On the 15th of June of this year, in the region of Savoie (France) an unprecedented bike ride under the name of “The Sun Trip: on the way to Astana EXPO-2017” started.

The participants will be using solar energy to aid them in their journey. The specialised bikes run on an electric motor that charges with solar batteries.
Florian Bailly the president of the “Aventure a Energie Renouvable” is the mastermind behind the idea.

He and the participants want to attract the attention of the world community towards topics such as the use of renewable energy, its conservation policies, the current ecological problems and energy access for all. That is why they support the specialised exhibition EXPO-2017 held in Astana under the theme of “Future Energy”.

Overall 33 participants will take part in this experiment from countries such as Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, the Czech Republic and France. The Republic of Kazakhstan will be represented by the member of the Cycling Association of Kazakhstan, Almaty resident Askar Syzbaev.

They will start their journey from the offices of INES - National Institute of Solar Energy in the city of Savoie (France). After crossing the Alps towards Italy, such varied destinations will be visited as Venice, Sofia, Bucharest, Odessa, Istanbul, Sochi, Baku, Atyrau and Aktobe. The end point on the map will become the capital of Kazakhstan.

The route to Astana is chosen individually by each participant, with the distance between the start and the finish line being around 6-7 thousand miles, depending on the intended path. The trip will last from 2 to 3 months. It is planned that the cyclists will arrive at the destination point approximately on August 17, 2013, there they will be welcomed by the residents of the capital city. After the arrival of all of the participants, a large-scale bike ride is expected to be held in the city of Astana.

- All participants of The Sun Trip 2013, both experienced and novice travelers, are full of energy and effort- all united by one common idea to draw attention to the use of renewable energy sources - said the Chairman of the Board of JSC “NC” Astana EXPO-2017 “- The Sun Trip will be an unprecedented international project that will inform the citizens of Europe and Asia about the International specialised exhibition EXPO-2017. I wish you a successful journey!

- We want to organise a new movement equal to Dakar, but for cyclists. And to show the possibility of alternative energy use - said the founder of the project The Sun Trip Florian Bailly. According to him, the choice of Kazakhstan as the destination is based on the active development of cycling in the country.

The project «The Sun Trip: on the road to Astana EXPO-2017” is officially supported by Herve Gaymard, former French Minister of Economy, President of the Savoy region; Michel Barnier, Member of the European Union Commission; Jean-Claude Killy, Olympic champion and member of the International Olympic Committee; Nicola Ulot, TV star, consultant of the French President for Environmental Affairs; Alexander Vinokourov, Olympic champion; Embassy of the Republic of Kazakhstan in France.

Among the partners of The Sun Trip are EDF (the French national electricity company); INES (French Research Center for Solar Energy); ADEME (the French Government agency for the use of alternative energy), etc.