Kenya is one of Lachy’s favorite places on earth, and he has forged some of his best bike-racing memories at the four-day 650-kilometer rally across the wild plains of the Maasai Mara.

“I've won stages there before, but those are not the best memories,” Lachlan says. “It's about spending time with the other riders, kicking back in the afternoon and just realizing how unique of an opportunity it is to go and rip around the Maasai Mara on a gravel bike. You have giraffes on the course and see elephants – make believe stuff. If you are too hyper fixated on the racing element, you could miss a lot of that. And I don't want to miss any of that.”

That is not to say that Lachy is not going to race hard. Each of the four stages of the Migration Gravel Race is a tough test. The course traverses the wide open hills of the Kenyan savannah, passing remote Maasai villages and wildlife grounds. Lachy will have to be on the lookout for wildebeest, zebras, and gazelles.

“In the race, each day throws something at you, for sure,” Lachlan says. “The riding is varied in the Maasai Mara. It can be hot, dusty, and rough, but also, when you gain just a little bit of elevation, it can get pretty lush. You have a really cool mix of terrain, from big, open, corrugated, rough gravel roads to small singletracks and everything in between. It is very engaging riding. There are lots of different ways that luck can go in your favor or the other way.”

However it plays out on the savannah, Lachy will finish each day with stories to share with his buddies at camp under the stars at night. He has made great friends with some of Kenya’s top athletes since he first travelled to the Migration Gravel Race three years ago. He now works closely with the Amani Project, a local racing team, on a mission to provide East African riders with opportunities to show their power and skills in the pro peloton. Kenyans are some of the best distance runners in the world and there is every reason to think that they could be world-class cyclists too.

“The folks at Amani are just a great group of people,” Lachlan says. “That is the most important thing to me. The riders and the management staff are all just good people who I enjoy spending time with. Beyond that, what they're trying to do, which is open up cycling to athletes who otherwise might not have ever got the chance to race professionally, is a huge task and an admirable cause. Those guys are bike racers, hungry to race bikes, which is something I can relate to. And they treat it for what it is. They're serious and professional, but bring a fun, positive attitude that you don’t always see with elite athletes, which is incredibly refreshing.”

Every time that Lachlan travels to Kenya, he leaves rejuvenated. The country has its own warm, chaotic energy that invigorates and inspires him. Before and after the Migration Gravel Race, he is going to make time to explore Kenya better.

“It is not like anywhere else I've raced before,” Lachlan says. “Out in the Maasai, the villages are very small and very rural but super friendly. That is one really infectious thing about Kenya. Everyone seems to be very happy. The smaller hubs might have a market happening, or a few shops for the surrounding small villages. And they're always buzzing. There is a lot going on, but in a really cool, exciting way with more of the hectic, sort of city energy. And then there is Nairobi.”

On previous trips, Lachlan never really had the time to go see the Kenyan capital, which is home to 5.5 million people. He just flew in and out. This time, he’s making a point to go explore it the best way – on his bike. And he has set himself a culinary mission.

“The food in Kenya is amazing,” Lachlan says. “I eat lots of ugali, and chapati is probably my favorite, the flatbread. Then there are amazing stews. It is all fresh, simple, but super flavorful. I've tried to replicate some of the food I've eaten there when I've gone home and it's just not the same. We have one day in Nairobi before the race and there is a lady there who does Kenyan cooking classes, and I am going to go and do one.”

Homemade ugali makes great race food. Kenya’s best runners were eating it before the marathon was invented. Its cyclists now love it too.

Lachy – get us the recipe! And have the best time in Kenya at the Migration Gravel Race.