Updated: May 2026
Cycling Through One of China’s Most Beautiful Landscapes
“Why on earth would you want to ride a bicycle in China?”
Because I love an adventure — even when it doesn’t quite go to plan.
Yangshuo is one of the most beautiful places I visited in China, famous for its dramatic karst mountains, winding country roads, and breathtaking scenery. Exploring the countryside by bike sounded like the perfect way to experience it properly.
The cycling tour promised a leisurely ride with plenty of stops to admire the landscape and hydrate along the way. The route would eventually lead us towards Moon Hill — one of Yangshuo’s best-known landmarks.
What could possibly go wrong?
The Helmet That Made Me Stand Out
Determined to be sensible and safe, I brought my own cycling helmet all the way from the U.K. and carried it throughout my trip until the day of the ride finally arrived.
What I had completely failed to appreciate was this:
Hardly anyone wore helmets.
So there I was — proudly wearing mine — immediately identifying myself as a tourist before I had even touched the pedals.
Looking back now, it makes me smile.
The Moment Everything Went Wrong
Hearing my alarming confession, the guide kindly decided to cycle beside me for reassurance.
Unfortunately, that turned out to be a very bad idea.
We had barely been riding for ten minutes — with the entrance to the quieter country lane already in sight — when disaster struck.
A lorry driver behind me became impatient and started hooting repeatedly as he tried to overtake.
Startled and flustered, I completely lost control of the bike.
I fell off, and accidentally pulled our poor guide down with me.
To this day, I still insist it was the lorry driver’s fault.
Thankfully, we narrowly avoided the wheels of the overtaking vehicle and escaped with nothing worse than bruises and badly shaken nerves.
But my confidence had completely disappeared.
As you can see from the photos, I looked fully prepared and ready to go.
Everyone in the group was excited as we gathered for a short briefing from our local guide, an experienced cyclist who knew the area like the back of his hand.
He explained that we would first need to cycle through the busy town centre for around ten minutes before reaching the quieter countryside roads.
Now this is where I should probably make a confession.
I had not ridden a bicycle properly for a very, very long time.
Still, I convinced myself it would all come flooding back to me. After all, people always say:
“It’s like riding a bike — you never forget.”
Bruised, Shaken and Riding Back
Physically, my injuries were minor.
Emotionally, however, I was finished.
There was absolutely no way I could continue the countryside ride I had been so excited about.
The cruel irony?
I had to cycle back to the starting point along the very same busy road that had terrified me in the first place.
By the time I returned, I was an anxious wreck.
I was also deeply embarrassed.
Several cups of tea were required afterwards to calm my nerves.
Everyone in the group knew how much I had been looking forward to the experience especially after proudly carrying my helmet all the way from the U.K.
And yes…
I carried it all the way back home again too.
Was It Worth It?
Despite everything that happened, I am still glad I tried.
Yangshuo remains one of the most stunning places I visited in China, and cycling through the countryside really is an incredible experience for confident riders.
The rest of my group absolutely loved it.
In fact, they described it as one of the highlights of the trip.
Mind you, they were all experienced cyclists.
I, on the other hand, learned a very important lesson:
Admiring a bike ride and actually riding one are two very different things.
Yangshuo In Pictures...
This post is part of my China travel series. You can read more from the journey here: China — My 20-Day Journey Through Wonder, Chaos and Culture.
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