What could be a better way to start the New Year than joining a bike ride? I think there is nothing better 🙂 But it seems some people did not agree on this sunny and not too cold day. It seems most people decided to drive their cars on this public holiday in China and sit in traffic jams. There was so much congestion as there were no driving restrictions today – that means cars with any license plate were allowed to drive. But at least in some areas in Beijing there is a fence between the car lane and the bicycle lane so that no car can just use the cycling lane.
We were just a small group of 6 cyclists ranging from hard core triathletes, fixed gear cyclists to leisurely riders. We headed out for the peloton Wenyu river loop. We went along the Beijing canals. As the temperature was just around zero the canals were not frozen. Some of the bridges are actually very nice.
We did a short break to look for some not too dirty plastic bag to cover the feet inside the shoes so that they do not freeze so much. It is a very easy and effective solution that I still have not tried. Next time when it is colder I will try that before I leave the house.
We continued along the Wenyu river towards the South.
We found a not so well maintained golf course a long the way. We fixed gear riders decided to check if it is nice to skid on the green. And it is! You should try it. Just go to your nearest golf course. The grass on the green is really smooth and enhancing the ability to skid.
Then we rode in the winter sun along the canal back to the city center. It was so nice and peaceful.
In the city we went to the Jamaica Blue peloton cafe South of the Chaoyang Park to meet up with other cyclists, have lunch and defrost our fingers and toes. It is great to see that at least some of the cyclists do not care about it being winter in Beijing and still coming out on bike rides like some of the fixed gear riders.
