On July 27, 2012, the 30th Summer Olympic Games will open in London, UK. To promote the Olympic spirit and advocate a courageous, healthy, and positive lifestyle, members of the "Ailehuo 727 Cycling Team" set off from Kunming on February 15 of this year, embarking on their journey "cycling to London." At 7 p.m. Beijing time the night before last, they finally reached their destination—London. Popping open champagne, the group celebrated with drinks under the Tower of London. Looking back on the nearly six-month journey, they said it was filled with hardships and pain, but also laughter and tears.
Arrival in London
"Everyone should do something like this in their lifetime—to challenge themselves"
"When we left, my child was just six months old. Now he can crawl and even call me Dad," said Jiang Min. Though the cycling journey was tough and exhausting, he felt happy. "But every time I think of my son, I get a bit anxious." Thirty-three-year-old Jiang Min is the team leader of this expedition. He has cycled across the entire Zhejiang Province and has also ridden to Lhasa. In 2009, after seeing an online post titled "Cycling to London," his passion for cycling was reignited. "Everyone has dreams, but not everyone can realize them." The 11 cyclists named their team the "727 Cycling Team" based on the homophonic sound of "love to cycle." Later, with sponsorship and support from a website, and after successfully obtaining visas, they officially set off toward their goal on February 15 of this year.
At the start, the team held a swearing-in ceremony, with one of the first pledges being "to showcase the spirit of Chinese youth to people in the countries along the way." Jiang Min felt they had achieved this. In South Asia and European countryside areas, the team befriended locals and introduced China and their mission. In cities, they chatted with residents and taxi drivers to promote green travel. Initially, many thought they were Japanese, so the team changed tactics, greeting people with "Nihao" (Hello in Chinese) instead of "Hello" to make their nationality immediately clear, while also showing that there are people in China who love life and dare to pursue their dreams.
At the same time, the team used Weibo and the "Timeline" page on the Ailehuo website to let more young people learn about their lives and experiences in Europe, and to see the real world outside. Jiang Min hopes this will encourage more young people to step away from their computers, leave their homes, and realize that dreams are not out of reach. It took over three years from the idea’s conception in 2009 to its actual execution. Like many others in the team who gave up high-paying jobs, Jiang Min, who works in Nanjing, temporarily put aside his software company. His wife sometimes complains that he’s becoming a bit "obsessed to the point of neglecting everything else," but Jiang Min believes that everyone should do something like this in their lifetime—to challenge themselves and realize their dreams.
No place to camp, they once stayed in a cowshed
Setting off on February 15 of this year, the team traveled through nearly 20 countries—including China, Laos, Thailand, India, Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and the UK—covering a distance of over 17,000 kilometers. As for how many cities they passed through, they’ve lost count. "Sometimes we’d ride through several cities in a single day."
The cyclists usually wake up at 6 a.m. and set off promptly at 7 a.m. They cycle for two hours, covering around 30 kilometers, then stop at a market for breakfast. "We usually eat breakfast and lunch at supermarkets, having bread and milk to fill us up. Sometimes when it rains or the weather is bad, all three meals are bread. Occasionally, we buy sausages or roast chicken, but it’s usually cold." At noon, the team pauses their journey, spreads out waterproof mats, and takes a nap under a tree or bridge—in a cool, ventilated, and mosquito-free spot. In the afternoon, depending on the local climate and avoiding the hottest part of the day, they start cycling around 4 p.m., riding until about 9 p.m., when they shop for supplies and set up camp. The team cycles an average of about 110 kilometers per day. But in places like the Alps where climbing is required, the daily average drops to 70 kilometers, with a 10–15 minute break every hour. At night, the team sets up tents under supermarket parking lot awnings or under overpasses—anywhere they can find shelter from the rain.
Sometimes, they also ask residents for water or camp directly by lakes or rivers, where they cook meals on portable stoves and enjoy a "feast"—potatoes and beef stew. However, the team has also encountered situations where camping was not allowed, forcing them to stay in cowsheds on farms. "Cowsheds smell awful. Our tents still had the odor days later," Jiang Min laughed. "But we just needed a dry place to rest well—we weren’t looking for comfort." He added that they once went eight days without a shower. However, the team generally reaches a major city every four or five days, where they stay for one or two days, sometimes checking into a hotel, sightseeing, taking showers, doing laundry, charging phones, laptops, and GPS devices, calling family, and interacting with fans online. They document their cycling journey through photos and text.
"Getting meat at the next stop" became a motivating belief
Along the way, almost every cyclist took a fall, and some even had accidents at the foot of the Alps—going downhill with both the bike and the trailer carrying luggage, resulting in facial cuts and a dislocated right shoulder. With Italy’s hilly terrain, the cyclists’ knees and muscles would stiffen after a full day of climbing. So they motivated themselves with the thought, "We’ll get meat once we reach our destination," pushing on until 11 p.m. to finally arrive. "You have to give yourself something to look forward to, or you won’t be able to keep going," Jiang Min admitted. Cycling is simple, monotonous, and dull. "If your mental strength isn’t solid, you might have given up long ago."
At 7 p.m. Beijing time the night before last, the nearly six-month cycling journey came to a perfect end—the team finally arrived at their destination city, London. Everyone excitedly rode around iconic landmarks such as Tower Bridge, the Olympic Stadium ("London Bowl"), and Buckingham Palace, finally taking a group photo under Big Ben. "After three years of preparation, nearly six months of cycling, and crossing nearly 20 countries, the 'Ailehuo 727 Cycling Team' has arrived in London. We broke out the champagne to celebrate this dream-come-true moment—we did it!" they wrote on Weibo. Jiang Min said they would stay in London for 10 days to fully experience the charm of this ancient capital. On July 30, 31, and August 1, they will watch Olympic events such as gymnastics and diving to cheer on the Chinese delegation, then fly back to China on August 2. Reflecting on their decision to cycle, the team members all said they have "no regrets." Jiang Min strongly agreed with the words of a Chinese artist he met in Paris: "You should always challenge yourself, so when you’re older, you won’t feel that life has been dull."