The Mongolia Charity Rally is not for everyone. It's an event designed to test wits and patience. It truly bucks the status quo. There is no hand holding, no support. Participants are on their own to find a route from England to Mongolia. If their car breaks down in the middle of the Kazakh desert, they better know how to fix it. Or else, it's a one way ticket home.
This out of the ordinary adventure is exactly what appeals most to the two guys that make up The Lost Crusade. The idea of driving halfway around the world and visiting countries that some people have never heard of, is precisely their cup of tea. Oh, and if they can climb a mountain or two along the way, all the better.
Chris Ziebell
Chris is a full-time student at Augsburg College in the Physician Assistant Studies program. He has finished three semesters of intense coursework and intends to take a break by spending a month living out of a Jeep.
With no rally experience and a less-than-desirable domestic driving record, Chris thinks that his major contribution to the effort will be his linguistic prowess. He's recently purchased a Pimsleur "Basic Russian" CD set and has already listened to four lessons. His experience as a medic deployed to Iraq may also be valuable, but hopefully not needed.
Chris is excited to take to the international climbing scene with an ascent of Mount Elbrus in Russia. He has climbed the Grand Teton, Mount Rainier, Shuksan, and the Crestone Needle since taking up mountaineering in 2006.
Randall Tate - www.randalltate.com
Randall or Randy (depending where you're from) is coming off a serious case of the cubicle land blues. After a year on the road, he is still in the recovery process. Part of which is not spending more than two weeks in any one place. So far so good. During a recent two month trip to South America, he slept in 54 different places, a serious accomplishment by his standards.
A self-diagnosed photographer, Randall hopes to one day make enough money from photography to pay for his equipment. To fill in the gaps between trips and keep the wheels moving, he also works as a web developer.
The Mongol Charity Rally will be Randall's second rally. In 2007, he piloted a five hundred dollar Opel Corsa 5000 miles from London, England to Banjul, Gambia in West Africa. This time around he hopes to spend even more time at border crossings and hone his bribing skills.
Any mechanical prowess Randall has stems from tightening a squeky alternator belt in Senegal and listening to Click and Clack on the radio.