TIBET - NEPAL by bike

I arrived in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR), on Friday 16th June at 1 O'Clock in the afternoon with a mountain

bike, two pannier bags, a back pack and a billy can - oh and I didn't have a permit to be in Tibet.

After three days relaxing and acclimatising to the altitude, I left the Barkhor before sunrise on Monday 19th June on my bike and cycled

930km west over the top of the Himalayas via the beautiful lake of Yamdrok Tso, though Gyantse, Shigatse, Lhatse, Everest NP, Nylam

and across the border into Nepal via a 150km descent.

These photographs follow the route west from Lhasa on the Southern Friendship Highway.

I hope they give the viewer an idea of the adventures met along the way, the people, the landscapes and of course, the riding.

Facts:

The Ride

Total Distance | 930km From Lhasa to Barribisi in Nepal, 70km from Kathmandu

Average hours ridden per day | Fourteen

Number of passes over 5000m | Four

Highest Altitude | 5,250m @ Lhakpa La 530km from Lhasa

Longest Descent | 150km from the edge of the Tibeten Plateau to the Nepalese Border

Mechanicals

Number of Punctures | Two

One snapped pannier rack bag mount

One snapped seat mount bolt | Four spares

Number of Broken Chains | 2

One torn tent | Ground sheet

Other

Four dog chases over 38km/h (fastest dog recorded at 43km/hr!!)

Average number of lollies consumed in one hour | Two, with no toothpaste for two weeks - YUK!!

Maps:

'Biking 1000km+ Lhasa to Kathmandu' - published by Himalayan Map House (HMH)

This map is awesome! It includes altitudes, distances from Lhasa, overnight stops,

expected speeds of ascent and Everest Base Camp detour

Guide Books:

Of course, the Lonely Planet - it misses a lot out though as it assumes travel by 4WD.

But it's a great book to get you started.

Software

Tent:

Exped Vela 1 person tent

www.exped.com

Sleeping Bag:

Aktiv8 -2, Importer | Karimoor

Pannier Bags:

Ortlieb Backroller

www.ortlieb.com

Jackets:

Mountain Designs

www.mountaindesign.com.au

Hardware

Bike:

Kona Kula Hard Tail 2006 model

Pannier Rack:

Topeak

www.topeak.com

Stills Camera:

Ricoh GX8 with 2x 512Meg cards

Oh, and a billy can!

www:

Beat Heim's website

www.betzgi.ch/en.html - This dude was an inspiration for the trip this year. Check out his site, the photos are

amazing!

www.trekshare.com - see who's in Tibet right now