Day: April 13, 2006

Sun and dust!
Serge went around the city of Navoi, which was recently rebuilt by the Russians around several factories in the middle of the desert.  This region is rich in natural resources such as gas and gold.

The air is rather polluted by whitish smoke from various chimneys.  After Navoi we crossed a succession of villages.  Uzbekistan has 25 million inhabitants and it is a country which is mostly desert.  Even if the monoculture of cotton has been diversified to allow other crops, Uzbekistan still produces 5 million tons of cotton per year and its economy depends on this production, which places it among the top four producers in the world.  We passed a lot of trucks filled with this precious merchandise.  At this time of year, the cotton has been planted but has not yet sprouted.

At the 50th kilometre, Serge felt weak, his legs gave out and he had intestinal pain.  “I feel really tired physically.”  At kilometre 60 he started again and finished his stage at a speed of 8 kilometers per hour, in spite of the wind, which remained in his face even though we had changed our direction.  When Serge is not in good form, the atmosphere in the group is affected.  Nobody dares talk or joke or ask questions.  As for me, I would like to infuse energy into Serge because I see him becoming more and more exhausted as the days go by.  This race has had its share of well being but we are going through a rather gloomy period.  However, our optimism remains intact.  In every undertaking in life there are good and bad moments.