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Tour De Gambia Ann Cumberland , Greater Belfast Branch The Gambia was definitely not on my list of places to visit before I die. That changed when I spent eight days with members of IPA Valles Occidental Barcelona, none of which I had previously met, and a few Gambian police officers who assisted us greatly throughout our stay.

I was one of 19 cyclists, challenging ourselves to ride through the heart of Africa, on a cycle tour designed to help some of its poorest inhabitants. Our entry fees, and even our bikes, went towards getting help directly to the villagers, and not via middle men. The ride was organised by the Asperpol, a group of police officers who fund raise in their own time. Along with members of Barcelona IPA, Asperpol travel to The Gambia and distribute various charitable goods and help out in other ways; for example installing solar panels to provide some light in a little village with no electricity. They have been doing this for several years. Some members of Asperpol and IPA Barcelona, along with a medical doctor, travelled to The Gambia several days before us. They were doing some charitable work and the doctor saw many patients too. Temperatures in the Gambia were much higher than expected for the time of year, 38 C at least, making cycling uncomfortable by midday, so we did our best to cover as much distance as possible before the heat became unbearable. With a minibus in front and another vehicle to the rear, we were in good hands, cycling in between and spread out over longer distances. If anyone got tired or needed a break, the recovery vehicle was never far away. Cycling on the roads was mostly quiet, with an occasional minibus or a lorry driving past. The Gambians are not the safest of drivers, so it did prove worrying at times. Kids often appeared from dusty tracks, excited to see us, waving and smiling, running barefoot, and dressed in ragged, dirty clothes. Even though they had very little, they were always smiling. We stopped frequently to replenish our water, or buy refreshments from roadside shops. A colourfully dressed woman walked by, carrying water in a huge container, and a baby tied to her back in a large piece of material forming a sling. I couldn’t help but wonder how helpful it would be to have a tap close by, so she could fill up. Another woman walked by carrying bananas on her head in a large dish. It was a world away from what I was used to back home. We spent a night in the small village of Jarra Sukuta, where the people made us incredibly welcome, dancing to drums and whistles. Everyone came out to welcome us, young and old, inviting us to join in the dancing, the atmosphere was buzzing. Our trip organiser Agustin, and the team from Asperpol had brought charitable goods, such as clothes, shoes, footballs and other practical goods for the villagers. It was a joy to see their excitement on receiving the gifts. The celebrations continued through the evening. With no light pollution, the

The roads were generally flat, which helped in the extreme heat. On one 15 mile section, we crossed an orange sandy track full of pot holes, which provided another challenge in remaining upright on the mountain bikes. Some of our group wore scarves to prevent breathing in dust, which was made worse by passing vehicles. Malnourished long horn cattle, coming in the opposite direction, created quite a stir as we waited for them to pass. A snake slipped by almost unnoticed. With several hundred different types of birds, it was a bird watchers’ paradise. My regret is not having time to see them all. Meeting with the Jeffureh community, in their hometown of Kunta Kinteh, we donated our one-week old mountain bicycles to the local school. Some pupils had to walk long distances each day to class, not returning home until late in the evening. The bikes were very gratefully received. We had a small glimpse into what life is like in the Gambia, on Africa’s smiling coast. We enjoyed the challenges the country threw our way, giving a new appreciation of the simpler things in life. It was a truly amazing adventure with an incredible, outstanding group of people.

night sky was spectacular, with only a small intrusion of our head torches when we pitched our tents for the night.

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POLICE WORLD Vol 65 No.3, 2020