Start: Sapa, Vietnam
End: Somewhere over the pass towards Lai Chau, west of Sapa
Distance: 53 km
Time: 4'35"
Avg: 11.6 k/h
Max: 48.5 k/h
Total: 4230 km
Total riding days: 48
Roadkill: Broken freehub, this time totally.
Riding hours: 1200 - 1730
A day of three halves.
I take a chance on the repaired freehub.
It takes me 16 km up to the pass quite happily.
And 24 km down the pass even more happily, no pedalling, no problem.
It's 3pm. I have just descended 1000 metres down a beautiful valley. I am somewhere near Binh Lu.
The road flattens out; I may have to pedal.
Round go the pedals, but the wheels: no. The pedals spin very merrily but I come to a halt. Not a grinding halt, more a wobbly one.
So half #3 of the day is something that you can do for fun with a bike, but I don't recomment it. Push it, laden with 35 kg of stuff, back up a 1000 metre pass.
I get about 2/3rds of the way up when darkness catches up with me. Then, something works out for me, the way things do sometimes, when you're on a bike. Or not on a bike, in this case. The only possible camp-spot on the whole pass appears in the mist round the next bend.
Out comes the tent, and it's a happy night under canvas for me. The bike stays outside with the frogs.
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