PARIS, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- The ninth edition of the Silk Way Rally will run in July, 2019 with creation of a motorcycle category, organizers announced here on Wednesday.

The 2019 Silk Way Rally, including Mongolia in its brand-new route, will start in Russia's Irkutsk on July 6. The race will take competitors across southern Siberia and Lake Baikal onto Ulan Bator, then crossing Mongolia from north to south before arriving in China's Gobi Desert. The finishing ceremony will be held in Dunhuang, China on July 16 after the 5000-kilometer race over ten stages.

Initially planned for 2018, the postponed motorcycle category is set to be included in the 2019 edition.

Silk Way Rally, inaugurated in 2009, is one of the most popular and biggest cross country rally in the world.

According to organizers, the race has attracted around 1,000 competitors since 2009. It was broadcasted on 74 TV channels in 190 countries and regions in 2018.