Cyclist with one leg completes 2,800-km mountain ride

Sun conquers 21 mountains and braves treacherous conditions on epic journey to Qomolangma

A one-legged man has described how he completed a 2,800-km bike ride to Qomolangma, also known as Mount Everest, to be a role model for his daughter.

Sun Youzhi, 27, crossed 21 mountains more than 3,000 meters high along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway to reach his destination this summer.

The route combines beautiful scenery with treacherous conditions, including snow-capped peaks, age-old forests and torrential rivers.

"I made preparations before starting the journey, but I was still worried that I wouldn't reach my destination," he told ZYnews, an online portal. "But I can draw this cycling dream to its conclusion now."

Sun, from Miaogu village in central province of Henan, had his left leg amputated after an accident in 2009. Following the accident, he says he became depressed and had to take a year out of college. After graduation in 2013, he also struggled to find a job.

"I told myself, 'I'm still young and I can't give up'," he says, so he struck on a plan to travel solo to border regions such as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region in the northwest and Heilongjiang province in the far northeast.

While in Yunnan province in the southwest, he met a disabled cyclist whose story inspired him to take up cycling.

In his first real challenge in 2014, Sun spent more than a month riding 2,000 km from his hometown to Hainan, the southernmost province. He covered more than 100 km a day.

That trip saw him face many difficulties, including flat tires, the loss of his bike, and torrential rain. But he overcame them with the help of his cycling companion, now his wife.

"Cycling was addictive," Sun says. "It helped me to regain my love of life."

On July 5, Sun set out with more than 20 amateur cyclists on the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, starting in Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan province.

Most of his fellow riders quit halfway due to the harsh conditions and only four made it to Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet autonomous region, including Sun.

On Aug 3, he and two other riders started on the 100-km incline up Mila Mountain, which rises to an altitude of more than 5,000 meters. "I felt that I'd cycled uphill all the way, and I was even more tired because I was only using one leg," Sun says.

Three days later, having covered a total of 2,800 km, the team arrived at Qomolangma Base Camp.

Sun, who runs two hostels, one in Hulunbuir in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region and the other in Hainan, with his wife, says he wants to undertake a long journey every year.

Also, when his 9-month-old daughter grows up, he plans to take the entire family on trips around the world."To challenge myself, to challenge life, to challenge the limits, and prove that nothing is impossible with a willing mind. I want to be a role model for my daughter," he adds.

wuyan@chinadaily.com.cn