Another really hot day...

The weather was very hot. I had wanted to start early, but it was after 9:30 before I finally got going. Right at the beginning, I had to climb more than 300 meters up to the actual Ganhezi. Quite a way to start the day.

At least it was a bit cooler up there at just over 900 meters above sea level. Some police officers asked me where I was heading, and I suspect it was simply out of curiosity because they did not ask to see my passport.

The route then continued with a perfectly straight descent, followed by some rolling terrain. As the day progressed, it naturally became hotter and hotter. Nevertheless, I felt very good for quite a long time.

Only after about 80 kilometers did I start feeling tired, so I decided to stop at the next restaurant for a meal. I had probably eaten too little yesterday and did not want to make the same mistake again. However, while eating I became even more tired, which made me think that I had not drunk enough water. I took my time and only continued once I felt somewhat better.

Even so, my heart rate remained somewhat higher than usual despite riding as easily as possible. From then on, I took a few sips of water every couple of minutes, but it was simply too hot under the blazing sun. Only when a cloud covered the sun did my heart rate drop a little. Before that, it would even rise whenever I stopped, probably because the cooling airflow disappeared.

More and more trees lined the roads, and thanks to that I continued feeling good even after the cloud had passed.

Shortly before reaching my hotel in Qitai, a Chinese-born Kazakh named Huan caught up with me on his electric scooter. We chatted for a while, and he asked to take a photo with me. Before that, however, he went to a small shop to buy me a drink. That was very kind of him.

Despite the long break at the restaurant, I reached the hotel shortly after 5 p.m. The heat was clearly taking its toll on me—the temperature had climbed back up to 35°C—as I felt very tired and my heart was pounding. I need to pay even more attention to eating and drinking properly so that things continue to go well. Being back on the bike means returning to a completely different rhythm than during the family trip. I found my rhythm better today than yesterday, but I probably pushed a little too close to my limits. Now it is time for some proper recovery.