The most challenging part of the tour was the way the cyclists spent their nights. According to Wang, they only spent 10 nights in hotels and stayed in tents the rest of their journey.

They had to carry all their equipment on their bikes, an added weight of around 25 kilograms. But it was a good way to save money since the journey only cost 30,000 yuan ($4,250), including tickets, accommodation and visa expenses, Wang said.

Meng Fei, 66 and the leader of the trio, ran into trouble during the journey after her bike and luggage were stolen. But she decided to continue, even though she had to be sheltered by a piece of plastic cloth on rainy nights.