D31 - The adventure in videos

DAY 31 <-> DAY 30

Today’s round-up begins with this best of video made by the 2024 winner, Jack Butler, who himself wrote the lyrics to a song that was edited by artificial intelligence. Thanks to Jack for this perfect production, which puts the whole band in the spotlight.

Lyrics : [Verse] Got my shades on It’s a brand new day Gonna chase the sun, that’s my way Tilt the solar, spin the wheel Plan the route until your bearings squeal I’m gonna ride this road to the next checkpoint [Verse 2] On the open road From the wind you can’t hide I’ll be moving along Come join the ride In the summer sun I might take a quick nap See some amazing new places You can see it all on the live map [Chorus] The Sun Trip It’s calling me I’m gonna ride Gonna set myself free No limits No boundaries I’ll rise above On the Sun Trip I’ll find my love [bridge] [Verse 3] Adventurers across countries Some are fast and some are fun Whoever you follow on the trip they are all under one sun Problems and adversity All must push through The sun trip spirit will set you free [Verse 4] Solar bikes are the future Sun trippers can show it to you a bit of sun and a bit of determination A sun tripper can pull-through No fossil fuels and low carbon here Just people with dreams Amazing bikes they did engineer [Chorus] The Sun Trip It’s calling me I’m gonna ride Gonna set myself free No limits No boundaries I’ll rise above On the Sun Trip I’ll find my love [Verse] Jack Butler goes over the mountains Jean-Marc Dubouloz around like a rocket Both heading to The Chambery elephant fountain. Michael Polák a multi sun trip hero Vivien Dettwiler in his swiss UFO Kilian and Jonas with a spoke count of zero [Chorus] The Sun Trip It’s calling me I’m gonna ride Gonna set myself free No limits No boundaries I’ll rise above On the Sun Trip I’ll find my love.

Another video of the day shows the state of Vivien Dettwiller’s bike as it leaves Morocco. His fuselage has suffered, as has his shell. Cracks everywhere, but the Swiss rider is still making good progress! Only 2000 km to go…

On the evening of the 31st day of the adventure, Kilian and Jonas have reached France! 4 other teams are in Spain and 7 in Morocco.

“I found in Morocco what I was looking for on this Sun trip: the landscapes, the warm welcome from the locals, the kindness and simplicity. My only regret is that the pace of our group prevented us from enjoying ourselves and letting go. I could have done it alone, but the safety of the group, the complicity…. can be on another Sun trip. I’ve still learnt a lot about the equipment we need, not much in fact“. These were the words of Bertrand Goudenhooft as he passed through Spain with his fellow riders Vincent G and Luciano. The three of them are riding at around 200 km a day.

We still have a few days to enjoy the images of Morocco, noting that Miguel Letor has only just started the Moroccan loop and that the Czechs are heading north, cutting off the official route. The three men now have a grey marker on the map, as decided by the jury, but we’re continuing to follow them, they’re part of the adventure.

The best photo of the day certainly comes from Herman Segers, the Belgian who has reached the Zagora checkpoint at the end of the desert section. His photo is perfectly framed!

Vincent G, Luciano et Youssef El Haouass à Tanger

Jean-Louis Mérelle, who is stopping off in Boulmane Dadès this evening, as usual, with the chance to see his son along the way, has the best travel report of the day: “The landscapes we’ve crossed are breathtaking, worthy of certain images from the great American parks. Geological monuments tower over deep canyons. It’s like being in Monument Valley in Colorado…. It’s not easy to convey this atmosphere with just photos and a bit of video. After the pass, we cross a slightly grassy plateau before the long descent into the Boumalne de Dades valley. It’s quite cool…” More on his Polarstep.

We’d also like to share with you this video of Jiri on his bike on the way out of Taroudant: