Biking in China

Thanks for the offer!
We are currently cycling north along the Vietnam coast, headed into Laos and then up through western Yunnan and Sichuan. Our plan is to cycle maybe to Chengdu, then to Dege and on to Lhasa and Kathmandu. I understand the section from Dege to Lhasa can only legally be done as part of an organized tour, which is expensive. I also read about cyclists doing it illegally....... We are trying to decide whether we should go ahead and dodge the checkpoints, spent a lot of dollars and go organized, or skip the hole thing and take a 4WD from Dege to Lhasa.......
There you have it, what do you think?
Patrick

I didn't go on the 2006 Hainan to Tibet bike trip for a number of reasons ranging from having doctors' appointments in the US to one of my best friends scheduling a summer wedding so I could be maid of honor ... and my friends had the bad taste to invite me to come with them a full five HOURS after I bought my airline ticket.

However, I can ask them which route they took and how they dealt with the checkpoints.

I'm pretty sure I remember hearing them mention Dege.

Illegal in China is always a question of who, where, what, when, and why. And although a fair number of cyclists ride to the Roof of the World (including Chinese ones) bikes pose an interesting problem when they are trying to decide exactly what you are.

After twenty minutes discussion (in which I wasn't involved in the slightest) between a number of officials about whether I was a vehicle or a pedestrian when I left China for Vietnam last January (Dongxing/Mong Cai) they finally decided that I was a car and needed to leave the hall I was in and go through the line for drivers. Had a very nice soldier who carried my (loaded) bike back down the stairs for me. And the drivers' line turned out to be MUCH MUCH SHORTER than the pedestrian line too. :)
Of course the twenty minutes discussion pretty much negated that advantage .... but, at least I didn't get 20 minutes + the long line.

I haven't ridden in Yunnan or Sichuan (yet) but I have contacts with the cycling associations there as well as a few bike shops. Since it'll be a while before you get to Chengdu (and then Dege) it is probably best for me to get you in contact with the bikers in Chengdu and then, once you are in Chengdu, to ask them what the situation currently is with cyclists going into Tibet.

Things in China are very quickly very changeable especially with regards to hotspots like Tibet. What is illegal right now might be legal tomorrow and illegal again next week.

As someone who hasn't been to Tibet (yet) I'm personally inclined to believe that if you aren't going around clearly carrying pictures of the Dalai Lama where they can find them in a cursory search that you are unlikely to be kept out of Tibet, and once you make it past the first checkpoint you're in... right?

Remember you are an ignorant foreigner who no can speak Chinese and didn't know you weren't allowed to bike on this road.

-M

Hi M,

I am also very grateful for your offer. We are a couple who cycled from Holland to Delhi and in March we want to continue to Beijing. We would like to cycle from Kathmandu to Lhasa, but we are keen on having the right papers. We heard from a group that did it by hiring a truck and cycle behind it? Do you happen to have any idea if this is possible, and how much it would cost? I know these are very detailed questions, but, hey, maybe you know?!!

Thank you so much in advance for your answer!!

Thank you M for taking the time to answer. It seems things in China are not black or white and that's sometimes hard to deal with..... We are so fortunate to have the internet and be able to correspond almost instantly with people. Thanks again for your input. Please sent me a PM if you learn more information.
Patrick

I will be trekking in Nepal in May 2007. I am also into cycling (road or MTB) and would love to do something like cycling from Lhasa to Kathmandu (I am feeling lazy, so have picked the net downhill direction). I won't have a bike with me.

Is there any hope of being able to hire a reasonable bike in Lhasa and do a supported bike ride along the Friendship Highway?

A trip over a week or two (50-100km/day) would be great.

Any contacts you can give me will be appreciated.

One thing I have learned from over 25 years of traveling is not worry to much about what is legal/illegal or allowed and not allowed. In most cases, officials will say you can't do something if they're not sure because they don't want to get into trouble. I find it best to just do it and deal with whatever consequences after the fact. Usually, it's just a matter of apologizing and claiming ignorance. The odd time, I've had to pay a few dollars or I've been escorted away from where I was but it was a heck of a lot more convenient then waiting around or not going.

Perfect illustration oh this point. Years ago, I hung around for a couple of days trying to get on a train on my way back from Darjeeling in Siliguri. They kept telling me the train was full and I couldn't get tickets, I got fed up and just go on the train, eventually the conductor came around for the ticket, I said I didn't have one, he charged me a few rupees extra I think and that was the end of it. I waited 2 days for nothing... That was my lesson learned... Never again!

bikechina.com does supported Tibet trips along with bike rentals.

He's a bit sketchy regarding prompt response to email but from what I've heard of them from people who have done their tours they are reasonably priced and well run etc etc...

Tibet is probably the one place in China that I know the least about cycling in. I had the chance to go summer 2006 but decided, instead, that the friend who had scheduled her wedding to coincide with my dates in the US so I could be maid of honor might possibly be annoyed if I chose instead to bike to Lhasa.

-M

Do it this year! We are considering going with Bikechina, but currently it is only me an my wife which makes the trip too expensive for us. With two more riders we could possilby afford it!
P

Hi Marian! Welcome to the TT On Your Bike branch! I was wondering when you would come over here! I'm Nancy in Xi'an. Not a cycle tourer, but I like meeting them.

Nancy, in the US now for three more weeks