GIZA PYRAMIDS, EGYPT, JANUARY 24: Dodging animals, terrorist threats and treacherous terrain, drivers in the Paris-Dakar-Cairo Rally said it was a triumph just to complete one of the world's ``last great adventures.''But there were bitter-sweet moments for those knocked out of the endurance race, like Australian biker Ian Blake who broke his collarbone when he hit a sandbridge careening through the Libyan desert on his Austrian-built KTM.``I was disappointed not to finish, especially when yousee all this,'' Blake told AFP pointing at the thousands of rally fans gathered at the last of the seven wonders of the ancient world.Only around half the 400 or so starters made it to the Pyramids.The Dakar 2000 was also marked by a decision to airlift competitors over Niger to Libya to avoid a perceived terrorist threat. It provided a break that went on too long for many and disappointed racers who wanted to run the whole breadth of Africa.``We would have been more tired (without the airlift) and that's what Dakar's all about,'' said first-time Dakar auto co-Pilot Sue Mead, 49, from Williamstown, Massachussets.The airlift also upped the accident rate in later stages, with racers driving faster to make up positions or because they had been too refreshed by the five-day break.``For the people who were trying to close the gap, it made them panic a little because they had less time to do it,'' said Blake. ``That's why people attacked the course a little harder.''There were six other accidents the day he was hurt, including a four-car collision on a Libyan sand dune which left portuguese co-driver Joao Manuel Luz undergoing six hours of brain surgery in Paris on Thursday.Despite the accidents, this year's Dakar Rally - running the length of the Saharan Desert from Senegal to Egypt through Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Libya rather than the usual Paris to Dakar route - was criticised by some veterans as being too easy.``This year was a very high speed rally because it was so easy, without the usual big dunes and bad roads,'' said Japan's Masuoka Hiroshi, 39, who finished sixth for the Mitsubishi team.But for around 60 per cent of the competitors, described as ``privateers'' without professional team support who rely on fellow competitors for spare parts and count on their ingenuity to repair their machines, the race provided plenty of adventure.``It's an amazing experience. You're really just riding across virgin terrain,'' said Blake, describing how he sped down a 10-kilometre wide desert valley flanked by other riders miles away on either side.All competitors are now equipped with state-of-the-art technology, following an arrow on their satellite-guided Global Positioning Systems (GPS) rather than a map and compass to navigate thousands of kilometres of desert.But despite the advances in technology and new safety regulations, it retains the allure of the original Paris-Dakar rally.``For today's world, it's still one of the last great adventures,'' said mead. ``I was just amazed when I saw those Pyramids, when I'd set that symbol in my mind for so long.''And for French motorcyclist Philippe Peillon, who survived crashing into a cow somewhere between Burkina Faso and Niger but was forced out near the end of the race because his Yamaha broke down, cold weather in the Libyan and Egyptian stages gave the race an unexpected twist.``It was so cold it felt like we were skiing,'' he said.
