A RACE LIKE NO OTHER

IN KENYA'S MAASAI MARA, KNOWN MORE FOR SAFARIS THAN CYCLING, THE MIGRATION GRAVEL RACE CHALLENGES RIDERS FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD THE WORLD WHILE FORGING A FUTURE FOR BIKE RACING IN AFRICA.

- KANG-CHUN CHENG

It's just before dawn in Kenya's Maasai Mara, situated along the Great Rift Valley in the south-west of the country - one of the most iconic wildlife safari destinations on earth. As wild animals begin to awaken in their grassy hideouts in the bush, more than a hundred cyclists have been up for hours in preparation for Stage 2 of the Migration Gravel Race (MGR).

Over four days in June, competitors from East Africa and the rest of the world ride 650km, with more than 8 000m of elevation, across fickle terrain. Along the way they will negotiate flooded paths, demanding mountainous climbs, and roving roadblocks in the shape of goats and cattle.

In the muted, plum-coloured light, the camp is humming with activity: riders filling water packs, checking tyre pressures and hoping for a day devoid of punctures. Last night and this morning, the race is hosted in the Maji Moto Maasai Cultural Camp by the camp's founder, Salaton Ole Ntutu, a respected chief and community leader. The previous evening's welcome ceremony -including a traditional dance around a fire - feels like the distant past. Only the savannah knows what surprises are in store today.

Minutes before 6am, the starting line is crowded. For 26-year-old Lydia Iglesias, hailing from northern Spain's Val d'Aran in the Pyrenees, it's her first time on the African continent. "I can't imagine a better way to discover a country than with my bike," she says. "Stages are so long, you get to see a lot of beautiful landscapes, wild animals... see a different culture." She describes herself as someone used to rough conditions, and has raced other major gravel events including UNBOUND in Kansas, The Rift in Iceland, and The Traka in Spain. But to Iglesias, the MGR belongs in a league of its own. Each day is a whirlwind of new challenges - potholes, rocks, steep climbs, singletrack, river crossings, and loads of mud.