Category: Trip

This film immerses us in the adventure of the Sun Trip Alpes 2022, a rally of solar bikes which embarked 40 participants in France, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Italy. Over the 3 weeks of travel, we discover the beauty of the alpine landscapes, the friendly atmosphere between participants, the challenges between climbers. This event demonstrates the effectiveness of solar mobility for covering long distances with steep gradients.
Film directed by Isaya Chaillou – Zeppelin Agency
© TheSunTrip

Visits: 241

In this report, I take into account the Sun Trip but also my journey to reach Brussels and the return from Lyon to my home. I excluded the days when I did not cycle: 3 days in Brussels for presentations to schools and partner institutions and 2 days of immobility for breakdown and other.

– 57 days of cycling
– 14 countries crossed, 18 borders
– distance of travel: 8,600 km
– positive elevation: 50,000 m

– total solar production: 91,000 Wh
– energy produced by regeneration: 4,000 Wh
– motor + devices consumption: 95,000 Wh

– average solar production: 1,590 Wh/d
– energy produced by regeneration: 65 Wh/d on average
– average consumption: 1,655 Wh/d

This summer, the sunshine conditions were extremely variable:
– mini solar production: 200 Wh in one day
– maximum solar production: 3,000 Wh in one day
The distances traveled were influenced by these weather conditions, the traffic conditions (roads with heavy traffic), the type of road surface (deteriorated asphalt, unpaved surfaces: cobblestones, sand, gravel, etc.). The wind was not often frontal, sometimes lateral, therefore destabilizing for the 2 wheels with solar roofs.

Solar consumption and production graph

Table of the route, distance, elevation, consumption and solar production

Visits: 386

In the end, I mostly followed the route I had traced back home, with maps and apps. As expected, I went through the city of Magdeburg in Germany, through the primary forest of Białowieża in Poland, through the city of Cluj Napoca in Romania, twinned with Dijon.

Voir en plein écran

But obviously many unforeseen events have affected my course:
– in Germany, I finally crossed Berlin to find Patrice and Jean-Louis, two other suntripeurs,
– in Lithuania, I preferred to follow the GPS track given by Bernard, to avoid improbable roads and dirt roads,
– back from Riga, Lithuania, I took a detour via Vilnius to visit a little cousin married to a Finnish woman;
– in Poland, around Lublin, I turned east all morning to follow those who had opted for Ukraine, then at midday, I changed my mind, I decided to come back to my first choice, I headed for Slovakia,
– in Romania, arrived in Cluj-Napoca, I diverted to Alba Iulia to respond to the invitation of Sophie Planque and Jérémy Vaugeois, and thus find other participants with I then traveled,
– in Romania, to arrive in Constanta, we opted for a very pleasant route, without any traffic, which we also took on the return,
– we came back via Bulgaria rather than Romania, for the pleasure of discovering a new country,
– in Serbia, we have carefully avoided the traffic of the capital Belgrade,
– in Croatia, we have long walked along the border with Hungary without ever crossing it, to avoid time-consuming health checks,
– in Slovenia, we have consciously changed the planned route to enjoy the Slovenian landscapes, visit the capital Ljubljana and meet great people there,
– after Slovenia, we thought to cross Austria, but in the end we preferred to go to Italy to visit our friend Daniele,
– in Italy, we decided to end our trip in Lyon, without going through Spain and Portugal, the weather and unforeseen events having slowed our progress too much.

Visits: 372

Visits: 378

This is a route I mapped out at home, with maps and apps. Apart from the compulsory checkpoints, we have complete freedom to choose the route. So I chose to go through a few specific places:
– in Germany, the city of Magdeburg, to see The Green Citadel created in 2005 by Hundertwasser, brilliant Austrian architect and environmentalist,
– in Poland, the forest of Białowieża, which is the last primary lowland forest in Europe, a forest unexploited by man for centuries,
– in Romania, the city of Cluj Napoca, which is twinned with Dijon where I live,
– as well as Pécs in Hungary,
– and Guimarães in Portugal.

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But of course, lots of unforeseen events await us: meeting people who warmly recommend a place, a city, the desire to take the road for a while with other solar cyclists, breakdowns perhaps …
This map is therefore a landmark today, but it is impossible to know which course will be mine in the end.

Visits: 377

Read the full article on Euronews

Visits: 440

The Benur bicycle meets the travel needs of people with reduced mobility. Its ramp at the rear allows independent access with a wheelchair and, if necessary, to take a passenger.
Going to work, shopping, taking children to school, going to the cinema, everything is possible with Benur! And thanks to its removable bench, it can also carry heavy loads.
The Benur bike is available in a version with a solar roof, which allows the battery to be recharged throughout the day.
Learn more: https://benur.net/

This bike is developed by a company that hosted the Sun Trip on its premises on July 30, 2020.

Visits: 266

At the end of March, I took advantage of a period of full sun to restart my solar bike. I was able to carry out 3 outings before confinement, with several objectives:
– test the various modifications or repairs carried out on the bike this winter,
– get used to pedaling again for a whole day,
– test different settings to better manage engine consumption (my average consumption in Wh / km on the Sun Trip France in 2020 was quite high).

Another objective, not the least, was to take advantage of this beautiful spring atmosphere by visiting the Côte-d’Or and the Saône-et-Loire.

Course

Date	GPS	Dist. km	D + m	Tps h: mn	Vit. km/h	Conso Wh	Solar Wh
24-03		188	1625	6:45	27.8	2129	1722
31-03		210	1975	7:44	27.2	2354	1982
02-04		232	1590	8:40	26.8	2545	2010

Solar production

In this season, the solar radiation is obviously less strong than in summer, the available energy is about 60% of what it is in July. If during the summer of 2020 I collected around 3000 Wh / d on the best days, here I have recovered up to 2000 Wh / d, which is already not so bad.
The solar charge was increased thanks to the absence of wind which made it possible to ride with the panels tilted at the start and end of the day. But the wooded parts of the course made it difficult to catch the light, even with trees without leaves!

Engine consumption

To maintain a balance between consumption and production, I tested different settings in the Cycle Analyst depending on the terrain (maximum speed, maximum power, etc.)
On the first ride, I used too little the battery in the morning. So much so that during the meal break, with the panels perfectly oriented, my battery recharged very quickly. At half-time during the break, I had the feeling of “losing” this precious solar energy which could no longer enter my full battery!
During the next 2 outings, I corrected the shooting by increasing the speed in the morning and therefore the fuel consumption. Downtime is in fact privileged moments of charging when the panels can be perfectly oriented towards the sun.

Balance sheet

Overall, I managed to balance production and consumption until 5:30 p.m., then production became too low to cover consumption. And no question of reducing consumption: I had to be home by 7 p.m., curfew time!

Visits: 123

In spring 2020, the departure for China had been postponed to 2021. Unfortunately, the global health situation still does not allow such a destination.
It is the reason why the 2021 edition of the Sun Trip will take place in Europe! We all hope that spring will bring an improvement in the health situation and a relaxation within the European area.

After a prologue between Lyon and Brussels in the first half of June, the big start will be given in mid-June in Brussels for an arrival in Lyon in less than 100 days. Participants will have to go through 5 compulsory check-points:
– Stockholm in Sweden,
– Constantza in Romania,
– the Passo dello Stelvio in Italy,
– the Pico del Veleta in Spain,
– Porto in Portugal.

Between these compulsory passage points, participants are free to choose their route.
Some countries are essential: Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Italy, Spain, Portugal.
But in Eastern Europe in particular, many alternative routes are possible between Ukraine, Belarus, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria …

Voir en plein écran

Visits: 112

Cycling as therapy is an objective pursued by the Grenoble-based association Vécolo, which promotes a return to sports. To encourage people to resume physical activity after a long battle with illness or medical treatment, she organized a challenge on the road to GT20 (Grande Traversée). A bike ride through Corsica, which took place in 8 stages from Bastia to Ajaccio, with nearly 500 kilometers covered for more than 8,000 meters of vertical drop.

© viatelepaese.tv

In total, 16 participants took part in this first edition, which was held from September 19 to 27, 2020. All were equipped with an electric bicycle, in order to offer more autonomy and mobility to everyone, everything. by enhancing self-esteem.
Beyond physical and mental performance, this challenge is a vector of social diversity. The different stages were punctuated by moments of conviviality, which united the whole group.
Interview with Jean Bizet, member of the association, and Christophe Bayard, project manager.

Visits: 125

We plan to follow a route developed according to the relief and the weather forecast. And during the day, we often choose other routes because of a landscape, a meeting, depending on the mood of the day or sometimes fatigue … The route is invented each day!

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Visits: 174

August 10, from Albertville (Savoie) to Bois-d'Amont (Jura)
Unlike previous editions of the Sun Trip where my solar bike could get on a train (TER), this year I have to return by road.
I'm not going home by the fastest route, I'm going to go up to cross the Jura where I will find calm roads and landscapes, and too bad for the drop! Or rather, so much the better, because it is the height differences that provide beautiful panoramas!

August 11, from Bois-d'Amont (Jura) to Saint-Désert (Saône-et-Loire)

From Saint-Désert (Saône-et-Loire) to Dijon (Côte-d'Or)

Visits: 89

Saint-Germain-du-Bois, 4 p.m.

I sip a soda in the shade of a bistro. Someone is walking down the street. Seeing my bike, all panels exposed to the sun, he stops. And he looks for his owner on the terrace.
Here we are at a table and we are talking about cycling. Tanguy has been riding a bicycle or electric trike for more than a decade, as have his 3 children. For all their trips: work, studies, shopping etc …
His solar panels are installed on the roof of his house, not on the bikes!

Note that Tanguy wears a motorcycle helmet and a motorcycle airbag vest to protect himself from cars … in memory of a bad experience.
Bravo Tanguy, for your radical commitment to the planet!

Visits: 122