Our Experience Cycling to Wulong

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In order to have at least one unforgettable experience in my college life, as a fat homebody who doesn't like sports, I actually decided to ride 200 kilometers to Wulong as part of a group ride.



Some people might say 200 kilometers is a piece of cake, but it wasn’t easy for me. I had to think about whether my body could handle it after just having surgery. However, I decided to challenge myself and do it. As a result, it took us four days to complete what was originally thought to be a two-day journey.



The first day, it took us a long time to leave our starting point, Chongqing. This was my introduction to the pain of riding in Chongqing. I didn’t know how to shift the gears of the mountain bike, which meant I was unable to conserve energy. In fact, an uphill climb on the viaduct almost killed me! When getting off the bike, I could only manage a few steps, and my butt went numb after sitting on the seat for so long. But I soon realized that being numb was nothing, it was the pain that was unbearable.



The journey is not over!! I kept thinking to myself to dismiss the idea of giving up.



Though I fought through the temptation to give up, it was very hard for me to make a 10 km climb uphill! Whatever, let’s go, persistence is victory! Unfortunately, we couldn’t see the road when we went into a tunnel, it was complete darkness. Luckily, a family on their way offered to take us to the nearest town, which was relatively large and gave us a place to stay.



The next day was Tomb-Sweeping Day, and of course it was raining! No big deal, in the afternoon we put our raincoats on and went on our way. There were many challenges, including the rain, needing some shelter, having a chain fall off, brake failure and other difficulties. Despite all of these, we arrived in Fuling! Fuling was a milestone where I had an experience that still makes me laugh...and cry! The front brake of my bike was stuck, so it took A LOT of energy to keep going. Well, at least I can ride the rest of the way.



I must thank our captain who prohibited me from taking a car no matter how slow I rode! Without his help, I would never have made it to Wulong!



The bike was repaired on the third day. It was still raining heavily, so I took a rest in the small town of Baima. Since the bike was fixed, I was feeling great!



The weather was fine on the fourth day, we rode into Wulong, the mood of everyone was great. It was also sunny outside, and I had some time to enjoy the scenery along the way. This was the best part of the trip for me, and it wasn’t close!



We arrived in Wulong at noon. I realized then that "persistence is victory". "Any difficulty can be overcome in the future." We spent a lot of time and money, to see more beautiful scenery, that’s enough! It was difficult for others to relate to our unforgettable experience. But I have to say, there are some things you will never do if you don't do them now, so if you’re procrastinating or hesitating on starting something, do it, and do it NOW! The rewards will be amazing, trust me.

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