Wending through and cresting the Sierra del Purial mountain range on its way to once isolated Baracoa on Cuba's north coast, the last bit of pavement of the La Farola road was laid down in the 1960s and is widely considered the first great engineering feat of the Cuban revolutionary government.

For the cyclist, roads sans cars, bluebird skies, numerous and welcoming home-stays and the diverse topography of the Caribbean's largest country make Cuba an increasingly popular cycle touring destination. Where else do you have beaches and cathedrals and mountains cheek by jowl? Surrounded by a world that is alive with resplendent views of lushly overgrown hills that hold some of the richest biodiversity in the Antilles, it's clear this lauded road is taking us deep into a landscape on steroids.

In early December, intreped cycle tourists and solar evangelists, Susie Wheeldon, and her riding partner Jamie Vining, rolled into San Jose in time for a solar convention. The couple, who started out from London last May with a third cyclist (Iain Henderson, who has since moved on), are on the last leg of their around-the-world trek by bike.

Aside from the adventure aspect of the trip, they are demonstrating practical applications of solar technology, looking to promote solar power as a solution to climate change. Their trip, partially sponsored by G24Innovations, a solar company with a presence in Silicon Valley, is being aided by flexible solar panels (actually, thin-film photovoltaic solar panels) sewn into their panniers. These panels help power their mobile phones and computers, enabling them to communicate and blog about their trip whether they access to an electrical outlet or not.

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