Two Greeks, 21-year-old Danae Tezapsidou and 32-year-old Vassilis Mesitidis, will be among the team of cyclists that will attempt the bike ride from Ancient Olympia to Beijing via the Silk Road in order to mark the 2008 Olympic Games in China. The ride begins at ancient Olympia on Wednesday and participants hope to arrive in the Chinese capital on August 8, the day when the Beijing Olympics begin, after traversing a distance of some 12,000 kilometres.

The two young Greeks 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 that they intend to cross on their route include Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and much of China. Each member of the group is to travel at his or her own pace but gather at a meeting point each night where they will camp before continuing their journey, covering roughly 100 kilometres a day.

Athens News Agency

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