The three cyclists form a wheel shape to show their unity and perseverance.
They were once schoolmates and white-collar workers in the fashion industry. They made a pact to cycle to see the midnight sun. Yesterday, three graduates from the College of Textiles and Garments at Southwest University cycled back to Beibei. In the past 117 days, they quit their jobs, cycled over 16,000 km, and reached Yakutsk, the coldest city in the world, fulfilling a dream from their student days.
The Journey: Three Young Men Quit Jobs to Cycle
Yesterday, 25-year-old Fu Lei told reporters that he graduated from Southwest University in 2012 and later became a fashion designer.
Fu Lei said that he, along with classmates Zhou Qi and Jiang Chengyuan, loved playing football and cycling together during university. They had even cycled to places like Beihai and Kunming. “What we most wanted to visit was Russia, especially Lake Baikal — it’s my sacred place,” he said. Last August, shortly after starting work, the trio planned to cycle to Russia. “We quit our jobs before setting off,” Zhou Qi said. From April 26 to August 20, they cycled all the way from Chongqing to Yakutsk on the Siberian mainland, covering a total distance of over 16,000 km.
Food: Cooking Over Fires with Pots Found by the Road
Since they hadn’t worked for long, after buying cycling gear, the three had only 10,000 yuan in savings before setting off. “We also got sponsored by classmates for over 2,000 yuan,” Fu Lei said.
Along the way, the trio was extremely frugal. “About half of our meals were thanks to help from others,” Zhou Qi said. The most memorable moment was in Russia, where the three cycled over 100 km across vast grasslands without seeing a single house. They went hungry from morning till night, and eventually picked up a half-bottle of discarded cola by the roadside, which the three shared.
Russia is sparsely populated, and they often went long stretches without seeing anyone, so they began cooking over fires using pots found by the road. Fu Lei said that in the last month, the three ate almost nothing but 1 kg of rice per meal. Occasionally when they reached a town, they would buy a few onions, sprinkle some salt, and eat them with the rice.
Shelter: Slept Under Eaves and on Cow Dung
During these 120 days, the three mostly slept in tents by the roadside, though mosquitoes were a huge problem. Jiang Chengyuan showed a photo of over a hundred mosquito carcasses on his sleeping bag. “Whenever we stopped, we’d be surrounded by swarms of mosquitoes. The first thing we did after pitching the tent was to kill mosquitoes.”
But there were times they couldn’t use tents. During a heavy rain in a small village in Ankang, southern Shaanxi, they slept under the eaves of a farmer’s house. In a grassland in Russia, the three also encountered heavy rain with no houses in sight. Eventually, they found a small bridge and had to take shelter in the culvert underneath. “There was a thick layer of cow dung in the culvert, and we slept on it for the night.”
Travel: Cycling Up to 100+ km a Day
Zhou Qi said that fortunately, the three had maintained their fitness before the trip, so despite the extremely harsh conditions, they hardly got sick. On a good day, they cycled over 100 km, and on a bad day, at least 60–70 km.
On June 15, they exited China via Mohe and entered Russia. Fu Lei’s most memorable experience was in Neryungri, where they encountered a mother brown bear and her two cubs crossing the road while cycling. “We stopped 300 meters away and waited until they had safely crossed before we continued.”
In Yakutsk, the trio met a young man who worked at a local police station. After a simple conversation in English, the man warmly arranged food and lodging for them and even showed them around the city. Fu Lei said Yakutsk is built on permafrost, with summer temperatures only a few degrees, and is known as the coldest city. Yet, they received warm hospitality from strangers. “We also saw the midnight sun — it was daytime all day.” Since Yakutsk is close to the Arctic Ocean and there’s no land route north from there, they traveled west to Lake Baikal, then cycled back to Manzhouli, and finally took a train back to Chongqing.
Voices
They Were Adventurous Even in University
Before quitting their jobs, Fu Lei and the others worked in fashion-related jobs, earning 3,000–4,000 yuan a month — decent pay for recent graduates — yet they still chose to resign and travel.
“When I heard they were cycling to Russia, I wasn’t surprised at all,” their classmate Liu Hongying told reporters. During university, the three had cycled to Beihai and even pitched a tent under the building where she lived in her hometown of Guizhou. “These kids were incredibly creative and adventurous even back in university.” Yang Jian, deputy party secretary of the College of Textiles and Garments, said they had the perseverance to carry out this plan and would likely do well in future jobs. “I envy them. If I were as young as them, I’d want to drop everything and go on such a journey too.”
Advice
Exercise Before Long-Distance Cycling
If you have similar plans, you might want to refer to the trio’s preparation strategy. Fu Lei said that starting from August last year when they began planning the trip, the three exercised daily. In addition, they prepared emergency medicine, bike repair tools, and bought individual travel insurance policies. “If possible, try to have more funds,” Zhou Qi said. Just arranging a business visa to Russia through an agency cost 2,000 yuan. In the last month, their money ran low, and the three could only spend about 20 yuan a day.