10th Cycling Trip from Lanzhou to Xi'an (Main Party) (1992)
Good Wine and Nice Cycling
Shigetada Nishimura
An old Chinese poem says:
Good wine in Yako-no-Hai (a glass which shines in the dark)---
While drinking, I heard a sweet melody of the lute.
With pleasure I drank too much, fell off the horse and slept on the desert.
Don't laugh at me, folks.
Why should I not get drunk? I am back here safe and sound.
I wonder how many soldiers have ever returned alive from the battlefield.
Before I left Japan, I was excited to think I could ride a bicycle on the same desert as described in the above poem. It was my earnest desire to taste the wine made from the grapes grown on the land along the Silk Road.
It was my third cycling trip in China as a member of Ishikoro. In 1990 I cycled from Urumqi to Hami. At the departing ceremony we were served with a glass of wine. They said that serving wine was an old custom to wish travelers good luck in journey.
In 1991 I joined the cycling trip from Kashi to Aksu. At night before the departure we enjoyed watching the traditional dance. A young girl was dancing with a glass on her head. I saw wine rocking in the glass under the moonlight.
The First Day---Departure
On August 13, we took the first step of pedals from Lanzhou. It was hot and the sun was burning overhead. A road led along the yellow hills which range as far as the eye could reach. A thrill of joy and anxiety ran through me and I was determined to make this journey successful. The slope was not so steep as I expected, so I enjoyed cycling all day long.
The Second Day---13 Miles We Missed to Cycle
Mileage of this day's cycling was scheduled to be about 60. It was suddenly announced, however, that 110 miles must be covered because the lodging place was not available until Jingming. Minor changes of schedule was common here in China but such a serious change 
as this was new to us. It would be impossible for all of us to cover 110 miles a day, so it was agreed that some of the strong members should stay on a bicycle and the others should ride a bus which followed at the end of the party.
We all braced ourselves and started cycling. The road is paved clean and comfortable but we had to climb up and down the steep slopes. Some of the members were compelled to take a bus because they could not catch up with the leading members. At six o'clock in the evening we had a long rest. It was about 95 miles from the place we started. There I found a stone saying‘1958km Silk Road---Rout 312’. After some discussion it was decided that all the members should ride a bus to Jingning where we were going to stay and return here by bus tomorrow morning to cover about 13 miles from here to Jingning. It was 7:40 when we arrived at the hotel.
After dinner shocking news was announced again. The scheduled mileage tomorrow was less than 60 but it was revealed by the Chinese staff that we had to cover more than 70 miles and still worse we had to climb up the slope of Mt. Liupan (2,800m above sea level). Therefore, we could not help giving up cycling from the spot we left yesterday to Jingning. Thus we were compelled to miss 13 miles of the Silk Road. It was really a heart-breaking event in this trip.
The Third Day---Watching Drips of Sweat on the Road
We started cycling at eight as usual. After climbing uphill we enjoyed cycling a long gentle downslope. It was a pleasant ride. On our right we could see a blue lake which was shining in the morning sun. Compared with the vast yellow desert we saw yesterday, the green grass and the blue water helped us feel refreshed. When we came to a small village, we saw a lot of straws scattered on the road. They were 
removing shells of wheat by the tires of cars. We tried hard to keep out of the straws and not to fall off the bicycle.
Before lunch we faced a big uphill of Mt. Liupan. The road was partly paved but most of it was dirt. I could see a zigzag slope extending up to the ridge of the mountain. It seemed to wait for our challenge. I started to step on the pedals. My bicycle began to move slowly---so slowly that I could see my shadow on the road shaking right and leftt. The sun shone overhead and sweat began to fall from my forehead to the road. I could clearly see every spot of sweat in the shadow on the road. After a lot of agony and repeated rest I finally reached the pass of the mountain. The breeze from the valley was pleasant to my cheeks. I gained strength and enjoyed a lot of lunch with cold beer.
The Final Day --- Meeting at Xianyang with the Selected Party
Cycling to Xianyang was easy as the road was completely paved and flat. After only 10 miles of cycling we arrived at Xianyang where we were to meet the ‘Selected Party.’ The party consisted of nine members. They had cycled 
from Kashi and were to arrive here after cycling for more than 2,000 miles in three weeks.
At around 3:30 we heard a siren sounding in the distance and soon the selected cyclists came in sight. They were all tanned and looked healthy. We welcomed them and celebrated their great achievement. They joined us and started for the final goal at Xi'an. At around 6 o'clock we arrived at Silk Road Memorial Square at Xi'an. We were heartily welcomed by many people with colorful flags and cheerful melody by the brassband. The main party covered about 400 miles and the selected party about 2,000 miles respectively.
The Epilogue---What Drove Me to Cycle in China
When I look back the cycling journey in China, I think I was lucky to join Ishikoro group. Without Ishikoro I could have never cycled in China. It was, and still is, very difficult to travel alone in China, still more to cycle in the desert of the Silk Road.. I feel most grateful to have good friends like Ishikoro members. With help and encouragement from them I rode a bicycle in the vast field in China.
Another motive which drove me to do cycling in China was a lot of books on the Silk Road written by explorers or travellers including Tachibana Zuicho, Kawaguchi Ekai, Matsuoka Yuzuru, Inoue Yasushi, Chin Shunshin, etc. Those books helped me realize my dream of cycling in China.