- Title: SOUTH AFRICA: Trans Africa cyclists arrive in Cape Town
- Date: 16th May 2010
- Summary: CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA (MAY 15, 2010) (REUTERS) FINISH LINE VARIOUS RIDERS EMBRACING AFTER FINISHING THE JOURNEY (SOUNDBITE) (English) RIDER WAYNE WOODWARD, SAYING: "It daunting, it certainly was yeah. There's so many steps in front you, there's so many things you had to do, so many mountains to climb, literally and physically." RACE SIGN ON BIKE FRAME (SOUNDBITE) (English) SOUTH AFRICAN TOUR D'AFRIQUE RIDER, JETHRO DEDECKER SAYING: "I remember a lot of things about this journey, there's thousands of experiences, many different countries, I remember friendly people, the fact how different Africa actually is to what people perceive it to be, its so much friendlier, there's nothing dangerous about anywhere I've been. The most dangerous part was probably the highway into Cape Town." CYCLE WHEELS CLOSE UP RIDER'S TEE SHIRT SHOWING COUNTRIES ON THE ROUTE
- Embargoed: 31st May 2010 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: South Africa
- Country: South Africa
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA4C58PS0JJ2W01UUMDVB9Z7UJ5
- Story Text: Exhausted but jubilant, a group of entrepid cyclists pose for photographs on a South African beach near the end of their marathon journey from Cairo to Cape Town.
The annual Tour D'Afrique event saw around 60 cyclists from around the world cross the finish line in Cape Town on Saturday (May 15) having travelled about 12,000 kilometres on two wheels through 10 countries.
It's been dubbed the world's longest, toughest, bicycle event. It started in the Egyptian capital on January 16 and for four months the cyclists had to brave unpredictable weather and conditions ranging from desert to mountains and savannah, from blistering heat to freezing cold.
After Egypt the route took the entrants through Sudan, Ethiopia, kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Botswana and namibia before crossing into South Africa.
One of the finishers, Briton Wayne Woodward, summed it up.
"It daunting, it certainly was. There's so many steps in front you, there's so many things you had to do, so many mountains to climb, literally and physically," he said.
South African Jethro de Decker finished with a lasting impression of the continent he'd crossed.
"I remember friendly people, the fact how different Africa actually is to what people perceive it to be, it's so much friendlier, there's nothing dangerous about anywhere I've been. The most dangerous part was probably the highway into Cape Town," he joked.
The annual event began in 2003 and is open to individuals from 18 to 75. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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