March 13, 2006 — Matthew Caretti and Joan Louwrens claimed the Meltdown Madness section title and both held onto their overall leads in the Tour. After today’s day off in Nairobi, they are right back at it, with six new participants entering the mix, as the Snows of Kilimanjaro section begins — 9 stages covering 982K as they skirt Mount Kilimanjaro and continue through the beautifully lush east African landscape of Kenya and Tanzania. Riders in the past have escaped the worst of Tanzania’s rainy season, what will this year hold?

March 10/06 — Past Mt. Kenya Riders Look Towards the Equator

The setting was terrific; the roads were not so terrific. As the riders rode past Mount Kenya, on their way to Nanyuki, they dreamed of the paved roads ahead. Tomorrow they will cross the equator and creep closer to the halfway point of this epic race. Matthew Caretti, Geroge Oertel, Phillipa le Roux, and Joan Louwrens still dominate, but Urs Luethi came away with a stage win on stage 44.