Women-only Rallye A

Somewhere in the deserts of Morocco there's an array of thin plumes of dust heading west towards Erfoud, near the Algeria border. The 160 teams of women have no directions, GPS, even binoculars. For the next 13 hours, they must make their way across the Western Sahara to the next checkpoint. Mountains, dunes, rattlesnakes, and the constant, unnerving fear of breakdowns lie before them. The finish line at Essaouira, a serene fortress harbor inhabited since antiquity, is a week away. The dusty monotony of the Sahara, interspaced with soaring dunes and dry rivers, beckons.

Dominique Serra started the Rallye A

By Blake Z. Rong