The Tianshan mountains - lonely but beautiful
What's the furthest you have ever cycled?
Perhaps you cycle to school or to work, or maybe at most a short cycling tripwith friends?
How would you feel about spending months on the road travelling solofrom the UK to China, by bike?
For British cyclist Pete Jones, camping roughand cycling long distances through inhospitable terrainare second nature.
A veteranof expeditionsthrough places such as the Tianshan mountains and the Tibetan plateau, Mr Jones is currently undertaking a mammothtrip across the Eurasian continent from Britain to China.
Having lived on and offin Xinjiang for three years, and having visited the country many times since 1992, Pete Jones is no stranger to China.
But he says many people there are puzzledby his passion for cycling, asking why he would choose to cycle when he can afford a car.
Indeed, while there are an estimated 400 million bicycles in China, where it has long been the preferred form of transport, rapid economic growthhas fuelledan explosive expansionin car ownership.
Edward Genochio, another British cyclist who completed a 41,000km trip to China and back, said one of his aims was to "promote cycling as a safe, sustainableand environmentally benignmeans of getting about."
In the UK, the last few years have seen a rise in the number of people choosing two wheels over four, with some estimates saying the number of people cycling to work has almost doubled in the last five years.
Politicians also see cycling as a way to boost their eco-credentials, with people such as London mayor Boris Johnson often riding to work under his own steam.
编辑:李霞
