Corinne Courvalin meets big technical worries: her bike fell which damaged her plateau and a pedal. She waits for the delivery of spare parts which obliges her to a stop of several days. If the parcel does not arrive, she plans to give up.
This morning, it is with sadness that she sees her companions from the road, Catherine and Didier Pozzobon, Gilles coural and François Médalle. Meanwhile, she builds a sturdy crutch to hold her bike properly in balance.
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Daniel Jenni now rolls in Kazakhstan with two other participants Romain Neauport and Dirk Huygues.
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Stéphane chose his own route in a valley that he finds very beautiful. The rain and noises in its engine are forced to a stop. [Learn more…]
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Mickaël arrived in China, in the Xinjiang region, he is in 3rd position, behind Raf Van Hulle and Stéphane Bertrand.
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Justin and Anne-Sophie chose to drive south: after Turkey, here they are in Iran from where they will soon fly to their own wedding in August.
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Each suntriper, one day or the other, hasto face technical problems: so he has to find a solution, either with a local craftsman or with a spare part sent from France.
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Back to the continental climate: Today, despite the relief, they travelled 212 km, taking the time to see and look at what was splendid on their way. What about the beauty of a country that is not known to the general public? It is a destination for lovers of nature, biodiversity, displacement…
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There are the fastest solar cyclists, some are already in China, others will get there soon. But the others, where are they? The majority of them are spread along the northern route traced by Raf Van Hulle.
The first ones cross the steppes of Kazakhstan:
The following are in Russia:
Some have bifurcated to the south:
They are approaching those who had chosen the southern route from the beginning:
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All suntripeurs appreciate the welcome and solidarity of the people they meet, especially when they have a technical problem.
Here's what Michael Polak says: «The people of Borisoglebsk were very helpful: when I needed help with my wheel whose spokes were broken, not only did they manage to find bike spokes half an hour before the store closed on saturday, but in addition they offered me cold beer! »
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The Impressions of Romain Neauport:
You could say that there is nothing to see and yet the extents of the steppes are striking beauty. We could feel lonely but the people we find are all available for anything. Some form of magic is at work. Sometimes it's impressive to sit down, contemplate, not fight and just soak up.
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On Monday 16 July, Stéphane Bertrand is the second suntripeur to enter China, after Raf Van Hulle. He will have travelled 7150 km with his solar bike to reach this border.
In southern Kazakhstan, Stéphane Bertrand met Syzbayev who participated in the Sun Trip in 2013.
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Justin and Anne-Sophie Lemire-Elmore crossed the border yesterday, spending their first night in Iran (4100 km since their departure).
Alain and Jean-Claude Viguier continue their route along the Black Sea, they left Turkey to enter Georgia today. They are currently in Batumi (ბათუმი).
Youssef and Mohamed, who also follow the Black Sea, have just left Trabzon in Turkey.
Then comes Patrice Plozner who is between Istanbul and Trabzon.
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Today, 14 July, Raf Van Hulle arrives at the Chinese border: He will have rode 25 days and 9 hours, on a solar bike, to travel the 6600 km between France and China! 
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Raf Van Hulle suffered strong winds in the steppe. He did not sleep much for his last night in Kazakhstan. His place of bivouac seems very good in the photo but in fact, a thunderstorm lasted all night, with lightning, rain and the tent that flies. The nights in the wilderness have their drawbacks!
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On the evening of 13 July, Raf Van Hulle stopped in Karaturyk (Қаратұрық), a small commune in Kazakhstan, to sleep there. It is only 220 km from the Chinese border, it is most likely that RAF will reach China tomorrow, it would then be the first of all suntripeurs 2018 to enter it! Stéphane Bertrand still follows him but can't catch him: It is 440 km behind RAF, in Merki (Меркі).
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Stéphane Bertrand, the second suntripeur behind Raf Van Hulle, has been well over the last three days: he has set a record of almost 400 km in one day. But today, the high heat has dropped its average.
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It was yesterday July 12th that Éric Morel beat all previous records of distance travelled in one day: 427 km!
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Today, July 12th, 23rd day of trip, Raf Van Hulle has exceeded the 6000 km route at 13h30, which is half of the estimated distance between Lyon and Guangzhou in China. This performance shows both the personal qualities of this solar cyclist and the quality of the solar vehicle he designed. It also shows the interest of the concept of solar bike experienced from 2006 by Florian Bailly, organizer of the Sun Trip.
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As the suntripers of the northern route end up crossing Kazakhstan before arriving in China, the solar cyclists who chose the southern route are still in Turkey.
Justin and Anne-Sophie are currently running along the Euphrates, approaching Erzurum, they will probably head to Iran: the day before the great start, Anne-Sophie had indeed told me that she dreamed of discovering this beautiful country.
Alain and Jean-Claude Viguier, followed by Youssef and Mohamed, along the Black Sea. Which road will they choose next? Georgia, Armenia, Iran? The future will tell us.
Patrice Plozner is farther away, he is now leaving Istanbul.
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After riding 6000 km on his solar bike, Raf Van Hulle is now 600 km far from Chinese border. The next suntriper, Stéphane Bertrand, is about 1000 km far from the border. The third, Éric Morel, 1300 km…
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Françoise Denel, the dean of the Sun Trip, took a fall while driving in a descent in Russia. She was able to phone to the organizers and take stock of the situation.
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Four suntripers were happy to meet on the border between Russia and Kazakhstan: Romain Neauport, Laurent Souchet, Bernard and Yann Cauquil !
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A large part of the solar cyclists have chosen the northern route, crossing stunning steppe landscapes. But the 7 suntripers who opted for the southern route feast on beautiful landscapes. To convince yourself, just look at these photos of Anne-Sophie and Justin who are going through Turkey!
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Yesterday, Éric Morel achieved a record by riding 371 kilometers from 7am to 9pm. We recall that the Sun Trip regulations require solar cyclists to ride only sunrise and sunset for safety reasons. During the Sun Trip 2015, Bernard Cauquil had managed to travel the distance of 385 km in one day.
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