Xi'an to Beijing

Hi,
Well I just discover this forum and thought I may well try it...
We have been cycling for quite some time and we are now in Xi'an, from where we want to reach Beijing. At first we thougt to cross Shan'xi but changed our idea after meeting cyclists who told us the roads there were hell because of the charcoal fumes all along. So we are thinking of going just straight north, that is taking the road from Xi'an to Yan'an to Yulin to Datong to Beijing. But we were told that there are many charcoal mines there too.
So has anyone cycle either roads? Or yet another? We don't want to make it too long neither, as we hope to reach Beijing in about 2 weeks, something like that. Any tip?

Thanks a lot

Alice
www.mundubicyclette.be

welcome aboard, Alice!

i'll post your question in the biggest chinese cycling forum. i hope i'll get some help there.

pls check back later!

good luck!

here is the reply from one biker:
Oh, you have an alternative way to go to Beijing.
First, you can go straight east to Zhengzhou, the capital of Henan province, via some famous cities like Luoyang.
It is about 500km from Xi'an to Zhengzhou.

Second, you can go north to Beijing, and it is about 700 km from Zhengzhou to Beijing.
Have a good luck.

here is another biker's reply in chinese:
西安－浦城－白水－黄龙－宜川，过壶口瀑布，然后吉县－临汾－娘子关－阳泉－井陉－石家庄－北京。
xi'an- pucheng- baishui - huanglong - yichuan, ride across the hukou waterfall, then jixian - linfen -niangziguan - yangquan -jinjing -shijiazhuang - beijing

山西的拉煤车你躲不开的，除非转到内蒙古，再转到吉林。你计划的时间不允许你这样转的。
there is no way to avoid the coal trucks in shan'xi unless you ride into inner mongolia and then ride to jilin. but your schedule is too tight for this plan.

榆林到北京，不但也有拉煤的汽车，而且大同到北京一路都在山里，要爬好几座山，很消耗体能的。我提出的路线全程1100km左右，5天即可到达。
there are coal trucks from yulin to beijing too. datong to beijing is mountainous. you have to ride across several mountains, which is quite demanding.  

the route i suggested is about 1100km

just go.there always are some good roads and bad roads.  go and feel.

[ Last edited by  枫语 at 2006-6-16 10:03 PM ]