Finally off on the start of my Shangri-La to Lhasa cycle trip. It’s been a long-term goal of mine to get some cycling done in Tibet. I’ve never been and am interested in the area, culture, and whether I can handle the altitude while enjoying myself. The trip will take about three weeks. For the first week, I’m acclimatizing, self-supported, in northern Yunnan, and then I meet my guide, permits, and car, and follow a set itinerary that has been months in the planning. Many thanks to Christy @chinabasetravel for all the support sorting that out. It’s not a cheap, easy, or quick endeavor, but hopefully I’ll be rewarded with lots of interesting, unique experiences, not just hordes of tourists, traffic, and altitude headaches? Let’s see!
I’ll try to do about 100km a day, not too hard, mostly on the G214 and G318. All in all, about 2200km over 20 days with a couple of days of rest thrown in.
Stage 1 is a 7-day unsupported trip from Shangri-La ending in Deqen, where the guide and car will meet me. Basically crossing over the Yangtze, Mekong, and Nu Rivers. I’m 2 days in and was suffering a bit from the end of a cold, jetlag, and altitude. Starting to feel a bit better and stronger, and the next three days get rather tough and adventurous. It’s amazing to see all the road building, and the area should become a Mecca of cycling in China due to the scenery, climbs, destinations, and numerous places to stay.
A few pictures from the first few days, which started with a flight from Shanghai to Shangri-La. Then one day down to the Jinsha, Upper Yangtze and then one day south along its west banks. Not sure if I can make it over the Nu River tomorrow as the only access in this area now is over a mountain gravel path which I’m not 100% sure exists. Amazing to think these three great rivers are so close to each other at this point, yet end so far away from each other, and have shaped countries and civilizations over the years.
The first day on the old G214 was nicer than expected. Making my way through Tibetan villages, I ended up staying in a vineyard on the banks of the Jinsha, Yangtze River. Nice to be low again and in the warmth. Probably worthwhile exploring this Yunnan Sichuan area around Benzilan, a halfway point between Deqen and Shangri-La.
The second day was a nice cruise down the West bank of the Yangtse Jinsha River to Tacheng. Little traffic on the western bank at low altitude made for easy going. Tacheng seems like a nice place, with lots of stay options, and the snub-nosed monkey 🙈 research base is worth visiting. Very simple, good beef restaurant, not sure if it’s a local thing. Good roads with an amazing new highway to SGL due to open once the tunnel is finished.
终于启程，开始我的香格里拉至拉萨骑行之旅。在西藏骑行一直是我长久以来的目标。我从未去过那里，对那里的地域风貌、文化传统以及自己能否在享受旅途的同时适应高海拔环境都充满好奇。这次旅程预计将持续三周。第一周，我将在云南北部进行高海拔适应训练，全程自理；随后将与向导会合，办理相关许可证并租用车辆，按照经过数月精心规划的既定路线前行。非常感谢Christy @chinabasetravel 在安排这些事宜上给予的大力支持。这绝非一次廉价、轻松或快速的旅程，但希望我能收获许多有趣而独特的体验，而不仅仅是面对成群的游客、拥堵的交通和高海拔带来的头痛？让我们拭目以待！
我计划每天骑行约100公里，强度适中，主要沿G214和G318公路前行。总计20天行程约2200公里，其中包含几天休息日。
第一阶段是从香格里拉出发、为期7天的无后勤支持骑行，终点是德钦，届时向导和接应车辆将在那里与我汇合。基本上要穿越长江、湄公河和怒江。出发两天了，我正受着感冒尾声、时差和高原反应的折磨。现在开始感觉好些了，体力也恢复了，接下来的三天会相当艰难且充满冒险。看到沿途的修路工程令人惊叹，凭借这里的风景、爬坡路段、目的地以及众多住宿选择，这一带应该会成为中国骑行的圣地。
附上前几天的几张照片：旅程始于从上海飞往香格里拉的航班。随后花了一天时间南下至金沙江、长江上游，接着又花了一天沿其西岸向南骑行。不确定明天能否跨越怒江，因为目前该地区唯一的通道是一条山间碎石路，而我并不完全确定这条路是否真的存在。想到这三条大河在此处如此相邻，最终却流向相距甚远的地方，并在此后数千年间塑造了各国的疆域与文明，着实令人惊叹。
在老G214公路上的第一天比预期的更惬意。穿过藏族村落，我最终在金沙江畔的一处葡萄园里落宿。重返低海拔地区，感受温暖，真好。或许值得探索一下德钦与香格里拉之间的中点——奔子栏周边的云南四川地区。
第二天沿着长江金沙江西岸一路向下，轻松抵达塔城。西岸低海拔路段车流稀少，骑行十分惬意。塔城看起来是个不错的地方，住宿选择丰富，而且猕猴🙈研究基地值得一游。有一家非常朴实但美味的牛肉餐厅，不确定是不是当地特色。道路状况良好，通往香格里拉（SGL）的一条令人惊叹的新高速公路即将开通，待隧道完工后即可使用。
总而言之，对于这场漫长的旅程来说，这算是一个不错的开端。Auto Trans….
All in all, not a bad start to a very long journey.