Somewhere past the loops that drop off Tanglang La, the mountains step back and the road runs out onto a wide, pale plateau. The air is thin enough that a bike loses a visible slice of its power, and a rider who climbed out of Leh a few hours ago can feel a dull pressure behind the eyes if the day started too fast. Go slowly and drink more water than seems sensible.
The riding here is odd, and I mean that kindly. After days of hairpins the tarmac simply goes straight for kilometres between dun-coloured ridges, with the sky doing all the work. Surface is mostly good but patched, with frost heave, sand drifts and the occasional stream washing across in the afternoon when the snowmelt picks up. Wind is the real opponent. It comes down the plain in gusts that can shove a loaded bike across a lane, so keep your lines wide and your grip loose.
This is nomad country. Changpa herders bring pashmina goats and sheep to these pastures, and in summer you may see their dark tents beside a stream, with a few yaks and a scatter of dogs. Kiang, the wild ass of the Tibetan plateau, sometimes stand in the distance and watch you pass with complete disinterest. There are marmots near the roadside burrows on lower slopes and the light at midday is hard and white, so dark glasses are not optional.
Nothing here sells fuel, and the ordinary rule on this highway is to treat each tank as the only one you will get. Leh is the last dependable pump to the north, and riders going the other way know the one at Tandi in Himachal as the long-awaited relief before the big stretch. Carry a spare can. Tea and noodles are available at seasonal tented camps along this belt, and in the main season there are guesthouses at Pang and Sarchu where you can drop your altitude a little and sleep. Do not push on after dark: road signs are few, the cold at night is severe, and a breakdown out here is a long wait.
The highway is open only in the warmer months, usually from about June until the first big snows of autumn, and the exact dates swing with the winter. Check before you set out and expect delays for convoys or slides on any day.