Veyt Returns to the Congo
Early last year, Jelle Veyt had been forced back to Europe from the Republic of the Congo. Now, he’s back and ready to continue his cycle ride to Kilimanjaro.
On June 25, Veyt flew back to the Republic of the Congo from his home in Belgium. He had left his bike at the Swiss Consulate and hoped that it was still in good condition. He feared that after over a year stored in a box, in high humidity, it might be rusted or damaged. Fortunately, it was largely in one piece. There was just one bit of repair work to do and he was ready to set off.
Originally, Veyt had planned to cycle south into Angola before heading east. With Angola’s borders still closed due to COVID, he instead planned to cross the border into the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). He enjoyed small back-country roads on the journey south to the town of Dolisie, only to be turned away at the border, necessitating another change of plans.
He has headed back to the capital, Brazzaville, to regroup and craft a new route. In Brazzaville, he hopes to arrange a crossing to Kinshasa, where he will be able to continue east through the southern DRC.
He is preparing himself for a tough journey: “This part in the DRC will be the most demanding one, according to others who travelled there by motorcycle and car. It consists of mainly dirt and sandy roads which means pushing the bike. For some of them, it took three weeks to cover a distance of 2000km (1242 miles) with a motorized vehicle. I hope it will be okay by bicycle, but I’m prepared for some good adventure time!”
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