Max Altitude – 4500m
Riding time – 4 hours
Sometimes the profile map doesn’t tell the full story. A massive drop in altitude looked enticing on paper but the road was horrendous. Roadworks made the 30kms of steep descent a muddy mess. It included difficult river crossings, thick mud and incredible sheer drop-offs (pictured right). This was the most technical mountain biking I have done, and made more difficult by the 25kgs of gear on my bike that plays havoc with your stability. The scenery changed from barren plains to lush rainforest the deeper I went into the canyon.As I neared the border a few things were noticeable: the landscape was more lush, the people were more sub-continental in appearance and the be
gging seemed to stop. Coming into the border town a piece of wire pierced my front tyre, and a local villager rushed over to help me change it. I appreciated the help as the descent had taken much longer than I had anticipated and I needed to get to the border by 11.30am. It was a zoo of cars, trucks and buses snaking down the Monaco-like roads – absolute pandemonium. I ran into Ian and Liz, the English couple, at the border control and rode through no man’s land (the 10kms between the Tibetan and Nepali borders) and on to The Last Resort, and we had an Everest Beer or two to celebrate on arrival (pcitured below).
gging seemed to stop. Coming into the border town a piece of wire pierced my front tyre, and a local villager rushed over to help me change it. I appreciated the help as the descent had taken much longer than I had anticipated and I needed to get to the border by 11.30am. It was a zoo of cars, trucks and buses snaking down the Monaco-like roads – absolute pandemonium. I ran into Ian and Liz, the English couple, at the border control and rode through no man’s land (the 10kms between the Tibetan and Nepali borders) and on to The Last Resort, and we had an Everest Beer or two to celebrate on arrival (pcitured below). The resort would be home for the next couple of days, and was like a tropical paradise compared to what I had become used to
. The bridge to the resort was imposing – a suspension bridge nearly 200m above the river below – which I pedalled across very nervously. I was able to enjoy a few beers with a few other travellers staying there – a few of them cyclists – and felt a great sense of achievement. Still 100kms to Kathmandu, but tonight was a big occasion.
. The bridge to the resort was imposing – a suspension bridge nearly 200m above the river below – which I pedalled across very nervously. I was able to enjoy a few beers with a few other travellers staying there – a few of them cyclists – and felt a great sense of achievement. Still 100kms to Kathmandu, but tonight was a big occasion.
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