After being out of touch for three and a half days, an eight-member team cycling the Sichuan-Tibet highway was found Thursday.

Two of their bicycles broke and they could not carry their supplies, said a teacher from a university in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province, who did not give his name.

The eight, most of them college students, plan to continue the trip after stocking up with new supplies, the teacher said.

The Sichuan-Tibet Highway is one of the highest roads above sea level in China. It is also an important part of the country's No 318 National Highway, which connects Shanghai, Chengdu and Lhasa with Katmandu in Nepal. It is the main link between Tibet and other parts of China.

A team of 11 started out on July 15 from Chengdu, intending to get to Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, along the Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

They were equipped with second-hand bicycles bought for 100 yuan (US$12) each and two-day's worth of solid food, Kong said.

When they arrived at the Zheduo section of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, on July 26, a college student Kong Jingda gave up and returned to Chengdu.

Another two men also quit before the team arrived at Litang of Sichuan Province, Kong said.

The last eight, including three girls, continued on to Lhasa.

After Kong left the team, he stayed in touch with Zhang Wenxi, one of the girls, by mobile phone.

He lost contact for three days after the team reached Mangkang County of the Tibet Autonomous Region.

Authorities started searching for the eight cyclists before getting a message from the team, sources said.

(China Daily July 30, 2004)