Shared bike journey from Beijing to Tianjin stuns netizens

The super-long shared bike journey undertaken by four college students from Beijing to Tianjin has astonished many netizens and arose their curiosity as the shared bikes are typically regarded as short-distance transportation, such as moving from subway exits to workplaces.

Their jaw-dropping bike trips were first spotted and shared online by the shared bike maintenance personnel in Tianjin. According to the backend data, the whole cycling journey covers 125 kilometers, lasting 10 hours and 28 minutes without any stops. The feat has earned them the nickname "four steel-buttocked bros" from netizens.

The cyclists were unknown at first but soon a detail on the bikes provided a powerful clue. The bikes stopped at the Tientsin Eye Ferris wheel, an iconic site in Tianjin, had the name and logo of Beijing Institute of Technology printed on them.

On Tuesday, a post from the official WeChat account Beijing Institute of Technology revealed the cyclists' identities and the reason for their journey.

The four riders are overseas students from Malaysia, namely Li Sijing, Peng Yongzhi, Chen Yuhang and Qiu Yuxiang. They are roommates and about to graduate from the university, hoping to leave a mark on their school life.

"At first, I took up cycling for weight loss. After losing 60 kilograms, I have fallen in love with this sport," said Li.

Inspired by Li's passion, the other three students joined in on the cycling activities. The trip to Tianjin marked their first long-distance cycling experience.

Li also said that Tianjin is a city steeped in history and culture. The distance of over 100 kilometers is very suitable for novice cyclists.

"Compared with high-speed train journeys, cycling allows us to have an immersive experience of China's splendid landscape," added Li.

According to Li, the reason why they chose to cycle is that the bicycles are printed with the logo and the name of "Beijing Institute of Technology". They want to capture memorable pictures with something related to their college.

"Due to limited holiday time and our physical limitations, we did not cycle back. However, we are contacting Tianjin University students, hoping that they can ride the bikes back to our school," said the students.

In terms of the four students' experience, a public relations officer of Tianjin shared bike services said that traveling in low-carbon ways like cycling is encouraged. But for challenging and long-distance journeys, it is advisable to use more professional equipment.