"It's the Paris-Dakar rally of birding, " says spokesman John Bianchi, of the National Audubon Society, with a straight face.

FORBES: Wings of Desire

Metzge, who won the Paris-Dakar Rally three times, organized the first Louis Vuitton Classic and has been working with the brand ever since.

FORBES: On the Road With The Louis Vuitton Classic Serenissima Run

He was equally unhappy about the annual Paris-Dakar motor rally in which dozens of rugged vehicles roar through the Sahara, churning up the sands.

ECONOMIST: Th��odore Monod