For many, cycling to Lhasa might be a romantic journey long cherished in their hearts. However, for Li Shuangsheng and his 16-year-old son Li Xuyao, who cycled side by side to Lhasa over 36 days, it was a journey filled with sweat and laughter, danger and surprise, and solitude. Two bicycles, 36 days, 2,298 kilometers, crossing 14 mountains over 4,000 meters, and the persistent challenge of altitude sickness. This was the joyous, energy-filled rite of passage a father gave his son for his 16th birthday.
Lhasa is the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, southwestern China. It is located at an elevation of 11,975 feet (3,650 meters) in the Nyainqêntanglha Mountains of southern Tibet near the Lhasa River, a tributary of the Yarlung Zangbo (Tsangpo) River (the name of the Brahmaputra River in Tibet). Tibetan Buddhists consider Lhasa a holy land, a state-level historical and cultural city in China.
A joyous rite of passage
Li Shuangsheng, 43, is a Qijiang Datong Middle School teacher, and his son Li Xuyao is 16. “My son is the protagonist of our cycling journey. Taking him on this long trip is my gift for his 16th birthday, and I am just accompanying him along the way,” Li Shuangsheng emotionally recounted to reporters, looking at pictures of his son covered in mud and sunburned.
“June 19, 2012, is destined to belong to my son and me. Today is his lunar birthday. Of course, the most special thing is that he is beginning the most unforgettable, challenging, and longest life experience. I will accompany him throughout; no matter what he goes through in the future, I will always be by his side,” Li Shuangsheng wrote in his diary.
Reflections on riding through the rain
The real journey began, accompanied by scorching sun, torrential rain, hail, headaches and dizziness from altitude sickness, and the loneliness of father and son riding alone. They maintained a “father in front, son behind” formation throughout. After each segment, the experienced father would stop by the roadside to wait for his son to catch up.
Li Shuangsheng recalled that they had to cross a mountain almost every day, with 14 of them being over 4,000 meters in altitude. “Every time I stopped and looked back to see my son still pedaling hard, I was genuinely moved,” Li Shuangsheng reminisced. Often, they encountered rain or even hail at the mountain tops, making the descent even more challenging to control.
On June 30, the plan was to conquer the 4,718-meter Kazila Mountain in Ganzi Prefecture. Li Shuangsheng led the way in the rain, but after descending, he waited for over 10 minutes without seeing his son, feeling a bit anxious. Suddenly, he appeared, pushing his bike through the rain. It turned out that his hands had gone numb from the cold, causing the bicycle to lose control and tumble into a muddy ditch. Fortunately, he only suffered minor scrapes on his arms.
“Even if I have to crawl, I’ll reach Lhasa”
The mountain roads, scorching sun, and rainstorms exhausted the father and son. They stayed with Tibetan families, borrowed shelter in work sheds, and camped outdoors, warming each other. “Every day brought different challenges and unique moments of inspiration,” said Li Shuangsheng.
Erlang Mountain was the first significant mountain they crossed. That night, seeing his son too tired to keep his eyes open, Li Shuangsheng jokingly asked: “Why don’t we take a bus to Lhasa or head back tomorrow?” His son determinedly replied: “We’ve come this far; how could we turn back?” Once, after riding through a muddy stretch in the rain, they stayed overnight at the 158th work shed. Li Shuangsheng asked again: “Son, why don’t we give up? The road is too tough.” His son hesitantly replied: “Even if I have to crawl, I’ll reach Lhasa.”
“The resilience and deep bond between Old Li and his son truly moved me,” said Zhang Qiuliang, a cycling enthusiast from Nanning, Jiangxi, who met them on the Sichuan-Tibet line.
On July 24, after 36 days of cycling and wearing down six sets of brake pads, the father and son finally reached their destination, Lhasa. After resting for a few days in Lhasa, they took a train back to Chongqing.
Hiking to Lhasa
Li Shuangsheng told reporters that he plans to write a book about their cycling journey around Lhasa, while his son plans to hike the Sichuan-Tibet line after graduating high school.
Li Shuangsheng’s wife, Chen Bo, an employee at a coal power company in Chongqing, said she was worried daily during their journey to Lhasa. She was thrilled when they returned safely: “In my son, I saw the resilience and strength of a child from the mining area. After the cycling trip, my son suddenly grew up, and the teenage boy gained a sense of manliness,” Chen Bo said, noting that he became more mature and sensible after returning.
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