On one day there were head winds strong enough to make cycling extra difficult. Most of the Tibetan country side consisted of wide and not so wide valleys connected by mountain passes. The area traveled appeared to be sparsely populated, although Tibetan villages were passed though or visible at various points. A river normally ran through the bottom of the valleys. There was limited farming in the valleys, as the countryside for the most part was dry, dusty and lacking vegetation.
Many people ware dusk masks to combat the effects of dust from passing vechiles.
The trip started with the group meeting in Kathmandu, then spending the following day touring city sights. On the third day, the group flew to Lhasa for four days of sight seeing and acclimatization. On day 7 the cycling started. It was a relatively easy 80 kilometer ride over mostly paved level roads to the first nights campsite. This was accomplished at an average speed of 20 kilometers per hour.