SpinBike

The Bamboo Curtain Tour Day 17: Thanh Son to Hanoi 🏁

The Bamboo Curtain Tour Day 16: Mu Cang Chai to Thanh Son

The Bamboo Curtain Tour Day 15: Muong La to Mu Cang Chai

The Bamboo Curtain Tour Day 14 (and 13): Thuan Chau to Muong La (aka It Ong).

Coup de Grace

On the morning of December 20th I caught a bus from Hanoi to Lang Son and from there started out on a cycling journey that would take me along the border between Vietnam and China from east to west before dropping down to Dien Bien Phu and riding back east to Hanoi. Today on January 8th I completed the journey when I rolled into Hanoi at 11am under a warm sun. Over seventeen days of riding, my beloved Condor and I travelled 2,168 kilometres and climbed 43,983 metres. 

Each of these seventeen riding days gifted me challenges, experiences and memories that will stay with me forever. There were difficult moments, as there were moments of peace, joy and awe.  

I benefited from the kindness of so many people along the way and bore witness to the unique character and spirit of the Vietnamese people. The curious, joyful children; the serene wisdom in the weather-beaten faces of the labourers in the fields, and the unmeasured hospitality of the hostel, shop and food-stall workers I encountered along the route . 

There is a unique pleasure to be had from reducing your world to absolute simplicity. For these three weeks past, I rode and ate and slept. My concerns were simply these. As I rode across the country, my mind was free to accept any thought or worry and happy to then let it go. 

Posting my thoughts and images each day was also an enriching experience for me. As well as providing a small record of these travels, it also prompted me to reflect on what I had done and seen and share it with you. 

Thank you for following me on this trip. Thanks especially to those who took the time to comment and encourage me as I journeyed from east to west and back east again. Having you with me on this journey has meant a lot. 

And finally, this tour is dedicated to my friend Rosa Raz, who is recovering from a serious cycling accident in this part of Vietnam a short while back. I hope this trip, these stories and pictures will inspire you with your recovery, so that you may also follow in these wheel tracks one day soon. 

A little rest for me, and then back to Saigon and to the business of life. Time to start dreaming of a new adventure. The Condor demands no less.  

Until then…

Tomorrow, we rest.

Top Sports

Dale Nottingham

The Bamboo Curtain Tour Day 17: Thanh Son to Hanoi 🏁

2 Photos

35 Comments

Segments

Sign up to view more activities from Dale Nottingham

SpinBike

The Bamboo Curtain Tour Day 17: Thanh Son to Hanoi 🏁

The Bamboo Curtain Tour Day 16: Mu Cang Chai to Thanh Son

The Bamboo Curtain Tour Day 15: Muong La to Mu Cang Chai

The Bamboo Curtain Tour Day 14 (and 13): Thuan Chau to Muong La (aka It Ong).

Want to see more?

The #1 app for runners and cyclists

Sign Up for Free. Track your progress and reach goals. Join 100 million active people on Strava.

See More from Dale