Great find. This is such an awesome story. Thanks for sharing On Feb 27, 11:55 am, PATRICK MOORE <bertin...@gmail.com> wrote: > http://www.flickr.com/photos/75524220@N03/6787841858/in/set-721576290... > > A CR lister's portfolio of his father's racing days in Addis; he would > have been about my age if I calculate rightly. > > This tickled me no end since at the time (I am guessing, but the > bikes, kit and background seem to support my estimate) in the early > '70s I myself was flogging my half-stepped, drop bar'd, Delrin > drivetrain'd Raleigh Sprite and various home-builts around greater > Nairobi, Kenya (lovely, long afternoon rides up to the Rift and back > through the southern England green White Highlands; never occurred to > me to carry water or food). My father handled all of East Africa for > the L of Congress including the offshore islands -- Mauritius, > Reunion, Madascar -- down to Tanzania and spent a lot of time in Addis > -- this was pre-Mengistu Haile Miriam and the Coup. The racing scene > is very odd, since Addis Ababa was a backwater hicktown compared to > very cosmo Nairobi (which in 1973, when I left for college, made even > present-day Albuquerque, about the same size within city limits, half > a mil, look like a provincial backwater -- well, except for Kibera > which, in thoze daze, was merely a small pustule on the body politick > and not the size of Chicago); yet while N had all other kinds of > racing up to and including a major international rally, it had no > organized bike racing and the only rd I could find circa 1971 in a > local shop was an old Benelux rod type -- God knows how *that* turned > up there! > > Too bad cell phone cameras weren't invented in those days; now it is > probably all gone to hell with destroyed roads (in 1973 the govt had > just built a new, wide asphalt from circa 5 miles of our house on the > old Limuru road to the very lushly English town of Limuru -- and no > traffic at all except during the morning and evening commutes) thanks > to almost 40 years of govt klepts sending the infrastructure monies to > Switzerland. > > The Muthaiga Mini Market, where I used to buy Crown Bird cigarettes! > Now they have a 150-store shopping/entertainment/mall spread!! > > Patrick" Nairobi: Altitude, Alcohol and Adultery" Moore > > -- > Patrick Moore > Albuquerque, NM > For professional resumes, contact > Patrick Moore, ACRWhttp://resumespecialties.com/index.html
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