Tianjin—Hefei, 1,100 kilometers, two bicycles, eight days of cycling. Two university students from Anhui, Liu Peng and Wang Changyun, finally arrived safely in Hefei on the afternoon of July 19. The encouragement from their families, mutual support, and help from strangers carried them through.
The three-year savings to realize a cycling dream
Liu Peng from Bozhou and Wang Changyun from Huainan are third-year students at the Civil Aviation University of China in Tianjin. They are classmates and have always gotten along well. Their dream is to cycle across China. Their favorite daily activity is browsing cycling forums. “Every time I see the travel journals and experiences others post after their rides, I get really excited. Their stories inspire me to definitely go on a ride myself.”
Wang Changyun had this plan since his freshman year, but he never got support from his family due to funding issues. After saving diligently for three years, he put aside more than 3,000 yuan for this cycling trip. Their “battle bikes” were both bought second-hand, and both were in very good condition. Liu Peng bought a Bond road bike, while Wang Changyun got a Merida mountain bike.
Family worries about safety and keeps reminding them
“Ever since I started preparing for the ride, my roommates doubted I could make it. And my family worried about my safety, so they weren’t too supportive either,” said Wang Changyun.
Considering their parents’ concerns, Liu Peng and Wang Changyun chose to hide the trip from their families. Wang Changyun didn’t even dare post photos he took along the way on social media, afraid his parents would catch on.
But when they were close to entering Anhui, their parents found out about the ride. However, instead of scolding them, their parents repeatedly reminded them to stay safe. “Actually, the route we took was quite safe—we stuck to national roads. There were also many other cyclists like us along the way. Still, we should understand our parents’ concern for us, and we’ll be more careful about safety in the future.”
The journey was tough—willpower was key
On July 12, the day after their exams, Wang Changyun and Liu Peng set off. They started from Tianjin on National Highway G104, cycled all the way to Xuzhou, then switched to National Highway G206, and finally reached their destination—Hefei. The total distance was 1,100 kilometers, and they completed it in 8 days, averaging 140 kilometers per day.
On the first day of cycling, they covered more than 180 kilometers, and due to the intense physical exertion, their bodies were extremely unaccustomed. On the second day, Liu Peng’s knee began to hurt badly, and he only applied a pain-relief patch that night.
Because weather and road conditions varied each day, the distances cycled also differed. On July 15, Liu Peng posted this message on Weibo: “The stretch from Jinan to Tai’an was really tough, with lots of ups and downs on mountain roads.” Liu Peng said they set off from Jinan at 7:30 a.m. and arrived in Tai’an at 3:00 p.m.—only covering 70 kilometers in seven hours. When climbing hills, Wang Changyun and Liu Peng shifted to the lowest gear, moving at a speed almost like walking. “When stamping postmarks at the local post office, I even thought about mailing my luggage to lighten the load. But considering our limited funds, I gave up.”
The two were very frugal on the trip. Lunch was often eaten at one or two in the afternoon. Sometimes when no restaurants were available, they ate compressed biscuits and candy to stave off hunger, washing it down with mineral water. The hotels they stayed at each night cost between 30 and 50 yuan. When they reached Xuzhou, they splurged on the most expensive hotel of the trip—one night for 70 yuan.
On July 16, Wang Changyun and Liu Peng set off from Zoucheng to Xuzhou, covering nearly 200 kilometers. To save time, they didn’t stop at Weishan Lake along the way and cycled straight to Xuzhou. By the time they arrived in Xuzhou, it was already late, and unfamiliar with the roads, they went the wrong way. With the help of kind passersby, they ended up near Xuzhou Medical University, where they found a hotel to stay in.
The weather also had a big impact on their ride. “It alternated between sunny and rainy, with wind and sun exposure. When the rain was too heavy to see the road, we’d stop to take shelter briefly. There was nothing to shield us, so we just got wet. Yesterday in Huainan, the sun was really strong—we didn’t bring sunscreen, and our skin got sunburned,” said Wang Changyun. Though they wore gloves and arm covers, the skin around their knuckles still got tanned. Their shins, not covered by their shorts, turned purplish-red from the sun.
The road from Huainan to Hefei was relatively narrow, with a lot of large vehicles, and many sections of the cement road were crushed and full of potholes, making for a very bumpy ride. Small stones were scattered along the roadside, and when vehicles sped by, they kicked up dust. Liu Peng and Wang Changyun pushed on with difficulty. After the rain, the road became even muddier, and mud splashed onto their backs and even their helmets.
During the ride, willpower was the biggest test for both of them, and perseverance was the key factor.
Mutual help along the way deepened their friendship
The most beautiful part of the ride was the scenery along the way, but in Wang Changyun’s eyes, their friendship was an even more beautiful sight.
At first, Wang Changyun was riding a mountain bike, but because his bike was better, it carried all their gear. But for him, who wasn’t in the best physical shape, the heavy load became too much to bear in just one day. So Liu Peng switched to the loaded bike. “No matter which bike I rode, he was always behind me,” Liu Peng said with a smile. He had been exercising regularly, so he was much stronger than Wang Changyun.
Wang Changyun explained that throughout the trip, Liu Peng was always full of energy and took good care of him. Usually, whenever they reached a destination and Wang Changyun was too tired, he’d just lie down on the ground, and Liu Peng would take care of finding food and lodging. Wang Changyun noticed all the care he received.
Strangers offered inspiration and strength
Even among strangers, cyclists share an unspoken camaraderie, greeting each other and encouraging one another when passing by.
At a small restaurant by the national highway in Jinan, Wang Changyun and Liu Peng met an elderly couple who were also cycling. Both over seventy, they were sprightly and full of energy. After talking with them, they learned the couple was from Shenyang and cycling to Huangshan. “This wasn’t their first cycling trip. They shared some cycling tips with us, which were really helpful. It made me feel that life is all about movement.”
On the stretch from Jinan to Tai’an, they also met a second-year middle school boy who had set off alone from Jinan to Hefei to find his father. “I was really moved. I thought if such a young boy could cycle from Jinan, what couldn’t we two adults do?”
It had been raining since Wujiao. Liu Peng and Wang Changyun cycled in the rain, getting completely soaked. When they just arrived in Dezhou, the bike rack and cyclometer both broke. They found a bicycle shop, where the owner and staff fixed their bikes for free, even giving them spare screws. They also inflated their tires and filled their water bottles. “We were really touched and even took a photo with them to remember the moment.”
In Huainan, Liu Peng and Wang Changyun also met an elderly stranger who cheered them on. As they were about to cross the street, an old man clapped for them and said, “Welcome to Huainan.”
A successful ride left no regrets for the two.
“We never thought about giving up. Once you start something, you have to see it through.” This was the common understanding reached by Wang Changyun and Liu Peng.
This cycling experience gave them profound insights into life: “Compared to nature, humans are truly tiny. This ride opened my eyes wide and opened up another world in my heart. Cycling is different from regular travel—it gives you enough time to appreciate the scenery along the way and to experience a city at a slow, mindful pace.” “This is just the beginning of my cycling journey, a warm-up for future rides to Tibet via Sichuan.”
Liu Peng’s summary of this cycling trip is: a rare experience. This experience perfectly rounded out his university life, leaving no regrets in his youth. He said, borrowing the title of a Mayday song, “Some things, if not done now, will never be done in a lifetime.”