2018

Excerpts from an interview with Raf van Hulle, carried out the day before his triumphant arrival in Guangzhou. The Belgian is relaxed, happy to have finished first, and almost without incidents. He says: “It didn’t seem difficult,” “I’m not exhausted like after the Sun Trip 2013”! Views: 91

Day 7-stage from Domfront-en-Poiraie to Houdan In the morning departure for a long day that should lead us to the destination: we cross large forests very fresh, on roads that swallow hills and valleys, the Ferns accompany us along the Undergrowth. We lose our way, we sail through the grove on country roads. Soon, Daniele’s

Day 5-stage from Ouistreham to Vierville-sur-Mer This day allows to test the proper maintenance of the repair. Between the villages with high streets, the roads are straight, the asphalt smooth, the sun loads full, my bike gives all satisfaction, we go… At Arromanches, we stop at the memorial, tourists flocking around our bikes. With a

Day 3-stage from Honfleur to Honfleur The rain requires us to spend two nights in our municipal campsite. We take advantage of this day of rest to better visit Honfleur, its alleys with old houses, discover the museum Eugène Boudin, visit the art galleries… Day 4-stage from Honfleur to Ouistreham We meet Arsène, an alsatian

Day 1-stage from St-Nom-la-Bretèche to Dieppe The first part of the course crosses villages with charming romanesque churches, along the parks of large properties, small castles, travels through the undulating plains of harvested wheat, crosses woods. Then we go on to the departmental with a certain traffic, our solar bikes trace the road but the

With Daniele, who met at the Sun Trip 2017, we planned a journey of more than 1000 km in Normandy. It was for me the opportunity to discover a beautiful region and to test my new solar bike. The day before departure, surprise : Paul, suntriper 2015 and 2017, came to have dinner with us!

After Raf Van Hulle arrived, it was Mickaël Joguet the next. He only has a few days left to reach Guangzhou but on this video he appears a little tired. Let's wish him to hold on to the end to keep his second place! Views: 131

The Glue brothers had to abandon their solar tandem due to big technical worries. They no longer participate in the sun trip but they decided to continue their journey without the help of the sun, with normal bikes without assistance. Congratulations to these two courageous participants! Here they are with Jack Butler: Views: 82

RAF Van Hulle arrived yesterday in Guangzhou, today he stopped pedaling as he did relentlessly for 45 days. Let's not forget those who are still on the road, who will pedal for days, weeks… Follow their day to day progression on this map: http://race.thesuntrip.com/ Views: 92

Raf Van Hulle has crossed the finish line today. It will have taken 45 days to rally Guangzhou (Canton) since its departure from France, on a solar bike. What a great proof of the effectiveness of this mode of sustainable mobility! A Belgian cyclist finished a 12,000-km journey from France to China on sun-powered bike.

Technical problems can sometimes defeat the most stubborn participants: while they were in third position, the Colle brothers encountered great technical difficulties with their rear wheel since Turfan. They did everything to try to fix it without being able to find the specific parts needed. They still decided to try the crossing of the Gobi

After a pass at 2500 m, bad weather does not allow Stéphane to properly charge his battery: he rolls with only 70 W of assistance for 180 km. It is under the rain, with a gray sky, that he discovers here vestiges of the Great Wall of China. He remains a philosopher: “It’s okay, I

After 65 km of very bad road, François and Gilles find the bitumen. They made 162 km and Jean-Claude Viguier, who now rides without Alain, joined them shortly before arriving at the hotel where they will step. They meet truck drivers leading an exceptional convoy. Views: 89

Raf Van Hulle is only 60 km from the centre of Guangzhou, he will soon cross the finish line, 44 days after his departure from France. Bravo for this amazing demonstration of the efficiency of the solar bike! Views: 84

Youssef and Mohamed Saïd confront the vastness of Kazakhstan: The wind blows from the face which makes their progression difficult, the sky is cloudy which is not favorable either to their solar tandem. The desert landscapes parade tirelessly, the supply is difficult, sometimes they do not find water during 200km. Views: 111

Françoise Denel crosses Kazakhstan, she fights against the wind that never calms down and makes the road dangerous, especially with the trucks. The climate is hard: in the sun, we cook and in the shade, the wind is icy. This does not prevent Françoise from marveling at the landscapes: "I go through a wonderful area,

Today, 1 August, 43rd day of travel, Raf Van Hulle has crossed the last mountainous massif in magnificent landscapes. He finishes his solitary adventure in beauty and will soon be accompanied to the finish line by the organization team, in the oldest district of Guangzhou. Views: 85

The next few weeks, Gregory Lewyllie will take the Silk Road, the one he finds the most beautiful, which crosses Uzbekistan. He wants to discover uzbek culture and stop in the most beautiful commercial cities of the Silk Road, including the town of Khiva (Xiva). Views: 88

Jack Butler delivers his impressions: He is surprised to have exceeded half the distance France-Guangzhou, he marvels to cross the infinite landscapes of Kazakhstan, he realizes that it is closer to the goal than the starting point… Listen to him: Views: 88

Catherine and Didier Pozzobon cross Uzbekistan and they confront portions of sanded roads that are real events, both for them and for their solar trikes! Will they hold? Views: 98

Eymeric Thuliez has recently arrived in Kazakhstan. He is in Uralsk where he waits for the delivery of a spare part to repair his bike. Jürgen Burkholz who accompanied him now continues the journey without him. Eymeric takes advantage of its expectation to visit the surroundings and meet the people, very hospitable. Close to 8000

Organization Communiqué: On 30 July, one of Alain Viguier's bicycle batteries caught fire. No injuries but the time to remove the saddlebags of the bike, the second battery exploded and the engine burned. Arriving at the southern end of Kazakhstan, on the most desolate route and in the harshest environment of the whole adventure, Alain

Let’s have a look at the position of each participant in this great solar cycling rally: 4 have travelled more than 9000 km (3/4 of the course). They are : Raf Van Hulle, Mickaël Joguet, Éric Morel and Stéphane Bertrand; 15 have already completed more than 6000 km (half of the route) and 9 have

Stéphane Bertrand met several difficulties: he punctured twice on the highway, he had to be towed by a chinese cyclist and he was stuck a day and a half in a gas station. Right now he is going through a storm in the desert, a wind of madness, sideways. With the aspiration of the trucks,

Gregory Lewyllie is currently crossing the Uzbekistan. He offers us this vision of the Aral Sea that he filmed with a drone. Thanks to Gregory for these amazing images! Views: 86