Day 4 gave us another optional challenge for Team A to take on, adding an additional 20km. Unfortunately, Team A had decreased to 7 due to work conflicts, and that meant I was the only girl left.
We packed up the buses, and headed to our next and final home base in the city of Jiayuguan. It was a 3 hour ride through the desert, and gradually the sand dunes gave way to rugged mountain ridges, the temperature cooled, and the nothingness faded as a city with a population of 200,000 emerged. After lunch, Team A again opted for the long route, and we set off at a quick pace for 10km before heading out of the city and into a strong headwind along a string of factories with tall smoke stacks. At one point, I felt the group’s pace was too fast and was making me blow through my energy too quickly. A little dejected, I started to fall back. I knew I wouldn’t last the day at that pace. Hans soon noticed, and dropped back to pull me back into line, scolding me, “You have to tell us when something isn’t working for you.” Another lesson learned in teamwork, and from there I felt more confident to bark out commands about the pace. There were a few speed demons who liked to fluctuate their pace, but when you ride closely together as a group, everyone needs to align on a common, steady pace. So there were some growing pains on finding our group stride, but in the end we became a well oiled machine, with a good knowledge of each person’s strengths, habits, and overall capacity.
Western-most point of the Great Wall of China
Eventually, we met up with the others at the Xuanbi Great Wall, the westernmost point of the Great Wall of China. After a 25k sprint, walking up the steps of the Xuanbi Great Wall seemed almost cruel, but how often do you have the chance? I had been to the wall at Badaling in Beijing, and this was quite different. The wall was narrower, and we were the only ones there so it didn’t have as much of a circus feel – minus the pink camel statues.
Jiayu Pass Fort
We hopped back on our bikes and rode to Jiayuguan Fort, which served as the first pass at the west end of the Great Wall. A key point of the Silk Road, the fort had the additional significance as the point where banished Chinese were forced to leave into the west, never to return. While the overcast sky clouded the view of the mountains in the distance, it gave the fort an almost mystical quality, and you could feel a sense of the historical dramas that had taken place years ago. Inevitably, there were camels to ride, and I quickly learned that it’s not wise to try and pet them…
No 1. Pier
Another few kilometers by bike, and we arrived at No. 1 Pier, which overlooks the Beida River. At this point I was feeling the addiction of exercise, and so while the others went down to explore the little folk town and cross the wobbly hanging bridge over the river, I decided to take a little run. I’m a runner before a biker, and a month later I’d be running the LA Rock N Roll ½ Marathon – in which I ran a 2:08, beating my last time by 12 minutes. Thanks to all this riding, my endurance was through the roof, but my knee was happy when mile 13 came to a close.
Farewell dinner
It would be our last evening together as a group, so we took time to give out some gag awards and share our reflections on the experience. Some notable awards included “Biggest advocate of chaffing cream,” “Best clothing coordination with the bike,” and “Most business man like rider” (one guy had been wearing a laptop bag for all 4 days!). The mood shifted as people began to open up about their experiences, and there was the palpable feeling that we were all a part of something very special. I talked about getting the chance to hear Gloria’s success stories about the students, and how, to me, it connected with our experience on the bikes – I certainly couldn’t have made it without the guidance, support, and encouragement of my team, and likewise, these students need the same throughout their journeys. John spoke about the diversity of this group coming together for a common cause, and the hope we were bringing to these children.
After dinner, a few of us headed out to find a local bar. We had a chance to taste some Chinese wine, which, after my first sip I agreed with Hans that it would indeed take the 5 years he predicted to start producing quality wines. It was a nice time to kick back and talk about life, knowing that we only had a half day of riding the next day. It meant a lot to me to hear about how Hans & Cameron have paved their paths, both achieving great success in the company, but also folding in family, life abroad, and 5 day bike rides! If you know me even a little, you can probably guess that this is the type of life I dream of.
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