Culture clash on the sandy streets of Burkina Faso. Africa’s biggest cycling race, the Tour du Faso, is a ten-stage challenge where adventurous European amateur cyclist and African local heroes compete passionately to make their dreams come true. Yet the film does not focus on the question of who will win – instead, it puts the protagonists’ experiences centre stage. Since 1987 the annual race has retained its unique and very African character as a flawed – but much more charming – copy of the Tour de France, its European role model. The race is held at average temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius, the course includes dusty, challenging roads, the advertising ‘caravan’ consists of a single car and the cyclists are camping amidst the African savannah by night during the race. TOUR DU FASO takes the audience time travelling back to pre-commercialised decades. Following the Tour du Faso, we learn more about cycling, Africa and the extraordinary fighting spirit of the underdogs. Here, it is still the taking part that counts…