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By popular request I have been asked to write a letter detailing the China Bike Ride. At the risk of being boring herewith is the missive!

Saturday 26th May 2001
Heathrow was the first port of call, boarding an Airbus operated by Turkish Airlines. First destination Istanbul, £1,500,000 Turkish Lire to the pound, so we were all millionaires for a few hours. After a transitory stop we boarded another aeroplane, to our destination of Beijing.

Sunday 27th May 2001
Almost 24hours later there we were at our hotel in Beijing, eating our first Chinese meal. Dish after dish was brought to the table, all looking and tasting the same I hasten to add, and the use of chopsticks added to the excitement when you actually managed to eat anything. Some dishes were scrupulously avoided, awaiting identification.

Bike fitting was on the agenda after lunch, choose a bike, any bike, as long as it was blue, and customise it to your own personal requirements. It soon became apparent who were keen cyclists, who cycled for a hobby, and those who thought a 'go faster mudguard' might help up the hills. My 3-layer gel seat was fitted in double quick time, and I was free until 7pm, for our first briefing, and evening meal.

We used this time to wash, panic, investigate the washroom facilities (not quite as bad as I had anticipated) and wander around the district. Coming across a large expanse of water, we decided to walk around the area, seeing people washing clothes, swimming and fishing. Out of nowhere a storm blew up, bringing half the Gobi desert with it, and we were well and truly pebble dashed. On further investigation we discovered this water was the main reservoir supplying water to Beijing, and by all accounts was not subject to much, if any, filtration or cleansing process before arriving at the running taps (if you were lucky).

Dinner was another round of unidentifiable Chinese dishes, but we all felt more adventurous now, and hungry, so tasted most things. The briefing was scary, 40 miles tomorrow, uphill in the morning to Mutang to experience the Great Wall, followed by lunch, then undulating terrain to arrive at the Oil Workers Sanatorium! at about 6pm on the Monday night. An immediate retreat to bed for me, to try to replenish some energy reserves for tomorrow's adventure / nightmare.

Monday 28th May 2001
Time is now about 7am and this is what I have come for, cycling around Beijing province; breakfast was fried eggs, and sweet look alike bread, followed by noodles, rice soup, accompanied by jasmine tea.

George, a Chinese Mr Motivator attempted to warm us up with aerobic excersises, before our cycling departure, this exhausted me before I even got on the bike.

Right off, 100 cyclists all dressed in white China Bike Team T-shirts, all with cycling helmets on and all looking apprehensive (other than the testorone laden young males in the front) set off to see the Great Wall.

Teo the Israeli bike leader was not exaggerating, the hills were steep and long, and cycling in 34C was not easy, for us older unfit ladies (I speak only for myself)

the regular stops offered water, bananas or salted peanuts, which offset the long haul to the Great Wall, we were not disappointed, the sight was breathtaking.

If you so wished you could walk up the steps to see the sight from the top, or if you wanted to conserve your energy (or just couldn't) a cable car was available. Guess for which option I elected? The cable car also assisted the descent, or more daring was a toboggan ride, yes you guessed I came down fairly fast on a buggy guided by a metal shute, this was good.

Lunch at the restaurant, and our first experience of non-western loos. They were pretty awful, but those with greater knowledge of these things, said they were good, clean and probably one of the best ones we would find (they were right)

Setting off again after lunch was hard, but necessary to reach the next overnight stop on this our Chinese adventure.

A long difficult afternoon, due to heat, tiredness, jet lag and being absolutely and totally unprepared for this sort of physical venture, eventually brought us to our hotel at 6pm. Our room is on the third floor, no lift, we looked at one another, not an ounce of energy left, and I was sleeping in reception, and didn't care. A young knight in shining armour, (one of those young lads I have already alluded to) rescued us from our plight by carrying our luggage upstairs, we dragging our bodies behind. A nap and a so-called shower momentarily revived us in order to eat dinner, remarkably the same as lunch except for a whole fish, tail and eyes on a plate revolving on the lazy Susan!

I was comatose for dinner, horrified by the briefing, and totally panicked by the prospect of tomorrow.

Tuesday 29th May 2001
I have decided that by lunchtime if I feel like I did yesterday I will have a ride in the bus, I can't do this for another four days. 6.30am breakfast followed by George, and off, today is a good day according to Teo, as all the hills are before lunch, followed by an easier ride in the afternoon. A picnic lunch is our focus for later, a pleasant relief from Chinese food.

MENCAP are very appreciative of our efforts £263,000 already raised for the charity, which is to be used partially to fund the 'Gateway project'

Teo was right about the hills, they were before lunch, but he didn't tell us they were mountain passes the Himalayas would be proud of. The temperature was rising, in addition to the altitude, but my tolerance level was decreasing rapidly. We eventually reached the top, after what seemed hours and miles, but the sense of elation was terrific, having done it once we knew we could do it again. Renewed determination and lunch off we went again. No bus for me today, I can do this albeit slowly. We arrived at the hotel a little earlier than yesterday, which was better, more time to rest and wash and explore. I am now much more upbeat having completed two days, I feel I can keep on going.

Dinner was Chinese of course, we didn't care now, we ate anything, and everything.

The briefing was more hopeful, not too many mountains tomorrow, only hills and negative downhills; this chap is quite a wag. Every day we are supported by 'The Amazing Tour Company' a collection of charming, helpful Chinese guides, providing water, fruit and nuts, giving us directions and stopping the traffic where necessary. In addition the mechanics are in a truck following us, the Chinese doctor goes up and down the group picking up any casualties, or heat exhausted cyclists, or just plain tired people. Doctor Julia, the English doctor cycles with us, as do Emma and Jess from MENCAP. John and Di from Classic Tours are in charge of the whole event, making sure the whole operation runs smoothly and safely. Di is the back marker while John stays at the front with Teo; radio contact is constant amongst all these people.

Wednesday 30th May 2001
6 am and we are ready to cycle, wow it's hot today, even at this hour. George and I might part company from now on I am not cut out for these aerobics!

Off into the unknown, our first real taste of city cycling, for today we visit the commercial end of the Great Wall at Badaling, we need to arrive at the Wall early as President Validimar Putin is visiting today, so the roads will all be closed for security, added time pressure, just keep pedalling.

The sight of the wall was breathtakingly spectacular, and we had an hour here to explore, it was terrific. Onward and upward, to lunch, at a Friendship store, a government controlled group of shops, controlling price and quality, which was very welcome, then cycling in more industrial areas, mainly mining, watching people, cars and pollution, of which there was much.

We arrived at the hotel and the bikes were directed into the ballroom, very special. The hotel was a labyrinth of corridors, but very pleasant, and dinner was almost English, with potato salad, beetroot salad and macaroni cheese, I thought I'd died and gone to Heaven, a very welcome break from Chinese food. We volunteered to participate in Saturday's entertainment evening, and with luck we might even rehearse before. Bed calls for tomorrow, the famous Thursday that means, long, hot, hard and tiring, we can do this, only two days left to cycle.

Thursday 31st May 2001
Can you believe it orange juice, eggs and bacon for breakfast, I want to stay here, the food is lovely, forget the cycling! George calls, today though I pretend to photograph the group, so wriggling out of any physical jerks.

Off into the sunshine, which is now getting unbearably hot, 38C and Teo was right, hills, mountains, long stretches, heat tired, hungry, exhausted, fed up, you name it we felt it, Why are we doing this? We must keep going, nearly there, only one more morning to get up and cycle, inner reserves needed now. I can't remember much of today, only trying to find the strength to keep going, and lots of uphills and not many downhills. There was a point in the afternoon when we stopped where through necessity we had to park our bicycles a short distance from the water stop. I summoned up enough energy to walk to get a water bottle, but was unable to go and return the empty, so put it in my bag and cycled to the hotel with it.

There was a temporary rush of enthusiasm when we entered the Shidu Gorge, this was flat and beautiful, and not too hot due to the shade of the mountains. Although the scenery was out of this world, and everything was very interesting, the initial rush of enthusiasm soon dwindled and exhaustion took over, we have cycled nearly 70 miles today in this searing heat. Having arrived at the hotel in the Shidu gorge, I peeled myself off the saddle, lurched to a low wall and sat there to regain enough strength to go to the hotel reception. I sat down in reception on discovery that my luggage had to be taken to the third floor, and no lift. A welcome sight was a Chinese girl at the top of the first flight of steps who offered to help with the luggage. Having negotiated my key/ electronic card (where was Bill he usually does all this) A momentary flash of home, I wonder what's happening or not as the case might be!

A shower and a nap and I was recovered enough for dinner- guess what's for tea?

The briefing was informative, thought provoking and depressing. Friday would be a long day be prepared, but MENCAP staff could not express their thanks enough for our efforts in raising all this money, and how wonderful we all were (ever felt buttered up)

Friday 1st June 2001
This is the last morning I need to get up and cycle; you can't imagine the relief.

Breakfast was fried eggs, not any easier with chopsticks, than it was at the beginning of the week, and other such wonderful delicacies.

Right, today a decision needs to be taken, as to whether I do the optional leg of the journey or not. I set off cycling back through the gorge, retracing our steps from yesterday; it seems a surprisingly shorter distance than it did yesterday afternoon, in my tired state. Then we are faced the optional leg, which was a mountain pass, which we know we can cycle up here but there is a time limit, or we will arrive in Beijing too late and hit the traffic, so 10am is the cut off point at the top of the hill. I decided that I would be most despondent, if having taken the decision to cycle the hill and failed to get there in time I would feel worse than not even attempting this optional leg of the ride, so for the relatively short distance up the hill I had to suffer the indignity of an air conditioned, comfortable, informative, relaxing journey in the bus. (This decision was the right decision for me) Back on the bike, and on wards and upwards as we approach Beijing, the traffic increased, and the people, and therefore the air deteriorated greatly. Lunch was a picnic, great, sandwiches, orange juice and fruit, oh disappointment, egg fried rice and two Chinese chicken thighs.

One final haul to the next stop then into Beijing. This last haul seemed for ever, it was so hot, boring and we were so tired, please someone just get us there. Our penultimate stop offered ice creams and pop, provided by a young Chinese mother and baby daughter, in a freezer without electricity!

Now the slow trek into Beijing, about 20 miles of very busy traffic, with no right of way for cyclists, watch out for buses. One of these buses tried their utmost to finish my days, but somehow (more luck than judgement) I stayed on the bike, and I am now recounting you the incident.

These relatively few miles took about two hours, all of us suffering in one way or another at a now 40C, drinking near boiling water which had risen in temperature since the last stop.

To see Tiannamen square was terrific, not only the sight of it but to cast one's memory back to this day exactly ten years ago. There was a military presence there so we did not stay and linger. Turning the corner we were welcomed by balloons, shouts of joy and champagne, our journey complete. WOW

Dinner tasted good, as did the beer (well watery lager) and the bed unbelievable, we just can't believe it, think back five days I wasn't going on remember!

We felt we should celebrate our success so I suggested, being such a seasoned traveller, that we should venture out into Beijing and find a coffee, I had seen t-shirts with 'Hard Rock Café' don't worry we'll find it, we didn't but when I visit next I will. We rested in central Beijing in an Italian restaurant drinking French red wine

Bed was divine, no cycling tomorrow, I can just be a tourist, and I can't believe it.

Saturday 2nd June 2001
Rise and shine and remember no cycling today. A visit to the Forbidden City and Summer Palace, this was where the Emperors of the Ming Dynasty and their entourage of people resided. The Emperor appeared very infrequently, only on formal occasions, to the ordinary people. The places were very big and grand but oozing Chinese tradition and culture. Saturday evening held the Gala dinner, a Chinese meal followed by home-grown entertainment, I am constantly surprised at people's talents; it was unpolished but excellent. This evening culminated in our first real relaxation over many drinks, who knows or cares what happened next.

Sunday 3rd June 2001
Last day of this wonderful experience, I like China despite its problems; the people are friendly, helpful and warm. Beijing has lots to offer history, culture, technology, shopping facilities, the famous silk market and some amazing shopping plazas.

It is Candidate City for the 2008 Olympics, so there is a great deal of infrastructure building going on, and much publicity.

Sunday was drawn to a close with a vegetarian meal in a Buddhist restaurant, then the long flight home to Heathrow. Arrival on British soil felt good, but the whole challenging experience in China had been wonderful, good friends made, many people helped by our sponsorship, and some things learnt about ourselves.

Six months of training, fund-raising, breathing, thinking and sleeping the China Bike Ride is now over, looking back it seemed to go very fast, at the time the legs seemed very slow, a terrific experience to be cherished, but I don't think repeated.

Watch this space..........................................

I completed the challenge but you all gave the money.   THANK YOU

 Marjorie 

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