Shigatse (Xigase)
to
Nangartse

Oddly the next day none of us feel too well - and we struggle to get underway - our cycling party today is reduced to just 3 Tim Andrew and me. Thankfully though we think to ourselves - at least it’s a flat day today - should be OK. The 95km that turns up though is not quite what we had bargained for. The road is indeed flat - but its corrugations from hell and we can barely get a decent rhythm going for the shaking and jolting that we have to endure. My stomach is churning and turning and I feel like I'm going to be sick. I can barely remember what we passed in the morning - and come lunch time when we pause to meet our ailing companions - it’s a sorry scene - I can barely face any food. We plod on after lunch - through more and more of the same - closed in scenery - with trees lining a hopelessly dusty road, that chucks dirt in our faces at every passing vehicle. As we reach Drongtse we are all exhausted and it seems we shall never make the last painful kilometers. We collapse on the floor of the village store sipping at Sprite and nibbling sweet rice cakes - the locals look at me strangely but I can barely muster a gag for the little ones - must be tired! As moral support Rich S joins us for the last 20 km and soon realises why the day has been so tough - we continue at a snails pace. As we approach Gyantse though we do notice a growing number of Tibetan Stupas by the roadside - square bases with white domes and sometimes a cluster of reeds and prayer flags poking out of the top - they make for good resting spots in the evening sunshine - how I wish we were there - my legs hurt!

Finally we pull on to tarmac and we meet the support vehicle for our last run in to the town - Sony points out the fork in the road that leads back down to India and into Sikkim - quite poignant for Tim and I - as 5 years previous our route had brought us up from the other side into Sikkim - though Tibet - our route barred - had seemed light years away! The view of Gyantse - the least Chinese influenced of Tibet’s towns is pure poetry in the low angled sunshine of the day's end - the Kumbum - a mighty Gold Leafed Stupa gleams - and the city fortifications are glowing red - strong and proud - what a sight for us top behold.

We take a rest day to sample Gyantse - a little sightseeing but plenty of relaxing - the Wutse Hotel our temporary hotel - we are well looked after.

Just 3 days to Lhasa now - so close we can almost see the Potala Palace - however in the meanwhile we have 2 more monster Tibetan Passes to contend with - and a whole stretch of wilderness. We ride though with hope in each pedal especially when we reach the dammed lake just above Gyantse - its beautiful turquoise colour is a sight to behold and the way the trail wraps around the outside hugging the hillside is too a memorable ride. We top a small pass and are off down into a sheltered valley. The bottom of a monsoonal river bed makes our camp for the night and we begin to set up. We had had our fingers burnt (or should that be frozen) earlier on with camping in the bitter temperatures coming up from Nepal but here the weather is not quite tropical but at least its not snowing! We pitch tents - only to discover that there is a leaking culvert above us ready to drown our pitch in muddy water - and so we relocate. In this process Richy's Terra Nova inner tent gets picked up by the wind and in a thermal current gets swept high up the hillside - maybe 30 or 40 metres up into the sky. It looks as if Rich and Andrew will be sleeping in the back of the lorry when miraculously it makes a return to earth - phew! The night has other tribulations - particularly for Tim who retires early - only to urge forth from his flysheet presently - with a gushing projectile of vomit - he is sick a total of 3 times - each a hearty belch - and we all look on in horror - oops. Rich S. also makes a sharp exit in the night for similar activity - I pray inside my cosy Snugpak bag that I will not fall pray to the bug - my prayers are answered and I make it through the night!

Andrew, Rich and Tim all stumble around in the morning complaining of their lethargy - not looking too good - Dean again asks me how we are going to ride - I shrug my shoulders - 'we'll ride...somehow', and indeed with encouragement and help packing up and breakfasting we get 4 riders out on the road - maybe not the most excitable or chirpy bunch - but at least we're on the move - edging upwards. To days pass is a monster again - some 5050m - the Karo La - and it turns out to be a real cutting through the high mountains - we are greeted early in the day by the holy mountain..........which rises steeply almost directly from our road. We ride alongside and find the glacier from its side tumbles down the mountainside almost to meet us - we stare up in awe at this huge hulk of a mountain - us and our bikes tiny in its shadow. We ride upwards further and pass mor Yak herders before reaching our top - we are all weary and the wind whistles through the valley - making communication trickhy - we shout at each other - and get a couple of snaps - and then begin another descent - soon out of the wind and able to chat as we descend. Its becomes rather tricky to explain another monster descent without reusing the same superlatives - but its another fast and swooping one - its not long and we're pulling into Nangartse - mid afternoon - in plenty of time. The afternoon is spent feeding and relaxing once again. Not far now......