| We both slept well and had no
sightings of any rats. Outside of our window we were looking down onto a
hutong. The local men were all washing in the communal sink at the end of a
building. |
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Breakfast was not very good and
we knew we had a long day, the longest, ahead of us. Our briefing sheet indicated we
had 100kms to cycle but we were becoming very sceptical of the info given to us. Too
often now we hadn't been given accurate info on distances or terrain. The roads from
the hotel were dusty and smelly. We kept up a good pace to get clear of this area,
stopping only to take some photos. We passed through some very industrial areas and
a lake with people fishing. The water looked bad and was so close to the industry it
made us wonder what they were likely to catch.
We soon came to the base of our first mountain of the day where we stopped to take some
photos of a building. This building was apparently here to commemorate non-resident
Chinese who had died abroad. |
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| The hill was long but
steady. The heat was increasing, the temperature was getting close to 40c, and it
was necessary to get out of the sun whenever possible. There was an official
stop close to the top of the hill alongside some old advertisement boards. A lady
selling drinks in a small hut nearby sold more cans of Coke when we arrived than she
probably sold all year. From the 'best before' dates on the cans it was obvious
that she didn't have a regular turn over of stock. |
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| The downhill was good, with fast
sweeping bends and beautiful scenery. The only problem with going down into the
valley is that you then have to get back to the top to get out of it. The next hill
was dire. Again the gradient wasn't to bad, but the continuos climb, heat and lack
of shade all made it hard. We were also cycling past limestone or chalk quarries and
there were large clouds of dust blowing across the road. The road ahead continues to
climb but we don't appear to be getting any closer to the summit. Around a corner
the answer came in a 300 metre long tunnel. The shade this provided was well needed.
the only light in the tunnel came from the entrances, so by halfway it was very
dark and we had to concentrate on the exit to see where we were going. Soon after we
stopped again for a snack break. The countryside was beautiful with many
of our favourite beekeepers lining the roads. |
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| Lunch was at a restaurant and was
very nice, the only thing spoiling this was the toilets which again showed a desperate
lack of hygiene. The heat was now very intense and everyone was tiring. Our journey
continued through towns and villages where we started to stop and buy ice-lollies or a
drink. The water we were being provided with was not quenching our thirst. It
obviously was, but we were getting bored with it and desperately sought sugar and anything
with a strong flavour. The info about stops we were given was very flawed and the
distances between them was increasing. Eventually, having gone through a very
industrial area we stopped alongside the road for a break. The area was very dirty
and smoke pored from nearby factories. An old man came to the group begging for
money. Two of the riders gave him 10 Yuan each, a total of approx. £1.50. He
was obviously delighted with this and quickly made his way home. |
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| This was one area of China we
certainly didn't want to remember and we were glad when we finally reached the Juma
River. The gorge we were entering toward Shidu had many river crossings. Shidu
actually means '10 crossings' and before the river bridges were build people were ferried
across the river at least 10 times to travel through the gorge. The trail has again
deviated from what we were expecting, but the gorge was spectacular. In the valley
peasants worked in rice and corn fields alongside the river. We were enclosed
by steep sided cliff faces which must have exceeded 200 metres in places. Along the
way we create another unofficial stop at a small vendor where we have a
drink. People passing see us stopped in the shade enjoying an ice cold drink.
The temptation is too much for them, they have to join us. |
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Soon after the
gorge we reached our hotel. What a welcomed sight. We went straight to the bar
to rehydrate ourselves. The meal was good but was spoilt by the news that the
organisers had 'considered' increasing the cycling tomorrow from 90 to 136 kms. This
caused great concern as mentally we had just completed the longest day and this was now to
be the longest day. The second part of bad news was that the first 45kms included
'hard hills'. This was a comment that had not previously been made and left
everyone wondering what 'hard' hills looked like. The ones we had been up already
were mountains by any definition but were never described as 'hard'. Early to bed to
prepare ourselves for the challenge of the final day. |
