The Endless Joy of Bicycling

By Li Lanxin

“I once spent four months riding from London to the north of Norway and then turned south toward the‘heel’ in the boot of Italy.” Alan’s eyes sparkled with pride as he recalled his adventure from years ago, as if that twelve-thousandkilometer-long journey was unfolding right in front of him.

In 2002, Alan Laine left Britain and came to Wuhan as a teacher,where he stayed at Wuhan Britain-China International School for the next sixteen years.As a good mentor, he has unveiled the mysterious world of physics to a great number of students and won the admiration of his students with his rich knowledge.Wuhan Municipal People’s Government presented the Yellow Crane Friendship Award to him in 2012, commending him for his outstanding contribution to education. No one would have expected that Alan, a tall, thin,and academically-minded man had such a physically challenging hobby and such astonishing experiences.

It was two years after obtaining his PhD in Physics at University of Liverpool, that Alan bought his veryfirst bicycle. At that time,he was enthusiastically fond of a variety of sports, and he had always been energetic. In order to challenge himself, he started cycling. Though the long cycling journeys were often accompanied by bad weather, rugged roads,and exhaustion, Alan never quit midway. He said, “It’s a pleasant thing to get away from the crowded, noisy cities sometimes and to ride freely on the peaceful country roads surrounded by beautiful sceneries.”

For a cyclist like him, the dream of adventures would never perish,and the journey of cycling would never come to an end. When in China, he continued to pursue his passion for cycling. After settling in Wuhan, he took more interest in cycling the areas and cities nearby. In the summer of 2014,he indulged himself in a 15-day journey around Hubei Province.Starting in Wuhan, he rode 1350 kilometers in total before reaching his destination Xiantao.Along the way, he stopped at a number of places like Xiaogan,Suizhou, Xiangyang, Shiyan,Liuliping Town, Fang County,Shen Nongjia, Muyu Town,Yichang, and Jingzhou, where he rested for one day everyfive days.

Each land nurtures its own culture and fantastic landscape in Alan’s eyes. In Anlu County of Xiaogan, he witnessed that locals put up rows of bamboo shelves and hang up noodles as thin as hair, which glittered in the sun.In Xiangyang, he read the story of Three Visits to the Thatched Cottage in Gulongzhong and spent some time envisioning Zhuge Liang’s legendary life.Arriving at Muyu Town after zigzagging mountain roads in Shennongjia, he looked back and was astounded to find his trail was partly hidden and partly visible among the curving slope of the mountains. Stopping at Jingzhou, he put his hands on the age-old city walls that had been destroyed and rebuilt again and again in more turbulent times and imagined the raging wars hundreds or thousands of years ago. It seemed to him that he was not only cycling through different places, but also through time and Chinese culture.

“Sometimes it was scorching hot, and sometimes it rained cats and dogs. Usually things just don’t go smoothly all the way,”Alan said. However, for him, the significance of cycling comes from more than the cycling itself.It’s what he hears, sees, feels,and experiences that makes the journey worthwhile.

It’s safe to cycle around in China. Sometimes Alan travels alone, and sometimes he travels with a friend or two; sometimes he goes on an expedition, and sometimes he takes a short trip around. In 2012, He rode 1100 kilometers on the route from Kashi, Xinjiang to Xining,Qinghai, and last year, he rode 800 kilometers from Wuhan to Zhang jiajie and the Ancient City of Phoenix in Hunan Province.

“I haven’t decided where my next stop is or where I will head for next time,” Alan said briskly with a smile on his face.“There are so many places in the vast land of China that are waiting out there for me to explore.The road ahead is endless. And that applies to both the path of education as well as the journey of cycling.”

“我曾用四个月时间，从伦敦骑自行车到挪威北部，再转头南下至意大利最南端。”提起年轻时的经历，艾伦眼里闪烁着自豪，那一万二千公里的路程似乎就在眼前。

2002年，艾伦·雷从英国来到武汉教书，在武外英中学校一驻就是十六年。他像一个引路人，给数不清的学生拨开了物理世界的迷雾。在学生眼里，他博学多识，因杰出的教育贡献而荣获武汉市“黄鹤友谊奖”。谁能想到，瘦瘦高高、热爱学术的他，还有着这样与众不同的爱好和令人惊叹的经历。

那是在获得利物浦大学物理博士学位两年后，艾伦买下了他平生第一辆自行车。那时的他酷爱各类运动，浑身充满活力，为了挑战自我，他开始了骑行运动。漫漫骑行途中，总是伴随着各种困难，天气、路况、体力都挑战着他，他坚持一直向前，再向前。他说：“离开喧闹的大城市，自由地骑行在美丽的大自然和小村落里，是一件令人享受的事情。”

对于骑行者来说，梦想和路是没有尽头的。艾伦对骑行的热爱到中国后并未改变。定居武汉后，他把目光投向武汉周边境域。 2014年夏天，他开始了一段15天的湖北骑行之旅。从武汉到孝感，再到随州、襄阳和十堰六里坪，穿房县和神农架木鱼镇，过宜昌、荆州,最后抵达仙桃，全程1350公里，骑五天歇一天。

在艾伦眼里，每一片土地都有不一样的风情：途径孝感安陆时，人们在一排排的竹架上晒细如发丝的面条，面条在阳光照射下闪闪发亮；行至襄阳，在古隆中重温三顾茅庐的故事，想象诸葛亮的传奇人生；穿过神农架绵绵不绝的山路，在木鱼镇回望来路，隐现于层峦叠嶂之中；骑至荆州，能抚摸几经摧毁又几经重建的古城，感受千百年来的兵家之争……在骑行时，穿过的不仅仅是道路，还有时间和中华文化。

“有时太阳很毒，有时又阴雨绵绵，骑行不会总是一帆风顺。”艾伦说。对于他而言，如今骑行的魅力早已超乎骑行之外，旅途中所见所闻、亲身感受的民俗文化，似乎更有意义和价值。

在中国骑行很安全，艾伦有时独自上路，有时和其他人结伴而行，有远征，也有短途。2012年，他曾从新疆喀什断断续续骑行1100公里到青海西宁。而去年，他又从武汉骑行800公里前往湖南张家界、凤凰古城。

“将来我会前往哪里、骑向哪一站，我也不知道。”艾伦笑了笑，有些调皮地说道，“中国这片土地上还有太多值得探索的地方。路无止尽，教育之路是这样，骑行之路亦是如此吧。”