Cycling itinerary in Xinjiang

[Jean-charles Midon]

Hi,
I will reach China from Kirghizstan soon and I was wondering why most of the cyclist take the northern road rather than the southern road ? As it is getting cold I'd take the southern road hoping that it would be a little warmer. Any advice ?
Jean

[bwv812]

Pretty much everyone takes the Northern route for what I assume are a variety of reasons, including better infrastructure, more sights, larger population centers, etc. Apparently the roads were only fully paved a few years ago, and you used to need special permits to travel the eastern stretch, which undoubtedly also contributed to the lack of (Western) travelers. Anyway, I think it would be pretty cool to do the less-traveled southern route, but I would be somewhat surprised if it is materially warmer.

You can get a decent idea of the weather in different places along the road here:
http://www.worldweatheronline.com/map-search.aspx

[steven]

I know these people had a great time: http://www.gpsies.com/map.do?fileId=nammrzbbndgrlqks