Chinese Ambassador to France Zhai Jun attends the launch ceremony of the 2018 Sun Trip cycling challenge in Paris on June,7 2018. (Photos: Chinaplus/Jia Yanning)

Over 50 cyclists are set to hit the road on solar powered bicycles during the 2018 Sun Trip cycling challenge that will kick off in Lyon, France in mid-June. The 12-thousand kilometer route will take the participants through to the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou in late August.

50 riders aged between 23 and 70 hailing from around a dozen counties will take part in the challenge. Riders can only use solar power to charge their bicycles along the route. 

Françoise Denel a French cyclist attends the launching ceremony of the 2018 Sun Trip cycling challenge in Paris on June,7 2018. 

Françoise Denel will celebrate her 70th birthday during the trip to Guangzhou. The senior cyclist is suffering from a rare neuromuscular disorder.

She says at the opening ceremony of the event in Paris that she's taking on the challenge in a race against time to see as many places as she can.

"The riding trip will be really hard, but it will also bring me a lot of pleasure, especially the happiness of conquering the difficulties."

In mid-June, Denel will join her teammates and hit the road for a journey that will take her along through 15 countries along the ancient Silk Road. 

Hou Lizhao, the only Chinese participant in the forthcoming 2018 Sun Trip cycling challenge that will kick off in Lyon, France in mid-June. 

Hou Lizhao is the only Chinese participant in the solar challenge. He says he's happy to have the opportunity to promote solar energy. Most people would feel tired riding 150 kilometers a day. But given a boost by solar energy, they can cover around 2 or 3 hundred kilometers.

He said that he hopes more cycling fans would take part in future events.

"The recruitment in China was conducted rather late this time. Next time, I hope we can have more Chinese cycling fans joining us. I hope games like this that connect China and France can be held regularly, maybe every two years. " 

A cyclist talks with technicians at the launching ceremony of the 2018 Sun Trip cycling challenge in Paris on June,7 2018.

Florian Bailly is one of the event's organizers. He said the idea for the event was inspired by a riding trip to China eight years ago.

"Eight years ago, I rode a solar-powered bicycle to China. I loved the trip very much. There are beautiful landscapes, modern cities, very hospitable people, and people who care about the climate and want to change how energy is used. So, over the past eight years, I thought about planning a trip to China. Now, finally, this dream has come true and I hope to get the message across to the world that solar energy allows us to do a lot of things and we can look at the world from a different perspective. "

The photo shows a solar powered bicycle.

The participants spend half the journey manually peddling, and the other half running on electric motors powered by solar energy. 

To help protect the safety of the riders, they won't be allowed to ride at night. And all of the bikes will be fitted with a GPS system that can warn riders of trouble on the road ahead.