With little more than eight months to go before the 27th Summer Universiade, Pavel Grachev and Alen Khairullin, two bicycle tourists of Kazan, decided to set off on an epic journey around the world. The tour will be dedicated to the 2013 World University Summer Games in the city of Kazan. The idea to embark on this bicycle adventure around the world emerged on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the circumnavigational journey undertaken by Kazan-born Onisim Pankratov in 1913 and completed two years after it began.

The round-the-world bicycle tour will focus on promoting the ideas of the 27th Summer Universiade and spreading the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. During the entire journey the cyclists will meet with people in the cities the tour will go through and speak about the Kazan 2013 Summer Universiade. Moreover, a documentary will be made based on videos, photos and other materials collected during the entire journey.

The bicycle tour around the globe is held with the support from the President of the Republic of Tatarstan, Ministry of Youth Affairs, Sports and Tourism of the Republic of Tatarstan and Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate.

Participants

Pavel Grachev. The 47-year-old English and History teacher, cyclist with 22 years of bicycle touring experience, bronze medallist at the Russian Bicycle Touring Championship.

Alen Khairullin. The 26-year-old IT engineer, cyclist with 10 years of bicycle touring experience, organiser and participant in the 2011 Capitals of Russia Cycling Race and other cycling-related events.

Route

The cyclists will set off on the round-the-world trip from Kazan on November 3rd, 2012 and end their journey on July 6th, 2013, just before the Opening Ceremony of the 27th Summer Universiade. Riding bicycles around the world, they will visit 13 countries and cover 21,000 kilometres. The route will pass through the cities that already hosted the World University Games, including Warsaw (1924), Paris (1928, 1937), Turin (1933, 1959, 1970, 2007), Moscow (1973), Beijing (2001), Harbin (2009).

Route

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03.07.2013  17:31 – Current events

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14.06.2013  13:36 – Current events

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