From an Alpine atmosphere to a desert metropolis

After going to bed late yesterday, I slept quite a long time today. After that, however, things moved fairly quickly, and once I had packed all my belongings, I set off shortly before 10:30 a.m. I had not had breakfast yet, though, so I made a “pit stop” in town at a breakfast restaurant that I had spotted the previous evening.

Just before eleven came the “real” start. With almost no wind, I headed east. After about 20 kilometers, two Chinese cyclists rode toward me. I briefly exchanged a few words with one of them, while the other seemed less interested in conversation.

The mountain scenery now felt somewhat like the Upper Engadin or the Goms Valley. After two slightly steeper but still gentle climbs, and almost exactly halfway through the day's distance, I reached the highest point of the day. As an alternative, I could have turned right a few kilometers earlier and crossed a pass about 300 meters higher, which would have shortened the overall route by around 14 kilometers. However, after seeing Gabriel’s photos yesterday, which featured a spectacular canyon, I decided to take the longer route with fewer elevation gains.

According to Gabriel, the road was officially closed, but cyclists were still allowed to pass. A worker had waved him through the day before yesterday. I was glad to know this information because a few kilometers later I indeed reached a roadblock where five or six Chinese cars seemed to be stuck. I slipped past them and the traffic cones—there were neither workers nor police in sight—and enjoyed the completely empty road. What a contrast to the crowded Duku Highway.

For the next 26 kilometers, I sped downhill at almost constant speeds of 50–60 km/h until I reached a short counter-climb. There I finally encountered a worker who told me that roadwork was taking place ahead and that I should be careful. However, only after giving me a thumbs-up and saying “strong” when he first saw me. So my presence clearly did not seem to bother him.

After that climb came another descent of almost 50 kilometers, dropping from just over 1,600 meters above sea level to just under 800 meters. It passed by in no time, and with it I effectively descended all the elevation I had accumulated over the past several days. In my head, I had calculated that I would need to average more than 30 km/h to arrive before 6:30 p.m., and indeed I was just about to reach my hotel shortly before that time. The reported temperature of 41°C did not actually feel that extreme, but because of the dry air I had to drink something every four or five minutes to keep my mouth from drying out. Only once did a gust of wind hit me that felt as if someone had just opened the door to a sauna beside me.

At the hotel, I once again received an exceptionally warm welcome and was treated almost like a celebrity. According to Jiabin, breakfast normally required an additional payment, but the receptionist gave it to me for free. In return, there was a small photo session with me. She shyly asked whether she could take a picture with me and was visibly delighted when I agreed.

After dinner, another hotel guest offered me a specialty from Xuzhou. It looked a bit like papyrus but was actually something similar to flatbread. Afterwards, I took a walk through a nearby park. Some people were renting illuminated, flashing vehicles for fun, while others were enjoying picnics in front of their tents. When I returned to the hotel shortly before midnight, the temperature was still above 30°C.