Single-bike trip across the Taklamakan Desert —- N39

I. Overview

In cross-country circles, n39 refers to the section where the 39th parallel of north latitude crosses the Taklamakan Desert. It is the longest axis of the Taklamakan Desert, the largest desert in China. The intersection of the canal flowing to the northeast of the Kerama Reservoir in Geti County and n39, with a total length of 794km, is one of the most difficult palace-level routes among domestic crossing routes.

Before He Xudong and Liao Min completed the first successful human crossing in 2007, driving a motor vehicle to cross n39 was once considered impossible!

The two desert roads running north-south through Tamo divide n39 into three parts:

East section (Cherchen River-Tazhong): The straight-line distance is 309km, the longest distance, the highest sand hill, the most complex structure, and the most difficult section.

Middle section (Tazhong-Hetian River): the straight-line distance is 228km, the sand hill is slightly smaller than the east section, and the distance is the shortest.

West end (Hotian River–Margaiti): The straight-line distance is 256km, the sand hill is not big, the structure is simple, and the difficulty is relatively the least.

I chose to go from east to west, starting from the riverbed of the Chelchen River on the morning of December 2, and arriving at the water channel of the Maigaiti Kerama Reservoir in the evening of December 13, which lasted 12 days. Among them, one day is spent in the tower on December 6, and the crossing time is 11 days.

Crossing vehicles:

Foton Tulu Zhe E5 pickup, maximum power 109kw, maximum torque 320nm, wheelbase 3.015m

Modification items: install wading hoses, raise the chassis by 2 inches (black mamba shock absorbers), move the intercooler radiator up, install winches, install air locks on the rear axle, add auxiliary fuel tanks (93L), girders and The cargo box is cut short by 20 cm, the anti-off wheels are replaced, and the 275-70-16 tires are replaced

Route control: Before departure, a warning zone was established within 300 meters of the north and south sides of n39.000000°. The jack went around the steering wheel and reached the tower safely.

Except for the more than 70-kilometer detour to the tower after the steering wheel fell off, 95% of the other travel trajectories were controlled within the 300-meter warning zone. This is both a pity and a relief.