Cairo to Cape Town in 120 days. That's the remarkable route 33 bicyclists have just completed in the world's first Tour D'Afrique bicycle race.

Among the riders and organizers were several weary Canadians, who said this was the most rewarding, and exhausting, feat of the their lives. And one of the big challenges was staying on schedule, because speed often gave way to African hospitality. It's not the easiest place on earth to stage a race.

"Several times we were really late because people would invite us into their homes," recalls Vancouver cyclist Tim Padmore. "They would share a meal with us, they would share their stories."

The pedaling began in January at the pyramids of Egypt, and then continued through the deserts of Sudan, in 52-degree heat.

Racing through 10 African countries was not without pitfalls. One rider got malaria. Two others slightly hurt after being hit by cars. And, of course, everybody got dysentery.

It was 11,000 kilometers of tough going. And for Toronto co-organizer Henry Gold, that was precisely the point.

"We said, and we were just joking, what would be the most difficult race in the world?" Gold recalls. " And we came up with Cairo to Cape Town." Gold and co-organizer Michael de Jong rode the whole route.

In the end, the competition was won by Sascha Hartl, an Austrian cyclist. He will go into the Guinness World Records for the fastest human-powered crossing of the continent. The event was also organized to promote sustainable transportation around the world.

But the real winner is probably Africa. Most of the riders say they are returning home with a new view of the continent.

"It certainly changed the way we viewed Africa," Padmore told CTV News. "It's not something to be afraid of … and that was something we didn't understand when we left."

The riders will now take a few days of well-earned rest in Cape Town. But for the organizers, it's back to work. The 2004 Tour D'Afrique is only eight months away.