[Travel Notes] 2-day National Day Cycling Tour around Taihu Lake

start

Today, a friend asked me about my cycling guide around Taihu Lake during the National Day last year. I remembered that I forgot to organize it at that time, so I woke up in the middle of the night and compiled the word count. The following is all narrated based on the timeline at that time.

The original plan for the National Day was to go to Chengdu to meet old classmates, but unfortunately I couldn’t get a high-speed rail ticket at first, so I chose to go far away for the nearer. I thought that cycling to see the scenery would be quite pleasant, and it would also allow a programmer of my size to When I went out to exercise, I happened to recall the experience of riding around Taihu Lake a few years ago by fellow student Yizhou. After a heart-to-heart talk, we made a plan.

I added the WeChat account of the owner of Suzhou Jinge Tiema Sports recommended by Yizhou. They operate cycling and other sports activities around Suzhou all year round. They are located on the second floor of the Modern Culture and Sports Center in Wuzhong District. I learned that renting a car from them only costs 80 yuan a day. If you are not just traveling around Taihu Lake, you can choose the route in the picture and it can be completed in 2 days. I searched the distance of key place names through Baidu Map according to the map, and made simple statistics, so that the mileage can be distributed evenly no matter when I set off.

Prepare

Cycling requires some preparation in the early stages. First of all, it’s about physical fitness. Because my weight has increased and I’ve been working for a few months, my weight has declined drastically. I’ve started to occasionally run long distances again. I run from my rented house to my alma mater in college every one or two days. After all, the total length of the ride is more than 260 kilometers. I must give it a try. The body is prepared.

Secondly, I am more concerned about the selection of equipment. Since I have no riding experience, I was particularly worried about unknown problems such as tire punctures on the road. I did some research and bought the two sets of riding equipment in the picture. Looking back now, there were still many things I didn’t notice at the time. Here are the items in order of importance. Let me highlight the key points for you:

1 Silicone saddle and riding pants

Please pay attention to the silicone seat cushion in the picture on the left. The package I purchased at the time came with this seat cushion. However, since I had never ridden long distances before, I mistakenly thought that it could protect my butt when I saw cycling pants for the first time. I didn’t take it to Suzhou to cover everything, and I didn’t ask for a saddle when I picked up the bike at the scene. As a result, I started wearing a pair by myself and a pair of cycling pants wrapped around the saddle on the second day of riding. The process was still very painful. Cool. Because the road is bumpy during long-distance riding, cycling pants alone are really not enough. Dear, everyone, especially male friends, must protect themselves. After all, for most people, riding is only an experience of two or three days in their lives.

2 Helmets and gloves

The boss also provided these two cars when renting a car. No matter how comfortable you are during the ride, you must wear a helmet. Gloves are also for shock absorption. If the road surface is good, you can grab a little or ride with your arms to prevent hand pain later.

3 Baidu Maps and Power Bank

You don’t need to install a speedometer. Baidu Maps real-time navigation can measure speed. You need to find the average pace that suits you and keep it at this speed. The mountain bike I use is heavier and the pace is about 13 Km/ h like this. Because you keep your phone on the stand for navigation, it’s best to prepare two power banks.

4 Polarized glasses, water bottle and face towel

If the light conditions are too good while riding, your eyes will be overwhelmed, so be prepared. The cycling bag I bought has a water bag, because if you are not competing, there is no need to be so exaggerated. A water bottle is fine. A face towel is more comfortable when it’s windy when riding, so I use a headscarf instead.

In addition to the 4 points mentioned above, you can match everything else according to your own preferences. When you pick up the car on site, the boss will give you tire accessories. If the tire gets punctured, you can ask other riders passing by to help you replace it (everyone in object-oriented programming, You don’t need to learn it yourself = =), although it didn’t come in handy when I was riding, there are really many people riding this route, and as long as it’s not dark, you should be able to find someone to help.

Set off

I really like September. Everything around me feels golden, just like the light in William Turner's paintings. It feels like everything is at its peak. My old friend Brother Shuo sent some crabs, and paired them with the peach blossom wine sent by my sister for my colleagues to taste together. The next day, September 30, I packed all the equipment in a backpack and took the high-speed train to Suzhou to meet my old classmates after get off work.

I met Cai Cai, Sister Feng, and Brother Zhang (I really hope you don’t see this photo), walked around Shantang Street, and then checked in. It was the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China. There was a fireworks show in Nanjing that night. Seeing how lively the circle of friends was, the whole city went out just like Dalian's New Year's Eve fireworks, and then stuck in traffic for three or four hours after it was over. This was what the golden age should have done. Scenes.

After getting up in the morning, I ate a big bowl of mutton noodles. It happened to be a little rainy, so I went to the hotel to watch the military parade. In the afternoon, I took a taxi to Wuzhong District Modern Culture and Sports Center. I paid a deposit and picked up the car. We officially set off at 2 p.m. .

By the way, regarding the choice of bike, generally speaking, road bikes are much faster than mountain bikes due to their narrow tires and low resistance. I met many road bike riders from Shanghai along the way (I’m just talking nonsense, I am not worthy of my friends), some of their speeds can reach 40Km/h, while the speed of mountain bikes may only be 20Km/h. But the disadvantage is that it is easy to puncture, and it is difficult for first-time riders to control it, so I still chose a mountain bike. I will definitely try a road bike next time.

first half day

According to the previous plan, I rode for 32 kilometers first. This road was all highway and there was no scenery. There were many farmers selling fruits and vegetables beside the road. I bought oranges and rested for a few minutes. Then I continued on my way, hoping to see them quickly. Taihu Lake. On the way to Taihu Lake, we have to pass through some countryside from the highway. The green and neat rice fields are illuminated by the lake, and I discovered that this area from Suzhou to Huzhou, Zhejiang has such a leisurely farm life.

Finally, I saw that it was almost dusk in Taihu Lake. There were layers of gray clouds on the lake that day, and only the northwest direction of Jinshan Temple showed light. The later it got, the more the light turned from white to gold, and the golden color turned from dots to lines, and finally merged into a golden belt. , which is particularly amazing against the scenery of lakes and mountains.

The cyclists passing by were all stunned. Everyone was riding hard, trying to get a closer look before it got dark. Some mountain bikers slowed down to look for a good angle to take pictures. I found a pavilion in the lake and took the photo with an ordinary mobile phone. I still regretted not buying the P30, which is said to be capable of shooting pictures.

When it got dark, I arrived at Qidu Town, where I found a hotel. I had another large portion of mutton in the evening. There were a lot of motorcade cars parked near the restaurant. There were indeed a lot of people riding bikes on Taihu Lake during the National Day. Because I posted a message on Moments, I learned that a college alumnus, Jin, was 30 kilometers ahead of me and stopped in Huzhou. Well, she was passing through Taihu Lake to visit Zhejiang with a group of 58 people from several schools in Shanghai.

the next day

I feel more free when riding alone, but my body is not very comfortable after riding for a long time. No one chatted with me from beginning to end, only fellow riders occasionally passing by to cheer each other up, so I wanted to finish the ride in 2 days. Since we have ridden about 60 kilometers in the first half day, there are still 200 kilometers left, so it will take us one and a half days to complete the ride. I set out early the next morning, planning to rest in Hejiang in the evening. If I had the chance, I might even hear some stories about King Helu of Wu.

Today's ride was completely around Taihu Lake. The scenery was indeed very good, but the wind was a bit strong, so I wore thicker clothes and used a scarf to cover my mouth and nose. The incorrect way you rode on the first day started to show up today. For example, you have been sitting and riding almost never standing up, which will press on the nerves near your sitting bones and make it uncomfortable. So today I changed to riding 500 meters standing up for a while. .

The PP was also very uncomfortable. Because it didn’t come with a silicone seat cushion, one pair of cycling pants was simply not enough, so I wrapped another pair of washed cycling pants around the seat cushion, and occasionally had to sit slightly sideways to continue riding. Later I realized that cycling turned out to be a test of PP.

Also, the height of the riding bench should not be too low. It is more appropriate for the thighs and calves to have a knee bend of about 20 degrees after stepping on the bottom.

In the morning, I rode 53 kilometers and reached Jiangsu. I went to a small town to eat, and then found a milk tea shop to rest.

The sun came out in the afternoon and it got a little hot, so I quickly sprayed on some sunscreen (it was actually okay to wear a headscarf), and then continued on my way. However, my physical strength was obviously not enough in the afternoon. PP was still uncomfortable as before, and the body's electrolytes were also lost quickly. I often went to the small town to find a supermarket to replenish water. By the way, some functional drinks taste a little disgusting after drinking them. Until I bought happy water, the super authentic taste made me persist for the last 7 kilometers, and finally rested in Fenshui Town.

Hejiang still has 25 kilometers to ride from Fenshui, so we took a rest early as it was getting dark. Jinshan Temple is also not far from Fenshui. Although it is a little higher than the original route, it is still worth going. However, due to the National Day holiday, all the hotels were booked in advance, so I was unable to join in the fun. I have planned my own plan for tomorrow. I have ridden more than 110 kilometers today, and there is still about 90 kilometers left. I will try to finish it in the afternoon tomorrow, so that I can pay less than 80 yuan a day in rent (I will tell you).

the last half day

In the end, we drove all the way to the southeast~~We finally arrived at 3pm. I gave the car to the boss, deducted two days' rent, found a hotel to rest for a while, and then returned to Nanjing that night, OVER, and continued to sleep.