The nine-day rally, which kicked off a week ago in Alexandria, is organised by the Rotary Club of Alexandria Cosmopolitan, the Egyptian Tourism Authority and the Automobile and Egyptian Touring Club, all under the supervision of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism, as it is meant to promote tourism and travel in Egypt. This year the famous adventure rider Alex Chacon of Modern Motorcycle Diaries and the Egyptian voyager Omar Mansour are participating in the Cross Egypt Challenge. In a pre-rally press conference at the Cairo Marriot Hotel, the media were briefed on the route of the event. The conference was hosted by the event's official spokesman Ahmed Al-Zoghbi, President of Automobile and Tours Club of Egypt Adel Abdel-Baki, head of the Domestic Tourism Sector Major-General Ahmed Hamdi, Chacon and Mansour. “It is quite challenging to ride a few thousand kilometres on motorcycles and scooters in a challenging cross-country rally, especially if that involves different terrains, cities, deserts, mountains and oases,” Al- Zoghbi said. “This year, we increased the route's length to 2,950 km, adding new and beautiful destinations. It aims at bringing global media attention and confidently announces that Egypt is safe for tourism.” He added that the event would go on a live stream on the event's website, Facebook page, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. The breathtaking launching ceremony was held on Thursday, 13 November, at 6pm in City Centre, Alexandria. The following day, the competitors hit the road for the first 380-km ride from Alexandria to Ain Al-Sokhna. On Saturday, all the entrants continued to El-Gouna for a 275-km ride. Overall, participants will go for a 2,950 km distance challenge in the longest and most challenging route to be covered over the course of a nine-day journey during which drivers uncovered the mysteries of Egypt, experienced a variety of terrains, and made lifetime friendships. The route was carefully planned to pass through many of Egypt's finest spots including modern cities, coastal resorts, historical sites, Eastern and Western deserts and the Nile Valley. “It would pass through all the Egyptian governorates, sending a message to the whole world: Egypt is the land of peace,” Hamdi said. From Alexandria to Cairo, the rally stopped at Ain Sokhna, El-Gouna and Marsa Alam before crossing the Egyptian Eastern Desert towards the magnificent Abu Simbel Temple in Aswan. From there, the drivers will ride to the north through the Nile Valley to visit Luxor and Assiout before heading to the final destination of the rally. This year, a larger number of international and Egyptian drivers signed up for the daring challenge. Sixty drivers (20 Egyptians, including 16 women, and 40 internationals) came from 11 countries -- the US, United Kingdom, Italy, Canada, India, Peru, Australia, Czech Republic, Portugal, Mexico and host country Egypt. Cross Egypt Challenge is an international series of endurance motorcycles and scooter rallies conducted throughout the most challenging roads and tracks of Egypt, a breathtaking experience that is equally fascinating for spectators and riders alike. It is the only organised cross-country rally of its kind in the entire region and combines the best of adventure travel and extreme sport. Each season of the endurance rally introduces a new route throughout the most famous spots of Egypt, a feat that nobody ever thought could be done on motorcycles or scooters. Cross Egypt Challenge started in 2011 with 15 participating countries covering a distance of 1,700 km. In 2012, participants increased to 26 countries who challenged a 2,400 km route starting from Egypt's famous capital and passing through the most exotic oases of the Egyptian Western Desert before ending the season in the world's largest open-air museum, the city of Luxor. Last year, more than 45 countries took part in a 2,400 km route rally starting from the famous coastal city Alexandria and passing through the Egyptian Eastern and Western deserts before ending under the Great Sphinx in Giza. Egyptian Omar Mansour, 41, comes from a famous Bedouin tribe in the west of Alexandria. Mansour is the first Egyptian who attempted to circle the world on his motorbike. He took on his first major adventure when he toured all over Egypt in 1996 for three months starting in Alexandria, passing along the way Marsa Matrouh, Siwa Oasis, heading south to Luxor, Aswan, the Red Sea, and Sinai before returning via Port Said, Damitta, Rashid and finally Alexandria. Since a young age, Mansour was passionate about motorcycles and travel, traveling for 13 years. His four main journeys so far include Alexandria to Paris (2002), followed by Western Europe (France-Spain-Portugal 2003), the East Coast of the US, from the Canadian border to the Gulf of Mexico (2006), Cape Town, South Africa, to Cairo (2009), and in 2011 guiding a motorbike trip to deliver medical supplies to Africa starting from Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and back to Egypt. In 2011, Mansour took off on his first international journey. He packed his motorcycles and rode between Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Turkey, Greece, and Italy and finished in France. A couple of years later, Mansour went back to the finish line to complete his journey to include the rest of Europe. In the following years he rode across the US from north to south, west to east and through Europe again. In 2007 Mansour became the first Arab to complete a trans-African tour, riding across Africa on a motorcycle. He started his journey from the most southern point on the black continent (Cape Agulhas) in South Africa and rode all the way to Egypt. It was a journey that took over three months and was made with a message of unity for all African nations -- “One Africa”. “It's the first time for me to participate in the Cross Egypt Challenge, the most important rally of the year since it covers most of Egypt's governorates,” Mansour told Al-Ahram Weekly. Having no sponsors, Mansour said he receives no financial support from the country. “Unfortunately, our country still doesn't pay enough attention to individual sports.”
