Every night, they stayed in a different village. If you look at google maps, you can see that the area between the two cities is populated, so it was possible to sleep each night in a different town. They never needed to camp out.
There were many hairpin turns in roads that climbed high mountains. In one occasion they traversed a deep tunnel, cutting the time of travel because they did not need to climb the mountain pass.
At the beginning the weather was warmer but as they reached higher altitude, it became colder. Llasa was at 0 degrees centigrade on the days when they reached it.
Every day, they left whatever inn or residence they were staying in around 7:00 am. They would eat a lunch along the way and travel between 50 and 70km per day. Their typical day ended at 7:00pm. They typically cycled no less than 8 hours per day.
Sometimes they found other bicyclists along the way that would accompany them for portions of their trip. But the speed of the various people was different. Steep inclines required frequent stops because of heart racing.
Every night, they would plan the next day's schedule. One particular bicyclist that they met along the way had a schedule similar to theirs. His speed was faster, so he would typically arrive at that day's destination earlier than TangLiang and XuYe.
One temple in their route was enormous, with many lamas. It seemed as if the temple's community had many abbots in one place.
They saw many yaks along the way. Butter and cheese in these parts is often made from yak milk.
The skies became clearer and bluer the higher they ascended.
Not all of the roads were perfectly paved. And almost none had auto barriers at the edges. Cars or buses who travel on these roads have to be very careful when driving.
Interesting village built on terraces graded on the mountainside.
There were many rivers along the way, which create the mountain paths they followed upwards.
When they had flat tires, they replaced the inner tubes themselves. They carried several with their gear. They also carried the outer wheels because their bicycles where small and in the remote areas they were traveling in, it would have been impossible to find replacements.
This was probably the steepest road they traversed.
One person that assisted them in fixing a tire was a sixty five year old Chinese man from Hong Kong, who was doing the same trip by bicycle, all by himself.
At the beginning of their trip, TL and XY washed their clothes daily. After a while, they did so every 4 to 5 days. That was because it was difficult to wait for the clothes to dry in the increasingly cold weather.
Along they way, they encountered many waterfalls. The first big mountain they had to cross was Kandia, a four mile high mountain.
Rice fields beyond.
When the weather turned cold, they wore layer upon layer of clothing. They had good gear to withstand rain.
At the intersection of Sichuan and Tibet, two rivers meet. One river is sandy and the other is blue.
I wondered if they needed massages often. But they said that along the way they did not feel body stress or cramps. The seat cushions in their bicycles abated soreness.
They continued along the way crossing snow-capped mountains. Snow on the road did not deter them.
Along the way they met a convoy of 100 trucks.
During the beginning of their trip, they showered daily. After some weeks, they showered every 3 or 4 days.
Sometimes along the way, they found natural hot springs. They took dips in them, as the local people do. It was free.
The visit to Potala Palace was worthwhile. It is 117 meters high. It is a storehouse of precious sculptures, murals, scripture, Buddha figures, and religious jewelry of gold and jade - all of great cultural and artistic value. There where relics on display that glowed bright in the night. My notes say they were made of "elephant brains" but I imagine what was meant was elephant tusks, or ivory. I'm honored to have shared this story and these images, which are astounding.
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