The Silk Route Bicycle Race and expedition follows in the footsteps of Marco Polo, General Zhang Qian and Genghis Khan. Departing Istanbul on 26th July 2010, the riders will travel eastwards through Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and China clocking up a distance of over 10,000 kms in four months to arrive in Beijing, China 110 days later on 12th November. The riders will explore the wide ranging and beautiful landscapes of Southern Georgia, bathe in the great inland seas of the Caucasus, taste the delights of Samarkand and test their courage in the dusty furnace of the Takla Makan. They will cycle to the top of the world, climbing to over 3600m through the Taldyk Pass in Kyrgyzstan and camp below sea level in the deserts of China.