A middle-aged man from Qingdao, a coastal city of Shandong province, set off on an epic bike ride from southwest China to Portugal on China's Youth Day.

Gou Huanqiang, 48, plans to pass through multiple continents and reach his destination in 88 days, hoping to prove that age is no barrier to fitness and achievement.

After sprinting away from the start line in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, he will have to ride 170 km per day to cover the total 15,000 km within his self-imposed time limit.

He expects to face fatigue and difficulties including military checks, high temperatures and maybe even animal attacks on a ride taking in Tibet, Xinjiang, Karachi, Istanbul, Barcelona and Gibraltar, and will also have to cross difficult cycling routes such as the Sichuan-Tibet Highway and the Xinjiang-Tibet Highway.

If successful, he will be the first person in the world to reach Portugal from Chengdu by bicycle.