Tour de France bikers have passed the halfway point in their month-long trek across France's beautiful, but sometimes treacherous, land, combating mountainous terrain and endurance challenges. Harsh sunlight and scorching temperatures might act as another blow to a cyclist's performance, but for those competing in other races-- such as the North American Solar Challenge-- the sun helps them to win.

The 2008 NASC pits college students from across North America against each other to design the best solar car to travel from Texas to Canada in 10 days. The kick-off was Sunday in Plano, Texas, and will end 2,400 miles later in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on July 22. The race is scheduled similarly to the Tour de France with stages and checkpoints. Competitors will travel mainly on U.S. Highway 75 and Canadian Highway 1. Schools from all over the United States and Canada-- 24 to be exact-- created their own solar cars to compete this year.