11:00am 22 August 2025
Rome Roma to
Rieti by
Bike
Estimated 104km
10:00am 23 August 2025
Rieti to
L'Aquila by
Bike
Estimated 62km
10:00am 24 August 2025
L'Aquila to
Avezzano by
Bike
Estimated 65km
9:00am 25 August 2025
Avezzano to
Tivoli by
Bike
Estimated 90km
4:39pm 27 September 2025
London to
King's Lynn by
Train
13 April 2011
When is this climb going to end? I'm ascending a pass by bicycle over the Gaoligongshan range in western Yunnan. It feels like I've been doing it forever.
The day's ride began in Luzhang 鲁掌, at around 1750m in elevation. The sun's out, the UV strong, and there's the ethereal blend of bright light and cool mountain air. Except I'm not feeling it. I'm producing enough heat to power a small town. It's steep, and I'm down in my lowest few gears. My head's throbbing in my bike helmet, Explosions In The Sky instrumentals wander in through my headphones. I see the road over the pass far in the distance, and much higher up. I could fly off the planet.
A twig in the road moves. Is it a worm? Giant twig worms crawling all over the road. Slimy. And all in my mind.
The surface is in good repair, traffic is light. After 32km of nearly all uphill, the surface turns to cobblestones. The summit follows after 6km on the rough stuff. It's cold and windy at 3100m.
Older: Cut off from what? | Newer: Kunming to Lufeng
Trip: Nujiang and the Burmese border
Distance today: 58km
Total distance: 338km
Journey:
Luzhang 鲁掌
to Pianma 片马
by Bike
58km
13 April 2011