Tour d’Afrique is an annual cycling tour & race from Cairo do Cape Town. It is organized by TDA Global Cycling and takes place in 2017 for the 15th time. Here are some facts about the 2017 tour:

Crosses 11 countries (one more than usual as Ethiopia is replaced by Uganda and Rwanda)
Covers 11,500 kilometers (like every year, just on a modified route)
27 full-tour riders—17/10 men/women—23 native English speakers/1 Austrian/1 German/1 Swede—14 below age 50/13 aged 50+
Takes 4 months including 87 riding days (three less than usual due to the modified route)
Scheduled to leave Cairo January 13th and arrive in Cape Town May 13th, 2017
Further info: tdaglobalcycling.com/tour-dafrique

So is it a tour or a race? And what if riders can’t make it?

Participating in the race is optional. Most riders participate as tourists and prioritize the experience over speed.
While everyone comes with the mindset that they will attempt to cycle every day, only few participants manage to actually cycle every inch of the 11,5000km.
When riders get sick, loose energy or don’t manage to complete a day’s scheduled ride, they will get transported on the truck.

EFI—Every Fabulous Inch, or rather Every F***ing Inch

Only few tour participants manage to cycle all the way, every inch of the 11,500km.
Those who succeed are awarded the highly coveted «EFI» status.
Reaching EFI is particularly hard because the tour allows no delays. Every inch needs to be cycled as scheduled, even when sick.
Reaching EFI means continuously persisting through extreme hardships like cycling through the Sudanese desert at more than 40° Celsius, potentially torrential rains and muddy roads in the Southern parts, hazardous traffic, cycling when sick (diarrheas, colds, sores, etc. almost unavoidable), and all of that while sleeping in a tent with partly horrendous or no toilet/washing facilities!
Obviously, only those with the right mindset & iron discipline can succeed. However, it also involves a fair bit of luck (e.g. no accidents).
So far, no Austrian woman has reached EFI (only 2 men in 2003 & 2008). I would be very proud if I manage to do so, but safety and fun come first. Let’s see . . .
Further info: tdaglobalcycling.com/efi-riders