Naija Wonder Woman: How Udoh Ebaide Joy’s Solo Bike Ride from Kenya to Lagos set Record

Nigerian biker 32-year-old Udoh Ebaide Joy has made history as the first documented black African woman to travel solo from East to West Africa on a motorcycle.

She embarked on an epic solo bike ride from Kenya to Lagos.

Ebaide’s over three-month adventure, which started in Mombasa, Kenya on March 8 and culminated in Lagos, Nigeria at the end of June, spanned over 9,000 kilometres.

The bike road trip took her across nine African countries – Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Zambia, Angola, Congo, Cameroon, and Nigeria.

The journey began when Joy, who’s also a musician, bought a 250cc motorbike, which she named Rory. A novice in riding, whether a bicycle or motorbike, she took a one-week training course in Nairobi to prepare for the bike adventure.

For someone who survived a horrific car accident at the age of 23 and was on a wheelchair for several months until full recovery, it was a triumph of the human will, and specifically her unbreakable spirit.

“It made me decide that I will live my life to the fullest. I want something more, something special for myself. I love challenges, I love to feel alive,” she told the BBC’s Africa Daily podcast recently.

Over the three months plus of her epic journey, Joy conquered her fears, riding through rocky and rough terrains, while exploring the joys, beauty and culture across nine African countries, to finally achieve the dream of a lifetime.

On some days, she had to cover at least 300 kilometres riding her motorbike.

“The trip taught me that I am resilient and tenacious enough to overcome any challenge that life throws at me,” she said.

On her arrival in Lagos, she was welcomed by several bikers who came in droves to welcome her and celebrated her feat. She later captured her joy in a post on her Instagram handle in July and thanked everyone who supported her.

“Achieving this has caused a big shift in my mind. Suddenly, I have a myriad of things I want to do and I’m so sure will work, because I have achieved something I once thought was too hard to dare. I want to plan, start and execute new things. There is a part of my brain that believes anything I try will succeed, because I have the tenacity and resilience to see it through.

I am not the same person. I have changed in the most positive ways. I feel so privileged to have achieved this. I can’t wait for many more exciting challenges I’ll go headlong into. There has never been a better time to feel this alive! It feels good to be here,” she wrote.