Chapter 15: The Chinese Chase – Act 2 (Lanzhou, China to Ban Bo Piat, Laos)
Pedalling through the ice and snow on my way up the 2,250-metre passMy bicycle components freezing up in the icy conditions. I had to chip away much of this with a knife to keep moving.Starting the sketchy, icy descent down the far side of the passTwo crashed trucks which were stranded on this bitterly cold mountainsidePloughing through fresh powder as I continue my descent the next morningSnow covered terraces stretched into the distance either side of the descentPassing through a rarely-visited piece of rural China, overlooking the village of XiaobadicunThe rough track I had to carry my bicycle down to get back to a road againA typical village dwelling in this rural part of ChinaIn many Chinese cities I would only be allowed to stay in fancier hotels like this. Thankfully upon seeing my torn clothes I would usually be given a discount!Taking a brief break from the race to visit the Giant Panda Breeding Research Centre in ChengduViewing the thick smog of Chengdu from Sarah and Scott’s apartmentEnjoying a beautiful riverside stroll in the MeishanA bird’s eye view of the typical mayhem at a minor Chinese road junction. I spot at least three accidents waiting to happen here.The arching bamboo forests of Sichuan ProvinceThe gloomy, fume-choked tunnels I spent Christmas Day cycling throughFinding my progress blocked by a landslide, a common occurrence on these rural roads through steep river valleysThis truck was stuck, blocking all traffic behind. It was hard to believe this was the main non-expressway road through this region.Another vehicle stuck on this main road, this time the deep mud catching out the driverThis driver was repeatedly driving into the waterfall and reversing in order to get a free car washAlthough this section of China was some of the toughest cycling I had ever done, there were some extraordinary roads out hereClimbing high above the Yangtze riverAscending into the thick mist outside of Dongchuan with 950 kilometres of China left and only nine days to complete itTrucks, honking horns, a crash and endless mud. Classic China!Fighting through more mud as I pedal around the outskirts of the mega-city of KunmingAfter five bike shops turned me away, this was the kind gentleman who helped fix my broken cantilever brakesAfter shortcutting my route with the help of the expressway, I started descending into a warmer, tropical climateThe Chinese road builders had left this, the only non-expressway road through this region, in a terrible stateAnother vehicle stuck in the deep mud of this destroyed roadTruly arriving into the tropics and its wonderfully colourful scenery in Yunnan ProvinceA lone motorcyclist disappearing into the morning mist of this Yunnan jungleRisking a shortcut through another tunnel on this last day in China. My body was so broken that I had to take any shortcut available.
Irregular Adventures 