"It was already past 7 p.m., pitch dark, and we were on Haizi Mountain at an altitude of over 4,700 meters when suddenly hail started falling," recalled Chen Lingjie, a student from Southwest University of Political Science and Law, describing a perilous experience during his solo cycling journey. Not long ago, he and three roommates had just completed their summer cycling trip to Lhasa.
"When I was pushing my bike up to the mountaintop, I saw a cyclist crouching by the roadside, motionless, seemingly on the verge of freezing. I gave him half a chocolate bar, but he didn’t chew it—just stared at me with numb eyes, his face deathly pale and breathing faintly," said Chen Lingjie, who was experiencing long-distance solo cycling for the first time. It was the first time he witnessed such a scene and felt death so close. Even now, he still gets chills when talking about it. "I was also barely holding on back then—altitude sickness, freezing temperatures, and then the hail. The combination was truly a huge test for anyone." At the critical moment, many rescue vehicles arrived one after another from Batang County in Garzê Prefecture, Sichuan, down the mountain, evacuating the stranded cyclists. "The timely distress messages posted by cyclists who had already descended helped many get out of danger," Chen Lingjie said.
But Chen Lingjie and his roommates did not descend. Instead, they spent a cold night in the tent of Tibetan herders. The hospitable herders served them steaming butter tea and gave them several thick quilts, which made them feel incredibly lucky and warm.
Motivation: "Kora" (Biking Over the Himalayas)
Actually, as early as the beginning of the year, Chen Lingjie and his roommates Ding Teng and Wang Gan had already decided on this Lhasa trip plan. Later, the addition of their Tibetan roommate, Cili Wudu, gave them a "translator."
Ding Teng, who first proposed the cycling plan, said that the release of the movie "Kora" last November deeply moved him. The 318 National Highway Sichuan-Tibet Southern Route featured in the film lies along the 30th parallel north, passing through the Dadu River, Yalong River, Jinsha River, Lancang River, and the upper reaches of the Nu River, and is hailed as the "Scenic Highway of the Chinese People." Along the way, there are plains, canyons, rivers, grasslands, glaciers, forests, lakes, snow-capped mountains, lakes, and dwellings—all vastly different landscapes of extreme beauty. From that moment on, he had the idea of cycling the Sichuan-Tibet route. The movie "Kora" tells the story of a young Taiwanese man who embarks on a solo 2,000-kilometer cycling journey to Lhasa to fulfill his brother’s last wish. This story filled the young men with endless longing, and compared to the movie’s protagonist Shu Hao, Ding Teng and his friends’ ride was no less impressive—covering over 2,300 kilometers in 27 days.
Planning: Had to hide it from their parents
During the summer vacation, many people cycle along the 318 National Highway Sichuan-Tibet Southern Route, and there are quite a few university students like them. Ding Teng said that the intoxicatingly beautiful plateau scenery, unique local customs, and the highly challenging plateau environment were what attracted them the most.
According to Cili Wudu, sometimes as many as 500 cyclists arrive in the same city in a single day, and over half of them are university students. Along the way, he chatted with fellow cyclists and found that about half of the student cyclists, like them, had come on the trip without telling their parents. "Because we had no experience cycling long distances on the plateau, we were worried our parents wouldn’t agree," Chen Lingjie said.
On July 8, they set off as planned. According to their plan, they would head west from Chengdu along the 318 National Highway, aiming to reach Lhasa in a month. However, due to a landslide in Mangkang along the way, they had to reroute to Shangri-La and enter Mangkang via the 214 National Highway Yunnan-Tibet Route. It was during this detour to Shangri-La that Chen Lingjie had to end his Lhasa trip, leaving behind some regrets.
"It was precisely because of this not-so-perfect cycling trip that I had this extraordinary near-death experience and truly learned to cherish life even more," Chen Lingjie said.
Sharing: Fitness, knowledge, experience, and equipment all matter
Since it was their first long-distance cycling trip on the plateau, they didn’t dare to be careless and began preparations in all aspects three months in advance. To build their stamina, they ran four to five kilometers almost every evening and did uphill cycling training on weekends.
Cycling clothes, cold-weather gear, raincoats, burlap sacks, compressed biscuits, essential medications, bike repair tools, spare tires, and other items were all essentials for their journey. At the same time, the group also researched some knowledge about plateau cycling online, and fellow cyclists’ blogs were also a great help. Considering the risks of plateau cycling, Ding Teng and Wang Gan also specifically purchased insurance.
During the interview, the group shared their plateau cycling experiences, hoping to help future cyclists. First, don’t push yourself too hard—treat cycling as an enjoyment, and you’ll get through tough times happily. When climbing mountains, make sure you can reach the summit before 4 p.m., as weather conditions on the mountaintop can change unpredictably at night. In bad weather, actively seek help and post distress messages promptly. If possible, have good equipment, especially helmets, saddlebags, and raincoats, because some sections have falling rocks—wearing a better-quality helmet is safer; high-quality saddlebags can save a lot of trouble, as frequent saddlebag tears waste time; July and August are the rainy season, so raincoats are frequently needed, and they must be durable.
Cili Wudu also mentioned that timely bike maintenance can greatly reduce risks during the ride. For example, regularly inspect the bike, replace broken parts in time, especially the brakes. Long-distance cycling causes significant wear on brake pads, especially on downhill sections. Once, Chen Lingjie’s bike brakes failed, and he had to use his feet to brake for over 30 kilometers of downhill.
Harvest: Seeking passion and embracing challenges
Of course, plateau cycling does carry certain risks. According to Ding Teng, hail is not uncommon when climbing mountains. They encountered hail on Dongda Mountain, Haizi Mountain, Jianziwan Mountain, and Sejila Mountain, and each of these four hailstorms tested them immensely. Due to the terrain, there are many uphill sections, sometimes stretching dozens of kilometers continuously, forcing them to become "push gods," pushing their bikes to the mountaintop. Throughout the journey, they challenged their own limits and also enjoyed the breathtaking plateau scenery.
"When you’re young, you have to go crazy at least once. Although I didn’t ultimately make it to Lhasa, during that short ride, I met a lot of people, experienced a lot of things, and the biggest change was in my mindset. This kind of spiritual gain is definitely not something you can get by staying at home!" Chen Lingjie summed up his reflections on the ride. He hopes more parents will encourage their children to step out of their homes, embrace challenges, experience the essence of life in nature, and seek the passion of life.
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