“Sky” touches a prayer wheel
“I never thought how far a bicycle could go. I used to think it belonged only to the noise of the city center, under a gray sky. I wasn’t willing to settle for such an ordinary life…” A song echoes in the QQ zone of netizen “Sky.”
Born in 1994, “Sky” is tall and slim, with a mushroom cut, heavy metal accessories, and a lively, outgoing personality. He quickly warmed up to the reporter. “Sky” introduced his two “sworn brothers”—Cai Yaju, born in 1990, and Zhou Lintao, born in 1991.
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Cycling to Lhasa
Cycling to Lhasa
“For this trip, Zhou Lintao even quit his job in Guangxi and returned to Luoyang to join us,” “Sky” said. They spent four months preparing for the ride. There were even moments when they considered giving up, but the original dream in their hearts lingered, and eventually they made up their minds to cycle to Tibet.
Before leaving, Zhou Lintao’s mother gave each of the three young men a safety charm, instructing them to tie it to their bike handlebars to bless them with a safe journey. With their parents’ blessings, they set off.
It took them three days to reach Nanyang City. Along the way, they encountered many unexpected events—“Caicai” suffered from altitude sickness, and one of their bikes broke down halfway. “At that moment, we were very anxious, not knowing what lay ahead. The next day, after regaining our composure, we dashed out of Henan,” “Sky” recalled.
Unexpected situations and dangers always appeared when least expected. The three “post-90s” said they owed their survival to “glucose” and “acacia flowers.” This happened in Lichuan City, Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province. As soon as they started climbing the mountain, hail and rain the size of soybeans began to fall. Although it was summer in May, the mountain winds were bone-chilling, freezing their hands and feet, and their stamina was severely depleted. Just then, they spotted “acacia flowers” by the roadside. They quickly gathered them and ate them while drinking the pre-prepared glucose water. Their energy returned instantly.
When passing through Tianquan County, Ya’an, Sichuan, someone offered to “carry your belongings and bikes over the landslide area for 80 yuan.” “Sky” said they declined—not because they didn’t want to spend the money, but because they had made a vow before the trip: to rely entirely on themselves the whole way, without hitchhiking, pushing their bikes, or asking for help.
On June 14, after 44 days and cycling over 4,100 kilometers, “Sky,” Cai Yaju, and Zhou Lintao arrived at Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region. “Sky” said he had lost 15 pounds.
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“This is youth. We didn’t want to leave any regrets.”
“This is youth. We didn’t want to leave any regrets.”
With the majestic Potala Palace right before their eyes, “Sky” suddenly felt a strange sense of loss. “Perhaps we had experienced too much along the way, and didn’t want to leave so soon. We have so many memories from this journey.”
From unexpected events to danger, then disappointment and reluctance, “Sky,” Cai Yaju, and Zhou Lintao felt they had matured. On the return trip, the three slept in the train aisle, talking about the happy moments, the arguments, and even the minor friction. “But no matter what, we proved that post-90s also have a never-give-up spirit,” “Sky” said. “This is youth. We didn’t want to leave any regrets. This experience will be a valuable spiritual asset for us.”