The Joys and Rewards of Long-Distance Cycling

On August 24, the weather was fine, and we made a spontaneous decision to go on a long ride. We set our destination at Yanchi Town, 62.4 kilometers from home, making for a round trip of 124.8 kilometers.

Yanchi is a very remote town in Mentougou District, deep in the mountains west of Beijing. I am not sure how it got its name; perhaps the word describes the rugged, hard-to-reach terrain. In the past, even reaching Yanchi by car felt far away, but after all this cycling training, we now have the stamina to ride such a distance. We were not daunted by the destination, and we are already planning to ride even farther next time.

Early in the morning, we prepared the food we would take on the road: home-made scallion pancakes, pan-fried chicken tenders, boiled eggs and corn. The water had been chilled in the refrigerator several days ahead. Because of COVID-19, we did not plan to buy food or water along the way, so we prepared everything ourselves.

Our gear was very simple. My son's and my wife's bicycles were both entry-level mountain bikes—the cheapest we picked out at a local mountain-bike shop. My own bike was a Phoenix commuter that I had ridden for years and overhauled several times; its 24-inch tires are not really suited to mountain riding.

We named our son's bike the "Young Hero," my wife's the "Queen," and my long-serving commuter the "Cook"—because it has a big basket in which all our road food and water were carried.

Although our income was more than enough to buy far higher-spec bicycles, we chose the cheapest, simplest gear. This is dictated by our family philosophy: whatever goal we want to achieve, achieve it at the lowest possible cost. That way we do not feel life's pressure, are not led by the nose by life, can be as self-reliant as possible, and enjoy great freedom.

I remember a year ago, when I bought my son his first pair of Nike basketball shoes and a pair of Adidas running shoes, because he was practicing basketball and running for the high-school entrance PE exam. I wanted him to have two decent pairs so he would not hurt his feet. He loved the shoes and said to me: "Dad, we are really a middle-class family; we could have lived like this long ago. Why didn't we?"

I told him that I do not want our life to be too luxurious, and that I do not want us to sink endlessly into a sea of desire just to maintain a high-cost lifestyle. If we can be happy in a simple, frugal life, then we can remain at peace under any circumstances and do what interests us, regardless of how much we earn. What I want to train in him is precisely the ability to live happily under any condition.

Riding more than 120 kilometers takes about ten hours, since cycling speed is roughly 12 kilometers per hour. We set out at 9:15 in the morning and got home at 7:20 in the evening—exactly ten hours of riding.

It was a tiring ride, but we were not wiped out when we got home. I still had the energy to write this article, my wife still had the energy to handle work matters—her school was about to start and she had lots of liaison work with students—and my son still had the interest and energy to read a while. After this period of exercise, our physical fitness has genuinely improved.

The road to Yanchi Town is uphill and hard to ride. Before we even reached the Shibatan (Eighteen Pools) scenic area west of Beijing, my son was already complaining and bargaining with me. I do not give my son pocket money, but he can earn rewards for cycling or doing housework; he has to earn his spending money himself, and incidentally we cultivate habits of labor and exercise.

He thought the amount I offered before we set out was too low and unreasonable, and wanted more. I refused; I did not want to inflate his appetite. I only told him that if he gave up the goal midway, he would get nothing. The two of us bickered back and forth along the way.

My son said his old man was shameless and took pleasure in cheating his kid. Trifling and joking with him along the way was actually quite fun. Many parents think children should be grateful; I think parents have even more to be grateful for—we should be grateful for our children's company. Without them, our lives would be far less enjoyable.

My son has reached the age of humor and is always full of witty remarks, so we laughed a great deal on the road. At midday the sun blazed down as we climbed. He was exhausted and kept protesting and complaining, but I made him keep going and not give up the goal easily.

I told him the story of how, as a child, I accompanied his grandfather pulling a handcart, delivering preserved Songhua eggs to shops in the various towns of our home region. We were poor then; to earn extra money to support my studies and my elder uncle's, his grandfather made Songhua eggs during the slack farming season and wholesaled them to small shops in several nearby towns. On blazing-hot days, his grandfather and I would set out at dawn, carrying steamed buns his grandmother had made. His grandfather pulled the cart in front and I pushed from behind.

At midday, under just such a scorching sun, my throat was parched, and what I wanted most was a bottle of orange soda to quench my thirst. But to save money, his grandfather always said: "Son, hold on a little longer; there is a village ahead with a well. We can beg a bowl of well water—cold and refreshing, better than soda." I had to grit my teeth and push on to the next village to drink well water. I was only twelve or thirteen then.

My father's way of doing things tempered my willpower. So even in my forties, I remain someone who can persevere; no matter how many setbacks and difficulties I suffer, I will not give up lightly. There are many moments in life when we must challenge our limits. Only by forging a strong will can we avoid being defeated by hardship.

I am a person of ordinary talent, but because I can persevere, over the years I have learned something and written quite a few articles. This proves that diligence can make up for dullness: a person of mediocre gifts, as long as he keeps striving, can still accomplish something.

The reason I can persevere is probably that, from childhood, my father unconsciously forged a strong will in me. A teenager whose throat is parched yet still grits his teeth and pushes a cart under the blazing sun will not easily be crushed by any hardship when he grows up.

After my son heard this story, he stopped talking about giving up. On our previous ride up Miaofeng Mountain, in the last few kilometers, he and his mother were both exhausted and wanted to quit, but I flatly refused. I told my wife that if we abandon our goals at the first difficulty, our child will grow up ready to give up on everything and achieve nothing in life. We may rest when tired, but we must not give up. He really was exhausted, his heart racing, so I let him use my thigh as a pillow and nap under the shade halfway up the mountain. When he woke, his energy and strength had returned; we climbed on and finally reached the summit.

It is unlikely our family will ever return to the poverty of my childhood, so letting my child temper his will through hard living is not possible. Sending him to a construction site to toughen up is also unrealistic; I am not that kind of brutal parent. But tempering his will through cycling like this is possible. I hope he may fail in life, but never be defeated. People who are easily defeated rarely become positive and optimistic, while those hard to defeat tend to be indomitable optimists.

Long rides are time-consuming; we cannot do them every day, but one or two long rides a month can raise endurance. The hills west of Beijing are beautiful—lush waters and elegant scenery, sparsely populated—and riding along the western Beijing routes lifts the mood and relieves stress.

I have agreed with my son that, during his high-school years, we will take such rides from time to time. After he finishes the college entrance exam, we might even ride from northern China all the way south to our home province of Hubei. I hope this wish will one day come true.