This was to be a very big ride according to Komoot. It turned out not as bad as expected but still a very big day.
In the end, the ride was 78km with 1860 vertical. Not that stats matter, but the first 45kms were one big climb, and that’s definitely harder for me than riding similar numbers over an undulating course. For me, a climb like that fatigues me and provides no no opportunity for recovery.
Anyway, pain aside, it was one of the best days riding I’ve done.
I needed to get some food for the ride. I’d eaten a container of pineapple for breakfast but needed some stodge and coffee to keep me going. I bought some bread and things at a supermarket then waited for Luckin Coffee to open.
When they did, the food delivery guys all picked up the orders for their waking customers and disappeared. I was left to translate my order, but I had to use the website and google didn’t translate it for me. Totally stumped. The day couldn’t go ahead without this !
Luckily (ahem) the nice lady ordered for me and I paid her. Again WeChat makes everything easy here. Caffeinated, I got going.
As I left Yuanyang, the placement of the town between towering mountains became apparent. It had been raining as I arrived here, so I hadn’t seen it like this.
I’d driven up the hills to the south yesterday on my way to the rice terraces, and the ascent felt never ending. So it was now clear that today would be the same in the hills to the north.
Escaping the city through the newer section was easy, and I crossed the river and turned onto the road that is be on for all but the last 5kms.
Oh boy those hills and bridges ! They towered over me and I had a grin from ear to ear, until the uphill started. Sort of, I was grinning for most of the day, marvelling at the views. Throughout the day there were villages perched on ridges above and below me, with roads winding up to them and beyond.
Above all, the sun was out. I hadn’t seen so much blue sky since I was in Laos. I now feel like Vietnam doesn’t get blue sky 😁
You’d think that climbing for so long would get tedious but it didn’t. There were things happening and things to look at the whole way. It was rarely too steep for very long so it turned out to be quite manageable.
I arrived in the town of Potou hoping for some food at around 2pm. I expected a tiny village but found the opposite. One gigantic bowl of noodle soup later, I was ready for the last 5kms to the top of the pass. There was also a supermarket and I couldn’t resist a soft drink and packet of chops for later.
The road had been perfect The whole way but from the top it turned patchwork and bumpy. Still the descent was fun and the redsoil plains unfolded with every turn. It felt strange to not be pedalling. My left foot was quite sore. I guess there was relentless pressure on the pedals for hours. Hopefully it’s fine after a rest day.
At one stage I was expecting to arrive well after 6pm but thanks to the downhill, was soon expecting a 5:30 arrival. And then the thunderstorm hit. Rain jacket on, it started to get a little wild and windy and it poured down with thunder and lightening. I couldn’t find any good shelter, so I continued. I finally found a shed with a tiny overhang and stopped.
Then as quickly as it came, it was gone and people started emerging onto the very wet roads. Komoot also took me to a different address but Google maps saved the day and I arrived wet and very cold.
The Nice people at the hotel upgraded my room because they took pity on me after my big day.
More fun was to come. Dinner was at a small restaurant around the corner. Two grandparents were deputising at their son’s restaurant and they cooked a really nice pork dish for me. The old guy (probably my age) made a move green tea and kept refilling it. They were simply lovely people and there were plenty of photos taken.
When it came time to pay, WeChat refused, saying my debit cards wouldn’t accept payment. That’s not good as I didn’t have any cash. Luckily Alipay saved the day. This’ll need more investigation though. The restaurant people were happy to waive the cost of my meal – so nice. I’m glad I could eventually pay though.