From Tsomo (4,400m)
to Shegar (4,300m)

Our ride from Tsomo to Tingri was destined to be an enjoyable one - a slight downhill gradient, pleasant sunny weather, and just 62km. All seemed fine.

A slow start was nothing unusual - the overnight cold didn't encourage anyone to get up early and by the time breakfast had wrapped up, bikes had been cleaned and oiled, the lorry was packed and our drinking water for the day was purified - it had become a late start. Once on the road a gap opened up between Tim, Rich S, and Nick , and Andrew. Andrew seems to be feeling a combination of exhaustion and the after effects of the altitude - and so pedals well behind the others. Its somewhat dismaying that after the tremendous effort of the last few days that no-one bothers to wait for him and he drifts further and further back - the trials of cycling in a larger group!

The day turns out quite warm, and the sun beats down on the sandy plain - the scenery is immense - almost too big to absorb - distant dusty hills, a near river plain - flat as an ice rink, and our road weaves along - passing abandoned Nepalese Castles and fortifications from days of yore when Nepal had made inroads into this high and barren land. As we round the bend and head up northwards we catch our first glimpse of the 8000m peaks - the massif of the three brothers - Lhotse, Cho Oyu and Everest - a view from a dream - and here we are - cycling right through it!

We stop early and relax at the Hot Springs at Tsamda - preferring to save a slightly longer distance for tomorrow. This is our first opportunity for a proper wash since Kathmandu - and we certainly need it - PONG! Dean skips around the hot springs in delight - her shampoo that has been congealed into a frozen lump since she can remember has thawed out - and she takes great delight in washing her hair. We get a good clean and a good nights sleep - first night without any sign of headaches for a while.

The following day brings more team cycling fun and games - the rough terrain makes the going very heavy - loose gravel, endless corrugations and a growing headwind in the afternoon make for wearying progress. Although our first photo call in the morning is a closer view of the Everest Range - click, click, whir whir - we reel off plenty of Jessops Slide film - this is one we don't want to miss!

The sensory highlight of the day without a doubt though comes when we hit tarmac road just before the village of Tingri - suddenly our arms relax, our bikes stop juddering, the noise of scrunching gravel gives way to the rumble of off-road tyres on smooth asphalt - and we cruise - an incredible feeling - even the lorries passing the other way seem quiet. We wonder if its right - this trapping of civilisation here in the wilds of Tibet seems like cheating somehow. It’s the logical next thought to wonder about the spreading of the tarmac - will it go further? - will it be possible one day to ride all the way on a black top surface? - we hope not - that is definately not part of the plan! The afternoon produces a few disagreements about cycling styles in the group - especially when we try to ride peleton formation to cheat the wind - but its hard to keep us all together. It does its job though and we approach Shegar quite steadily. Our only real stop is for the police check-post just outside the town. This proves an eyeopener when we are smoothly ushered through, but the locals - amongst their number a couple of monks, are given an examination befitting convicted criminals. We leave as fast as we can - not a good place to dally - and we make our night stop in the town of Shegar - nestling below the Gyatso La - high point of the Friendship Highway.