Li Jiawei, a Qingdao cab driver who has been featured in multiple reports, will set off on his bicycle once again. This time, his destination is eight North American cities that have hosted the Olympics. According to Li’s itinerary, this North American journey will span four months, covering over 10,000 kilometers as he rides eastward across the continent, with completion expected by the end of November. Li said he only knows a few simple English words such as “Hello,” and will have to rely on gestures for all aspects of life during his trip in North America.
50 Cycling Enthusiasts See Him Off
“Go Jiawei!” “Safe travels!” Yesterday at the Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center Plaza, more than 50 cycling enthusiasts gathered around Li Jiawei to send him their best wishes. They then escorted him by bike from the Sailing Center all the way to the First Bathing Beach. When reporters met Li, his bicycle was loaded with luggage, a GPS device, and a DV camera. The 54-year-old told reporters that this North American trip would fill a gap in his global Olympic city cycling tour. Yesterday afternoon, Li boarded a flight to Los Angeles, USA, where he will begin the first leg of his transcontinental ride.
“I plan to start cycling from Los Angeles in the western United States, heading east through six Olympic host cities—Los Angeles, Denver, St. Louis, Atlanta, Washington, and New York—then travel to Montreal in Canada, with my final stop being Mexico City in Mexico.” Holding his prepared map, Li showed reporters his cycling route. He said the trip is planned to last four months, with an expected completion by the end of November.
Cycled Through 16 European Countries Last Year
Li Jiawei told reporters that he enjoys activities like cycling and winter swimming. In his twenties, seeing foreigners cycle in Qingdao sparked his dream of traveling abroad by bike. “Back then, I rode a ‘Big Golden Deer’ bicycle, didn’t have advanced gear, and had little money—it was hard to make the dream come true,” Li said. After China successfully hosted the 2008 Olympics, he began planning his global Olympic city tour, intending to cycle through over 20 cities that have hosted the Olympics.
Europe was the first leg of Li’s Olympic cycling journey. On July 14 last year, he crossed the China-Russia border by bike into Moscow, then passed through 14 countries including Kazakhstan, Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, and Italy, arriving at the birthplace of the Olympics, Greece, on December 23. The entire journey lasted over six months, covering more than 11,000 kilometers across 16 countries, ten of which had hosted the Olympics. Li visited all their host cities: Moscow (former Soviet Union), Helsinki (Finland), Stockholm (Sweden), Berlin and Munich (Germany), Amsterdam (Netherlands), Antwerp (Belgium), Paris (France), Barcelona (Spain), Rome (Italy), and Athens (Greece). Later, Li also completed a successful cycling trip back from Australia. In his travel bag is a flag densely stamped with the seals of Olympic city governments.
Extreme Heat Will Be the Biggest Challenge
“I only speak Qingdao dialect and don’t know any foreign languages. Communicating with foreigners relies entirely on gestures, which has led to many funny situations,” Li said. The biggest issue while cycling abroad is language barriers. Sometimes he gets lucky and meets Chinese students who help translate, but most of the time he has to rely on guessing. Last year when cycling in Germany, his lack of foreign language skills almost got him denied a visa, but Li managed to get approval after showing the visa officer a photo of himself with former IOC President Samaranch. “Many people wanted to teach me foreign languages, but I guess I’m just too old to learn,” Li said. His son is studying at Colorado State University in the U.S. and will soon pursue a master’s degree—he can serve as a translator for a while.
Extreme Heat and Harsh Weather Are the Main Tests This Time
High temperatures and extreme heat will be the biggest challenges during this North American bike ride, along with possible encounters with severe weather like hurricanes. Last year, when cycling to Greece, Li was nearly robbed, and he worries about similar dangers during his North American trip. “With your support, I’ll definitely be brave,” Li told his friends who came to see him off.
Global Olympic Tour Expected to Cost 300,000 Yuan