Saturday, 31 August 2013

Day 17 - Delhi

Our 4 herores completed the famed Kardon LA, tge highest motorable road in the world at 5,359 metres (17,680 ft) claiming it to be one hell of a tough ride !

Despite being up to 5,328 metres at Tanlangla this cycle involved 42 kms of straight climbing starting in Leh for a breathtaking gain of 1,900 meters.

Times from the 4 varied from 3 3/4 to 5 1/2 hours all pretty damned good considering the last 15 kms were completely off road on rock and gravel.

The descent claimed two of the 4 riders when first of all Danish Mike tried to jump a ditch at speed that came out into his riding line causing his tyre to burst and him to come off his bike - thankfully shaken and not too badly hurt.

Dr Geoff also came off in sand on one of the bitumen corners on the long descent and also thankfully only ended up with grazes and small cuts.

While the four were doing themselves proud the rest of the group were doing some last minute walking around town and taking in the more interesting sites including the monastery and palace that serves as a backdrop to the city.

We departed from Leh the morning after on different flights through some of the strictest security procedures imaginable given the issues in Kashmir and nearby Pakistan.

This gave us a final look at the stunning Himalayas around Ladahk.

Arrival Delhi was a different world, hot' humid and a sea off humanity with people competing for living space everywhere !

Traffic here can be horrendous battling with the cities 20 million inhabitants. Not too comforting also is the fact that Indian has the highest road fatality rate in the world !

We had one final dinner at the amazing Indian Imperial hotel a setting of opulent Raj splendour where our total dinner bill was (I'm told) enough to feed a family of 4 for 1 year - embarrassing but nice !

So after nearly 4 months in the saddle and a fabulous Indian adventure now completed it is time to head home and dream of the next one !

See you in Melbourne !

Thursday, 29 August 2013

Days 15/16 Leh

An official rest day before the battled hardended cyclists of the group Dr Geoff (Aussie), Danish Mike, Naveen (Indian guide), Ian (Scottish now Aussie citizen) and Glen (English) tackle the world famous Kardong La Pass at 5,359 meters reportedly the highest motorable pass in the world !

Leh the former capital of Ladahk owes its history to being a central staging point on a former major trade route between Tibet and Kashmir.

Effectively sitting in a dry dust bowl surrounded by towering snow capped Mtns Leh is also a major motor cycle destination for enthusiasts tackling the famous Leh - Manali route the same one we did by bicycle.

Hired Royal Enfield's with their distinctive sound ply this 600 km stunning route although our experience in passing a no. broken down out in the middle of nowhere was that it might be a better idea to stick to a group tour !

The township of Leh is predictably dry hot and dusty with little rain at this time of the year. Cars and motorcycles ply the small streets using their horns incessantly to inform others of a) being on the wrong side of the road b) I'm not going to stop c) I'm turning left or right or sometimes both at once d) I don't care if you are a pedestrian and there is no footpath get out of my way !

The street shops all come with portable generators to deal with the towns regular load shedding (euphimism for regular daily power cuts!)! Hawkers try to sell the shirt off their own backs, gutters are open and often filled with rubbish, cows wander trying to any greenery in this greg coloured area and hundreds of unkept dogs scrounge a living as best as they can do !

So in short not too different to many an Asian town in poorer parts of the sub continent !

On a positive note the town though is overlooked by a beautifully situated palace and monastery and does have a number of good cafes, restaurants and so called German bakeries

For some of the group including self its just a matter of winding down after a tremendously strenuous trip.

Our previous evening saw the presentation of the groups cycling shirts depicting the route taken as a fitting momento.

Tonight sees a final celebration with the group parting ways most going back to Delhi for a day or Two before flying home.

All in all an amazing trip and many hours of video editing to be done !

Day 14 - Leh - 3,500 meters - 70 kms !

We left our well situated campsite for our last day of cycling on this amazing Manali - Leh route.

The day got off to a flying start with a magnificent 20 km downhill ride weaving its wave through a rocky river gorge.

Only 5 minutes in at speed i heard what I took to be a mechanical sound and began to slow down just before my tyre blew out causing a rifle shot effect to echo through the gorge making Danish Mike ( just in front of me) think that he was the target for some local terrorist group.

Thankfully Mike did ride back and kept me company while we waited for the support vehicle to catch up and replace both tyre and tube both with gaping holes !

Back on the bike we're caught up with the rest of the group who had waited further down the river and from there we cycled more sedately until we reached the junction of the mighty Hindus river.

Here the scenery changed dramatically to much wider plateaus and much drier areas other than directly around the river itself which provided a striking contrast between its green banks and the desert like surrounds.

Our riding now became undulating meaning some pretty steep small tiring hills mixed with flatter sections as we moved closer to Leh.

This part of India and Kashmir / Ladahk showed signs of recent troubles with a number of huge army bases (with dangerous and difficult to see speed humps) providing a rapid response potential to India's troubled border regions including territory disputed with China in the Ladahk region.

The area also serves as home to many displaced Tibetans and some of these towns and nearby temples are part of a curent visit by the Dalai Lama much to the annoyance of China, his first visit to this area in nearly 30 years.

We took lunch near the impressive Potala like structure of Tiskay afterwards setting off for the final 20 kms of our journey.

The landscape now becomes almost totally desert like, a sign of so little rain in these areas.

Rounding one corner the group came to am emergency stop as some of the front cyclists, our silver haired smoothies', spied 3 Polish damsels in distress, one with her chain jammed around the derailleur !

Naveen and Raju came to the rescue much to the girls thanks and we were on our way again this time on a final 3-4 km enerfgy sapping climb to the outskirts of Leh.

Entry to this dusty / desert looking town was by way of a busy roundabout and having negotiated it was a final push uphill to reach our hotel amidst much backslapping and handshakes to celebrate am amazing and incredibly tiring bike ride from Manali to Leh !

Our hotel although basic was like a god send providing for warm showers, normal toilets, Wi-Fi (although irregular) and the ability to have our dirt stained clothes washed.

It was time to crash !

Once revived we met up for dinner and attended an outdoor performance in the hotel grounds by a Ladahki cultural troupe of performers and dancers who played traditional instruments and danced wearing traditional costumes.

One dance had the front grow packing' as the warrior looking performers drew their bows and appeared to release their arrows directly at us causing a few to nearly fall of their seats !.

What a welcome to such a different culture and a great way to celebrate our fantastic achievement !

Wednesday, 28 August 2013

Day 13 - Rumpste - 3,700 meters - 58 kms !

Our penultimate day of cycling and what a day it was to be crossing the Tanglangla pass at 5,328 meters or an incredible 17,582 feet, supposedly the 2nd highest motorable road in the world !

The day at least started in sunshine as we first took a desert like track to link up with the bitumen near Debring .

A 15 km rides followed through magic valley scenery with nothing but an occasional yak herd or an occasional tea place for company. This was so looking like the Tibet I cycled in 2010 !

Now came the mother' of all challenges ! To tackle the Tanglangla Pass we had a 20 km climb mainly on off road surfaces gaining over 700 meters taking us literally to breathtaking heights at 5,328 meters nearly 200 meters higher than our campsite near the Everest base camp !

For self it was 3 hours of focus and pain - at times barely seeming to move as the affects of altitude became more pronounced ! The only difference with this pass ride was that you could actually see the finish line in the distance a huge motivator until you got swept down one of the roads side branches having to climb another 2-3 kms to get back !

With some back up from our support crew e.g. bananas, water & encouragement I was able to just keep the pedals moving finally reaching the highest point I have cycled to anywhere in the world after some 3 hours of arduous riding

The rest of our group although tired seemed to have had few problems so after a few celebration photo shots it was time to descend !

The descent was another story ranking highly as one of the most amazing downhill rides you are likely to do anywhere in the world !

The series of beautiful bitumen switchbacks took us down 1,200 meters of altitude as we pedalled downhill for nearly 30 kms !

The last few kms to our campsite at Numpste took us into an entirely different world, timeless rock formations, irrigated land near the river, stupas (religious monuments) at every turn and a land and people that bore much resemblance to Tibet !

Our campsite at 3,700 meters had finally taken us away from the rigours and cold of altitude and allowed us to settle back and have a few beers later on in the night celebrating with our support crew and those not making the journey into Leh !

Only 1 more cycling day to go !

Day 11 - Debring - 4,700 meters - 74 kms !

A pretty cold night sheltered between two mountain ranges at Whiskey Nullah had most reaching for their season rated sleeping bags to ensure a tolerable nights sleep !

This trip feels at times like groundhog day - go to sleep, tackle a really tough climb at altitiude and do it all again the day after - this day was no different !

By the time we were ready to hit the road just after 8.00a.m. the sun had at least made an appearance taking the early chill out of the air !

Our climb this morning was for a 400 meter gain over 8 kms of switchbacks competing with trucks and another cycling groupe although a few of them obviously affected by altitude's were simply being trucked to the top !

After yesterdays extended rest I was feeling a tad better improving my average climbing speed from 6 km/hr to about 6.5 !

Thankfully while long the switchbacks weren't all that steep !

Having ascended to 5,100 meters we then descended through an amazing rocky landscape with absolutely stunning views on every corner of this tightly walled valley.

The technical descent on rocky roads added to the wildness of the area and a last descent from the pass gave fantastic views as well as some nerve wracking glimpses looking over the edge !

Having reassembled, Aussie Geoff repeated the prior misfortune of Scottish Pete by stepping in a tar pool and had to painstakingly remove debris to allow him to cleat back up. These tar pools are everywhere as a result of left over bitumen from barrels left mostly buried by road workers many who live by the side of the road in tents permanently maintaining the mountain roads on behalf of the border regional authority

Riding to Pang a lonely outpost, we took lunch before our 2nd climb for the day 400 metres back to 4,900 meters again on switchbacks !

The group paused on the top to let a storm and strong winds go by before adopting almost peletonic precision as the 8 of us cycled this time on near perfect bitumen for a good 35 kms to lunch by the roadside !

All good things come to an end and so did the road with the next section dirt and rutted similar to painful memories of Tibet !

We arrived at our campsite on the wide open plains near Debring and a nearby salt lake and took stock of our days effort over not too cold a beer planning to do it all over again tomorrow !

Tuesday, 27 August 2013

Day 11 - Whiskey Nullah - 4,800 meters - 64 kms !

Hardly a protein' of energy left after a really tough day I was able to pull the sleeping bag roll out to use as a pillow, grab a jumper to keep warm and immediately fell asleep I was trashed after day 11 !

The day started well enough with a 30 km down hill ride past amazing valley scenery with the landscape looking like it was part of Gods' initial playground !

The good news was that we'd dropped 600 meters in altitude the bad news was that our two following climbs over the next 20+ kms were going to take us back up to just short of 5,000 metres.

The first of those climbs was the stunning Gata Loop 21 switchbacks over 8 kms for a 400 meter gain in altitude.

Each loop sat right on top of the other with some short and others long and most having a steep off road pinch at the end of each switchback.

While most of the team did well it was a slow grind for me with altitude again kicking in. Never the less after 1 1/4 hours I finally made it up for fine views of the valleys and loops below.

After a drink it was straight into our 2nd climb. A bit longer and a bit rougher than the first as we closed in on the 5,000 meter mark. I thought about joining Alan in the support bus but just had enough energy to make the pass although all the climbing and altitude was beginning to take its effect - headache, blocked nose, nausea, stomach acid - the lot !

The descent following to Whiskey Nullar a former road camp that built some of these so called roads, was in a rocky dirt roads that did little for my headache !.

We had lunch at the bottom cycled another 1 km to camp with tomorrow's Mtn climb staring us right in the fave !

As mentioned aboved I crashed Imediately upon reaching my tent and was later visited by the groups Dr as a precaution. His provision off a myriad of tablets and some 3 hours of sleep helped no end !

Another hard effort but a spectacular days ride !

Day 10 - Rest day Sarchu ! 4,200 meters !

A much needed rest day in a fairly isolated area provided a great incentive to do nothing as there was nothing to do !

With a pretty hot morning reading was the go while late afternoon most of us had re-energised enough to eat chips and drink beet while watching an approaching storm in true Raj" style !

A marathon card game of 500 ended just after the tents generator shut down for the night sending us to bed all set to hop back on the bikes for some more daunting climbing !

Day 9 - Sarchu - 4,200 meters - 62 kms!

Climbing 33 kms over a near 5,000 metre pass, stunning descents on "technical" bitumen and a klaidescope of amazing geology unlike anything you are likely to see anywhere in the world saw out an exciting and incredibly tiring day 9.

The day didn't start too well with news that Alan had indeed fractured his collarbone from his crash 2 days back and was now unable to ride for at least a month thus becoming a bus passenger in our support vehicle.

The daily grind of getting started again comprising a hot cup of tea delivered to your tent followed by a small bowl of hot water to wash in ( read shower) before a breakfast of porridge toast and omelette - not hugely appetizing but enough to get you on the way !

Having hot the road the group soon broke up- partly related to climbing ability but also related to an individuals tolerance or intolerance to the increased altitude.

Views were stunning as we rode many switchbacks on a pretty good bitumen road climbing 33 kms to the Baralacha pass at 4,950 metes !

The altitude was affecting me quite prominently with any gradient over 3 % slowing me down to just over snails pace.

Assisted by Danish rider Michael who dropped back, I plodded along stopping many times to drink water to combat the hydration issue at altitude.

Our group all reached the pass although i reckon I only had about 50 metres of climbing left in me feeling pretty spent.

Our 10 km descent to lunch was technical in nature going from rough pieces of bitument to dirt and rock and even through a couple of fast flowing streams coming down from the mountains that required a full on run up or a swim in the ice cold water.

Having rested after our gigantic climb it was a further 20 kms to camp again on technical roads but this time traveling along a valley with some absolutely amazing scenery from rock geology and its colors accentuated by the sun - this was a cycling spectacle at its best !.

We reached camp and were given the option of staying in a so called luxury tent arrangement for tonight and our rest day tomorrow - luxury equating to an actual bed and a very basic nearly outdoor toilet / bathroom !

The night was spent with our head guide Raju and a few of the support team playing and singing local Indian songs !.

Judging by the difficulty of riding up even the slightest incline after coming off the mountain I'm praying for some improved acclimatization and the removal of the 40 or so litres of lactic caused by the days pretty tough work !

Roll on Leh !

Wednesday, 21 August 2013

Day 8 - Potsoi Ladahk - 3,950 meters - 46 kms !

After yesterdays gruelling effort today promised to be a little easier on the fatigue level cycling only 46 kms but climbing 700 metes in the process !

We left one of our number Alan behind for follow up medical checks after yesterdays accident and judging by the look on his face he was not too happy about it !

Leaving Keelong we were once again straight into climb mode with the piercing sun threatening to make this a hard days work.

Following a stunning valley the scenery slowly becomes starker and similar to Tibet's signifying the dryer side of the Mtn range.

The climbing surface was shared between bitumen and rocky dirt road, in my case often a speed just barely able to keep me in control of my bike - apparently my 5,000 km warm up doing little to nothing to prepare me for cycling at altitude !

We crossed a checkpoint where we had to produce our passports and climbed on switchbacks for again stunning views of the Mtns and glaciers.

Aftert taking a late lunch it was 7 slow kms into Potsoi quite simply a couple of sheds in the middle of nowhere.

With the sun briefly out we celebrated our pretty hard days ride with river cooled beer before quickly adjurning to our tents as the winds came up and temperatures plummeted.

In the absence of hot water one of our groups riders Geoff a Dr from Mudgee, damned a small creek and plunged into to the frigid waters to aid a much needed wash - i froze shivered watching him !

Tomorrow sees the moment of truth with a 1,000 meter climb over 30 kms up to 4,950 meters. It doesnt sound much but these are the altitudes were just maintaining reasonable breathing can be a challenge!

Judging by today's effort it will be either a very long climb for me or a ride on the support jeep !

Tuesday, 20 August 2013

Day 7 India - Keeping Ladakh 3300 metes - 80 kmd !

This is extreme as it gets , a 17 km climb over a 4,000 meter pass with some sections nearly impossible to ride (mud) and then a downhill on what gets my vote as the worst road in the world made this a day to remember !

We left Mahei with the rain finally stopped although yesterday's gear and shoes were still soaking.

As usual we went straight into a climb with an 800 metre gain to reach the Rohtang pass over the 17 kms.

This is a notorious road that only opens for a few months of the year and requires a mountain load of immigrant road workers to maintain !

We were soon into the mist but not before some amazing views back to Mahri and last nights campsite as the switchbacks took us back and forward across the mountain.

After yesterdays reasonable performance I was struggling at the rear not because of the altitudes effect on my breathing but its effect on my leg muscle group turning them to jelly !
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Some sections (sometimes 1 km or more) were nothing more than mud after recent rains with repair workers almost laying stone by stone to repair.

A couple of hairy corners had to be negotiated by stepping close to the precipice with traffic stuck on both sides.

Grinding it out I made it to the top of the Rohtang pass with the group which overall entailed a 54 km climb over 2 days and some 2,000 meters in altitude.

The descent started off superbly with well tarmaced road but ended in farce as it turned into rock' then mud and rock of the worst kind. Jeeps, trucks and motorcycles in both directions were trying to negotiate with only enough room for 1 & cars while we fitted thru any gap we could.

To frustrate matters a boulder was being moved off the road in one section requiring carrying the bike to bypass while in another a grader was working completely stopping traffic in both directions.

Amazingly our group made it down without incident but with self now sepeated with no road signs I was concerned due to lack of traffic that I was going the wrong way.

While cursing and walking my bike through the mud my eyes nearly popped out of my sockets when a tour cyclist came from the other direction equipped with 4 panniers and riding in the mud !

Discovering he was from Belgium and 2 months into his 3 month touyr I bade him farewell and went in search of my group finally finding them a few kms further on.

The remaining riding to Keeling passed through stunning scenery Mtns that looked like Scotland on a grand scale, massive waterfalls and numerous glaciers providing a stunning backdrop.

At one bridge we stopped to observe a truck winching operation where the truck had gone straight over the edge into a ravine - the results for those on board would not have been good !

Some of the riding on tarmac was great while other large sections off road were rocky traps that one had to really keep their wits about them.

Unfortunately one of our strong riders coming downhill on a dirt section struck a small girl who had raced out without looking requiring both to be treated by our tour groups Dr ( yes we have our own Indian Dr!)

Alan was taken to hospital for precautionary screening while the little girl apparently although cut and bruised appeared OK

So after 9 hours on the road we arrived at Keelong with self not having energy in reserve this was one of the toughest rides I have ever done !

Stunning scenery , terrible roads and one hell of a bumpy ride !

Day 6 - Mahri India 3,200 meters - 37 kms !

Well this was it the trip proper and a guide book indicating that day 1 of the Manali-Leh Himalayan ride was to be a pretty tough one.

We started off in light drizzle and immediately went into climb mode on 4-5 % gradient (good) roads exiting Manali.

At about the 5 km point that all changed when our cycle took us on back roads to avoid rockfall areas.

The road we took would have been better off dirt as the small chunks of bitumen remaining provided for a zig zag route avoiding the huge wash away sections. If that wasn't bad enough we we cycling now on much steeper segments and competing for those small sections of bitumen with traffic which often meant that to avoid a car you had to ride through the stony was a way sections.

We turned back on to the road and commenced our switchback ascent something lime 40 + by the rides end. The early ones though did provide for terrific views back down the valley to Manaki while riding at anything from 6-10 km/hr !

We stopped for morning tea at the 12 km mark having already climbed 700 meters in height and took in the sight of stunning mountain backdrops and a series of paragliders landing on the plateau having jumped from 10 kms further up the sheer valley.

More climbing and more switchbacks took us to lunch with mist begining to settle down the mountains and the temperature decidely cooler than our very humid start.

We restarted after lunch in the rain that gradually grew stronger for our remaining 12 kms as we ascended switchback after switchback on narrow roads while trying to avoid the fairly significant traffic coming in both directions as well as the ditch that awaited us if we moved over too far !

The glimpse s of scenery here were absololutely stunning with huge waterfalls plowing down the mountain sides

Reaching Mahri we were well and truly drenched and at altitude many of us now beginning to feel the cold. It was a case of running for cover and changing out of our wet clothes and consuming cups of hot tea to stay warm until ourbtrntsvcould be put up.

When the rain stoped for a bit we were rewarded with amazing views of the mountains some with snow and sadly of the remaining 17 kms we have to go before we finally clear the Rohtang pass.

Tenting will give zero chance of drying our gear out by tommorrow particularly our shoes mearning an inevitable wet start tomorrow for our 78 km ride.

For the moment its time to sneak off to the mess tent and see if there's a cold beer to be had as tenting with wet gear in it is dangerous to ones health !