Ride Report: China, "The Middle Kingdom Ride"

MKRIDE Pictures are IN!

I am just writing to let you know that after two weeks on the road we have a great selection of images we'd love to share with you. Riding long hours every day as proven difficult and updating our followers with images regularly is even tougher, we appreciate your patience. Today the MKRIDE Team is enjoying a rest day in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia, so we've had some time to organize our images and get them out to everyone, links to our images are below.

The journey so far has exceeded all expectations. The expedition has taken us through extreme heat, intense traffic and some of the worst flooding China has seen in a decade. Through all of this the MKRIDE team has navigated their way safely through Eastern China, the borderlands with North Korea and the grasslands of Inner Mongolia. Each day is filled with amazing scenery, and captivating personal stories. Our days are so full and intense that events that occurred only one week ago seem a month old already.

The MKRIDE team would like to thank everyone for following our journey so far, and we hope that you'll continue to follow us as well as introduce our expedition and our stories to your family, friends and colleagues. As our expedition is now 25% completed there is a strong realization among our MKRIDE team that we are truly doing something very special, and China is playing it's part by offering us incredible landscapes and amazing experiences on a daily basis. China is one of the most remarkable country's in the world, and this expedition is really a special opportunity for brothers Colin and Ryan re-connect and ride their motorcycles 20,000 km in 60 days around this awesome country.

With 25% of our behind us we can't wait to get started on the next portion of our journey. We wanted to take this opportunity to thank our sponsors: BMW China, Touratech, The Tomson Group, Airhawk, Pelican Products, Kodak, Oakley, Cardo Systems, Lowe Pro & Mandarin House. As well as remind everyone out there that our Charitable partner for our expedition around China is the SEVA Foundation, who for more than 30 years, has served people around the world who are struggling for health, cultural survival and sustainable communities. You can learn more about SEVA by visiting their website. We also want to thank all our fans and followers for all their emails offering support and kind words.

Looking forward from Inner Mongolia, the MKRIDE team will head West through Gansu and Xinjiang before dropping in to Western Tibet. Links to our pictures are below.

MKRIDE Pictures:

1) Trip Preparation LINK
Actual Link: http://archive.ryanpyle.com/gallery/...0001B2NYqu1cOY

2) MKRIDE Week 1 LINK
Actual Link: http://archive.ryanpyle.com/gallery/...0002C88njQakPI

3) MKRIDE Week 2 LINK
Actual Link: http://archive.ryanpyle.com/gallery/...000k1BvL663GAI

Hello,

I just wanted to make you aware that the MKRIDE team is not only traveling vast distances each day, we are also cutting clips and sharing our journey with the wider world as we travel.

We have created two new video clips, please see below:

Video #1 - MKRIDE 2 Week Trailer - LINK
This is just a very very brief clip showing the type of experiences that we've been enjoying so far on our journey.
Actual LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxAxdHLErWc

Video #2 - MKRIDE Hits China's Worst Traffic Jam - LINK
This is a brief clip showing the MKRIDE team getting stuck in a massive traffic jam spanning from Beijing westward to China's Inner Mongolia province.
Actual LINK: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqPIy6qjvH0

Enjoy.

Day 16 - The MKRIDE team had to stay on in Hohhot, Inner Mongolia for an extra rest day. We needed to pickup further supplies and tune the bikes before carrying on along the Silk Road towards the border of China and Pakistan. More updates coming soon.

DAY 17 - The MKRIDE team safely arrived in the town of Hanggin Houqi, Inner Mongolia, on the edge of the southern Gobi Desert. The team covered 421km today in just under eight hours without any hassles. The team is excited about the changing landscapes and cultures as they move further west in China, along the storied Silk Road.

DAY 18 - The MKRIDE team safely arrived in Wuliji Sumu, Inner Mongolia. We are currently on the southern edge of the Gobi Desert. We covered about 300km today and were hampered by strong winds, and severe road construction. The road construction was particularly difficult as entire stretches of highway were gravel or worse. Most of the day was spent up on the pegs, and felt much like our enduro training in Germany.

DAY 19 - The MKRIDE team arrived safely in the town of Zhangye, in Gansu Province, in Western China. We said goodbye to the province of Inner Mongolia, which had been our temporary home for over a week. As we moved from the grasslands of Inner Mongolia to the deserts of Gansu we realized quickly that this trip is beginning to take on a life of its own. The MKRIDE team has clocked over 6,000km in the bank already, and we just completed DAY 19, meaning there are just over 40 days remaining on our journey of a lifetime. We can't even being to describe our excitement as each new day begins, and that endless road takes us someplace new and interesting. For the next few days we'll be traveling along the famous Silk Road from Gansu province in to Xinjiang province. From there we'll get well off the beaten track. Stay tuned.

Thanks for the daily updates, Ryan. Given your reflections about being 6000km and 19 days into the trip, are you thinking you'll end up revising the expected total distance, and possibly need more than 60 days to complete the circumnavigation? In other words, are you roughly on track, given your pre-ride calculations, or are you feeling you under- or overestimated (or perhaps misunderestimated) the scale of the commitment?

It's been pretty epic already, and you are just now getting into the good stuff!

Keep it coming!

cheers

Quote:

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Originally Posted by euphonius

Thanks for the daily updates, Ryan. Given your reflections about being 6000km and 19 days into the trip, are you thinking you'll end up revising the expected total distance, and possibly need more than 60 days to complete the circumnavigation? In other words, are you roughly on track, given your pre-ride calculations, or are you feeling you under- or overestimated (or perhaps misunderestimated) the scale of the commitment?

It's been pretty epic already, and you are just now getting into the good stuff!

Keep it coming!

cheers

---

Jeff,

We are about two days behind our original schedule at the moment, but that is mainly because of one completely wasted day with a flat tire on the support vehicle and another day we were almost completely rained out and could only cover about 100km. I am still pretty confident we can finish in 60 days, but there is no deadline and we absolutely won't rush ourselves. If it takes 65 or 70 days then so be it.

Ryan

DAY 20 - The MKRIDE team safely arrived in Jiayuguan, Gansu province today. We covered a brisk 300km in the morning and spent the afternoon enjoying the Jiayuguan Fortress, the final outpost of Chinese rule in ancient times, as well as the furthest west section of the Great Wall. Needless to say, an amazing day! Also, today marks the fact that we have completed 1/3 of our Middle Kingdom Ride so far. We are very excited about our next 40 days on the road. We hope you'll continue to follow our journey.

ps. If anyone would like to leave comments or ask any questions feel free to do so. I know I am not posting much content on this site, but there are links to where you can find our images and video's. We, at MKRIDE, would love to hear from other riders out there.

Cheers,

DAY 21 - The MKRIDE team safely arrived in the town of Dunhuang, Gansu, China today. We arrived in town early enough to visit the famous Sand Dunes of Dunhuang, and they were amazing. Colin and Ryan had an amazing time riding ATVs through the sand dunes, as well as even taking glider up over the sand dunes to enjoy an ariel view. Gansu province is a really amazing place and it is too bad that the MKRIDE team were only here for a few days. But, upwards and onwards as we begin our journey in to China's Northwestern Xinjiang province. More amazing adventures ahead. We hope you all continue to follow along.

Ryan,

Nice to see you're making it out west! The route you have planned should be relatively smooth sailing minus the trucks!

Keep truckin' and post some photos when you can!

Paz,
CC

DAY 22 - The MKRIDE team arrived safely in the town of Hami, China. Although Hami is a lovely town, it wasn't our intended destination for today as the MKRIDE team was severely slowed by endless road construction along Highway 313 from Gansu to Xinjiang province, and once the road construction was completed we were hit by a freak sand storm and then a hail storm. A challenging day indeed. Upwards and onwards, spirits are high and the team is excited to be in Xinjiang province. We have over 10 days of riding here and we look forward to fully exploring the culture and lifestyle of the minority peoples here. The roads are starting to deteriorate a bit and we are preparing ourselves for longer days and harder riding. Thank you for all of those who write us, your kind words keep us motivated and moving forwards. We'll be sure to keep everyone up to date of our movements.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by CrazyCarl

Ryan,

Nice to see you're making it out west! The route you have planned should be relatively smooth sailing minus the trucks!

Keep truckin' and post some photos when you can!

Paz,
CC

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Carl,

It's great to hear from you. I don't have the time and the bandwidth to upload imagery to all the places that we need it, so I've uploaded them to a central location. So you can find all our MKRIDE pictures at the links below:

1) Trip Preparation LINK
Actual Link: http://archive.ryanpyle.com/gallery/...0001B2NYqu1cOY


2) MKRIDE Week 1 LINK
Actual Link: http://archive.ryanpyle.com/gallery/...0002C88njQakPI


3) MKRIDE Week 2 LINK
Actual Link: http://archive.ryanpyle.com/gallery/...000k1BvL663GAI

DAY 23 - Today the MKRIDE team safely navigated through a sand storm, freezing rain and strong desert winds to arrive at the second deepest location in the world - The Turpan Depression, at a 154m below sea level. We are currently enjoying our first night camping under the stars, and we are excited to dive deeper into Xinjiang province tomorrow, as we begin our assent into the Tian Shan Mountain Range.

DAY 24 - The MKRIDE team arrived safely today in the middle of nowhere. After camping last night at the lowest point in China (-154m) we rode over 300km today in off-road conditions from Turpan to Hijing. The road was tough, a military detour led to an extra hour drive in the dark extending our day over the 14hr mark. Hopefully tomorrow is a smoother day. We could really use an easy 300km at some stage on this trip.

DAY 25 - The MKRIDE team arrived safely in the town of Kuqa, Xinjiang. We managed to navigate our way out of the Tian Shan range and made great time cruising through the desert to the oasis town of Kuqa. We enjoyed a quiet night in the market eating kabobs and drinking black tea. Spirits are high as we continue to head to the western most point in China. The last few days we haven't had any Internet access so hopefully our posts will get stronger in the near future. Also, new video and pictures will be ready by early next week.

DAY 26 - The MKRIDE team safely arrived in Kashgar, Xinjiang. This former "Great Game" listening post marks an amazing accomplishment for both Ryan & Colin, as it is the furthest West Colin & Ryan will travel during their Middle Kingdom Ride. The journey from Shanghai to Kashgar has been a difficult one, marked by extreme heat, flooding, bureaucratic/military interference and extreme wind, a dust storm and two freak summer hail storms. But through all of those trials the spirit of the journey remains high and the people of China have been both hospitable and accommodating. While Kashgar marks the halfway point in our journey, Colin & Ryan will rest, change tires, tune the bikes and enjoy Kashgar before beginning our long 30+ day journey East back to Shanghai. We thank all of those who write wishing us well, and thanks to all of you who follow our blog, Facebook and Twitter posts. The next few days will allow us to organize and post more video and pictures, so stay tuned.

DAY 27 - The MKRIDE team enjoyed a partial day off in Kashgar, China. We slept in for the first time in ten days of straight riding, it was heavenly! Then we visited a local mechanic to assist us with our bike tune-up, tire change (TKC 80's) and our oil changes. Then we visited a local car wash and had the bikes hosed down, now the are running like new; and they look great amazingly new. It is a very satisfying feeling riding clear accross China. Can't wait to start the long way home.

DAY 28 - The MKRIDE team arrived safely today in Tashgorkan, China - 3200m. Tashgorkan is the border town along the Karakoram Highway between China and Pakistan. Our journey today was reminicenst of Silk Road traders half a century ago, traveling along the stunning Karakoram valley which was once, and still is, the gateway between China and the Middle East. The riding was absolutely incredible: snow capped mountains, Tajik herdsmen, perfect tarmac! More updates coming soon!

DAY 29 - The MKRIDE team departed from Tashgorkan, Xinjiang (3200m) this morning to the border of China and Pakistan (5200m). Our journey was doomed from the beginning as light rain and 12C was quickly replaced by -2C and hail. Both of our BMW F800GS' stalled at -2C (5100m) just 4km shy of the border. We had to leave the bikes behind and join our support team for the last stretch. The border itself was engulfed by a blizzard and little could be seen. The journey back to Tashgorkan was even more tough as one of our bikes battery died and had to be put into the back of our support vehicle. We did make it back to Tashgorkan in one piece. The bikes are functional again and we've got more road to eat up tomorrow.

DAY 30 - The MKRIDE team has safely arrived in Kashgar, China. Today we rode 288km from Tashgorkan to Kashgar along the Karakoram Highway. The team will enjoy a rest day in Kashgar tomorrow. To be honest the team is still pretty spent from it's difficult day up to the Pakistan border. A rest day is seriously needed.

DAY 31 - The MKRIDE ride team is sleeping in Kashgar today. We are still pretty roughed up from our snow storm experiences on the border of China and Pakistan. Must rest needed before we prepare for our journey home.

DAY 35 - Sorry, we went radio silent for a few days there because of the lack of internet access, there is no Day 32/33/34 update. The MKRIDE team is safely on the border of Xinjiang and Tibet province. The 219 highway has been intense to say the least: thick gravel, sand, pot holes the size of SUV’s, flooded roads, etc, etc, etc. In other words, it is off-road riding heaven!! We have had to camp out several nights and have spent most days riding above 4500m. We will not have regular Internet access so please be patient with our updates. And, thank you again for following our journey.

DAY 36 - The MKRIDE team safely arrived today in Ali, Tibet. Ryan and Colin enjoyed their first day of riding in Tibet proper but nothing much changed from southern Xinjiang to northern Tibet; same harsh landscape, same harsh weather. Meaning more intense dust and wind. The team passed along the border of India on our way to Ali, Tibet - which is essentially the capital city of western Tibet. Amazing bit of riding.

DAY 37 - After leaving Ali the MKRIDE team was surprised by the beautiful paved road that stretches from Ali to Lake Mananosavar. Though the strong winds and scattered rain made the journey less pleasant than it could have been. After arriving at this stunning glacial lake the team enjoyed a restful evening at a nearby monastery.

DAY 38 - Today, September 20th, is Ryan's birthday; and it sadly brought the MKRIDE team some bad luck. After having an enjoyable morning of off-road riding, river crossings and some road construction, Ryan got caught up in some heavy sand and blew his clutch out. They had to find a truck to take his bike to Zhongba, Tibet where we found a local mechanic to assist in an emergency repair. The clutch is fried but it may still be okay enough to get to Lhasa where the team has spare parts en route. Tough birthday.

DAY 39 - Ryan's clutch repair job from the night before only held for 70km, and the bike is completely broken down. The team had to find another truck to take the bike to Saga, Tibet. While en route to Saga, Tibet Colin's bike blew a tire going through a tough stretch of road construction. Both bikes had to be trucked in to Saga, Tibet. Rough day.

DAY 40 - With Ryan's bike in need of major repair, and Colin's bike un-operable, the team decided to ship both bikes to Lhasa by truck. Major repairs will start soon once Ryan's new clutch arrives from Germany. The emergency parts were procured not by BMW China, who have no inventory of any parts at all, but by Jeff Parker and ChinaBiker (or Andy) - a popular blogger and bike rider in Beijing. The MKRIDE team is very thankful for Jeff's and Andy's quick response and will no doubt be on the hook for several rounds of beers upon our return.

DAY 41 - Today the team enjoyed a much needed rest day in Lhasa, Tibet. The bikes arrived by truck at 430am and were in decent shape. Several spare parts are en route to Lhasa as we update and hopefully the team will be back on the move within 72 hours.

Oh man, I know how it feels!
I fried my clutch between Lhaze and Tingri when Mt Everest was almost visible.
Enjoy the stay in Lhasa!