Cycling DAY 1 - Beijing to Changping

Cycling from Beijing to Changping follows the Badaling expressway. The outer road has bike lanes in both directions. While it looks like the expressway itself also has a bicycle lane, I have never seen a bicycle on it. I don't think it is possible to get a bicycle on to the expressway; this will cause us a couple of problems over the next few days.

Things get chaotic on this road around the Shahe Railway Station. Watch for opening car doors. Karen finds out the hard way.

The route to Changping is marked to the Changping Urban Area. The turnoff from the Badaling Expressway into Changping is (very) approximately 30 kilometres (18.6 Miles) from the 4th Ring Road. You can turn right at the Olympic Cycling Velodrome (Laoshan), or keep going straight on past until you get to the Chanping Circle.

Changping Circle is a key landmark to navigation around Chanping. A statue of a man (Li Zicheng?) astride a horse adorns the centre of the circle. The various exits from this circle will take you to the Ming Tombs, Juyongguan and Badaling Great Walls and Changping. I don't think that cars are supposed to be inside the circle,but we see one person knocked off their bike by a car that scoots out of one of the tunnel exits. Eternal vigilence cyclists!

There is a mobile bike repair unit inside the Changping Circle. They mainly deal with punctures, and non-standard wheels and tubes are not supported.

We stay at the Auspicious Business Hotel on Fuxue Road. This is easy enough to find from Changping Circle. Take the South-East exit towards Changping (not Xiguan Road), and bear left on Zhengfu St - this will become Fuxue Rd. See our review of this hotel here.

To find the road to the Zhou and Ding Tombs - take the Northern Exit from Changping Circle. This is marked the G110. This road will take you past the turn-off to Shihsanling, Bohai and the Great Wall a Mutianyu (S308). This road also travles past the "Sacred Way" a long line of pavilion, statues and gates associated with the Ming Tombs.

The G110 is a busy road, but has a bike lane and good shoulders at times. There are many trucks on this road; it seems to be an alternate route to the Badaling Expressway. Look for the turnoff the Zhou and Ding Tombs to the right about 7-8 km (5 Miles) from the Changping Cirlcle. This is marked to the Ding Tombs.

A long day. 75 km (47 miles) in all. Now to see if we can get fed .......

Google Earth Resources:
Cycling Route - Beijing to Changping
Cycling Route - Changping to Ming Tombs
Cycling Route - Changping to Mutianyu
Placemarker - Changping Circle
Placemarker - AuspiciousHotelChangping
Placemarker - Bohai
Placemarker - Ding Tombs
Placemarker - Zhou Tomb

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