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English Version 27
Monday 28.04.08
Yangxian
I’m a bit excited about how this day will bring me all the way through
the mountains and down to a big valley/plain. According to the map I’ll
have to go to another valley first, so there’ll probably be some
climbing.
Foping is at 500 m.
10 km down along the river something happens. It hasn’t felt THAT steep
but suddenly I see the river lying there deep below and behind me. Up
and down I transver the mountains, which are not so high here.
At a gearshift the chain suddenly goes past the smallest cogwheel and
gets stuck. I try to get it loose for at least 20 min with any result.
It gets loose in one side or the other but never at both. The chain
divider is lying at the bottom of a rear pannier and what do my hands
look like? After the help of first one screwdriver then two I suddenly
succeed without them. A sigh of relief, but do I have to go on with
these hands?
I suddenly remember two Chinese wet tissues I brought with me from a
hotel for you never know. And where are they now? Yes – in one of my leg
pockets. Carefully I unlock the pocket!
This one wet tissue does a small miracle. I wonder what they’re filled
with?
When I have fought the road up to 985 m there’s a tunnel. It’s more than
2 km. It goes straight and I can see the light in the other end, but 2
km is still a long way. With 12 km/h it takes 5 min. Can I go that far
without anyone coming from behind? – I have to be lucky then. You can
just faintly see a dot of light in the other end.
I put my headlight on just in case. That’s useful it shows, because the
light is so and so. It’s on when it’s not off, and that’s the case for
more parts of 2-300 m. I wait until some trucks have passed. NOW it is.
It must be this one the Americans talked about I would have to go up
through, but it’s not at all steep. After some time there is a space to
the right. I go on… A truck is on its way from behind, there must be
other space coming up? At last, this time to the left. I go there and
wait for it to pass. Go on…
When I’m through the sweat is dripping from my nose – I hate tunnel!
1055 m and a fantastic descent follows. The road is excellent and I have
a feeling of Vaucluse in France in the summer, just a bit colder and
with more green surroundings.
 |
 |
| Yet another tunnel | For some time I followed the highway |
The rape has long ceased flowering here and the barley is soon ripe.
The potato plants are already big. In the new valley the road constantly
climbs and descents. But neither here do I just have to follow the
river. Again and again over new heights. At last I encounter with the
highway, as promised by the map. I pass under its long legs across the
valley. Go high above it some time later. Again under it and like this
it goes on. Another long day. It has got frying hot. The distances on
the map are not precise here. I end up at 95, which should have been 75.
97.66 km
16.15 km/t
6:02:45 tim
42.8 km/t