May 13, 2022: From Ya’an to Xingou, about 90 kilometers
I got up at 6 a.m., feeling tired and not well-rested, probably didn’t even sleep for 5 hours. Additionally, today’s temperature has dropped compared to yesterday, likely due to the rain.
Had breakfast at half past six, shredded meat noodles, with more climbing today than yesterday.
The light rain lasted all night yesterday, and the clothes hung out to dry were not dry, which is quite awkward, but there is no way, they have to be packed.
We planned to depart at 7:30, but the rain got heavier. After putting on our raincoats and rain boots, we went downstairs and waited at the entrance of the supermarket by the road to see if the rain would let up. We waited until 8 o’clock, but the rain did not show any signs of decreasing, so we decided not to wait any longer. There is a lot of uphill climbing today, which makes it more difficult, so we need to hurry.
First of all, I apologize. There is a scene of a friend smoking in the picture. Due to the rain at the time, there were not many photos taken, so I can only use this picture. Sorry
The rain was too heavy. When leaving the city area, there was severe water accumulation on the road, and we were cycling in the water all the time. The bike repairman said when we started that the rainy season usually occurs in June, and it is rare to see such heavy rain in May. My raincoat is a plastic one I bought before, which is very breathable. It’s raining outside, and my clothes inside are also wet with sweat.
Because of the heavy rain, for safety reasons, our cycling speed has also slowed down. The speed is slow, and the journey is difficult, and everyone is rushing. Because of the heavy rain, it is not convenient to record with mobile phones and GoPros. It’s a pity that this picture was taken when we came out of the Feixianguan Tunnel.
There are also many large trucks on the road today, and safety must be considered. The only fortunate thing is that as the mountain road rises, there is less water accumulation on the road. At more than 10 o’clock, after passing a section of the road in the mountains, there was road construction ahead, and it was temporarily not allowed to pass. After waiting for a while, it was allowed to pass, but only one car width at a time. The oncoming vehicles passed first, and then our vehicles passed. We cyclists had to wait for the large vehicles to pass and then follow behind them. In this way, we stood in the heavy rain and waited for more than 40 minutes, which was very uncomfortable. The clothes inside were all wet with sweat and could squeeze out water. The temperature in the mountains was also low. In short, it was tiring and cold.
After coming out of the Feixianguan Tunnel, the rain slightly decreased, and we took a break for a few minutes.
At around 12 noon, we arrived at Tianquan County and had lunch. Although the rain was not as heavy, it was still falling from time to time. Then we went together to have a nucleic acid test. On the way to have the nucleic acid test, it was very uncomfortable because the clothes were soaked with sweat, and there was continuous sweat flowing out of the sleeves. At this time, in addition to the clothes on the body, the shoes were also completely soaked.
After dinner, we took a rest, and started to set off at 1:30 in the afternoon. It started to rain again, and we put on the shoe covers again. There were still about 50 kilometers of road in the afternoon, all mountain roads, and it might rain, so the difficulty was not small.
Tea Horse Ancient Road, when we arrived here, it was drizzling all the way.
Because it was raining all the time, we didn’t take too many pictures. The raincoat was not breathable. The clothes inside were soaked with sweat at noon, and the pants could squeeze out water. Look at my actual state at the time, haha, I am the second from the right in the picture, in a black plastic raincoat. Look at my expression, and you can tell how uncomfortable I was. The shoes were also completely soaked. I was basically in this state when it rained later.
After 3:30 in the afternoon, the rain gradually decreased, and we took off the rain boots and continued to move forward more easily. Today, because it was a mountain road, there were many more climbs than yesterday. The 90-kilometer journey, coupled with the rain, felt much more tiring than the 130 kilometers yesterday.
At around 4:50 in the afternoon, after passing a tunnel that was still under construction and uneven, there were still 11 kilometers to the Xingou accommodation. Due to the rain, there was a landslide in front of the mountain, and maintenance was under construction. It would not be passable until around 6 o’clock.
In just this short hour, I almost lost my temperature. Although it was not raining at the moment, because my clothes were all wet, I stopped, and the temperature in the mountains was low, I could clearly feel the body getting cold. I could only keep stamping my feet to generate a little heat. There was also wind in the middle. At half past five, my body began to shiver. I could only generate heat by stamping my feet back and forth and walking around. In addition, it started to rain again.
At 5:45, we were finally able to pass, and it started to rain heavily. When I got on the bike and my body started moving, I began to generate heat and felt a little better.
This hundreds of meters of landslide road, although some maintenance has been done, is still difficult to walk. We could only get down and push. The road was either a pile of mud or a pile of stones. Because there was a trailer weighing tens of kilograms behind the car, we had to use brute force to push forward for hundreds of meters, and it was very difficult to walk.
In the last 10 kilometers, I basically had no strength left, and it was raining again. When I encountered a difficult slope to climb, I had to get down and push the bike, which was too tiring.
At more than 7 o’clock in the evening, we arrived at the inn. A few of us guys stayed in a large room with 8 beds. Then we took a bath, washed clothes, and dried our shoes and socks with a hairdryer. Because the hairdryer kept blowing, it stopped automatically, and I thought it was broken. Because on the Sichuan-Tibet line, the altitude is high, it is necessary to dry the hair in time after taking a bath to prevent altitude sickness. So I specially bought a folding and portable hairdryer before setting off. It would be embarrassing if it was broken. Later, one of our teammates said that hairdryers now have a high-temperature automatic power-off protection function, and it will be fine after waiting for a while. Indeed, when I tried it again, it was fine again.
After a while, we were called to have dinner. We put on thick clothes and went down to eat together. The temperature in Xingou was only a little more than ten degrees, which was still a bit cold.
After dinner, some teammates called us to take our shoes to the first floor. The inn owner had a stove in the room where we could roast our socks and shoes, as well as cycling gloves next to the stove, which would dry faster. Then we hung the washed clothes on the rooftop to dry. Although we knew they wouldn’t be dry because it was raining all the time, we still had to cycle tomorrow. Because of the rain, we took a cold medicine after dinner and made a pack of cold granules to prevent a cold.
Before going to bed, I checked the weather, and it will basically be raining for the next two days. Now my clothes and shoes are not dry. I plan to rest tomorrow if it is still raining, at least until the clothes are dry. Now all the clothes and shoes are wet, and it’s impossible to deal with. Moreover, the buttocks and thighs are very painful. I have never had this kind of experience in my life. I will get up tomorrow and check the weather again to see whether to rest or set off.
Next departure: Xingou to Luding. About 50 kilometers, crossing Erlang God, climbing and climbing.