Today was always going to be a short day – over a little 400m bump before getting lots of odds and ends done in Shangri La. The road was good, and I was soon in Shangri La – the town of haircuts, brake pad changes and working on the video.
Red valley
The climb continued today with large quantities of pushing the bike. It just didn’t get any less steep until the very end. It remained beautiful, following the river to a bowl of rocky mountains. The road then climbed up the side to have a spectacular view over the valley.
Switchbacks
The pass was around 4500m – a mammoth climb from the valley at 2350m, all on rocky, sandy, bumpy road. Still, the bad road didn’t matter. It was a challenge, in the sun, and in this beautiful, beautiful place. The bumpy road was more annoying on the way down, meaning that it was about 7km/h down (more than the 2km/h going up)..
The road up
Near the top
Steep road up
Looking down from the pass
Perched on the side of the hill
Rocky peaks
Valley from above
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