"The northern wind blowing from Mongolia drives the haze away. Only in full sunlight are we able to see how impressive the Jinshanling to Simatai section of the Great Wall is. Not yet restored and pure nature. The Wall winds itself over the barren mountain ridge like a flying dragon spine and the colourful band of a hundred struggling Panorama bikers is a fascinating sight" (*)
In October 1998, the greatest manmade structure on earth, the Great Wall of China, was for a time a playground for a spectacular and ambitious Mountainbike Project, organized by Asian Travel Projects in cooperation with Panorama Magazine, Cycletours - The Netherlands, and KLM (Royal Dutch Airlines). Never before had such a large group of "bikers" received permission to have a cycling event on part of the Great Wall. "Can you really cycle over there?" This was the most asked question during the preparation time. Let's be frank, when we saw the steep slopes on the unrestored Wild Wall sections, we almost lost courage. On the other hand we knew our readers expected a tough event they could regard as a real challenge. This mountainbike expedition looked like a real cycling contest, supported by a medical team, technicians, adventure specialists, and a command centre. The whole platoon, altogether 92 men and women, was varied in its composition. Mountainbikers, downhillers, world cyclists but also "one-time" bikers bringing lots of determined motivation with them, joined the show. The most heard remark after they had successfully finished their mission was: "We wouldn't have missed this in a million years!"
For upcoming ADVENTURE projects see: Latest information
E-mail: info@asiantravelprojects.com
(*) From the Panorama expedition report 1998
(photo Mountainbikers: Harald Berkhout)
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