UCI Gravel World Series - Safari Gravel Ravce 2024 - Hell's Gate Park, Naivasha, Kenya

In June 2024, I traveled to Kenya to participate in the UCI Gravel World Series race at Hell's Gate Park: Safari Gravel.

Highlights:
0:02:37 - Started in first place (of my age group M45-49)
0:02:49 - Number 460 passed me, now 2nd
0:02:58 - Number 459 passed me, now 3th
0:03:10 - Number 454 passed me, now 4th place
0:03:39 - Ignace and Maddy Nutt (winner of the women elite) passed me on the same time
0:03:44 - I passed number 459 again, now 3th again
0:04:39 - Number 457 passed me, now in 4th place
0:05:30 - Rider in front of me got stuck a little in the sand, I was behind and passed by number 458, now 5th place
0:05:41 - Got passed by green number (instead of blue number) 407, which appearantly I learned afterwards was riding in my category. So, the places im riding in I mention here are only based on blue numbers (I can't ask the birthdate of each rider passing)
0:05:59 - Made an effort to get back to the wheel of number 458
0:06:41 - Passed 458, now back in 4th position
0:08:16 - Passing Bart
0:10:00 - Big group of farm workers cheering for us
0:11:20 - End of first climb
0:12:00 - Got passed by Bart again
0:15:30 - Got passed by number 458 again, 5th place
0:17:10 - Made again an effort to get back in the wheel of 458, passed him, 4th place
0:17:30 - Entering Hell's Gate Park
0:19:30 -
0:20:00 - 458 passed me again. It's clear that on descents he's better, and I was better on climbs. Because a lot of climbing was left, I didn't worry to much. I just needed to stay in his neigbourhood now. Also Emiliano passed me (with number under his backbag). Now in 6th place.
0:21:30 - Start of second climb of the day
0:23:37 - Passing Fischer's Tower the first time, hanging on to my two competitors
0:24:40 - After a real effort for me passing Emiliano again, 5th place
0:25:00 - Staying in the wheel of 458
0:27:10 - Passing 458, I reckoned this climb the day before, I knew I could and had to push through now to discourage 458 :-)
0:29:10 - Passing Bart again
0:37:10 - End of second climb, someone nearly ended in the ditch, also moments later a beatiful view over the valley. The descent was pretty technical, so I was worrying that the others could come back. Happy that I managed to put on a wider tyre in front the day before.
0:38:20 - Bart passed me a final time
0:42:29 - Some park ranger lady ran just in front of another rider :-/ Now we are also crossing slower riders of the 20k ride. A few seconds later, some lady rider fell pretty hard in the sand.
0:44:00 - Passing Fischer's Tower the second time
0:48:30 - Little but steep climb, we had to do this towards the finish again. At the top you could see Lake Naivasha.
0:52:30 - I didn't noticed him during the race because it was a difficult surface to ride on, but Ignace was on the side of the road with mechanical problems. Moments later he passed me.
0:56:00 - End of the first lap. When I looked behind, I saw the others coming. On the road, I managed to stay in the wheel of Ignace and he was pulling really hard. And this made a decisive gap to my competitors. During the rest of the race, I passed no other rider with a blue number, and no other rider passed me. So, normally I was 4th, but as I know now, the organization messed up really bad.
0:59:26 - Some rekless driver overtaking when a bunch of cyclist are coming towards him.
1:00:40 - Cows on the road
1:06:20 - Off road again, entering Kedong Farm, also start of another very long climb.
1:11:00 - Magical moment where a herd of zebra's were running along left and right of the road. (Watch right first)
1:15:00 - Somebody fell lightly in the deep sand
1:21:21 - Jump to a little further in the long climb
1:36:00 - At the top of the long climb



Hell's Gate Park, known for its breathtaking landscapes and diverse wildlife, is situated near Lake Naivasha, one of the Rift Valley's stunning freshwater lakes. This area is a haven for nature lovers, offering an abundance of flora and fauna, including giraffes, buffaloes, and numerous bird species.

The race was incredibly challenging, spanning 100 kilometers through loose volcanic sand that made it difficult to ride and often required pushing the bike. The course consisted of three different loops: one of 20 kilometers, one of 40 kilometers with a long climb, and another 40-kilometer loop with several steep ascents.

Competing at an altitude of around 2,000 meters added to the physical strain. Based on the numbers in my M45-49 category, I would have finished 4th. Unfortunately, the organization was a complete mess, with competitors misclassified into different age groups, preventing fair competition and proper race strategy. This was a significant disappointment.

However, the most magical moment of the race was when a herd of zebras ran alongside us, both to the left and right of the road.