Here are some fun pics from our rest day in Dalian to help get those delicious food images out of your head.

Enjoy!

Kevin gazes out onto the beautiful Bohai Sea!

Reidster gets some much needed exercise after two days off from cycling.

Itching to get back on the bikes...and WAY too much energy to burn!

Sean shows off his skateboarding skills.

Saddle Up!

Hangin out with the locals...Trying to stay warm and catch some fish!

Our new friend!

It's true...We really are in a band!

Production Stills:

Reidster finds a shot he likes.

"This is going to be an awesome movie," he thought to himself. Ian wonders what he got himself into.

Opposites attract...

"We got the shot!"

and last, but not least…

Time to go to bed...I'm up way too late right now.

Kevin and Doven: Quality control!

The food, the food, the food! How’s the food?

The Good: Hot Pot!

I have to say that the food in China has been both an amazing and extremely interesting experience.  We have had some absolutely fantastic and inspiring meals…but with the good there has also been the bad and the ugly… And I mean ugly! Over the past two weeks our taste buds (or stomachs) have been bombarded with extraordinary dishes such as pig’s ear, pig’s heart, donkey, pig’s face, cooked blood, dog, and the unforgettable chicken’s head (that I was lucky enough to enjoy). Or actually not enjoy at all. It’s unreal, I didn’t think half this stuff was eatable and for the most part my assumption was correct. I’m not quite sure how these people do it because those dishes were down right offensive. lol.  Anyways, I’ve since relinquished the nickname ‘take one for the team Kevin’ and I’ll be sticking to a much gentler diet over the next few days.

The Bad (Look for the Chicken's head...bottom right)!

The Ugly: Pig's Heart!

and...Blood!

Yikes...An other delicious breakfast in China!

and on a lighter note...The Great Wall!

Oh yeah, big ups (congratulations) to Shenzhou 7!

Shenzhou 7...Minutes before takeoff...Front row seats!

***Note to our readers: All of the dishes above were ordered (and tasted) without our knowledge of it’s ingrediants…We have since taken a more active role in the ordering process.

View Larger Map

This map shows our progress on this bike ride adventure through China.  We have covered 460 miles on our bikes..roughly 800 miles more to go.  The first couple of days we experienced some intense mountains, followed by some easier rolling hills.  Who knows what the road will bring us next? All I can say…is this bike ride has been amazing!  We have been staying off of the main roadways for the most part, taking the round about routes to our daily destinations.  We enjoyed a couple of days off..sending our bikes ahead to Yantai…allowing us to be able to experience a Chinese bus ride and a really cool ferry boat ride, crossing the Bohai Sea.  We have welcomed being back on the bikes!  No more doddling around on other modes of transportation….strictly bicycles all the way to Shanghai.

Let me know if you have any questions about the map.  I will put together a more detailed representation of our route when we get some better internet connection.  Click on the placemarks to see the names of the places where we have stayed. Chinese internet doesn’t seem to like Google maps?  And Jason can’t be away from his computer for that long…. 😉

After our relaxing day wandering around the amazing city of Dalian, we are finally heading South to Yantai to catch up with our bicycles and resume our epic ride. We’ve had a few days off after completing our first leg and we’re all  feeling a bit lazy (and are definitely ready to get back on the bikes). But these days off have given us a chance to “Man Zou” more than we were able to do while focusing our hitting our daily bicycle benchmarks. We’ve been able to explore some of the largest cities in Northeastern China, which has been a great experience and have had a chance to rest our weary bodies.

We have also finally achieved our goal of taking a ferry in China (which was no easy task) and are on the open sea right now as I am writing this latest blog post. Although getting to the ferry was a bit of a struggle, once we got onto the vessel…it’s really not much different than a ferry in the United States and has been a very smooth and relaxing ride. We decided to splurge a little and get private rooms (mostly to make sure our equipment, etc was protected) and it’s absolutely gorgeous today…sunny and 75 degrees.  The ferry ride will take about 7 hours to get to across the Bohai Sea.

Team Man Zou on the deck of the ferry as we sail away from Dalian.

Leaving Dalian really gave us a better perspective of this rapidly changing city. As we pulled away you could see not just one major development like the one we walked around yesterday (more to come about this soon), but many others that were just as big or larger located across the massive shoreline…We were also able to get a better look at the vast industrial center and ports as well. It’s clear that in the future this is not only going to be a major tourist/vacation destination, but also a large metropolis with unlimited growth potential. The fact that the city of Dalian was only built in the last hundred years (and most of the major development in the last 10) blows my mind and I’d love to be able to see what this place looks like in a few more.

As we head South on the ferry, Dalian disappears into the horizon.

Now onto to Yantai where our bicycles are hopefully awaiting in one piece. We will leave tomorrow and cycle 4 days along a pennisula to Qingdao, our next rest day destination and home of the International Beer Festival (which we’re all looking forward to attending). We also getting closer to National day (October 1st) and the beginning of vacation for a large majority of Chinese. Needless to say, we’re all interested to see what that experience is going to be like as well. That’s all I got for now…I’m going to head up to the deck to bag some rays now and make the most of this amazing ferry ride.

Kevin and Sean help me choose some pics for the blog post from our stateroom!

In order to achieve our goal of taking a ferry across the Bohai sea to Yantai, we had to ship our bikes ahead and take a 7 hour bus ride North around the coast to the city of Dalian. It is in a completely different province of China (near North Korea) and we are eager to see what the next turn holds (and excited to get a small break from riding). We had a great day off in Qinghuangdao yesterday where we were able to walk on the Great Wall for the first time.

Unfortunately, we decided to give our guide a rest for the night and hit up the KFC in the bottom of our hotel. Now first off, we haven’t ate anything other than authentic Chinese food this entire trip, but with the first leg under our belt, we were all craving a little American comfort food, particularly french fries. With as many potentially sketchy foods we’ve encountered and eaten over the last week, nothing had the negative impact that the KFC had. Let’s just say it didn’t exactly settle well with us and we’re definitely going to stick with Doven’s suggestions from now on (he tried to steer us away from the KFC).

But looking ahead, we’ re going to have a day to wander around city of Dalian before our ferry ride and meeting back up with our bicycles. Although the bus ride is a little rickety, it yet another new experience traveling in China and we are very much looking forward to getting back on the bicycles (once our bodies have had a chance to heal). We’ve heard the Dalian is less polluted and our lungs our looking forward to that as well. But overall spirits are high and we’re really starting to adjust to life on the road here in China.

That’s all I got for now as there’s no telling when the internet might give out on this crazy bus, but here are a few choice pictures from our adventure to keep you entertained. Hope all is well in your part of the world!

Treated like rock stars in a small town we visited, the owners of the restaurant hired a local photographer to document the experience. Needless to say they hadn't seen many foreigners in a LONG time!

We like to change our route a lot, which has caused a few headaches for Doven...But he enjoys the spontaneity of Team Man Zou!

Riding into the Qinghuangdao, Kevin and Sean take a break from the pollution to pose for a picture.

Another interesting roadside picture in China!

Sean meets a new friend in Qin Long, who shows us around her city and helps him find a new shirt to buy.

Doven and Reidster, out for a stroll along an empty riverbed....Check out the cool Man Zou t-shirt!

After riding into Qinghuangdao, let's just say we were a little dirty from the conditions here!

So we’ve officially finished the first leg of our journey….reaching the coast of China after bicycling nearly 400 miles from Beijing. 8 days in, despite many trials and tribulations, we’re all still alive and team Man Zou is stronger than ever. Over the last couple of days we’ve experienced a wide range of challenges that have tested us on new levels, but I am proud to say that up to now, we’ve passed with flying colors….but here’s a little breakdown of all of our breakdowns.

In China, when your bicycle breaks down, it's only a matter of time before the locals come to rescue!

In times of frustration, experience matters

One of the problems we’ve run into is broken spokes. This has caused us numerous delays and lots of fun! Within a few minutes of each breakdown, the locals will swarm around us, curious as to what we are doing in their small towns with our strange bicycles. Most of the time they stand around and gawk at us, but they always offer much needed moral support in our time of need. Occasionally, they even help out as they are very resourceful people. Sean has been particularly receptive to getting help from the locals. He enjoys the crowds watching him as he tries to repair his bicycle.

Back on the road, ready for more riding!

Since we’ve started working better as a team, we have been able to fix our bicycles much faster…which allows for more time to ride up mountains!

Apocalypto: China! Another Breakdown

But with every breakdown, it seems like Team Man Zou gets a little closer, even in the most dire of situations. Sure, we might taunt each other a little along the way, but it’s all in good fun!

Today we arrived in Qinhuangdao after an extremely challenging and dirty day of riding….But overall spirits were high, despite how crappy our lungs felt from all the pollution here.

After a long day of riding, nothing caps it off like a taste of the White Lighting!

We are looking forward to seeing the Great Wall tomorrow and having a few days off from cycling as we have to send out bicycles to Yantai in advance of our ferry ride.

More to come soon, but now it’s time for bed.

Team Man Zou arrives in Qinhuangdao...Is there an Ocean here?

We finally made it!!

Actually, it was two days ago that we made it to athis epic location below a section of the Great Wall. It was called Simatai and although the resort was very touristy we were able to enjoy some of the comforts we all left in the states. Jason was able to order up a dainty looking espresso, Sean was able to find some ice cream, Ian was able to take some long undisturbed shots, and I was able to have an ‘icy’ cool cerveza. It was an absolute pleasure sitting around with the team chatting about our experiences and reactions to the tour with the Great Wall in the distance at sunset. Surreal!

What were they thinking building a wall on top of that mountain!

Our fearless leader!

One of my favorite experiences over the past week has been learning about and getting to know our terrific tour guide Doven Lu. He is a young energetic fella who shares the same love for cycling as I do. Doven always says, ” I want you to enjoy the cycling,” and that’s what we are able with him guiding the way. Doven translates, schedules, makes reservations, finds us water, checks into hotels, teaches us Chinese, picks up girls (kidding), keeps us safe, and the list goes on. He told me he chose to join this tour because he wanted to “do the extreme” and added that this 28 day tour “is extreme!” He’s a great guide, a great person, and so far he is our savior.

Tonight we’re gearing up for our 100 mile day that leads us out to the coast where there should be flatter roads and we hope less pollution. Oh, forcast for tommorrow is rain, rain, rain! Sweet?!

Kevin takes in Qin Long!

getting ready for bed...ExOfficio Protected...thank goodness for BUZZ OFF!!

It has been a wild ride the last couple of days…I guess I’ll start with two days ago we started out skipping breakfast and getting on the road close to 8am, with the plan of stopping for breakfast later into the ride.  The ride out of Simatai was up a mountain..beautiful scenery, with the Great Wall to our left or in front of us the entire morning.  About 8 miles into the morning we decided to stop for breakfast in a small town. Doven was looking around the street trying to figure out the good place for us to eat?  He chose a dicey looking place that did not look inviting.  I was apprehensive to eat at this restaurant, I voiced my opinion..but we decided to eat there anyway.  To no surprise the food was less then acceptable?  We were introduced to Jason’s new found gag reflex and Kevin once again muscled through whatever was put in front of him.  Ian and I only ate the humbow buns which we jokingly said were filled with dog meat?  With that joke Jason gagged again and didn’t eat anything else.  Needless to say it was another awesome experience here in China.

Jason is still being brave at this point...

Back on the road…  more hills, beautiful scenery, great riding! The roads got a little hairy, really bumpy, which is not good for our seemingly fragile bikes?

Kevin is taking in the view on top of the mountain we just climbed. There was a really cool Buddhist temple at the top.

About 35 miles into the ride my wheel blew out.  I broke two spokes which resulted in me not being able to ride any further.  Ian tried his hardest to get the trusty kevlar rope spoke tool thingy to work, but it was not successful.

Doven Lu in action

We still had 40 miles to ride to our destination and we are out in the middle of nowhere.  This is where Doven went to work trying to find me a ride to our destination.  At this point the entire village was out to see what was happening on the road.  Curiosity risen. Doven was able to find someone who would be able to drive me to Chengde.  The bargaining ensued.  45 minutes of conversation resulted in a price of 260 yuan ( ~$38).  We loaded up the bike and all of the extra luggage into the van.  Everyone seemed a little nervous to let me go off by myself in some stranger’s van in the middle of nowhere in China.  Unable to communicate…I went anyway.  No other option.  Seemed safe enough to me?  Gave our American hugs, and said goodbye.  Doven gave the instructions to the driver and we were off to Chengde.  I wasn’t nervous at all, the guys seemed nice enough.  And as it turned out they were really cool.  They took me through a shortcut with more amazing views. Breathtaking!  We arrived in Chengde in about 45mins, found the hotel, and went to check-in with no success.  To our surprise foreigners were not allowed to stay in that hotel.  Due to the Olympics, foreigners are only allowed to stay in certified hotels…the LoLo hotel was not certified?  Back on the phone with Doven he was able to arrange another hotel and off I went with the driver to the next hotel.  Checked in with no problem.  Made it!  Now lets get the bike fixed.

Rest day in Chengde…. I woke up early again about 5am with a welcomed call from my lovely Danielle.  It was great to talk with her.  I Love you D!  After our conversation I went back to bed…then woke back up around 7am for breakfast.  Went to breakfast alone..the other guys were still asleep.  Once again..Breakfast was an experience in its self.  Being the only foreigner at breakfast everyone is interested in what I am eating, what I am reading…just more curiosity.  I love it!

Our mission of the day was to get the wheels fixed, explore, relax, and get some footage.  We found the bike shop with no problem got the wheels fixed for $10.

After only 5 days of riding we have had 4 flat tires, 3 broken spokes, and lots of wobbly wheels. Needless to say..we are getting really good at fixing our bikes?

We found a great place to get a cappuccino.  We also found a great place to get a massage.  We were introduced to ‘cupping’, Chinese traditional treatment for rejuvenation of the body.  Heated glass ‘cups’ suctioned to our backs.

Kevin enjoying a beer after his massage and cupping. Probably not the best combination? but it looks like it hurt...

China is great!  Back on the road bright and early!

Well….Where do I begin? I haven’t made a post since just before we left Beijing, so there’s a lot of catching up to do. Unfortunately I’m very tired after completing a strenuous 70 miles today (and over 200 total for the trip so far), so I’ll have to keep this relatively brief…But the good news is, we have finally reached our first break day in Chengde, so there are definitely more posts to come as everyone has their own individual stories to tell. I’m going to try to give a brief recap of our first 4 days on the road, put up some pics for everyone to check out, and then get a long, much-needed rest. So here we go…

We left Beijing on Monday, which was a National holiday here in China. The weather was beautiful (90+ and sunny) and spirits were high, despite the very little sleep we got the night before. Our fearless guide, Doven Lu, showed up at our hotel at 9am and we got on the road by 10…

The Man Zou Team

At 11:00am, I had my first accident…no joke. We came up to a light on the outskirts of the city and I couldn’t get out of my peddle and down I went. I had just put a mirror on my bike (to be able to see cars approaching from behind), which was destroyed in the accident…Not exactly the best way to start the adventure.

My first, and hopefully last accident.

Within a few hours we were out of town and the landscape quickly transformed from urban to rural. Everything was going great until we hit “the mountain.” It was seriously intense. After a few miles of climbing, I completely ran out of gas and had to stop as the heat, weight on the bicycles, lack of sleep, and the seemingly endless mountain ahead collectively broke me down….I couldn’t believe it: the first day and I was unable to go any further….But after a long rest with Sean and Doven on the side of the road, we walked our bicycles for another 1/2 hour before deciding to stop at a “Holiday Inn” on the side of the mountain.

This was no ordinary Holiday Inn, however…Apparently in China, this is what they call a house with extra rooms and the ability to cook a warm meal. Anyhow, we were treated with care and we all slept well (other than being awoken to the sounds of walnuts being swept up at 5am, just outside of our rooms).

During breakfast, we made the decision to get rid of the front two bags on our biycles and 1/2 of our gear. The weight we were carrying was just too much…I guess the mountain taught us that lesson right off the bat. So we organized all of our gear and Doven told us he would arrange to send everything ahead to Shanghai…The only thing was, we had to finish climbing with everything because we had to ride to the next town that had a post office…So needless to say, Day 2 began with a bang…The great thing about climbing mountains, however, is the incredible downhills that await on the other side…Somehow it all seems worth it when you’re going 30mph down the hill, looking out over the beautiful mountains of Northeastern China.

One small section of "The Mountains" we have been riding through.

When we got to the bottom, we immediately went to the first town and happily sent away all our unnecessary items. The rest of day 2 is kind of a blur…Lots more mountains and grueling terrain, but beautiful the entire way. Check out the pic of us at one of the tallest peaks we climbed:

Riding up mountains on bicycles makes you sweat.

We decided to stop after 46 miles of hard riding, just before dark and a massive thunder/lighting storm that hit that night. The next day we awoke early to try to make up some ground and get to our next destination, Simatai. Here’s a pic of Sean, Kevin, and Doven….about to hit the road for another long day:

Another day...Will there be more mountains?

Day 3 was much more reasonable riding terrain, but just as scenic. We cycled hard to get to our destination of Simatai, with a beautiful view of the Great Wall. We took some time there to relax and enjoy the scenery (and shoot our daily interviews) over a couple of beers.

We turn the cameras on Cinematographer Ian Connors for his first interview ever...Up on the hill, you can see the Great Wall.

Day 4 we pushed it really hard, going over 70 miles (and only a few mountains!). Unfortunately, one of Sean’s spokes broke and we had to negotiate a ride with the locals in a small village as his bike wasn’t rideable (more to come about this experience tomorrow). The good news, however, was that we were able to put all of our bags into the car with Sean and we were able to cycle much faster (which ultimately enabled us to get to our destination tonight). And now, alas…our first rest day.

Anyhow, that’s all I got for now…Time to go to bed…More to come soon.

Thanks again to all our sponsors and Man Zou!

Reidster getting checked out by one of the locals on a break.

So there I was in the middle of the craziest intersection I’ve ever seen and I’m looking down the barrel of a huge bus full of people. The free right turn. In China, cars have always have a free right turn. They don’t even have to slow down…and as far as pedestrians go, you need to be ready and alert at all times because cars will just materialize out of nowhere. Lesson learned from our “fixer”…stay behind the Chinese people while crossing the street.

The ride up to now has been amazing. The mountains are amazingly steep and beautiful. Some of the toughest cycling I’ve done. The shooting has been great as I feel as though I can point the camera anywhere and create really great images. The people have been kind and welcoming. They notice us as a passing oddity and then seem to go right back to their work. This is great for getting the more candid shots I need. So far, I usually work a small section of town at lunch and get some nice b-roll of the small villages at work. Today, I saw this guy just squatting (as they do) and smoking on the side of the road. He watched me for a little while, but really just let me be. I think in the long run…people are people, wherever you go. Another lesson learned.

On a bike note, I may not have been as prepared as I should have been. The second day in the mountains was really hard and bit of a blow to the ego. I’m happy to say that today was way better and my legs are starting to get the idea that I will be doing this for awhile. On a not so good note…I’m the dude that has had two flats already. Huge chunks of glass in the rear tire. Not so good, and then a split tube. I have never had 2 flat in 2 weeks…let alone 2 days. But I have found that in the long run I may just have to give myself to this ride and this country, because they are going to win every time.

Lesson learned….

The top of the world...or at least the top of the mountain we rode up

My first flat....