Tips of Riding a Bicycle along Qinghai-Tibet Highway

Tips of Riding a Bicycle along Qinghai-Tibet Highway

1.The average elevation of Qinghai-Tibet Highway is over 4000 meters high. The lowest location along Qinghai-Tibet Highway is Golmud and the elevation is 2840 meters high. The highest location along Qinghai-Tibet Highway is Tanggula Mountain Pass and the elevation is 5231 meters high. There are not only the up slopes, or the down slopes along Qinghai-Tibet plateau. There are always undulant and continuous up slopes and down slopes on the way. When you conquer an up slope and feel happy, a steep incline is available in front of you. When you rush downhill, you will find the up slope appears again. Hence every tourist should have a good physical fitness and keep optimistic mind.

2.There are some factors which influence the riding speed and the riding distance during the journey. For example, the wind direction influences your riding speed. When you suffer against the wind, you will feel very exhausted even you ride downhill. If you are lucky enough to climb over the Tanggula Mountain with the follow wind, you will feel more relaxing.

3.The rain and the snow are both the difficulties while you are riding along Qinghai-Tibet Highway. The elevation is higher; you are closer to the mountain pass. The rain and the snow happened frequently in the mountain pass. Generally speaking, the more clothes you wear on a rainy (snowy) day, the more difficult and tired while you are riding. If you wear a raincoat, the wind drag is bigger. In the northern Tanggula Mountain, the air is very arid as Tanggula Mountain prevents the damp air. But the rain and the snow are both available in the mountain pass even you travel there in August. In the southern Tanggula Mountain, the heavy rain appears suddenly because of the influence of the warm and moist air flow of Indian Ocean.

4.More higher the elevation, little oxygen you get. The lack of oxygen often happens in the high land. But lots of the oxygen is greatly needed to ride a bicycle along Qinghai-Tibet Highway. Therefore sometimes you may have difficulty in breathing. We kindly suggest you to adjust your breathing smoothly and steadily. Otherwise the high altitude sickness may be happened to you. Unless you feel very terrible with yourself, do not easily inhale the oxygen. It is not good for you while you are riding a bicycle along Qinghai-Tibet Highway if you rely on the oxygen uptake.

5.The sunshine is very strong in the plateau. The air is very thin and the ultraviolet rays are very strong, too. Your skin may be hurt if you do not use the skin care products. Most of the tourists who ride a bicycle or motorbike look like "the masked thieves" along Qinghai-Tibet Highway. They are also one of the fantastic attractions along the way.

6.Different strategies of riding a bicycle along Qinghai-Tibet Highway were written by different people. You'd better have a reasonable one which is suitable for your physical fitness.

7.The road condition of Qinghai-Tibet Highway may be the best one of all the roads lead to Tibet. There are almost all asphalt roads on the way. It is two-way and two lanes road. But there are still some rough roads. For example, about 20 kilometers far from Xidatan, the road surface of few kilometers long is crushed by the cars. When you ride close to Wudaoliang, there are some cavities. If is unsafe if you ride or drive quickly.