Dave Anderson lives close to and regularly forays onto the C2C route on Sundays, but thought, "Wait a minute, there must be other cycle routes", and ended up on The Great Wall of China.

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Dave: 
If any cyclist wishes to do something different, then try a sponsored cycle ride on behalf of a charity. Although you have to commit to raising sponsor money I certainly recommend it.

The 2001 China Bike Ride on behalf of Mencap was a wonderful challenge and an unforgettable experience for all 100 participants.

We had to pledge to raise at least £2500 whilst paying an initial £300 hard earned cash just to register.

The camaraderie of those who took part was special, as were the memories that we brought away with us. After meeting at Heathrow airport, we flew to Beijing via Istanbul. The trip was extremely well organised with hotel accommodation, food, medical and mechanical backup being first class.

After leaving Beijing we headed towards the Great Wall, where we stopped for a spot of sightseeing and lunch. The sights that greeted us did not disappoint. Words could not describe the views but beautiful and breathtaking come close. Although the days were long (up between 5:30 and 6am and on the road until 5 - 6pm) stops were frequent as we took time for numerous photo opportunities while replenishing water bottles as we cycled in temperatures getting up to 33 Centigrade.

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The trek took us through regions of China that the normal tourist would never see, poverty stricken villages, industrial towns and fume choked cities, unspoilt mountain roads and gorges that went on for miles, all of that helped build a picture of the real China.

The Chinese people were very friendly and could not do enough to help, offering help and encouragement as well as trying to sell you a bargain!

We made our way through the beautiful Fragrent Hill Park with its many hidden valleys and stopped again at the Great Wall at the Juyong Pass before visiting the Tombs of the Ming Emperors.

After five days and 510Km later the group rides through Beijing, dodging cars and buses as rush hour approaches. As we enter the impressive Tiananmen Square, crowds gathered at the roadside to cheer us home before finishing the ride at the hotel. One hundred tired and exhausted but proud participants dismount before the champagne and the tears flowed freely.

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Two days to relax and recover while taking in more of the sights and sounds of the capital. The Forbidden City, Summer Palace and the Opera were all on the list for visit before jetting back to a cold and wet Heathrow.

Friendships were struck, with one or two broken hearts as we went our separate ways to rejoin reality. 

After all the highs, the real winner was Mencap with over £300,000 raised from this one ride which will benefit children and adults with learning difficulties across the country.

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