Two heads are better than one: A couple of cyclists pedal their way through a road in Tibet. (Photo : Serk/Facebook)
Various travel sites would recommend foreign tourists to visit China during its spring season.
As for the locals, the months of April and May entice them to engage in outdoor activities.
No wonder the wheels just keep on turning for bike enthusiasts during springtime.
Qian Yuzhu, founder of the Beijing-based Qibiantianxia (Cycling All Over the World) Club, attributes it to the good weather the season brings, according to China Daily.
Duan Zhongdong, 47, couldn’t agree more as he said that he finds the spring weather “perfect” for a two-wheel adventure.
Qian said that the past three years have seen an increase in the number of people in the country biking for leisure.
Their club already has some 4,000 members.
When the blog Travelling Two, run by “two Canadians who love travelling by bicycle” interviewed Canadian couple Louis-Philippe and Lysanne Gendron from Quebec on why they included China on their global bicycle tour, they summarized their answer in four words: “China has it all.”
Specifically for cyclists like them, the Gendrons said that China has “quiet, remote cycling roads.”
The couple said they “had the great pleasure to cycle from Beijing to the southernmost border of China (Dongxing/Mong Cay, Vietnam) over three months and a total of 4,500 km.”
“In the south, we managed to find nice, quiet secondary roads with almost no traffic and amazing scenery,” they added.
Their advice to foreigners: “Don’t be afraid to venture out on small roads in China. They are surprisingly in very good condition and sealed 99 percent of the time.”
According to China.org, bikers should try these 10 cycling routes: Xining, Qinghai to Lhasa, Tibet; Chengdu, Sichuan to Ya'an; Shanghai to Urumqi, Xinjiang; around Hainan Island; Beijing to Hangzhou, Zhejiang; around Qinghai Lake; Lanzhou to Dunhuang, Gansu; Beijing to Mohe, Heilongjiang; Kashgar, Xinjiang to Lhasa, Tibet; and Urumqi, Xinjiang to Dunhuang, Gansu.
In terms of level of difficulty, with “5” being the most difficult, China Highlights gives biking around Hainan Island (distance: 650 km) and Qinghai Lake (360 km) both a “1”; Urumqi to Dunhuang (990 km) and Lanzhou to Dunhuang (1,100 km) both a “2”; Chengdu to Yunnan to Chengdu (1,500 km) a “4”; and Chengdu to Lhasa (25-30 days) a “5."
Lonely Planet’s 16-day “China by bike” happens in this order: Guangzhou, Zhaoqing, Si Hui to Qing Yuan, Jiu Long, Yangshan, Lianshan, Zhongshan and Yangshuo. Then fly to Xian and from there take an overnight train to Beijing, then make a day tour at the Great Wall, then go back to Beijing.
Serk, founded by “strong advocates for cycling,” offers Serk Ride, “crafted weekend rides for everyone” every Saturday morning. The 15 ride pass costs 2,600 yuan.
Serk also co-founded Beijing Bike Week “to help promote recreational cycling culture in the city and assist in re-positioning the bicycle as a modern, fun and environmentally friendly form of transportation,” according to its website.
Because biking is highly recommendable during springtime, one can also stop along the way to smell the flowers.
