Day 1. Sunday May 15.

Beijing to Yanqing (China)

Distance:  79 km

Cumulative Distance: 79 km

Time: 4 hrs 10 min

Speed:  18.9 km/hr

Feet Climbed:  1810 

Cumulative Climb: 1810

AHR (Average Heart Rate) 113 bpm

Punctures: 0

Altitude tonight: 1605 ft ASL.  (Beijing at 240 ft ASL)

As expected I slept little last night with excited expectation and I was relieved when the alarm struck at 5am.

Dawn was just breaking over Beijing with the sun breaking through the light cloud cover. Forecast for today was dry and favourable. All luggage was loaded onto the wagon (we have 3 vehicles in China.....different vehicles in each country with local drivers.) breakfast was much more business-like than on previous mornings and all ready for the off at 6.45.

Cyclists busied themselves wishing each other Bon Voyage to all the various destinations we have in the group.  Andreas (our group leader) had some last-minute instructions before the peleton moved out and turned right. It was to be a 7 km convoy to get through the early streets around the Summer Palace.

By the Palace entrance we had the customary Departure group photo. Crowds of locals were already alighting from coaches and entering the grounds (7am) and vendors were busily getting their wares to the appropriate stalls and stands.

Obviously the convoy moved a a very leisurely pace thus downing our average for the day.

At this point we all moved off and as the kms passed varying groups formed and reformed with cyclists finding someone more or less at their own pace. Within 20 mins the group was well strung out and out of visual contact. Each one had a detailed sheet of navigation instructions taken down from the whiteboard and orange flagging tape was up at the relevant turns. Couldn't go wrong!!

We were still passing through small shopping areas on the edge of the city. In conversation with Will and Charlie (England) I learned that one of them had lost his ’Garmin’. I consoled him that he’d be able to replace it in Ulan Battar (May 28). Next minute around the corner appears a very large Giant bicycle store with every available speedo on the shelves. So much for my ’expert’ local knowledge.

The roads all along here were in excellent shape. They seemed to be new infrastructure to service future development. Plenty of seperate cycle lanes for cycles, scooters, tic-tucs and cars sometimes. Also the military made their presence felt in many different ways - lots of barracks and army administration complexes and the frequent sound of gunfire from shooting ranges. The cycling was hassle-free but still eyes had to be kept wide open. Traffic wasn't too heavy as expected on this Sunday morning and when the road eventually narrowed without a hard-shoulder, vehicles coming from behind gave a friendly bip to make you aware of their presence (like in India). The horn is treated as an instrument of communication rather than one of aggression. This was quite important when we got to the climbing section.

It was dry and sunny all day. A little cooling as we pushed off but jackets were generally off once the convoy was over. 13 deg at start and we finished in 20 degrees. It was a fresh headwind from the north west all day but it register negatively our satisfaction scale for today's trip.

High above the road we're assured that energy will ne needed ahead if wewishto avail of the beautiful scenery. Hills out of Beijing were always on the cards anyhow.

Around the 50 km mark we got our first glimpses of the Great Wall in the distance ahead high on the hills above Juyongguan. Impressive. We were heading straight for it; in fact we cycled right through it as the climbing started in earnest. Wouldn't it make a good headline “Cyclists sets out on a 6600km trip but hits the wall at 49 km”! This section, and all the sections open to the public are reconstructed parts of the wall. The original was a regular wall in places and just an earthen bank in others. In fact it was built over a long period from 700 AD till just 400 years ago. It's not one long wall but a series of disconnected pieces across the mountainous region north of the Beijing plain.

By this stage 3 of us had gelled into like-minded group, with Rob and Bruno, both from Canada. We pulled off a few times to capture scenes and admire this spectacle. As we moved on up into this hilly wooded scenic area we got plenty of glimpses of the Wall through the trees. And large coach parks ferrying the thousands of tourists to walk and to view it.

The climbing which lasted for 10 km was a regular 7% with an increase to double figures once the hairpins started. At a number of places farmers tended their bee-hives with honey on sale to passing motorists, if they could find a place to pull in. Our road ran alongside the motorway for a long period separated just by a wire fence.

At 61 km lunch appeared on the right hand side and nobody was tempted to pass on that. It was a leisurely affair with sandwiches (self-made) and drinks and some fruit.

Just ahead now was a busy 3 km tunnel and one of the trucks ferried cyclists and their bikes through; cycling through not allowed. By this stage we had finished with all the climbing and the three of us sailed along gaily in spite of the adverse wind. We took turns at the front and so no one suffered.

The Yanqing area will host part of the 2022 Winter Olympics and plenty of signs announced this. It's s not an area known for any major snowfall, so artificial snow will be utilised for the events. Apparently, this isn't unusual.

Yanqing is quite a large populous place but it was quite easy to locate the hotel from the descriptions given this morning; arrived there at 1.45. Check-in was rapid and a refreshing shower although it hadn't been a day of much perspiration.

Great to be finally on the road; a relief after those tiring waiting days in Beijing. It's a day I had visualised excitedly over the last long number of months. May the next 53 cycling days be as satisfying (I don't expect them to be as easy).

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.