Bike For Peace, Norway is half way on its peace ride in Kazakhstan,
Semey -Almaty -Astana. The ride celebrates Kazakhstan's 20-year anniversary as an independent nation and commemorates
the closing of Semipalatinsk Test Site which was the primary testing venue for the Soviet Union's nuclear weapon from
1949 until 1989.
On the first cycling day from Semey (the beginning of August) the group was
led by one of the Astana's own professional cyclists, Andrey Zeit, who
participated in Tour de France this year.
The participants of Bike For Peace (10 Norwegians and 6 Kazakhs) have been
very well received in every city and town they visited and there were arranged many meetings with local and national
politicians en route. There have been also organised concerts and various performances for the cyclists and one of the
participants from Norway, Frank Tomlinson, has been an active performer in regard to peace appeals and Norwegian
folklore.
While bicycling from one town to the other, the group was usually followed
by the local bicyclists, sometimes up to 100 in number.
On 18th August the group continues the ride from Almaty to Astana with the
arrival in the capital on 29th August, the UN's International Day against
nuclear testing. Reinert Emmerhoff, a doctor from Norway who has been working in Kazakhstan for 10 years for charitable
organizations, joins the ride from Almaty.
ENDS