The idea for this trip came from a trip I did in '93, when I travelled through Nepal and Tibet by bus, and wanted to return to see more of the country and to tackle the mountains. I returned in October '95, with Adam, who had worked with me in a cycle shop in London. We flew to Kathmandu via Moscow, with our own Mountain bikes - mine a custom bike and Adam's a Kona 'Lava Dome', both mostly equipped with Shimano XT gear and Continental touring tyres.
We were self sufficient, but travelled very lightly, with a 2 man tent, MSR 600 stove, down bags, roll mats, essential clothing, a minimum of tools and spares, and only enough food to reach the next town - mainly instant noodles, chocolate and raisins. Sturdy racks, hat, sunglasses and sun protection cream were also essential. The route we took was cycling from Kathmandu to the Tibetan border, by minibus to Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, then cycling back to Kathmandu with a 200 km detour to Everest Base Camp on the North side. A total cycling distance of 1140 km, in four weeks, and over five 5000 m + passes - equal to five times the height of Table Mountain
After final preparations we left the confusion of Kathmandu and entered the lush greenery of the Kathmandu Valley along a good road, then dropped down to Dolalghat before climbing past the border, which we had no problems getting through. It was here that we met Dorus, a Dutch cyclist, who joined up with us. Just past the border there had been a landslide, which had blocked all vehicles, so everything had to be portered across, including our bikes. We managed to hitch a lift in a minibus that was returning to Lhasa, where we spent a week, visiting the Potala Palace, residence of the exiled Dalai Lama, the markets and monasteries, then cycled out not really knowing what lay ahead of us. On the first day we made good progress and decided to cycle on until we found a good campsite, and ended up doing 95 km, even though we didn't have to push ourselves, and could camp anywhere. We found that wherever we camped, a group of Tibetans always approached us, and being unable to communicate just stood and stared at whatever we did. The only aggression we experienced was in the form of stone throwing, usually by children, but most of the time the Tibetans were very friendly and helpful despite the language barrier. Sometimes the children would hang onto the panniers, and I even had one try to jump onto my rack.
For the next two days the road followed the river valley with no serious climbs, to Shigatse, the second biggest town in Tibet. We spent a rest day here and met some Hungarians, cycling from Kathmandu to Lhasa, exhausted from the climbs and the altitude. Cycling out of Shigatse we left the tar road, which we wouldn't see again for 600 km. Often the gravel road was so badly corrugated that we had to ride on the loose sand on the side of the road, and often rode on the wrong side because the surface was better. When the wind was blowing we rode on the windward side when trucks passed, to avoid the fine dust. On some sections where they were working, the road had just been bulldozed and we had to ride through a 20 cm layer of dust.
The first climb was over a 4050 m pass, followed by the 4500 m ' Tsuo La ' pass, both from the plateau at 3500 m, then after the town of Lhatse we cycled the 5220 m ' Jia Tsuo La '. This was the first climb where the altitude would have an effect. The higher we went the more difficult it was to maintain a reasonable pace, and had to ride at a pace that was within your lung's ability to replace oxygen, and your blood to transport it. That night we camped just beyond the pass at 5000 m, after 6 hr's cycling at an average speed of 6 km /hr. I'd never used my stove at this height before, but it worked very well, even on the Chinese petrol.
After reaching Shegar we took a detour to Everest Base Camp, over the 5200 m ' Pang La ' pass, down to 4400 m, then up to Rhongbok Monastery at 5030 m. It was on the way up that I got my first close up view of Everest, framed by the lower peaks. There is something awesome about this Mountain, almost 9 km. high, that the Tibetans call "Goddess Mother of the World".
The next morning we walked up to the Base Camp and even though we were at over 5000 m it was an easy walk, because we were acclimatised. The other groups, who had been driven in, struggled with the altitude. Luckily we managed to organise a lift with a truck back to Shegar, as the thought of riding back over those roads was daunting. It turned out to be a rough trip, and incredibly bumpy, but luckily there were hot springs nearby so we spent a well-deserved rest day there. The Tibetans use them as baths so we joined them and washed off weeks of grime, and ended up donating our soap to the Tibetans. It was unusual to see Tibetans without their big jackets and robes, and they had surprisingly light skin, except for their darkly tanned faces and hands. When we left the springs we wanted to get within 20 km of the pass, but in the afternoon a 35 km/hr headwind picked up and we ended up stopping 40 km away. We found out that this wind always picks up in the afternoon at this time of the year, and blows steadily until the evening. It would have been too cold to set off before sunrise, so we set off just after, and even the parts in shadow were freezing until mid morning.
The ' Lalung Le ' was in two stages :- The first up to 4950 m, dropping down 250 m, then over the main part at 5200 m, the final part of the pass into the headwind. Unfortunately the downhill was also into the wind, so we had to pedal all but the steepest sections. I had dropped behind Adam and Dorus, and ended up staying with a family in a small Tibetan village. Looking back, it was one of the most memorable experiences of the trip to be welcomed so warmly into their home, even though I was a total stranger.
The next morning there was no wind and I freewheeled down to meet the others, and crossed the border to enter Nepal again. The ride from there to Kathmandu was relatively easy, with the roads in good condition, breezing up the hills because we were acclimatised to the higher altitudes.
It was good to get back to Kathmandu with its good food and we stuffed ourselves, then treated ourselves to a five day rafting trip to relax. It was great not to have to pedal for a while.
Both bikes were really well tested on some very bad and steep roads, and the only problems, apart from a few punctures, were a broken collar on a Shimano sealed bottom bracket and a tyre blow-out.
We thoroughly enjoyed our experience and would recommend this area to anyone looking for a very different cycling trip.
I plan to write a more comprehensive account of my trip, and anyone
interested in any information can write to me at:
c/o 29 Middleton Rd, Newlands, 7700, Cape Town, South Africa
or eMail me at ewdave@oocities.com
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