Fundraising Target: $10,000
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Currently: 10,599 people -- SPREAD THE MESSAGE
The Trip Starts July 3, 2005 and ends August 25, 2005 (see route & schedule)
Bike Across China
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Pre-Trip

Autism In China -- An Amazing Day
Beijing -- Thu, Jun 23, 2005
In the past two days we have met with Special Olympics East Asia, Stars and Rain (one of the only schools in China for children with Autism), and Trek Beijing. This whirlwind trip has ended highly successfully. Special Olympics and Trek have agreed to help with publicity and Stars and Rain has agreed to help with our volunteer days. But moreover -- we got to spend three hours with an incredible organization.

Stars and Rain was founded in 1992 by Tian Huiping and the story is absolutely incredible. She had to fight through bureaucracy and public perception in a time when children with disabilities were (and still are) hidden from society and there was little government or community support for her actions. Her son is just about Blake's, my little brother, age and was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old.

You can only imagine how she felt in a country with absolutely no social support and a culture that expects your children to provide for you in your old age. She says, "I felt depressed, alone; I did not know what to do." But she somehow overcame these feelings and has now established the premier school for children with autism in China. Fang Wen Guang put it best when he whispered to me, "I have learned more in this day that I have all year in school." An amazing woman -- a true hero.

Training -- Beijing to Baoding
Baoding -- Sat, Jun 18, 2005
Fang Wen Guang and I just completed our longest training ride yet 180km in the scorching heat. We were a bit bruised and battered by the end, but nothing a little food and peijou couldn't fix.

We met a Japanese fellow biking from Japan to Portugal on our trip. He was alone, on a mountain bike, and had clothes and gear that weighed at least 75lbs. We hear he is in Xi'an now -- we'll try to keep you posted about his travels as well.

 

Trip Diary
Pre-trip
Stage 1: Shanghai - Nanjing (7/3 - 7/6)
Stage 2: Nanjing - Hefei (7/8 - 7/9)
Stage 3: Hefei - Xi'an (7/11 - 7/19)
Stage 4: Xi'an - Lanzhou (7/22 - 7/27)
Stage 5: Lanzhou - Jiayuguan (7/29 - 8/5)
Stage 6: Jiayuguan - Turpan (8/7 - 8/16)
Stage 7: Turpan - Urumqi (8/18 - 8/19)
Stage 8: Urumqi - Korgaz (8/22 - 8/28)

Date Title Location
Aug 23 Sweet Pain -- We Made It Korgaz
Aug 22 Uphill to Wind Lake Salima Hu
Aug 21 Biking The Prisoneer Highway Along the Red Pepper Mountains JingHe
Aug 20 Chinese Mothers TunHe
Aug 19 The Final Volunteer Day Urumqi
Aug 18 Urumqi, What a City Urumqi
Aug 17 The Last Day for Wen Ray and Fang Wen Guang Urumqi
Aug 16 Rugged Desert and The Police
Aug 15 The Second Lowest Place in the World Turpan
Aug 14 Toilet Paper vs. Prostitutes QiKeTai
Aug 13 Sunset is Nice, Biking in the Dark Isn't YiWanQuan
Aug 12 Meeting Our Match Hami
Aug 11 Dry to the bone Hami
Aug 11 Gobi Down Hami
Aug 10 Small Town China Small town on edge of desert
Aug 9 Chinese Customer Service (Negotations) Dunhuang
Aug 8 Let's Talk About The Roads Dunhuang
Aug 7 Kao, Kao, Kao Lamb's Barn
Aug 6 Sick Returns Yumen
Aug 5 Volunteer Day in Jiayuguan Jiayuguan
Aug 4 Being a Chinese Wingman Jiayuguan
Aug 3 The Desert Has Arrived QingShui
Aug 2 Talking Politics in China Zhengye
Aug 1 Biking the Great Wall Zhengye
Jul 31 Where's the Beef... No Lamb? Small Village
Jul 30 A Toilet Seat Would Be Nice WuWei
Jul 29 Being a Celebrity TienJou
Jul 29 The Faces We Pass TienJou
Jul 28 Volunteer Day in Lanzhou Lanzhou
Jul 27 I got a visa ;) Lanzhou
Jul 26 The Six Questions Lanzhou
Jul 25 Why Bike Across China? HuiNing
Jul 24 The Mountain Climbs Begin LongDe
Jul 23 The West Has Arrived YongChuang
Jul 22 Sick or Not the Kilometers Must Go On YongShou
Jul 22 Three Stages Down -- Five to Go YongShou
Jul 21 A Full Volunteer Day in Xi'an Xi'an
Jul 20 Leaving Relics at the Terracotta Warriors Xi'an
Jul 19 And I thought I was ok... Xian
Jul 17 Longest day ever TongGuang
Jul 16 No Hot Water Until 6pm Luoyang
Jul 15 Volunteer Day in ZhengZhou ZhengZhou
Jul 14 XuChang to ZhengZhou ZhengZhou
Jul 13 Zhumadian to XuChang XuChang
Jul 12 News Clip from Nanjing Newspaper Zhumadian
Jul 12 10 Days Down Zhumadian
Jul 11 Chinese law is not always written Xin Yang
Jul 10 Biking at Night Huang An
Jul 9 Easy Day to Lu'an Lu'an
Jul 8 Sad I Don't Have the Answer Hefei
Jul 7 The Chinese Countryside Quan Jiao
Jul 6 Teaching English in Nanjing Nanjing
Jul 5 Rain is a beautiful thing Nanjing
Jul 4 Happy Independence Day in China Changzhou
Jul 3 Hot, hot, hot in Suzhou Suzhou
Jul 2 Autism in Shanghai Shanghai
Jun 23 Autism In China -- An Amazing Day Beijing
Jun 18 Training -- Beijing to Baoding Baoding
   
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