him the, at that time, newtop-secret G Sensor 27.5in. Hans always wants to explorethe amazing trails that our world has to offer in pursuit ofthe ultimate ride. Te trails here literally started at the lodge.Beautiful waterfalls, primitive African villages, lush tropicalplants and banana and coffee plantations made the backdropfor the ride. Tat evening we were all on a high and a littlestunned by the sheer beauty of this place. We couldnt waituntil the morning to explore the locations Will had in mindfor us.

Of course,

it would be

unthinkable for us

to visit Uganda, a

first for both Hans

and me, without

taking our bikes.


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Bikes? Check. 4x4? Check. Precipice of Certain Death? Check.Te Sipi River Lodge is an exquisite place, a collection of cottagesscattered along the hillside acreage beside the stunning Sipi Falls.Built in the Ugandan style with thatched roofs, slate floors and batikfabrics, they offered comfort and simple luxury against a backdropso awesomely stunning that it will forever be imprinted in our

memories.With equipment ready, bikes checked over and stomachs full of

eggs and bacon, we loaded our bikes into the 4x4 and shuttled to thetop of one of the many plateaus on Mt. Elgon. Will had figured outa route for us that would include flowing trails carved into the reddirt that snaked along meadows, through villages, across rivers, alongwaterfalls and through the forests.

It seemed that as we rode these natural flow-country trails wecollected a following; like the Pied Piper, children followed Hans inawe of the amazing things that this mzungocould do on a bike. Eventhough a bicycle is a form of transportation that is used globally andpretty much everyone knows what one is, you have to understandthat the people in this remote part of the globe had never seen abicycle rider quite like Hans.

Having Will with us was such a bonus, he understood entirelywhat we wanted; that it was important for us to explore and get areal feeling for riding this volcanic area which is a National Parkbut allows mountain biking. He knew that we wanted incrediblelocations that we could capture in images to share with people andshow them this amazing place with such great riding terrain. Terewas an abundance of natural beauty everywhere we looked and wejoked that this is what our garden in California would like to bewhen it grows up. Mt. Elgon is a huge volcano, 49 miles across;it stands at 14,176ft above sea level, has one of the biggest intactcalderas on the planet and it is the largest and oldest solitary volcanoin east Africa. Straddling both Kenya and Uganda with the summitbeing on the Ugandan side, this is a behemoth of a mountain.

Like the Pied Piper,

children followed

Hans in awe of the

amazing things

that this mzungo

could do on a bike.


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Postcard perfect.If you imagine a giants staircase up to the Heavens,then you will be able to picture the first 8,202ft ofMt. Elgon. A series of steep cliffs ascended, levellingoff abruptly into vast plateaus that seemed to

expand before our eyes. From each plateau waterfallsdescended, millions of gallons of water thunderingover the precipice until landing uproariously intogiant pools that then flowed into rivers, until anotherbig drop when the process was repeated again. At oneof the many panoramic vista points we were able tolook out over a landscape that seemed to stretch intoinfinity. Far below the sheer drop, we could just makeout the small dots on a hillside opposite that were thecottages we were staying in.

It was at this point that Hans started suggestinghe would ride along the edge of the steep cliff, with thewaterfall and epic panorama in the background. It washere that the only two tourists we saw on the whole

trip happened to be sitting and taking in the view. Areyou mad? they asked. Good question. Even though Iknow after all these years to trust that Hans knows hislimits, it is sometimes hard to switch off from beinghis wife and thus being terrified for his safety. One slip,one wobble and it would all be over; lights out andgoodbye world.

On we went through tiny villages where theinhabitants waved and cheered and seemed quitehappy that we were taking over their little trails andtaking photos, Hans skidding through the berms andkicking up the dust. Open green meadows gave wayto fields planted with bananas, the trail twisting andturning; we never knew what would be around thenext bend. Hans stopped suddenly, then I caught upand saw what he was looking at: a fallen tree lyingacross the river, creating a perfect natural bridge andgiving Hans the opportunity to implement some of histrials riding skills. Big kid that he is sometimes, he putsmiles on all the children watching him balance andcounter-balance as he kept his line above the water.

We were coming to the end of our incredibleday. Hans knew immediately that he would have tocome back one day, since we only got to ride a smallnumber of the trails in the area it will be a worthwhileadventure one day to return and traverse the entireMount Elgon range, from Uganda all the way to Kenya.

Even though I know

after all these years

to trust that Hans

knows his limits, it is

sometimes hard to

switch off from being

his wife and terrified

for his safety.

If we all blow at once

Staircase to heaven.


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Proven rewards.Our charity trip was to continue through Uganda, withseveral stops in Kampala, Lake Victoria and Masaka. BusiIsland was a highlight, meeting 50 healthcare workerswho had received bikes from us in the past. Hearing theirstories and how the bikes have changed and saved manylives was great to hear. It was quite an adventure to get tothe island with a boat and then onwards with boda bodamoto taxis while Hans was riding his own bike.

I admit it, I felt a little like a celebrity when we pulledup to the grounds of the clinic, with people clamberingto shake our hands and greet us, everyone so happy thatwe came. You are Carmen, I heard over and over again.As for me, it was a big thing for them to finally meet theperson that they had been corresponding with for the pastthree years. Most of us have seen photos or news images ofwhat these clinics look like, with basic equipment, decrepit

beds, soiled linens and very ill people. Poking my headinto one room I witnessed a mother lying on a cot withher baby and a child that looked about two years old. Teolder child was attached to a drip, the baby looked at mequestioningly as the mother dozed. Tanks to bicycles eachhealth worker can travel four times as far and four timesquicker than before, resulting in visiting four times asmany patients.

Another highlight was the fun bicycle race we stagedwith some of our bike recipients. Tey all showed up intheir Sunday church clothes, ready to meet us and to raceHans. As the new bike receivers lined up and signed theircontracts that bind them to the agreement that they wouldmaintain, keep safe and not sell their bicycles, Hans andsome of the people who already had received a bike from usin the past were getting their race faces on. We mentionedthat we had prizes and oh boy, that upped the excitementlevel. Te prospect of winning some Adidas sunglasses andvarious treats for the other participants really made theircompetitive side kick in.


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As Hans anticipated, the Kyankwanzians really knowhow to pedal fast. Our cameraman and I were followingon motorbikes trying to capture the whole thing on film,which sounds easier than it is in practice I mentioned

the potholes and ruts, didnt I? Te race was won by thegentleman in the pink shirt (we arent including Hans in theline-up, that wouldnt be fair, but yes he was the fastestby a whisker). Tere was a positive party atmosphere at thefinishing line, with everyone excited and having a goodtime. As they say, there were no losers; everyone came awaywith something that day, a bike, a prize or one of the itemsof clothing that Hans and I had been amassing over the yearspecifically to give away on this trip. It certainly felt good tosee so many animated and happy people.

Its not about the winning.Not only did Hans and I leave for home with a new beliefin the goodness of humanity, but I think that all of thepeople we met have a renewed faith, a belief that there isgoodness out there. Tere are many people with altruistichearts that want to do something; small or large, nomatter, but something that is proactive and positive ratherthan sitting back in complacency.

We have now come full circle, the question at thebeginning is now at the end; Can we make a difference?Are we? Oh yes, absolutely we can and we are. Give abike, change a life. We need you, they need you; we cantdo it without you.

Sipi River Lodge, Uganda: sipiriverlodge.comWheels 4 Life: wheels4life.org

Get yer lean on!


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