Today, on the 17th of August, 2013, Astana celebrated the Day of Sport and also finalised the week of sports in the city by conducting a series of sport events. More than 1,000 people took part in a group exercise named “Go get charged with energy of life!”, a Presidential mile marathon and the Sun Trip bike ride.

The event was arranged by City Administration jointly with Astana EXPO -2017. They are confident this event will become a tradition for Astana residents and its guests. The Bike Ride started at the Baiterek monument. The Sun Trip International Project participants and Kazakh amateur cyclists rode around the city center along the streets of Akmeshit, Kunaev and Dostyk .

The Sun Trip: on the way to Astana EXPO -2017 began on 15 June 2013 at the city of Savoie ( France). Each of 33 participants was free to choose their own way to the finish point - the capital of Kazakhstan. The route ran through Venice, Sofia, Bucharest, Odessa, Istanbul, Sochi, Baku, Atyrau and Aktobe.

They covered over seven thousand kilometers before they reached Astana. The first to cross the finish line was a participant from Belgium, Raf Van Hol, representing the «Solar Wind» team. Kazakhstan is represented by a 25-year-old Askar Syzbaev, a member of the Kazakhstan cycling community, who has a large bicycling experience. In his own words, he feels like a sailor, who was on a long trip far from the land. Back home, I feel disoriented and nostalgic as I can not immediately get adapted and change my normal way of life on “the ship”, he said.

According to the ideological mastermind of travel, President of the Journey to Renewable Energy Association, Mr. Florian Bailly, The Sun Trip project will attract more and more participants from around the world.

We would like to organise a new movement, as same as the Dakar, but for bicyclists, and show the possibilities of using renewable energy sources, said F.Bayli. Selection of Kazakhstan as the final destination was based on the active development of cycling in the country.