We had to start early today to be able to
complete the additional mileage. Breakfast was early and many people were late as
they were exhausted from the day before.
The sun hadn't risen over the top the gorge and we looked forward to a shaded start.
We had to travel back up the gorge and retrace part of yesterdays route. Part
of this included sections of rough track, the only sections on the entire route, which
were difficult yesterday. The thought of going back over them was not encouraging us.
The sun soon came over the top of the hills and brought quite hot conditions.
After the gorge we soon came to the base of the first climb. Our info on
these climbs was correct for once, they were hard. The road ahead just kept going
up, twisting and turning along the edge of the mountain. At the top of the
first climb it was obvious that several people were struggling badly. The descent
into the valley was exciting with steep, twisting sections and little opportunity to stop
and admire the views. Today was all about surviving and finishing the route!
Between the two climbs we cycled through another village that had laid its crop harvest
onto the road to allow vehicles to break down the grain. This appeared to be a
common practice in the countryside. |
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The last climb was desperate and many people
around us were struggling badly. The only consolations were the fact that this was
the last 'hill' and we had completed it. All downhill to Beijing now!
Not quite, we still had a long way to go and the temperature was in the high 30's.
Lunch was a picnic alongside the main road. It was a shady spot and a well welcomed
rest. Sandwiches and a drink were the main ingredients and were very tasty. |
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There were to be several stops along the way
to buy a drink or ice-lolly. The temperature was intense and we were becoming very
tired.
Our next stop was at the Marco Polo Bridge, on the outskirts of the City. The bridge
is called the Lugou Bridge by the Chinese and was only named the Marco Polo Bridge after
the great explorer mentioned it in one of the books about his travels. The bridge
was completed in 1192 and is the oldest surviving bridge in Beijing. The
Yongding River that it was built to cross was completely dry and another indicator of the
weather conditions and Beijing's acute water shortage. |
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| Soon after the bridge we passed through an
archway in the City Wall called the Dignity Gate. It was obvious that we were now
entering the City, the roads were becoming increasingly busy and we all had to group
together to ensure we crossed busy junctions as safely as possible. The conditions
were very dusty and many of the riders wore face-masks or a scarf or similar. We
passed by a very funny restaurant that looked no more than a walkway between two
warehouses |
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| We continued toward the City centre and
Tiananmen Square where we were due to finish. The skyline was now filled with
buildings and we were amazed at how big Beijing is. Then we had our first glimpse of
the buildings above Tiananmen Square which mark the entrance to the Forbidden City. |
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| And then we were there!!!!! We were
cycling along parts of Tiananmen Square, the first organised cycle group to do so.
100 or so cycling through the largest square in the world! |
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| I looked around to see who was going to take
my bike from me! We had finished the ride, covered over 300 miles up and over
'hills', along dirty and dusty roads, through beautiful countryside, through dozens of
towns and villages where we were always welcomed and now we had finished I just wanted to
get off that bike and enjoy the scenery. You've guessed it haven't you! We
still had to cycle to the Qianmen Hotel and it wasn't on Tiananmen Square! |
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| Thankfully it was only 3kms away and we were
soon enjoying a welcomed glass, well cup actually, of bubbly. What an achievement,
100 people covering 300+ miles of the Chinese countryside and in the process raising over
£250,000 for Mencap and Enable. |
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