EGYPT: Hundreds of Egyptians and internationals participate in a bicycle ride starting at the pyramids and scheduled to end in Cape Town.

The longest bike race in the world got underway on Saturday (January 13) in Cairo, with riders from 32 countries pedaling from the starting line at the great Pyramids, with the intention of traveling the length of the African continent all the way to Cape Town in South Africa. This year is the fifth year running for the Tour d'Afrique, an event designed not only as a bike race through the spectacular geography of Africa, but to promote environmentalism and sustainable transport. For the next four months many of the 32 riders who will travel the whole distance and the 15 or so who will join at various points along the journey will be competing in stages to complete the mammoth 12,000 kilometer race. Not all are competing however, and riders like Sarah say that they are joining not only for the expedition through ten African countries, but for their own particular causes as well. "I'm just doing the expedition aspect of it, but its kind of two-fold. Its for the adventure of the personal experience, but I'm also trying to bring attention to gender inequality in Africa, so I'm riding on behalf of FemmeNet, the trans-African Women's advocacy network, so, yeah, that's the purpose," she said. The riders departed Cairo on Saturday and are now on their way to Luxor along the Red Sea coast. They plan to set up camp each night wherever the journey has taken them, and the cooks that are traveling with them provide sustenance for the long, intense ride through the African heat. Another participant, Douglas, says he has his own mission, and wants to use a traumatic event in his own life to inspire others. "I'm doing this to inspire the world with peace and hope because I lost my sight in the US embassy bombing in Nairobi, Kenya, on August 7th, 1998, and I believe that when I do this race I won't be doing it for myself but doing it for the whole community (inaudible) in the world," he said. This is the first year the ride has begun in Egypt, where the riders are also trying to bring attention to road safety. The race takes place in 96 stages, and like the Tour de France, riders do not compete to get to the end first, but to win each stage. Kareem al-Nibdawi is the Egyptian coordinator for the stage in Egypt, says that the race is a unique opportunity for adventure. "Our aim is not a speed race, it's a race of endurance, and to discover African countries, from Egypt to Cape Town, or I mean from Cairo to Cape Town. Its an historical route and a strategic one from long ago," he said. The organizers of Tour d'Afrique say that they are not only trying to establish an athletic event that will attract both amateur cycling enthusiasts as well as professionals, but to raise money to protect the environment and generally foster international goodwill. Shanny Hill, one of the tour coordinators, says they hope to promote the use of bicycles in Africa. "Unlike any other cycling event in the world, it's the longest bicycle race in the world. We are also supporting sustainable transportation, proving that you can cross an entire continent under human power," he said. Whether they will succeed in promoting the various lofty goals the riders hold close to their hearts is not certain. What is certain however is that they are in for an incredible adventure in their attempt to do so. In the four months that they will be on the road they will see some of the most spectacular sights in Africa. They will travel through the deserts of Sudan, up into the highlands of Ethiopia where they will see the Simian Mountains, through Kenya, where they will see Mount Kenya and Kilimanjaro, past the game parks of Tanzania, past Victoria falls in Zimbabwe, through the red sand dunes of Nambia and along the skeleton coast, and along the cusp of Botswana's Kalahari desert. Suffice it to say that this is not your average bike race. And while many of the riders taking part undoubtedly want to win the race, in this case the saying that the journey is the destination could not be more true.

ITN Source | January 16, 2007

Tags:. .begun. .endurance. .strategic. .coordinators. .sudan