Total distance cycled: 87 kms

Morning altitude: 3700 meters (12,000 ft)

Highest altitude: 3700 meters (12,000 ft)

Evening altitude: 3700 meters (12,000 ft)

We're off! After breakfast we packed up our van in front of the hotel, pumped up our tires, and got ready to go. We are being followed by a van, which is FULL! There might be room for one tired cyclist in there, but certainly not for two!

The first ten kilometers or so were on city streets full of traffic. Still, it was quite a thrill to finally be underway. We stopped in front of the Padora to take pictures in front of our official start point. The next 20kms were on the main road out of town and the only route to the airport, so were just something to get through. Lots of stinky busses and trucks were all honking as they roared by. We had a nice picnic lunch by the side of the road in a freshly harvested field. Delicious chinese fried chicken, a sandwich, an egg, dessert, and an apple. Yum! The road was flat and there was a wide paved shoulder for us to ride on. After the airport road turned off, things were a lot calmer, and we contined on up the river valley. The scenery was beautiful. The river is very wide, and the horizon is ringed with high mountains. The rice has been harvested, and funny Tibetan haystacks dot thfields. The houses in the small villages are made of stone.

We pulled into our campsite at about 3:30. I felt great on the bike all day. It was an easy ride and was a great way to start. I had a log of pent up cycling energy after 8 days off of the bike! It is interesting riding at 12,000 feet. The air resistance is noticably less. I was riding on the front in a headwind all afternoon but it was really much easier than at sea leverl. (I'm sure I'll live to regret that statement sometime on this trip!) Tomorrow we start off with a big pass. We'll see how I react to a few more thousand more feet of altitude.

We have a guide, a driver, and a cook with us, and are in nice, roomy tents. I have one all to myself.

Below is a selection of photos from today: packing up the truck, cruising the streets of Lhasa, and some shots from the road, including the crazy tibetan haystacks.