Arnold Zhang our Marketing Coordinator in China finished at 7th overall and his team: Camp-Vaude finished at 3rd. There were 31 participants of race and only 9 finished.
The route is 5,476km using the National Road, from Sichuan Province to Lhasa,Tibet.The race 2015 started on the 10th of October and it finished the 19th. The daily average altitude was 3,600-4,000 with an daily gain of 2,500m. They rode through mud, snow, ice and rain to complete this race. Most riders were wearing rubber gloves to stay dry and keep warm.
Most everyone road road bikes with a few cross bikes and hard tail XC bikes sprinkled in there. Arnold was riding the Thickslick tires and didn't get any flats unlike his competitors.
Here are a few pictures of the race: Photos by: Andy Shang and Biketo.com
Q& A with Arnold about the race:
- What was the most amazing thing you saw?
The snow peaks，The Namcha Barwa！！！！（God i get goose bumps！）and sooooo many stunning landscapes and the Holy Mountain！
- What products did you ride?
All 3 of us Team Camp－Vaude）were equipped with Freedom’s Thicksilck 700＊28C Sport tires front and rear，I DIDN'T HAVE ANY PUNCTURES DURING THE WHOLE RACE AND NO DEFLATION AT ONCE！！！It's INCREDIBLE！And Silverado Carbon saddle under my arse，the other two run Volt Team and SL8 Team.
- What kept you going?
As a team leader i'd set goals before the race started：finish it and try our best to get the strongest rider He huaisong on the podium，also flight for Team-Overall placement. I had some emotional motivation of my own：my grandma passed away 6 months ago when I exploring the route of this event.
- What was the weather like? How did you stay warm?
The weather there is one of the biggest challenges：the temperature varies greatly between day and night，in extreme condition we using cling film to protect our knees、foot、head and body from frozen wind.
- What makes this race so special?
high sea level altitude ，long distance，stunning landscape，famous route－318 National Road，uncertain weather ，extreme conditions and crazy organizers and riders
- How many competitors were there? How many finished?
31，9 of those completed the race!
- Most important lesson learned?
“Take it easy and keep your eyes open dude！”“Make your body as warm as your burning heart！”
- Tell us about the race:
Your sight will be the sweetness in heaven when your body suffering in hell
- If you could describe the race in one word- what would it be?
Crazy，Suffering，or Suicide，Game for Brave（not Impulsive）
- Anything else you want to add?
Too many words and stories，you need be there to experience that more than meets the eyes，at least!
Congrats Arnold on this amazing accomplishment!