May 21, 2022: From Xiangke Zong to Honglong Township, about 80 kilometers
Yesterday, I rested in Xiangke Zong, it was also cold, I put on a thick vest, and wandered around, my legs were too sore, I didn’t dare to go too far, nor did I go to see the Bu Zhu Three Sisters Inn. At noon, I found a restaurant nearby and had a bowl of noodles, then the two of us looked at the mountain opposite, the Tianlu Eighteen Bends we will take tomorrow, and then we returned to the inn.
Set off at half past seven today, the temperature was 9 degrees when I got up, today I have to cross about four mountain tops, today is also a day when the body is hollowed out.
As soon as I go out, there is a climb of about 12 kilometers: Tianlu Eighteen Bends.
I was ready to push the bike, but today’s task is heavy, I have to cross several mountain tops above 4000 meters in altitude, if I push the bike, I can’t finish today’s journey at all.
I usually climb hills with brute force, and I’m basically panting heavily when climbing, the weather here is cold, and a big breath can easily lead to coughing, if the cough is severe, I have to take a bus back to Chengdu for treatment, there’s no way, I can only force myself to temporarily adjust my breathing and cycling skills, try the methods in the articles about cycling skills I read before, and finally find the right method, the whole eighteen bends did not push the car, rode up.
With skills, there is no need to pedal hard, and the leg pain has also been relieved.
Today, except for the time when it was hailing, I was pushing the bike, and the rest were riding, so cycling must find the right method to save effort.
This is the full picture of the eighteen bends, taken at the viewing platform.
I also met some friends who were driving themselves here, and they gave me a bottle of Red Bull, which is a pity, I didn’t drink it, I’ll talk about it later.
After the eighteen bends viewing platform, there is the Jianzi Bay Mountain Tunnel, which has no lights and is completely dark.
Although I brought a flashlight, it was still dark, and there were many cars coming and going, which was very dangerous. The bottle of Red Bull that was given was not well packed and fell on the road in the tunnel, and the car behind directly crushed it. I can only appreciate the good intentions.
After coming out of the tunnel, it’s uphill, the weather is very different in ten miles, the weather is particularly good after coming out of the tunnel, and the view is also broad. Then, because the altitude is relatively high, there is a downhill section in front, I forgot to bring a fleece hat, and after the next downhill, the wind felt like a headache, as if I had a bit of altitude reaction, I quickly stopped the car and put on my hat to keep warm, which got a little better, and then I was rushing back and forth at an altitude of 4000 meters.
At 11 o’clock, I rested by the road and had lunch, biscuits, sausages, etc. After resting, I was ready to set off and found that the front tire had burst, punctured by a thin wire, I quickly replaced it with a spare tire, so far, I have burst 2 tires, and my friend has burst 4.
After changing, I continued to climb, there were many slopes today, and I was a bit overwhelmed by the end, especially when I was about to reach the top of the mountain, I almost encountered hail, this luck, it’s explosive, let’s talk about the scenery, the scenery here in Litang is very good, alpine meadows, it’s just like a computer wallpaper.
It’s very refreshing when going downhill, but it’s cold, above 4000 meters in altitude, the temperature is low, and there is wind, so be careful of altitude sickness.
This was during the second slope, also more than 4000 meters in altitude, suddenly a burst of hail, which lasted about 2 minutes, and I couldn’t even put on my raincoat in time, I could only resist it, the hail was about the same size as fertilizer particles.
The third slope, when I saw the local dark clouds, I felt bad, and sure enough, a rain came down a few minutes later, it was a bit heavy, I could only push the car, the rain hit my face and I couldn’t see the road ahead.
It was too tired to cross four mountain tops, and I rested by the road after 2 o’clock, feeling physically hollowed out, then I had an extra meal to replenish my energy, I even wanted to take a bus, it was really too tired, after resting for more than ten minutes, we set off again.
When I arrived at the Haizi Mountain road sign, there was another burst of hail, about the same size as the previous hail, and this time it lasted longer, turning into light rain after about 5 minutes. Infact, the weather was still okay before 1 o’clock in the afternoon, and the convective weather changed too fast after 1 o’clock.
This was when there were still 13 kilometers away from the inn, and another hail came, this time it was tight and heavy, almost dazed.
It feels like the hail today is lined up in advance, and it comes to you when you reach a mountain top.
Finally arrived at Honglong Township at 4 in the afternoon, the last 5 kilometers are downhill, no need to ride much, very refreshing.
Arrived at the accommodation point around half past four, after putting away the luggage and changing clothes, I boiled water, soaked Ban Lan Gen, and took a cold pill.
Because of the cough today, I was going to buy Chuan Bei Pi Pa cough syrup, but the weather changed too fast, so I decided to buy it in Litang tomorrow.
Since I arrived at the inn and sat on the bed until now for more than an hour, it has rained more than 5 times, the temperature is not high, it’s under the sun, and the duration of each rain is not long. If you walk nearby, remember to bring an umbrella even if it’s sunny. Just in case.
Tomorrow, plan to take it easy: from Honglong Township to Litang, more than 30 kilometers.