We’re up with the sun and quickly get ready. Today’s our biggest day with a climb over 4700 m so we have little time to waste. After complaining about the lack of Tibetan food for breakfast, feasting on dumplings instead and adding a pumping our tyres up properly, we roll down the steep hill and leave this dump behind.
The day starts with a long gentle incline and for the first time this trip, we are able to cruise at around 20 km/h. Following the river upstream, a small hamlet with oinking black pigs in all formats and sizes marks the beginning of the long climb. We decide on a steady 7 km/h to climb the mountain, something which initially works out but after a while proves impossible to maintain. So we stick to our own tempo.