Zhang Luyang, who lives with his wife in Shenzhen's Shekou, gets up at 5.10am every morning. At 6.30am, he arrives at Shenzhen Bay Park for his daily cycling session. Every day, no matter the weather, he covers at least 40 kilometers on his bike.
What makes his dedication even more impressive? Zhang turns 63 this year.
According to Shekou News, he first took up long-distance biking in 2010 and hasn't looked back since. Zhang has traveled many of Xinjiang, Tibet and Qinghai's most challenging paths (Yunnan Province is another favored destination). In 2010, he racked up more than 10,000 kilometers of mileage, much of it by journeying solo on public roads in Western China's Qaidam, Gobi and Taklamakan deserts.
In a lengthy journal he kept during that trip, Zhang recounted the experience of sleeping on the roadside in a desert and facing mudslides as well as other dangers.
Zhang on the road
But that evidently only fueled his desire to keep biking. Every June, Zhang sets out to explore new paths. Last year, for instance, he traveled from Xinjiang's Yecheng, also known as Karghilik, to Nagqu Town, a distance of 2,400 kilometers.
This year, however, Zhang is switching it up. He plans to take a road trip by car, spanning over 15,000 kilometers through Tibet, Xinjiang and Qinghai so that he can share the experience with his wife.
"I want to let my wife see the roads I’ve biked before," Zhang said.
The couple sets out this month. Their itinerary includes the high-altitude plateau of Changtang, in Tibet; a Chinese outpost in the Karakoram mountain range; Khunjerab Pass at the China-Pakistan border; the dried-up lake of Lop Nur, which was once a nuclear testing site; and Mount Kailash, considered a sacred spot by both Buddhists and Hindus.
Mount Kailash
Travelers of all ages may want to take a few tips from the intrepid couple.
[Images via Shekou News, h/t SZnews.com, Ondřej Žváček]
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