LHASA TO KATMANDU ON MOUNTAIN BIKES!

 
  HOME ::
   
 
Friday 11 September
 
  LHATSE TO PELBAR

Total distance cycled: 52 kms

Morning altitude: 4900 meters (16,000 feet)

Highest altitude: 5220 meters (17,238 feet)

Evening altitude: 4400 meters (14,500 feet)

Everyone made it through the cold night (our water basin outside was frozen in the morning) and we packed up to attack the rest of the summit. It was another 7 kms of steep up, topping out at over 17,000 feet. The air was mighty thin up there and we had a glacial headwind. The temperature is markedly lower today. I snapped a few pictures but didn't dally up there, as I got a headache as soon as I stopped and I didn't want to get cold as well. So I attacked the long descent, which wasn't so much fun as the stiff headwind meant that I had to pedal all the way down. However, like before, my headache disappeared just as soon as I descended a bit.

Our lunch stop was at the first Everest viewpoint. But, after days of perfectly blue skies, the mountain was all clouded over so we still haven't seen it. We rolled on down the road, still dressed in our winter cycling clothers, and decided to cut the ride short a bit today to take advantage of a wonderful riverside campsite. The sun came out, the wind died down, and we spend an afternoon in shorts and t shirts. I even washed my hair in the cold, cold river.

Pictures below, left column, then right column, as usual: Coming up to the pass. There were yaks everywhere up top. That's me in the red on the right at lunch with the perfect view of Everest that never showed. Here's our campsite--my tent is in the front with all my laundry hanging out to dry. Teatime was special today as we had french fries--yum!!