Cyclists have to be able to ride on sand. （Photo provided to China Daily）

"The tour was fantastic and has caused a big stir among cycling aficionados nationwide," says Piao Wenbin, team leader of the first bicycle tour to the DPRK and general manager of Hunchun Bicycle Club.

"Everyone who did the trip said they want to do it again. Between April and October every year we get keen cyclists coming to Hunchun who have long dreamed of cycling into the DPRK. The opening of this route has finally made that dream come true."

For the moment the tours are restricted to two days for health and safety reasons, says Han Bing, of the Hunchun Tourism Bureau.

The tour starts from Quanhe Port in Hunchun, from which the riders head for Won-Jing Port in the DPRK, through which they enter the country after completing immigration procedures. They then ride along the Tumen River and pass through localities such as the port of Rason, and cover a total of about 90 kilometers by the time they are back in Hunchun.

"Riders can enjoy not only the DPRK's landscape but local food, too, and experience daily life in the country," Han says.

"Another thing is that they can take in well-known sites of Hunchun familiar to them from a completely different perspective, on the other side of the river in the DPRK, and of course just enjoy the riding."

Most of the roads ridden on in the DPRK are made of sand, and that can test riders' physical fitness, he says. At the moment only those who have long-distance riding experience and professional equipment are eligible to go on the tour, the tourism bureau says.

There are between 12 and 20 riders in the groups that go on the tours, and they set out on Saturdays and Sundays.

Sun Lin, 30, a Hunchun resident who has ridden professionally for three years, says he was on the inaugural tour last month.