Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge

Lijiang – Tiger Leaping Gorge
12th May 2014       16-31’C        100km

Another quick, hot noodle breakfast with chilli pork and it was time to leave the hotel.  Riding up the driveway, I had that sinking feeling that I might have a flat tyre as the bike wobbled more than it should.   200M later at the first traffic light, I looked down and found the rear looking softer than usual.  I rode on for a kilometer before it was too flat to ride.  There was a compressor outside an electrical store and the lady running the store let me pump the tyre up, but there was a leak that needed repair.  Another 600M and I spotted a tyre repair shop and pulled in.  The guy didn’t know anything about motorcycle tyres, but let me use his driveway to pull tyre wheel off.  With the tube out, it was obvious that the screw I found yesterday had actually punctured the tube.  A patch was applied and I started to reassemble everything.  Everyone wanted to help and with a set of truck tyre irons the tyre was back together, but on inflating it was leaking worse than before.  It seems with all the help, 4 new pinch punctures had been made in the tube.  Frustrating.  I pulled it all apart to repeat the patching again.
Eventually the wheel was back on, 2hrs after I’d set out from the hotel.

The road was excellent and carved through the mountain with amazing views of snow capped peaks as I entered tiger leaping gorge.  It made the tyre repair efforts all worth it to see the magnificent peaks and gorges.

Quite a few stops for photos, and at one of the stops I heard the hissing from the rear tyre that indicated another flat was soon imminent.  We were only a few km from the guest house, so quickly headed up the very steep winding road. The tyre was losing air rapidly, making the already hair raising climb, truly frightening as the rear tyre wobbled around flat as I ascended switchback after switchback.  Half way up the climb, I had to stop on the side of the road and pumped just enough air back in to make it to the guesthouse, where I then set to work pulling it all apart for the third time today.  Admittedly, with the most amazing mountain backdrop for working on the bike.