The world's most incredible bike routes

18:04, 7 June 2014

NEW YORK. KAZINFORM The primary joy of a bicycle is that, in its purest form, it's little more than a highly efficient way of walking.

Just grab the bike, climb aboard and pedal swiftly to the shop, the bar or wherever. Some cyclists, however, prefer their rides a bit more dramatic. Perhaps even scenic, remote and arduous. Here's a selection of fantastic rides from around the world that take anything from a day to several months to complete. Don't forget the anti-chafe cream. The Friendship Highway (China) Whether or not the 800 kilometers (500 miles) between the Tibetan city of Lhasa and the Nepalese border is the planet's most beautiful ride depends on your idea enjoyment of sometimes bleak high-altitude vistas. What's in little doubt is that it's the highest, CNN reports.

The route includes three road passes of more than 5,000 meters (16,400 feet), with a lung-bursting maximum of 5,220 meters over the Gyatso La mountain pass, where the reward on a clear day is a distant view of Everest. This, it goes without saying, isn't for everyone. Conditions can be testing and the distance between towns necessitates careful planning. Plus, the sensitive political situation in Tibet means individual travel can be tricky at times. For the sufficiently committed this remains one of the globe's true adventures, from the religious and cultural wonders of Lhasa and Gyantse to the prayer flag-draped peak of the Gampa La mountain pass, with the vast, turquoise lake, Yamdrok Yumtso, shining in the valley below. If that's not enough, the route ends with possibly the world's longest descent, a precipitous 3,500-meter drop off the edge of the Tibetan plateau along muddy hairpins.