On October 20, a hundred riders set off on their journey, with the red mountains behind them being the Wensu Grand Canyon.
On October 20, a hundred cyclists set off from the “Wensu Grand Canyon” in Wensu County, Aksu Prefecture, Xinjiang. They will spend two days traveling to the Tielike Hot Springs in Baicheng County, facing over 130 kilometers of rugged mountain roads.
It is understood that this event is organized by the Wensu County Government of Xinjiang and other entities, and is named the “Wensu Grand Canyon to Baicheng Tielike Hot Springs Bicycle Health Tour.” The hundred riders consist of professional cyclists and cycling enthusiasts from the local cycling association, all equipped with highly professional gear.
Unlike previous events, this bicycle health tour has set new records in both the length of the cycling route and the difficulty of the journey. The routes taken by the riders are mostly gravel deserts and rocky paths, making the ride time-consuming and strenuous. However, the blend of ethnic minority cultures along the way and the majestic beauty of the Tianshan Tuomuer Peak may help the riders forget the fatigue of the trip.
According to the Wensu County Government, in recent years, Wensu County has adopted the theme of “Tianshan Dream City · Magical Wensu,” highlighted by the features of “Dreamy Tianshan · Gumu Charm,” and focused on creating the “Wensu Tianshan (Tuomuer Peak) National Park” as its leading brand. By developing distinctive tourism projects such as hiking fitness tourism, red-bed canyon tourism, cultural and scientific expeditions, folk culture tourism, border tourism, snow-capped peak exploration, and self-driving tours, the county aims to build premium tourism routes integrating ecological sightseeing, outdoor fitness, and scientific expeditions, continuously enhancing Wensu County’s influence in tourism and culture.
Wensu, meaning “ten streams of water” in Uyghur, is located in Aksu Prefecture, western Xinjiang, at the southern foot of the middle Tianshan range’s Tuomuer Peak and the northern edge of the Tarim Basin. It borders the Kyrgyz Republic and the Republic of Kazakhstan to the north, covering a total area of 14,800 square kilometers with a population of 245,000. The county is home to 21 ethnic groups including Uyghur, Han, Hui, and Kirgiz, and is a semi-agricultural, semi-pastoral border county primarily focused on agriculture combined with animal husbandry.