Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

The grid far the MotoGP race was soaked with rain. Rossi won, of course. Outside the tomb of King Chu and the terra cotta army. move. Of course, shortly after we got started and after the chase truck was long gone toward Shanghai, it started to rain. At first we pulled over under the canopy of one of the giant fuel stations (maybe they did serve a purpose), for those of us with raingear to suit up. It would end up being a miserable day, as we had about 400 kilometers scheduled for the day. The rain started to fall so hard that visibility was terrible and, additionally, lightning was striking very close to the side of the road. A couple of times we stopped to wait for it to subside, which it had no plans of dOing. So we were forced to forge ahead. There comes a time when raingear starts to leak, but I can't imagine riding that day without it. Finally we pulled into the outskirts of Shanghai, relieved that we had arrived in one piece after six days and 1800 kilometers (I 100 miles) of riding. I was really excited to be in Shanghai because I had yet to see a MotoGP race, and what a place to see it. When we pulled up to the brand-new Shanghai Circuit, I couldn't believe how nice it was. It made every track in the United States seem like total dumps. The attention to detail at the Shanghai Circuit was amazing; even the manhole covers on the track's premises had the track's logo embossed on them. The grandstands themselves offered a great view of a large portion of the track, and what you couldn't see, you could watch on the five or six permanent Jumbotron TV screens across from the grandstands, over the pit lane. I had heard from friends that had been to a MotoGP race that it was loud, but the shape of the Shanghai grandstands (think megaphone) made it ridiculous. I quickly found some earplugs and jammed them into my ears. Us Westerners, knowing a thing or two about MotoGP racing, came prepared; on the other hand, the Chinese in attendance had no idea whatsoever what they were getting themselves into. I watched people literally ripping up their programs and shoving them in their ears. I watched kids crying with their fingers jammed in their ears. It wouldn't have been a bad idea for the race organizers to hand out earplugs at the gate! The racing ended up being a bit of a letdown on one hand because of rainy conditions, but on the other hand it was awesome to see Kenny Roberts Jr. leading for a while, giving us Yanks something to cheer about. The Chinese didn't know that you're supposed to sit and guzzle beer at sporting events, but our group of Westerners, and some of the Brits and Australians that were in the stands, showed them how things were done, with a beer in each hand! Spectator turnout was quite poor for the size of the venue, but that's easy to explain. Remember what I said about the number of motorcyclists in China? I think they were all there. The problem was that "all of them" referred to about 20 or 30 bikes I saw clumped together in the parking lot, and probably only around 30,000 spectators total. One thing that I'm sure of is that the event will grow as the popularity of motorcycles grows in China. How could they go wrong with a billion potential customers? Out of all the places I've ridden motorcycles in the world, China is, by far, the most interesting. The scenery wasn't always the best, the roads were rarely curvy, but as cultural experience, it can't be beat. If never-ending twisty roads is what you're after, I would suggest one of Edelweiss Adventures' Alps tours, or if scenery is what you are after, either the Alps or a Tuscan tour would be up your alley. But if you want to see China and feel that you are a good enough rider to basically ride in what at times seems like complete anarchy, then seeing it on a motorcycle is the way to go. It is truly an amazing place to visit, something that you will nev'!r forget, and seeing the Great Wall is worth the entire trip itself. eN CYCLE NEWS • NOVEMBER 9, 2005 23

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