A 63-year-old man cycles over 4,000 kilometers to Lhasa

       A bicycle, a backpack, and some essentials. A 63-year-old man cycled over 4,000 kilometers in 140 days, soloing through Tibet. Then, despite not knowing any English, he traveled alone through Nepal, India, Thailand, Laos, and other countries. Yet the total cost of this entire trip was only around ten thousand yuan.

On the 11th, "The Solo Rider of the Sichuan-Tibet Route," Mr. Jian Jingpu, arrived in Nanjing as scheduled on the K156 train, successfully completing his "epic" solo journey through Tibet.

Mr. Jian told reporters that this Tibet ride was extremely challenging for him. "I set off from Nanjing on March 24, then entered Anhui. After spending some time there, I passed through Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan, and finally entered Tibet from Ngawa Prefecture in Sichuan along the Jinsha River."

From Jiangsu to Anhui, then to Hubei and Sichuan... Along the way, Jian rode happily and enjoyed himself. "My goal was fitness, sightseeing, and enjoying the mountains and rivers—not chasing speed."

Jian said that to make the most of the trip, he added two extra destinations to his pre-planned route: the Three Gorges Dam and the Dujiangyan Irrigation System in Chengdu. Covering over 4,000 kilometers, he traveled, explored, tasted local food, and took photos all along the way—feeling completely content. Just on his QQ space, reporters saw nearly 2,000 photos he uploaded from internet cafes along the route. Jian said he still has many more photos that haven’t been uploaded yet.

Mr. Jian told reporters that by the time he reached Hubei, his "steed" had already developed serious issues, such as the rear rack falling off, which caused major trouble for his journey. After repairs, the bike continued on, and fortunately, the rest of the ride went relatively smoothly without major problems. However, once he entered Sichuan, due to poor road conditions, his bike broke down again. This time, the breakdown was much more severe than before.

The hardest part was the Sichuan-Tibet Highway. Jian said that because National Highway 318 between Yajiang and Litang was under full-scale reconstruction for 200 kilometers, he had to practically "push" his bike through that section. "The dust was so thick you couldn’t see the vehicles or the road ahead, and the ground was covered with fist-sized rocks." On one side were cliffs, on the other a sheer drop into rushing waters... Jian spent four or five days on this stretch, and his bike’s rear rack also broke. Right after that came the mountain passes. Four peaks over 4,000 meters high, three of which were above 5,000 meters. Jian said that at the highest points, he would feel a bit of chest tightness, but it would pass after a while. Once in the Tibetan region, due to the sparse population and lack of repair shops, his bike became increasingly unreliable. By the time he finally reached Medog County in Tibet, Jian had no choice but to have his "steed" shipped back to his hometown in Nanjing. "I calculated that from the time I left Nanjing until I set foot on Tibetan soil, it took a total of 95 days," Jian said.

Once in the Tibetan region, the biggest challenge for him was the altitude sickness. "I remember climbing a mountain beside National Highway 318 that was 4,100 meters high—I started having altitude sickness, feeling intense chest tightness and vomiting. I had no choice but to push my bike forward, thumping my chest with my hand to ease the symptoms. When I couldn’t go on, I’d stop and rest for a while before continuing."

The Meaning of Travel

When Jian set off, he brought a lot of gear: a double tent, an electric kettle, changes of clothes, a camera... So when thirsty, he’d melt snow for water, and when hungry, he’d cook instant noodles.

Jian said that although his food and lodging conditions weren’t great throughout the trip, he didn’t mind. "As long as I could eat my fill, have a bed to sleep in, and a place to shower, everything else was just a bonus!" he joked. Reporters learned that during the trip, his breakfast usually consisted of local staples like pancakes or steamed buns, costing no more than 4 yuan, while dinners were a bit better.

"Because I brought an induction cooker, I could buy vegetables and meat from local markets in the evening and cook them myself. After all, cycling is a high-energy activity, and just eating steamed buns isn’t enough. My wife, worried about me, bought me the induction cooker, which solved a lot of problems," Jian said. During the trip, he stayed in the cheapest possible lodgings, usually under 25 yuan per night.

Jian also said that after arriving in Sichuan, he took time to visit the children in Yingxiu Town, a quake-stricken area of Wenchuan, bringing them school supplies. After reaching Medog County in Tibet, he gave away the medications and candies his friends had prepared for him to underprivileged local children.

After starting his ride along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, Jian met many fellow cyclists. Often, younger riders who saw him pedaling slowly would accompany him for a stretch and chat with him. Along the way, Tibetan people were especially warm—"many times I stayed in their homes, and they treated me wonderfully." And if Jian was thirsty and couldn’t find water, he didn’t need to worry—many Tibetan kids would bring him homemade cold drinks.