More than 150 cyclists on October 14 completed a gruelling 1,500-kilometre journey across Tanzania in memory of Mwalimu Julius Nyerere, who died in 1999 and remains an iconic figure as the leader of the country's independence struggle.

The annual Twende Butiama Bicycle Tour, now in its fifth year, entails two weeks of hard pedalling through at least 10 regions from the port of Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast to Nyerere's Butiama home village on the Mara plains close to the border with Kenya, with few rest stops along the way.

Starting on October 1, the trip ends on October 14, the date of Nyerere's death at 77.

This year, the tour included bikers from Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, pointing to its expanding reach beyond Tanzania's borders. The tour also received sponsorship, for the first time ever, from Vodacom Tanzania Foundation, of about Tsh200 million ($80,000) towards logistical support and most of the school desks handed out.

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Since its 2018 inception, the event has depended on crowdfunding efforts among cycling enthusiasts and small donations from individual supporters.
Says Gabriel Landa, the tour leader and event co-founder: "This event is meant to promote cycling, a pastime that Mwalimu himself enjoyed, and champion causes that were close to his heart, such as health, education and environmental preservation."

"In collaboration with stakeholders in these sectors, we seek to have an impact that amplifies Mwalimu’s own ethos. It is more than a cycling event, rather a heartfelt tribute to the 'founding father' of this nation. We do not just ride, but ride for a cause."

The cyclists also engage in tree-planting and distribute desks to primary schools under a fundraising initiative dubbed "Changia Dawati, Tokomeza Ujinga.”

They also promote domestic tourism, making detours into game reserves and other attractions. This year, they visited the Kijereshi Game Park in Mwanza region on the final leg of their journey.

Over four years Twende Butiama participants have planted over 53,000 tree seedlings and distributed nearly 200 desks across regions.

Healthy lifestyles

The sponsors also partnered with Afya Checkers, a local medical services firm, to organise free medical camps for non-communicable diseases and championing healthy lifestyles in Mwanza, Bunda and Butiama.

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Speaking to The EastAfrican by telephone during a stopover in Mwanza on Monday, Landa said that while at least 150 cyclists started the trip from Dar es Salaam, there were drop-outs and new joiners along the way in keeping with the organisers' policy of allowing participation up to any stage for bikers who may not be able to complete the entire tour.

"Twende Butiama is not a race, it is an adventure, a test of endurance and a social bike tour," he explained. "It is open for everyone from professional and amateur cyclists, ladies and gentlemen, the youth and the elderly, even children."

By the time they reached Mwanza there were 71 cyclists from the original group.

Of the starters, 15 were women and six of them were still in the race by Mwanza.

The age difference among the bikers ranged from 15 to 70-plus years.

The tour route required them to climb to over 20,000 vertical feet above sea level and traverse often-changing regional terrains from sea level Dar es Salaam and Pwani to hilly Morogoro, then dusty Dodoma, rocky Singida, the Lake Victoria shoreline in Mwanza, and finally the plains of Mara.