Day 11 - Shegar to Rhonghpu/Everest Base Camp

Distance – 105kms
Max Altitude – 5210m
Riding time – 9 hours and 15 minutes

The hardest day of my life – one that will change me forever. I dug deeper than I ever have before and pushed my physical and mental limits beyond what I thought possible. I made it – just…

A combination of altitude and a dozen toilet excursions in below freezing conditions made for a terrible night’s sleep (less than an hour). I rose at 7am and nervously arranged my gear for what promised to be an epic day. I had the same eerie sense of expectation that I used to get before a triathlon – silent shuffling and mild terror.

After breakfast of eggs, toast and coffee I set off into the cold morning. The first 12kms were on paved road – the last I would see until I hit Nepal. Passed through a passport control point and had my Everest national park permit inspected before hitting the famed Pang La (pictured top). The climb is one of the world’s most imposing, with 46 switchbacks on unsealed road that climbs to over 5200m.

I pushed hard on the climb, not taking a break for fear of breaking my rhythm. It took me two hours and 20 minutes of climbing at maximum effort to reach the top, where I was confronted with the most spectacular view I have ever seen. Laid out in front of me were Everest, Lhotse, Makalu and other 8000m monsters. I lingered at the top for 5 minutes or so and then started the 90 minute descent – without doubt the most spectacular I have ever ridden. Like the front side of the Pang La, the road had dozens of switchbacks and sank deep into the warm valley below.

At the bottom of the valley was the village of Tashi Dzom, a picturesque junction that is the gateway to the Kharta Valley as well as Everest Base Camp (picture above just out of Tashi Dzom). Had a great lunch of yak fried rice to fill the gap created by five hours of solid riding. The next 43 kms would rise by 800m but making Rhonghpu Monastery (the goal for tonight) by dark would be straightforward, or so I thought. The road condition on that stretch was the worst I have ever encountered. Wheel ruts up to a foot deep made progress almost impossible. It was all I could do to stay upright as I battled at 6-8kph. The terrain battered both bike and body, and hour after hour passed without any respite. To make matters worse I was stoned by Tibetan children – their parents seemed to approve – and several women tried to grab the bread I was carrying right off my pannier.

At 5pm, with 7 hours cycling under my belt, I stood and stared at Mt Everest in front of me. At that point I seriously doubted whether I could make the final 14kms uphill to the monastery. I took several deep breaths and pushed on, kilometre after slow kilometre, traversing from one side of the road to the other to avoid the worst of the wheel ruts. The light started to fade around 6.30pm and the temperature dropped to below freezing. I had so little energy that I couldn’t pedal up the slightest incline – having to get off and push – and was completely disoriented. I’m not sure I had the faculties to pitch a tent if it had been required.

At 7.30pm, in darkness, I pedalled into Rhonghpu. I was physically shattered, emotional and slumped astride my bike in the shadow of Mt Everest (picture of Everest below on arrival) and took a few moments to bask in the achievement. I had been on the bike for more than 9 hours, been on the road for nearly 12 hours, and had climbed more than 2000m of vertical. More than 90% of the day had been above 4500m and I had climbed through the 5000m barrier twice. I was spent. The last hour of the ride gave me an unbelievable clarity about what’s important in life. Without wanting to sound melodramatic, at that moment it became clear that the trip to Tibet had been about this day. It gave me confidence, humbled me and will leave a lasting and profound mark on me.

On arrival at the monastery proper I ran into a number of people that recognised me: an English couple (Ian and Liz) who were also cycling, and Robert, a Czeck surgeon I had met at the hotel the night before. He had promised that he would buy me a beer if I made it to Rhonghpu in a day, and duly came good on his promise. He and others were incredulous that I had done the trip in a day, and quietly so was I.