Day 4 – Xuanbi Great Wall, Jiayu Pass Castle, No. 1 Pier

Day 4 included another optional challenge for those who wanted to take it on. The route was revised to 30km from 50km, but those who wanted to ride the 50km did. Team A had decreased to 7 due to a number of people having to leave for conference calls.

We started the morning still in the city of Guazhou, but soon after taking in breakfast, we packed up and boarded the team buses, heading for our last stop on our tour, the city of Jiayuguan. It was a 3 hour ride through the desert. I tried to catch some sleep, but I noticed how tall the mountains in the distance were. I first thought they were clouds, these shadows cast from hundreds of miles away, but instead, I took a closer look. These weren’t the Himalayas, as those would be too far away to see them. But I thought, the Asian continent certainly has some very amazing landscape. Also, I was pre-occupied, looking out the windows to see the type of terrain that people farmed. Life does not look easy here, when I compare it to where I’m from: suburbs, cars, shopping centers.

Reaching Jiayuguan was another surprise. It turns out, that Jiayuguan is a very well-developed city. There was a mix of old buildings and brand new condo developments. I noticed that the highways were very modern looking, smooth to drive on, unlike the roads we took on Day 2 of our journey, which caused us to fly out of our seats whenever the front tires of the bus rolled back up out of a dip. Driving through Jiayuguan, I try to look at the conditions in which people live and it looks like a mix of different classes. Like the other cities in China, scooters are everywhere. Here, in Northwest China, drivers drive with one hand on the steering wheel and the other hovering over the horn. Being honked at does not mean the other driver is annoyed with you, it’s to let you know that somebody is there.

Date: Tuesday, September 14, 2010
Ride distance: roughly 53 km

Immediately after brunch, all riders were bussed to their starting points. Team A would be taken just a few blocks away to start, whereas the remaining 20+ riders were taken to a headstart location approximately 23km. Team A and I set up a very quick pace for approximately 10km before making a left turn out of the city and into a strong headwind. Riding slowed drastically at this point. In this direction, it became apparent what some of the main sources of income for the city are. Jiayuguan is a very industrial town, there were a number of factories with tall smoke stacks adding to the atmosphere. We ride through smoke from intentional fires. Eventually, we turn out of the headwind and pass by a steel factory and reach the headstart dropoff point for the other riders, all of whom have already started their ride. We meet at the Xuanbi Great Wall, the westernmost point of the Great Wall of China.


Western-most point of the Great Wall of China
After a 25k sprint, walking up the steps of the Xuanbi Great Wall was no easy task. Each section of the Great Wall is built differently. From pictures, I imagined all of the Great Wall of China to be wide walkway, made of large bricks. The Xuanbi portion is narrow, and not as tall as I imagined.

Jiayu Pass Fort
We continued on our bikes to the next stop. The Jiayuguan Fort served as the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall. It was one of the key points of the Silk Road. Another significance of this location is that Chinese who were banished were forced to leave through this pass into the west and promise never to return.

No 1. Pier
Another few kilometers by bike, and we arrived at the No. 1 Pier, that overlooks the Beida River. There is a wobbly pedestrian bridge one could take to get to the other side of the river. I'd love to say more about the No. 1 Pier but I really don't know the historical significance of it. Nevertheless, this site is beautiful in its artistry, and fits in with the landscape. Walking the bridge in itself is an incredible experience.

One thing that I’ve noticed in China is how magnificent structures have been built. The Beida River is deep within a canyon that looks to have been carved by the water from the overlooking snowy mountains for centuries.

That concludes the bicycle portion of day 4, and is the start of the last evening together as a group. After dinner, a few of us took a taxi to a bar in the city and tried some of China’s specials.

First, a taxi dropped us off at some KTV (Karaoke) restaurant. This wasn't the place to be, so we flagged down another taxi who took us to a place better suited for our tastes. The beer is light, the spirits to me taste like other liquor I've tried, like cough syrup. Some white wine, and some delectables: fried tofu on a stick was awesome. In China, smoking inside bars is legal, so I did some second-hand, so my lungs were hurting a bit, especially after 4 days of riding.