Two Days In

Now 170 kilometres from Hurghata, Egypt, the riders will pedal south to Safaga before moving west to Luxor and on to Sudan. Each day brings new challenges as cyclists adjust to the toil of spending five to eight hours a day on the seat of a bicycle. So far, fatigue, fierce headwinds and unexpected rains have given riders a taste of just a few of the many obstacles they’ll have to overcome to be successful in their mission. “I don’t think anybody could train hard enough for this,” says South African rider Michelle Sephton. “The elements have been unpredictable. Expect the unexpected sums it up beautifully.” Sephton and partner Andre Van Eeden are riding to raise funds for Missing Children South Africa. “We’re both so excited to be here,” says Van Eeden. “Today was a very scenic route for riding in the desert. The headwinds were nearly impossible, but we still managed to find a place for a beautiful cup of coffee overlooking the Red Sea along the route.”