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'Olympia to Beijing' bike ride (20.02.2008)
Two Greeks, 21-year-old Danae Tezapsidou and 32-year-old Vassilis Mesitidis,
will be among the team of cyclists that will attempt a bike ride from ancient Olympia to Beijing via the so-called "silk road"
in order to highlight the 2008 Olympic Games in China.
The ride begins at ancient Olympia on Wednesday and participants hope to arrive in the Chinese capital on
Aug. 8, the day when the Beijing Olympics begin, after traversing a distance of some 12,000 kilometres.
The
two Greek nationals will be part of a team of 12 cyclists, among them four women, whose other members hail from Poland, Lithuania,
Italy and the United States. The idea originated with a team of cyclists in Poland and was organised under the auspices of
the Polish Olympic Committee.
The countries they intend to cross on their route include Turkey, Georgia,
Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and much of China. Each member of the group will travel at his
or her own pace but gather at a meeting point each night, where they will camp before continuing their journey, thus covering
roughly 100 kilometres a day.
Caption: Greek riders Danae Tezapsidou (L) and Vassilis Mesitidis (R) on Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2008. ANA-MPA /
STR
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