Date: Sunday August 30, 2009
Distance: 95 km
Time: 4.30 h
Average speed: 21.2 km/h
Terrain: Flat, mix of both new and old streets/highways with a lot of constructions.
After buying some new equipment and new clothes I decided to try another part of Shanghai, the south part. A quick look on the map in the morning and I took out what could be a good direction.
Well, the planned route got a but changed due to the upcoming expo and a lot of constructions. Already in the beginning, instead of crossing the river close to lupu bridge, I had to go up to nanpu bridge, immediately getting of course. I ended up going directly through industrial parks and constructions of new roads. When I after around 40 km saw some plantations it felt a bit better. The roads were also new and empty with wide bike lanes.
The further south I got the better feeling it was with farmers selling grapes along the road. Only issue was getting back. I was really not in the mood of going back on the boring road, with all the traffic and constructions. Legs were a bit exhausted too after 75 km of biking for the first time so what to do? I started going back and it was heavy with the bonus of having the wind against me. So when I came to a small town and saw private drivers I bargained for a trip back to nanpu bridge. It was a minibus so the bike was thrown into the back and I spent 1.5 hour recovering before finishing of the last part by myself on the bike.
Lessons learned: bring food such as sandwich for a small meal. Five hours on the road without food is not good. Should also drink more water even if not that thirsty. Need gloves for my hands. Both my little fingers and the one next to it have felt numb for several days. Need a better backpack and a solution to make my SLR camera easier accessible. And finally, find a convenient way to get out of Shanghai. Too much constructions and traffic. All the dust and pollution cannot be good for the health.
