May 17, 2022: From Zheduo Tang to Xinduqiao, about 56 kilometers
Zheduo Tang is over 3000 meters above sea level, it’s cold and I didn’t sleep well, the temperature here is only a few degrees, and I still caught a cold carelessly.
I had noodles for breakfast this morning, noodles are basically the standard breakfast for cycling the Sichuan-Tibet line.
This morning, I have to cross Zheduo Mountain, which is over 4000 meters above sea level. The first 20 kilometers are uphill, and the next 30 kilometers are downhill.
As long as I get through the first 20 kilometers to the pass, the next 30 kilometers downhill will be easy. There is plenty of time, so I didn’t set off until after 8 o’clock.
The weather forecast for today is light snow turning to moderate snow.
On our first day of setting off from Chengdu, a local brother from Chengdu who had cycled the Sichuan-Tibet line last year said that the difficulty of Kangding to Zheduo Tang is like shedding a layer of skin, and crossing Zheduo Mountain is even more difficult than Kangding to Zheduo Tang, so you must be mentally prepared.
Zheduo Mountain is indeed very difficult. It was drizzling when I set off, and there was no way to avoid it. I had a cold and took a cold medicine in the morning, feeling weak all over. I started to push the bike when I got to the Chengdu Restaurant, and because of the rain, I couldn’t see anything from the viewing platform.
It started to snow after 10 o’clock, then it was sleeting.
Going further up, the rain stopped, and it was snowing directly.
It was very cold, I put on thick gloves, and my fingers were numb with cold, plus I was sleepy and tired, basically relying on willpower to persist.
Also, pay attention to the large trucks, there are many, if you are really too tired, stop by the roadside, drink some hot water, eat some snacks, replenish some energy, and continue.
In the first hour after leaving the house, the quick-dry clothes under the raincoat were basically soaked, the weather was getting colder and colder, the altitude was getting higher and higher, at first, I could walk more than 1 kilometer and then take a break, later I had to take a break after a few hundred meters, and in the end, I had to take a break after 200 meters.
It took about 5 and a half hours to push to the pass of Zheduo Mountain. Due to the weather, the top of the mountain was very cold, and it was still raining and snowing.
I took a picture and went to the supermarket next to the instant noodles. It was too cold, as soon as I took off my gloves, my hands were severely cold, and my clothes were wet. After eating a bowl of instant noodles, my body was a bit warmer. Because it would be colder going down the mountain later, I took off my wet clothes and put on dry clothes, but I could only take off my coat, put on a thick vest and down jacket, and put on a raincoat outside. The quick-dry clothes inside couldn’t be changed and were still wet, so I had to bear it.
The road downhill is indeed very refreshing, and the road is smooth all the way. I thought it would be sunny when going downhill (as my teammates who went down earlier sent a message), but I didn’t expect it to be hailing all the way, and the blue sky is always in front.
The road to Xinduqiao is really comfortable. In addition to the downhill, the geomorphological characteristics of the plateau meadow also appeared. When I was about to arrive at Xinduqiao, it finally cleared up. I was ready to go straight to the hotel, but I didn’t expect a sudden hail when I was 400 meters away from the hotel. It only lasted for 3 minutes, and I almost got dazed. Because it fell very quickly, I didn’t have time to take a picture.
After arriving at the hotel, I left a lot of wet clothes on the ground, and then found that my leg seemed to be sprained, a bit painful, and all my clothes were completely wet.
I have been cycling for 5 days, and I have been cycling in the rain for 3 days. I just checked the weather forecast, and it is basically rainy afterwards.
Because the sleep quality is poor and my leg is a bit painful, we decided to rest in Xinduqiao for a day, make up for sleep, wash clothes and dry them. The lack of sleep in recent days has led to a decline in resistance. The following are basically above 4000 meters in altitude. If I still have a cold, I have to take a bus back to Chengdu for treatment. A cold at high altitude can be fatal. Today, I pushed Zheduo Mountain for more than 5 hours, and my right foot is very painful. I am ready to buy some plasters to recover.
Then the leg was indeed sprained, and it was very serious. On the road behind, three traditional Chinese medicine patches were applied to the right leg every day to relieve the pain. The picture was taken after I finished cycling the Sichuan-Tibet line and returned to Shenzhen. It not only hurt but also felt uncomfortable when bending, as if there was something in the popliteal fossa. Finally, I went to the community health center for more than a month of physiotherapy and external application of traditional Chinese medicine to get better.
Cycling the Sichuan-Tibet line is indeed a risky and challenging thing, but if you feel unwell or injured, don’t force yourself, and seek treatment in time. Health is always the first priority.
The next stop: Xinduqiao to Xiangke Zong.
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