Following a five-day climb under the worst weather conditions in a decade, 51 members of Tinkoff-Saxo reached the roof of Africa at the dawn of November 5th. Given the expedition's high success rate, 71%, the team's sponsors will double their donations to the local non-profit organizations.

As the sun's first rays were about to break through the sea of clouds below the Kilimanjaro summit, in the early hours of November 5th, the local expert guides weren't accompanying the usual groups of tourists. Instead, they were escorting an entire cycling team to the culmination of an expedition that started five days earlier. No less than 51 out of 72 members of Tinkoff-Saxo stepped on Kilimanjaro's Uhuru peak, which at 5,895 meters is the highest point of Africa.
 
The 72 members of Tinkoff-Saxo gathered from around the world at the Machame gate in the morning of November 1st and were greeted by a heavy tropical shower before setting off on a 11-km hike, through a lush rain forest, to Machame camp (3,020 meters), which they reached again under heavy rain.

Day 2 of the expedition saw the group undertake a slow and steep climb to the Shira camp (3,850 meters), made even tougher by the continuous rain. According to local experts, weather conditions were the worst in a decade and the Tinkoff-Saxo camp was battered by showers until late at night.
 
On November 3rd, the group was greeted by nice blue, sunny skies and a breathtaking view of the snowcapped top. However, the third day of the expedition turned out to be the toughest and most demanding. Not only did the program include a difficult climb up to the Lava Tower (4,640 meters) and then a descent down to Barranco camp (3,980 meters), Africa's highest mountain threw in a storm, low temperatures and fog! Still, a warm lunch in the tent after such an ordeal was always rewarding.
 
The fourth day of the Tinkoff-Saxo expedition, November 4th, was the longest and most crucial but a respite in bad weather made it easier for a big majority of the group to reach the top. After climbing the imposing Barranco Wall in the morning, the expedition trekked through the desert, lunar landscapes, reaching the Barafu camp (4,680 meters) in the afternoon.

After a short sleep, the most important stretch of the expedition, the final ascent, started at around midnight. For the best part of the group the 6-hour walk to Stella Point (5,740 meters) was mentally and physically the most challenging on the route. From there, the Uhuru peak was the culmination of a five-day effort. First to reach the top were Alberto Contador together with Michael Valgren and Robert Kiserlovski at around 4:30am on November 5th.
 
Climbing to the top of Kilimanjaro is by no means a picnic, even for the world's best and fittest riders. As Valgren commented, “I was actually doing really well during the majority of the climb, I felt good and wasn’t affected by the altitude, until I reached 5,500 meters. Then I started getting headaches and a crazy sensation of pressure around my head. After that, it became a psychological battle inside my own mind to keep going. I went inside my own bubble, focused on the next step and keeping up with Alberto and eventually we reached the top and celebrated together.”

With 51 members reaching the summit, the expedition is deemed a big success. The six-day expedition brought the entire team together and taught the values of friendship, collaboration and teamwork.
 
The high success rate, nearly 71%, means that the team sponsors will double their donations to the two non-profit organizations Tinkoff-Saxo chose to help in Tanzania. Thanks to the generous contribution of the sponsors and members of Tinkoff-Saxo, the children of the Matonyok orphanage and the local riders of the Arusha Cycling Club will have a brighter future ahead.