Hey Torben, thanks for the invitation mate !

Right now, we have 3 detailed itineraries for this trip, and which one we'll choose at the end will depend on whether we make good times during the trip, or if we spent too many days enjoying the sights and all the cultural spots we selected.
In 1 of those itineraries, we skip Beijing (we both went there many times, so he'll not be a big shame) altogether, going from Datong, Shanxi to Qingdao, Shandong in an almost straight line.

Basically what I'm saying is that we'll stay very flexible on the itinerary and we'll decide if we make a run for Beijing at the end of the loop ! We'll keep everyone posted of course via this forum, I'll create later a Ride Reports here.

Thanks a lot again !

Cheers,

Fred