I recently got a Garmin watch (Nevu 2 if you’re wondering). It’s just a piece of tech, but feels like a lot more, because my brother also uses it in the Netherlands. This way we can sort of sport together. (He mostly runs, I mostly cycle.) Actually, Garmin/Strava are one of the few apps both friends in the Netherlands as well as in China use.

So today I put it to the test with a long ride from Zhangjiang (张江) to Fengjing (枫泾镇). It’s a straight line of 84 kilometers and I’m not even out of Shanghai. The last bit I overheated. Opened my shirt but even the wind that normally blows on your sweat felt hot by 09:00 (‘feels-like’ temp now 38 °C).

The Huangpu River this morning at 06:00, and the scene from a tributary river 60 kilometers further on the ride.

The scooter crew in full force.

I had to hide from the heat underneath a bridge on the route. When I cooled down a bit, I could continue again.

But eventually, I got there!