“Take a train to Lhasa, to see the magical Potala, to see the most beautiful Gesang flowers blooming under the snow-capped mountains...” Many people choose to fly or take the train to visit the beautiful sacred city of Lhasa in their hearts, but two junior boys from Suqian College opted for bicycles. At noon on June 28, when reporters contacted the two students, they had already reached Sanmenxia City in Henan.
Bicycle Flat Tires on Mountain Roads
The two boys are named Mao Linlin and Xie Tianyou, both 22 years old. Mao is from Nantong, and Xie is from Xuzhou. They are both 2009 students majoring in Digital Media Art and good friends sharing the same dorm room.
When reporters reached Xie Tianyou, he said apologetically, “My tire blew out and I need to fix it. Let Mao Linlin talk to you!”
Mao Linlin said over the phone that they were in a place with no villages or towns nearby, and it was raining. They set off at 6 a.m. on June 20 from Suqian College and arrived in Xuzhou that evening. On June 21, they traveled from Xuzhou to Dangshan City in Anhui; on the 22nd, they arrived in Minquan County, Henan; on the 23rd, they reached Kaifeng, Henan; on the 24th, they spent a day sightseeing in Kaifeng; on the 25th, they arrived in Zhengzhou, Henan; on the 26th, they reached Luoyang, Henan; on the 27th, they specially visited the Longmen Grottoes in Luoyang; and on the 28th, they arrived in Sanmenxia City, Henan.
During this time, Mao Linlin and Xie Tianyou got up at around 5 a.m. every day and started cycling after 6 a.m. If they came across a restaurant at noon, they would eat there; otherwise, they cooked something themselves. For safety reasons, they avoided night riding and looked for accommodation around 6 or 7 p.m., preferably in towns, county seats, or suburban areas to save some money.
While talking to the reporter, Xie Tianyou’s tire was replaced. Mao Linlin said they needed to keep moving. “Otherwise, we might not find a place to stay, and that would be terrible!”
At around 7 p.m. on the 28th, the Express reporter contacted Mao Linlin again. He said they had been cycling all day on mountain roads amid the rain, with muddy paths everywhere. “Xie Tianyou’s tire blew out in the morning, and mine did in the afternoon too. Now we’re covered in mud—we’re like mud people!” Mao Linlin remarked with emotion.
Still, the few days of the journey have also brought a lot of gains for Mao Linlin and Xie Tianyou. “We started as just two people, but in Kaifeng we met another cyclist heading to Lhasa. It turned out he was an alumnus from our college, surnamed Li, from Wuxi, who quit his job to go to Lhasa. This afternoon in the mountains, we met another cyclist going to Tibet, surnamed Yin, from Shandong, who also quit work to cycle to Lhasa!”
Passing Through Six Provinces, Estimated Over 4,000 Kilometers
According to Baidu search results, the driving distance from Suqian to Lhasa is 3,755 kilometers, mostly via highways. But Xie Tianyou and Mao Linlin are cycling there, so they can’t use highways. They told reporters that their cycling distance would conservatively exceed 4,000 kilometers.
Mao Linlin said that he and Xie Tianyou came up with the idea of cycling to Lhasa in the second half of their junior year. To prepare for the long trip, they had been training for a semester. The first step was physical training. They often used weekends or holidays for cycling workouts, usually riding to towns around Suqian. Their longest ride was a 160-kilometer night loop around Luoma Lake, completed in 12 hours.
Then came route planning. Mao Linlin said they planned to start from Suqian and follow National Highway 318 westward, passing through Anhui and Henan, reaching Xi’an in Shaanxi, then taking National Highway 108 from Xi’an to Chengdu in Sichuan, and finally following the Sichuan-Tibet Highway straight to Lhasa in Tibet.
In addition, Mao Linlin and Xie Tianyou prepared essential outdoor cycling gear such as helmets, tents, and backpacks. “Each of us also saved about 4,000 yuan, most of which we earned through part-time work, with some help from our parents.”
With everything ready, at 6 a.m. on June 20, they set off from the west gate of Suqian College as planned and embarked on their long journey to Lhasa.
Proving That Post-90s Can Also Shine
Xie Tianyou and Mao Linlin were both born in 1990. “People may think that post-90s are always kids who need their parents’ constant care, but we’re already 22. We also want to challenge ourselves!”
Mao Linlin said that he and Xie Tianyou have always enjoyed outdoor cycling, and cycling to Lhasa has been their dream. “Once we thought of it, we wanted to give it a try—mainly to challenge ourselves, push our limits, and prove that post-90s can also shine.”
When speaking with the reporter, Mao Linlin said his bicycle’s cyclometer had just passed 800 kilometers. “After entering Henan, there are more hills, up and down, making it really tough to ride. But no matter what, we’ll keep going!” Mao Linlin said firmly.
Xie Tianyou has a younger brother, while Mao Linlin is the only child in his family. Mao said that although he is the only child, his parents have always trusted him and supported his idea, so when he proposed cycling to Tibet, they readily agreed. Xie Tianyou’s parents were initially a bit worried, but later consented. “Although they didn’t stop us, they were still very concerned and called us every day to ask about our health, if we were tired, or if we faced any difficulties. We always let them know we’re safe as soon as we settle down!” Mao Linlin said with a laugh during the call.
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