On January 15th, 2005, in the gentle mist of the African dawn, a group of intrepid and strong willed men and women began a journey of both body and soul as they pedaled toward a bold new frontier of cycling adventure, the Tour d'Afrique. Jim Hilsinger is one of them.

The Tour d'Afrique bills itself as the longest and toughest bicycle tour and race in the world. The trip is comprised of a race and an expedition tour. Founded by Henry Gold and Michael DeJong of Toronto, Canada. The first race was held in 2003 and the winner was Sascha Hartl of Vienna, Austria. The top female finisher was Marie-Claude Baehler of Switzerland. The 2003 Tour d'Afrique set a Guiness World record for the fastest crossing of Africa by bicycle and this was achieved by nine participants in the race.

This year's third annual Tour d'Afrique is an 11,500 kilometre (7,145 mile) bicycle expedition across 10 countries throughout the world's most exotic and alluring continent.
The Cairo to Capetown route challenges the riders physically and mentally like no other- and rewards them with scenes of unsurpassed splendor and an incomparable feeling of accomplishment.

Riders start each day at sunrise for a day of teeth-gritting physical and mental challenge. Expedition riders will cycle at their own pace, testing themselves against the rugged terrain and the most extreme elements. They cycle past ancient temples, through game reserves teeming with wildlife, across the foothills of the legendary Mount Kilimanjaro, alongside the rugged and biblical landscape of Ethiopia's Simians Mountains, and the edge of Botswana's magnificent Kalahari.

The Tour d'Afrique Foundation promotes the increase use of bicycles to help preserve the African wilderness, wildlife, biodiversity, and promote sustainable transport on the continent. The advantages of the bicycle are enormous as an alternative to automobile transportation that causes immense damage to our planet.