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On this trip, I packed as lightly as I could, but I made sure I had my absolute essentials with me. Hypebeast has a profile up on their site, profiling these items, stating why I brought what and how each will be used as I travel through China. Head over and check it out!
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.
Suzhou is a gorgeous city, once you look past the air quality. Today we woke up to a “sunny” sky and an AQI of only around 250. Riding around really takes it out of you, but a quick trip to the old town made us forget about our lungs. The architecture and infrastructure is very old. Many of the buildings have been here since the town’s founding, almost 2000 years ago. It’s like the Venice of China with canals snaking their way past temples.
Once we finished walking around the old town, we came back to the hotel to prepare for the group ride. About 200 kids showed up and we took a hot lap around the city. That’s when I began to feel like I huffed the exhaust from a school bus. Tired, coughing and with red eyes, we all returned to pack our bags and get ready for our ride tomorrow morning.
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery and keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop), Factory 5 (@Factory5) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day for updates.
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.
Taipei was not at all what I expected but in a good way. From walking the market streets, to climbing and descending the surrounding mountain ranges, we had a rad time in Taiwan. Check out this video Adventure Refugee made for Mission Workshop during our stay. Vimeo is blocked here in China so I haven’t seen the final edit but the rough cut looked pretty damn good.
There’s nothing like a recovery day. Not physically, but mentally. We have all been running at 100% since arriving in Shanghai and the guys from Factory 5 needed to catch up on things around the office. While they worked, I headed out around town with Lyle and James from Mission Workshop and took some photos with the Mamiya. When we got back, it was time to rock and roll.
Tuesday nights are the weekly group rides in Shanghai. They meet up at Factory 5 and roll through town at a moderate pace. Once the group leaves the center city, out towards the more industrial areas, the ride turns into a sprint as everyone puts out 100% for a few miles. It was a lot of fun chasing people down and shooting photos. Even in the complete darkness, I managed to get some rad shots! It was a great way to spend the last night before we leave for our 7 day tour around Shanghai…
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery and keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day for updates.
This morning, after a night of coughing up pollution and desperately trying to catch up on sleep, I took to the streets of Shanghai on my bike. Seeing the city by foot yesterday was a completely different experience when compared to riding through the congested streets. Tyler and Drew from Factory 5 were Lyle from Mission Workshop and my guides for the day. We had an early morning agenda and since the sun was out, we were surely in for a warm ride. Shanghai is a beast that is best slain by two circles, two triangles and instincts…
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery and keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day for updates.
Today began our insane trip to Shanghai. To be honest, I had no idea what to expect. Even after arriving Saturday night, we were all a little unsure of what awaited us in the morning. After woking up bright and early, we all met up with Tyler from Factory 5, who had the day all planned out. The Mission Workshop Shanghai trip had begun…
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery and keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day for updates.
Killing two birds with one stone, we got in a little bit of riding today as, we knocked out some filming for the forthcoming Mission Workshop Acre line. We already had video and photos from urban riding and I had a hankering for some elevation. The hardest part about traveling is falling out of your riding routine. It had been a few days since I had even ridden my bike and I wanted to keep my legs loose and my fitness up, so we found a short and sweet climb to ride.
I threw my Mamiya 7ii in my musette and shot some, then at the halfway point, I switched to the 5D and the 40mm pancake, which these photos were taken with. Climbing in the horrible air quality and intense humidity was no easy feat. My lungs feel sore and my sinuses are in pain but it felt great to get the blood moving…
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery and keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day for updates.
Ok, I know I’m going against the category of A Day in 10 Photos but I couldn’t narrow it down to less than 20. Plus, the galleries look nice with two rows of photos.
We were all pretty tired come Wednesday and the last place I wanted to go was a tradeshow but the allure of the Taipei cycle show was enticing. A quick walk of the aisles and I had seen everything worth seeing. The juxtaposition of an international company’s booth like Mavic right next to a Taiwanese bootleg version was quite comical. Most of the products I had seen at Interbike and the show was smaller than NAHBS this year. We were done seeing everything in under two hours.
From there, we made it out for some food before heading to the Mission Workshop and Voyager party at Werd Magazine where some of the many locals rolled through and had a few drinks. What happened afterwards is the reason why I didn’t make a post yesterday. We were all up too late, partying too hard and feeling like crap the next day. At least I’m over my jetlag and reenergized now, ready for a busy day ahead…
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery and keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day for updates.
Ok, I know I’m going against the category of A Day in 10 Photos but I couldn’t narrow it down to less than 20. Plus, the galleries look nice with two rows of photos.
Today was awesome. All we had on our agenda was to visit a camera store to pick up some batteries and storage cards. For a majority of the day, we ended up walking around the various discricts in town, stopping when something caught our eye and dipping into some of the insane storefronts that line the streets of Taipei. Immediately, I was drawn to the camera stores, where I attempted to haggle an owner out of a lens until I began to asses the financial implications of said purchase. Maybe another day.
While a majority of the stores are filled with useless garbage, there’s a nice collage-like effect they have on the city. Flashing lights, bootleg merchandise, food carts, people in shopping frenzies and crowded sidewalks are just some of the sights you’ll see on foot in Taipei.
Check out some narrated photos in the Gallery and keep an eye on Mission Workshop’s (@MissionWorkshop) and my Instagram (@JohnProlly) during the day for updates.
Since the primary goal for me on this trip is to pull together some photos from my film cameras, I dumbed down my 5D setup with ease in mind. The day before I left, I picked up the Canon f2.8 40mm pancake lens and took off the battery grip. It’s amazing how much of a difference in bulkiness and weight it makes. I’m more likely to stuff it into a musette or a bag and focus on the film shots.
For the past 24 hours, I’ve been in airplanes and airports, making my way to Taiwan. The guys from Mission Workshop arrived tonight and we took a stroll around our neighborhood in search of a bite to eat. After a day of traveling, the last thing I feel like doing is narrating any kind of story, so enjoy nine more photos in the gallery. Don’t worry, there’s more to come from Taipei this week!
This video is too good. What else would you expect from Defgrip:
“I recently had the opportunity to travel to Japan with Brian Yeagle, KC Badger, Joseph Frans, Broc Raiford, Chad Kerley, Alex Magallan, and Greg Illingworth. They went over there to do demos, but afterwards Brian, KC, Joseph, and I rented a car and took off on our own with the goal of seeing as much of Japan as we possibly could. It was much more of a recreational trip than a riding trip, and we had one hell of a good time. I put together this little video with bits of footage I shot while shooting for a Ride UK article and some footage Joseph shot with his GoPro. Nothing beats exploring interesting and unfamiliar places with your friends.
– Walter Pieringer”
