Tour d'Afrique 2013: Windhoek to Cape Town
After participating in the Tour d’Afrique 2012, Cinelli came at the 2013 TdA edition with renewed energy and a brand new frame: the Hobootleg.
The Tour d’Afrique – 12,000 km from Cairo to Cape Town – is the ultimate test of endurance and tenacity amidst some of the most beautiful environments and cultures in the world. A test of mind, body and bike.
Lucas Brunelle, Chas Christiansen and Dario Toso rode more than 70 miles per day, alongside more than 50th fearless riders that competed to reach the Atlantic Ocean. Each day yielded new and unexpected challenges, discoveries and friendships.
The first Hobootleg prototype was tested along the whole path of this incredible race.
Below you can read words from Dario Toso about the amazing adventure of the last TDA2013 section, from Namibia to South Africa.
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When I started thinking at something new out of the Cinelli Bootleg line, I was really excited and conscious that the real Bootleg must interpret signals from the world and deliver a tool arising from these influences that would allow exploring the world.
To achieve this I wanted to go back and assess the real needs for a bike to see if it was more than just another product on the market. Sustainability was a core requirement for me. Anthropogenic pressures on the Earth have reached a scale where an urgent change of route towards sustainability is inescapable. So my first question was do we really need another bike?
To find answers to those questions I needed to unplug completely, to get away from it all.
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In 2010 I took a trip around Tanzania, a place that deeply moved me. I decided to go back for a second trip, this time with my bicycle in tow.
Thanks to the Zenga Bros movie “Where Are You Go” I discovered the Tour d’Afrique and immediately realized that was the place where I needed to be. So I participated in the “Tour d’Afrique 2012” riding a Cinelli Bootleg Racing Rats. The result of this process was the Cinelli Hobootleg with stainless steel frame conceived for long haul journeys and long lasting.
To test the new Hobootleg prototype I rode a short section in Ethiopia, and I came back to ride the last part of the Tour from Namibia to South Africa with Lucas Brunelle and Chas Christiansen.
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It was absolutely great to ride with them in Africa. Two good boys. Lucas is totally insane, he had the idea to ride down the dunes with the bikes. That was amazing. So was the night ride into the Savana and the crazy ride along the border of Fish Canyon. Chas was always the first to wake up and in a moment he was ready. I don’t really know how he managed to do that. He was deeply connected to the African mood.
One morning I woke up early to see the sunrise on the Orange River which divides Namibia and South Africa and I saw Lucas tinkering with the camera. I walked over and he said, “Morning, I’m going to South Africa.” He put on his pants and began to walk into the river. When he was in the middle, the water was up to his shoulders…
This is the cycling lifestyle I try to embody, a combination of exploration and fun, with the company of good friends. The Hobootleg is a great traveling mate, faithful and sincere in its steel core, always ready to embark on a new adventure.
