May 27th: From Markham to Dengba Village, approximately 85 kilometers.
Today, I have to cross two mountains. I started climbing as soon as I left, about 12 kilometers to Laowu Mountain at an altitude of more than 4300 meters, then downhill for 30 kilometers to Rumei Town for lunch. After the meal, I climbed directly for about 24 kilometers to Jueba Mountain at an altitude of more than 3900 meters, with an approximate elevation gain of 1300 meters, covering a total distance of about 85 kilometers.
I forgot to mention yesterday, if there are cliffs by the road, be aware of falling rocks. I’ve encountered this twice in the past two days. While riding, rocks suddenly fell on the road ahead. I quickly stopped by the roadside and passed after confirming it was safe. Safety first.
I set off at around 7:40 AM today, and the weather is very good.
The first few kilometers after leaving the house are a gentle uphill.
Then I started to climb Laowu Mountain.
Climbing Laowu Mountain is very… not painful, but very difficult. Because the weather is so good, with the big sun almost directly overhead while climbing, there’s no way but to silently put on sunglasses. The sunlight is really dazzling. Climbing these days, many cycling friends also climb halfway and can’t persist, choosing to call for a rescue vehicle to take them directly to the next stop. If cycling the Sichuan-Tibet line, it is recommended to exercise in advance for 2-3 months. Just now, there was also a cycling friend who set off earlier than us, waiting by the road for a rescue vehicle. We encouraged him to persist a bit longer, as he had already ridden so far, but he said he really couldn’t hold on any longer, and there was no way.
Riding and riding, I encountered a headwind again.
After this bend, it’s almost to the Laowu Mountain pass.
9:20 AM, arrived at the Laowu Mountain archway, thought this was the pass, but later found out it was still ahead.
After a short downhill section.
Downhill for 1 kilometer, then uphill again, the real Laowu Mountain pass is not far ahead.
This is the pass, with an altitude of more than 4300 meters.
Then started more than 30 kilometers of downhill, very relaxed.
However, I summarized this 30 kilometers of downhill road: steep, many bends, sharp turns, and bumpy!
There is a lot of altitude drop, many sharp bends, and steep slopes. Be sure to pay attention to the speed. I have been braking lightly all the time, and some roadsides are uneven and bumpy. Control the speed well, safety first. But the scenery along the way is very good, passing by many farms, very beautiful.
At around 10:50 AM, I finally finished the downhill and went straight to Rumei Town for lunch.
The Dianhong Hotel on the right is the lunch spot.
Ordered my favorite: twice-cooked pork over rice, 25 yuan.
After lunch and a rest, started climbing Jueba Mountain at around 11:50.
All the way uphill, and the afternoon is especially sunny, scorching. From today on, there will be less rain on the road behind, from rain protection to starting sun protection.
After climbing about 9 kilometers to Jueba Village, the road behind is basically very rough, with many bends, because the Jueba Mountain Tunnel is being built, so there are many large engineering vehicles, and the road is rough.
The skill of climbing is to ride slowly, to save effort.
The actual road is worse than the picture. In some places, it’s so bad that I have to get off and push to prevent rocks from puncturing the tires.
The altitude is rising bit by bit.
At 3:23 PM, I finally arrived at the Jueba Mountain pass. I set off from Rumei Town at 11:50 AM, and it has taken about three and a half hours to get here.
Then downhill to today’s stop: Dengba Village Inn.
The downhill road started relatively gentle, then it became steep, and there was an uphill at the end.
Finally arrived at Dengba Village at 4 PM.
Because it’s a village, the accommodation conditions are limited. So today’s accommodation with breakfast and dinner is 70 yuan, 10 yuan cheaper than before. After settling in, there was still early time, so I went to the nearby supermarket to buy some snacks and cola.
Today, although not as tired as yesterday, it was also a tough day, climbing two mountain tops with an altitude gain of more than 1300 meters.
The dinner was good, with 9 people and 9 dishes and a soup.
Tomorrow: From Dengba Village to Zuogong.
Tomorrow, I will cross Dongda Mountain at an altitude of 5100 meters, the highest mountain on the Sichuan-Tibet line. It is expected to climb 44 kilometers with an altitude gain of more than 1600 meters. The task is arduous! Come on!
Compared to when I just set off from Chengdu and had severe leg pain when I arrived in Luding, I have now adapted to this intensity. My legs no longer hurt, they have become thicker, my physical fitness has improved, and my strength has been trained up. The only thing left is that the foot strain has not yet healed.