The Radavist

We all woke up this morning knowing that we only had 70k to go on our trip and most of it was downhill from the bamboo forest. I really wanted to mob some trails on the Geekhouse Mudville, so James and I headed into the bamboo forest to shoot some video. When we got back to the lodge, we ate lunch, packed and headed out.

The ride today was hellish. Even though it was downhill for the first 15 miles, the wind was blowing hard. Then, when we got on the main road, it was filled with potholes and giant trucks spitting exhaust into our faces. Hangzhou was our final destination so we just put our heads down and pushed forward.

Finally, we were in the outskirts, but had to go through four tunnels to make it to the hostel where we were staying. Four tunnels that were so disgusting that the sissy Americans nearly puked after passing through them (myself included). To give you an estimate, the AQI in the tunnels were over 1000 and I forgot my mask.

Tomorrow, we have a day off before heading back to Shanghai, via a bullet train. We’re all nice and tipsy from post-ride beer and are about to head out into town… May the Necronomicog have mercy on our souls.

Keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop), Factory 5 (@Factory5) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day for updates.

This is the fourth layout of the 2013 PiNP Calendar, entitled “Easy Street”. The camera, lens used and location are noted on the bottom left of the document.

After any climb, sometimes it just feels right to unclip and coast on a track bike. Here, Jeff from Factory 5 in Shanghai shows us how it’s done.

Right Click and Save Link As – 2013 PiNP Calendar: April

Sorry for this being a bit late, I don’t have InDesign on my laptop and had to farm the design work out to Austin. Thanks Lauren!

There are some mornings when you just vibe with your bike. It’s like you’re one unit, working together. Your legs are loose and you can just go. We all had that moment this morning. After a late start, we all hit our course and just cranked away. Our destination was the bamboo forests, in Moganshan. You can check out more below…

Rolling out of Suzhou was a lot easier than rolling out of Shanhai. Still, the AQI was much higher than the day before but even then, within 10 miles, we were in relatively rural areas. Surprisingly, industry still had a grip on the outer-lying cities. Before too long, we hit lake Taihu. The locals will tell you that it’s one of the more beautiful areas but visibility was very poor when we arrived. With not much to actually see, we had lunch and came out to find the sun shining and a wind had blown the smog out from the hills.

Wanting to mix it up a bit, we headed to the highest point on the “big island”, Piaosha Road. At a whopping 300m, it’s not much of a climb, but when you’ve been hammering on perfectly flat roads for a week, any elevation is welcome. This road is very scenic and parts spiked up over 20%, so I knew the guys on track bikes would have a problem. After making it past the pitches on 48×15 gearing, they were fine and I got some great photos of the dudes, smiling ear to ear down the switchbacks. It was also surprising to be told that no one rides bikes up into the hills here.

That one climb provided most of our elevation for the day, save for a few of the bridges and after regrouping at the base of the hill range, we rode inland into a horrendous headwind. I’m not used to riding flat terrain, so after blasting 25 mph all day, hitting a wind like this really tore my legs apart. Everyone was beat and it’s almost laughable to be tired after a 60 mile, 1400′ ride, but we’re all cooked. We made it to the base of the Qizi Mountain, where we treated ourselves to some hot tub time and herbal recovery potion.

Like the last riding day, I shot all film, but I managed to get this shot with my iPhone. For more frequent updates, keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop), Factory 5 (@Factory5) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day.

There was nothing pleasant about today, aside for the company. The things I saw on the road will forever change the way I view the world and globalization. Without going too much into the politics of it all, I’ll just say that I’m glad to have gotten the first leg of our ride out of the way. On paper, the route looks easy. 100k door to door, and about 90 meters of climbing.

These numbers are almost laughable, compared to other rides we’ve all completed, but those weren’t in an AQI of 350+ and through a toxic wasteland. To give you some perspective, Los Angeles has the highest AQI in the United States and today, it’s at 70. I’ve never experienced anything like this before.

The morning began early, as we checked out of our hotel and headed to Factory 5 to ready our bikes. At 10:30am, we put on masks (literally) and rode alongside a highway out of town. You’d think the air would be worse in the center city, but it was the opposite. Soon, it was like we were riding into a fog, rolling into San Francisco but there were no mountains, no iconic bridges or architecture, just smoke stacks and automotive factories.

Your face began to burn, eyes water and all you wanted to do was take off your mask to get some “fresh air”. Upon doing so, the smell of burnt plastic almost made you gag. It was literally hell and I can’t fathom the reality that people live in it everyday. The striking dichotomies were everywhere: a brand new VW dealership, next to a vacant lot with a pond, that was completely red with bacteria, or the canals and waterways turned black from factory waste next to a parking lot filled with brand new Buicks.

60 miles felt like 120. My lungs burn and my face is windburnt. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so hungover from a ride. There’s no gallery, since I shot all film today, but will leave you with the photo above to just say that I’m glad to be indoors for once. For more frequent updates, keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day.

See larger here

When this project was first proposed to me, all I thought was “this is too good to be true” and after what seems to be a maddening process of pulling everything together, we’re good to go! Here’s the official blurb from Mission Workshop:

“Follow John Watson of Prollyisnotprobably.com and the Mission Workshop crew as they ride through China’s Yangtze river delta on a photo exploration of bike culture with the help of the guys at Factory Five. Visit the Mission Workshop Blog as they travel through the world’s largest urban population in Shanghai and also explore the ancient architecture of the Chinese countryside.”

To start off the trip, I’ll be in Taiwan in time for the Taipei International Cycle Show before we fly out to Shanghai. This is one part of the world I’ve always wanted to see and I cannot wait to share my photos with you all.

Expect daily updates both here and on the Mission Workshop blog, as well as on Instagram @JohnProlly @MissionWorkshop.

Year after year, this event comes up and I always want to make it out. Too bad this year, my October is booked up! If you can make it, do! It’ll be a blast. Check out more info here.

Ever wonder what it’s like to ride in Shanghai? This new video from Factory 5 shows us just a taste. Man, I wanna get over there so bad. Thanks to Tyler for sharing this!

48×15, the Chinese fixed gear publication is in its third issue. Check it out above.

One of my longtime favorite Dutch architecture firms, NL Architects, just completed a schematic design for a cycling pavilion in Hainan, China. The elegant form of the roof is the shape of a velodrome, allowing people to race around in all-left loops. One critique would be the lack of spectator seating but maybe there will be a tower in the pavilion’s site to allow for that.

Via