14/6/25
The day began with a massive 250m of descent. Halfway through we had a scare when a roadworks barricade blocked the road. It was actually bunting between cones. Fortunately, it was just for a crane to repair some of the landslide protective mechanisms they have. We couldn’t get a picture because we were moving so fast and the road was quite busy. Then we were deep in the valley. The river looking very majestic.
We had eventually settled on taking the S212 to remove ourselves from the Red River. This has been a combination of considerations. The amount of ascent and gradient, as well as looking at other peoples routes. It was hard to get accurate elevation data. Chinese mapping is difficult to get. This was highlighted by the first climb. We were on a quiet road that led through the valley of the Xiaohedi Ricer when an expected 9% climb vanished into thin air. We weren’t disappointed, but it made us apprehensive for what was to come. Did a ‘ghost climb’ here, mean yet more climbing later?
The road continued slightly undulating. Nothing too strenuous so far. There were quite a few cars. The scenery was outstanding. We were surrounded by tall cliffs, sometimes jutting into the road. Above us were beautiful mountain tops. You could call it a glorious sunny day, fortunately there was quite a lot of shade. At the moment anyway.
When we left the Xiaohedi River it got steeper. This was the turning point when the real climbing began. The first 300m had been a mere warmup. Now the Sun was bearing down much harder. We’d just crossed the Tropic of Cancer. The northernmost latitude when the Sun can be directly overhead. This happened on the June solstice, 5 days away. Suffice it to say it was a burning hot day.
In this yet smaller river valley was a lot of farming. All tiered and built up with walls. Mostly corn that we could see and also rice. The water was still red and the road busier than we expected. Only three or four cars every 10 minutes. And trucks. Always trucks. We passed a group of topless young girls bathing. A man ran over and gifted Frankie some mangoes. The suckling type. After making a small hole in the skin we guzzled the flesh and juice.
We were very glad we topped up with water before we left. There were no supply points so far. We began a 5km hill with 200m of elevation gain. This one stayed true to form and was 4% the whole way. We stopped at a truckstop to have a bottle of electrolyte drink and refill our water. It was pleasing to have some cold water. The electrolyte drink was a little gunky but we took what we could get in the way of salt. When we carried on going it was slightly uphill. It was now 1pm and excruciatingly hot. We probably should’ve left earlier, but we didn’t. What’s done is done. As we crossed the 1000m of altitude mark a lovely cool wind struck up. We didn’t care if it was a headwind. All wind is good wind.
The longest and steepest climb then began. It started off alternating between steep and almost flat. We didn’t actually know what flat was anymore. We were passing through beautiful tiered farming landscapes although it was crossed with a lot of mining. Resource gathering never made for a pretty place. It was a wide open valley. New houses were being built. There were electric cars and scooters. It looked like a place that could be something exquisite.
The hill had been forgiving. At first. Soon we reached what looked like a dead end. Surrounded by mountains. Several hundred metres tall. A lorry came past and we soon saw it up in the trees. That’s where we were going too. The road ramped up to 7%. Then the hairpin bends began. Dripping wet tarmac. It also looked like water had been poured on the road. It was water. The lorries had it pouring over their tyres to keep them cool and ‘stop’ them from churning up the road. Stones had been thrown all over the road to “alleviate” the problem.
On top of the heat, the gradient and the lorries, we now had a new problem. Avoiding the sticky road. It made movement even harder. We mashed up 150m before we succumbed and had to stop. We looked up to see the pass being crossed. It seemed so far above us. We packed back some sweet food then went again. At one point we were unavoidably cycling on extremely sticky tarmac. It made it relentlessly hard. Putting our feet down certainly wasn’t an option!
We had to stop once more before the final push. We finally popped through the hole in the mountain and then started the descent on an equally trashed road. The stones stuck to our wheels and rattled through our mudguards. Since Jonathan’s new larger tyres his mudguards were very tight fitting.
It was mad to see a whole city only a few hundred metres below us. But there it was, Shiping. Several skyscrapers rising up. We stopped at the first shop to have a drink. And a frozen strawberries ice cream. Sadly Frankie’s bike fell over while we sat there. The pannier hook broke. Luckily Jonathan knew this was a distinct possibility of the Ortliebs. He had spares.
We chose a hotel. The Longhe Mountain. It was a few kilometres through the city. Beautifully clean streets. A large cycleway. At least half the traffic was electric. The hotel was clean and had a large garage for the bikes. Our room was like modern Chinese chic with a low bed. We went out to a restaurant called Health Preservation. It was a vegan buffet apart from two dishes that had egg. We were a source of amusement for all. The kids and adults all staring as we ate our 90p dinner. It was unbelievably tasty. We went back several times. Tofu, greens, aubergine. Even the condiments were delicious in their own right. Fermented treats like natto.
We went to the supermarket on the way back and bought some snacks. They had an abundance of soy based salty snacks. Perfect for riding. We walked past some Chinese tourists on the way back. As Jonathan said the word for England in Chinese, a man asked him, in English, if he spoke the language. Sadly not of course. Jan didn’t consider himself to have good English but it was nigh on perfect. Jan explained that Shiping was far less touristy than the neighbouring town Jianshui. That’s why they had come from Kunming. To enjoy a quieter town. Shiping was also famed for its tofu. Jan thought it was a big problem more Chinese people didn’t speak English. He’d studied it at university. It was nice to be able to talk to someone native without a translation app.
Surly They Won't Make It 