Tomorrow we start the ride, so no more sleeping in! I am not quite fully in this time zone and woke up at about 3:30 this morning. Next thing I knew, the 5:00 am call to prayer was being broadcast over nearby loudspeakers but I managed to ignore it, pagan that I am, then just like that, it was 8:00 am and Wayne was the first one out of bed again. All our fellow riders are here now and we have decided to join the contingent of racers. For me, this does NOT mean I will be actually "racing" but by timing out and in at the start and finish of each day's ride, my time and mileage will be tracked and that should make an interesting record of how things go. So, I have an iDisc just like the one I used to have at OJHS but with an entirely different purpose. It was funny how yesterday at the rider meeting, not one single person put up their hand when we were asked who might be racing...to win, but today there sure was a crowd picking up I discs. We were also given our bike number to zip tie onto the handlebars; it looks like a race bib for a run but much sturdier. I guess it does have to last for a looooong time. I am #114 and Wayne is #115 and I think our stats can be tracked on the TDA website or Twitter page. I have packed and repacked my gear because we are down to one bag each while we are in Egypt, due to the TDA using a different transport company until we are in Sudan. Once we get there, we will unload all our stuff into our lockers and it should become much easier to find that elusive thing that is in the very bottom of the fourth bag. We have been buying bottled water at the hotel, but today ventured out across the road to the local convenience store for a different shopping experience. This small business was set up in a lean to type structure covered with a tarp. The proprietor's family were right beside the shop in their home, another little lean to, complete with a black and white TV. He was kind and courteous, and even walked out into the road to stop traffic to ensure we could cross safely to get back to the hotel. Time to fuss over my remaining gear triple check everything for our 5:30 am start and get to sleep! Tomorrow's ride starts in a convoy from the hotel to the pyramids, with a total distance of 132 km for the day. PS. We LOVE to read any comments you may have on any of the blog posts🚴