Travel from Lhasa to Kathmandu on a Friday?

The invitation was made and the challenge issued - is it possible to travel the Roof of the World by Bike Friday? The gathering of the Yvonne Bike Friday Club was made possible by a chance meeting in 2006 in Vietnam and an invitation from Yvonne (Alaska) to Yvonne (Australia) to join forces on the Roof of the World Tour through Bike Asia. At this point the challenge was on with a lot of intrepidation. The complication was that my Friday is a New World Tourer (NWT) which does not have suspension and it can not be retrofitted. Fitting a ThudBuster seat post and fat marathon tyres, double bike gloves and a lot of bump absorption by body made the whole ride possible (if not painful at times)

Thanks to the Team at Bike Asia for agreeing it could be done, for Jason from Grasshopper Adventures for convincing me it could be done and for Epic Cycles and Bike Friday for the parts to make it possible.

12 cyclists - 2 Bike Fridays, 2 fixed frames touring bikes ( no suspension ), the rest mountain bikes. 1,000 + km from Tibet to Kathmandu

2 tour leaders (Naomi and Jamie) 1 cycling guide (Chandra), 1 4WD and 1 truck and a terrific local crew who kept us fed and provided luggage support and backup service when needed.

Other startling and mind numbing statistics on distances, heights, mountain passes to follow but it was zero punctures to Freedom Friday, the Gnu had one, 8 miles from the start point and none to follow. Most bikes had brake burnout on the BIG down or the roadworks or both. Stay tuned for my new techniques for stopping when all else fails (day 23 and day24)...

For the entire story see my other blogsite http://freedomfridayontheroofoftheworld.blogspot.com/

Freedom Friday

Friday is the name of a brand of folding Bike. I called mine Freedom as that is what you get when you can just take off! They come in many models, mine ( green) is the New World Tourer. I think the purple one from Alaska is a Gnu. Both were purchased in 2006 (mid year) and both being ridden by Yvonne.

They are made to measure in USA and easy to find on the www.bikefriday.com

A folding bike makes solo touring quite a bit easier.

Friday back at home in Adelaide (Sth Australia)
Just to prove it folds, take the front wheel off and put it in the touring bag and look - no bike!
Jason introduced me to Bike Fridays and convinced me they were good fun to ride. ( Mine was green first, his used to be black but green suits the concept endorsed by Grasshopper Adventures - low impact tourism)
Friday in the suitcase for airline travel
Local motodrivers "helping" me fold my bike Von assembling the "meccano bike"
Bike Friday disguised as luggage crossing from Cambodia to Thailand

Friday travelling - hotel rooms and boats and another border crossing ( Thailand to Laos)

Bangkok Bicycle tour

Try the Bangkok Bike Tour ( bike provided) for sights of Bangkok you will not see any other way consider an easy ride, one morning through the back alleys and surprises of a great big city. More details on the ride http://www.grasshopperadventures.com/ or take my word for it-its amazing and i have done it more than once and things changed from one month to the next...

Floating food vendor

Local guide with giant statue of local monk ( i think)
following the waterways
Von and Jason (grasshopperadventures) and our Bike Fridays after a Bangkok Bike Tour. Jason was my e-lifeline on the Freedom Friday tour around SE Asia. he knows the area, understands Bike Fridays and my capabilities and was a great comfort to know he was on the other end of an email or Skype if I was stuck or needed a pick me up/reality check. In the end Friday needed him more than me for help to get a bike shop in Bangkok to find the missing 22 gears after 7 weeks of riding, folding, unfolding, buses, taxis, trains, planes and plain good fun. This photo was taken post bike shop realignment so we are all smiling! Cheers to Jason and Adam for making parts of my trip do-able and fun if not really hard work to achieve my goals. Save some roads or me , I will be back!

Thailand-Kanchanaburi Province Jan 2007

My last rides were to be in Thailand.
The journey involved a local bus 30 to the Sthn bus station, 5 minute transfer to bus to Kanchanaburi, 2 hrs arrive and assemble Friday and ride to Jolly Frog Guesthouse.
From here it was riding up to Sangkhlaburi (137km) & 3 Pagoda Pass (51km return)
Bus back to Kanch-Erawan Park, ride part-way (24km return 0f the 45km total) to HuayMaeKhamin before organising a taxi (it was just too hard in the time I had in the day and didnt know the road).
Ride from MaeKhamin to Erawan via ferries across dam. (Three beers/cheers for a fold up bike for ease of assisted bus transfer).
Thanks to Adam and Jason from Grasshopper Adventures for helping design the ride and tee up national parks accomodation and convince me to ride such big hills (because they haven't ridden it yet!).

Kanchanaburi Region
Bridge on the River "Kwai"
JollyFrog Guesthouse (80 - 200bht/night)
Kanch railway station at 5.45am en route to NamTok

Hellfire Gorge area
Hellfire Gorge

Thong Pla Phum to Sangkhlaburi

73km, a big road with some very large hills but the rare downs were fun.

Friday impersonating the reclining Buddah after 6hrs 20 mins climbing up the road at an average overall of 12 km/hr
Khao Laem
Rd to Sangk ,early morning
Thong Pla Phum

Sangkhlaburi region

Khao Laem Dam
enroute to Elephant trek and bamboo rafting
Kids off the wooden bridge

from P Guesthouse Sangkhlaburi
3 Pagodas Pass Burma border
two cyclists on an elephant (Gerhard & Von)
Jungle

Erawan National Park

Stage/tier of Erawan Falls
View from Park Cottage balcony-yep its a hard life with a great view, a book and a beer!
National parks cottage

(800bht/night:aircon, Fridge/MVave, twin, hot water, immaculate)

Erawan National Park - Si Nakharin National Park

I turned back after 12km uphill, mostly on dirt road to negotiate a truck/taxi to Si Nakharin National Park, I was so determined to get there and knew that 45km was going to either finish me or FreedomFriday I was prepared to pay for a lift!

Erawan National Park
Wishing it was only uphill for buses?
12km - up
View obstructed by smoke

Huay MaeKharmin Waterfall (Si Nakharin National Park)

View of Si Nakharin Dam from National Park cottage


Sunrise

Huay MaeKharmin Waterfall to Erawan National Parl via ferry to Si Sawatt

approx 60km with the last 5 km in the back of a ute as I could not resist the offer of a lift up one last big hill

Si Nakharin Dam after ferry ferry ride bamboo forest

The last 5km without pedalling!