Monday 8th August
63.94mi Distance
8:09:24 Moving Time
8,842ft Elevation Gain
To acclimatise to the altitude before the race, I planned a 3 day ride, 2 day camp on the 1st pass of the race. I organised with another racer to meet up at the Lenin Statue at 9am. After a bit of faffing my end, I got there just after 9 and met up with David, from Kansas. We stocked up on water and headed south out of Osh. The heat was pressing down on us, nearing 30 degrees celsius even at this early point in the day.
We skirted the traffic of Osh and were eventually on quiet gravel roads. After 8 mile or so the route started to head upwards and the first climb was a few miles long with a bit of pushing through a dried up riverbed. At the top, the descent was a nice reward and we came across a small village. Most of the children had been welcoming, however one group of kids gave us the middle finger as we rode past, I saw the funny side. We then stopped in a shop to top up on water and get some ice cream. We talked a little with Google translate with the woman who owned the shop then she brought us some bread for us to take on our travels. This made up for the middle finger from the group of kids.
Every other group of kids were more than welcoming and shouted hello as we passed by, stuck hands out for high 5s and I even had a race with a group.
We then went onto the quarry road, a long gradual ascent with lots of lorries going up and down it, pushing a lot of dust up, covering us for 10 seconds or so after they had passed.
The going was slow, but we were still cycling.
After 20 miles or so, the lorries stopped and we went through a few small villages and then the road got steeper and steeper until we had to push.
We rode until around 7pm, around 2800 meters above sea level and then found a place next to the river to set up camp.
We cooked our freeze dried meals and settled down around 9pm with the dark.
Tuesday 8th August
We woke at 6am, cooked breakfast, packed tents away and were riding around 7.30. After a mile or so we passed a yurt camp with a few other riders there, camped up. We carried on.
Pushing started. Jiptik Pass has started proper. With 7 miles to the top, it was going to take longer than we thought.
The sun stated to come into the valley and the views were beyond breathtaking. I stopped to take photos. Although it was also an excuse for breather. Pushing became tougher and tougher, however this was just because of the big rocks and gradient, the altitude didn’t seem to be affecting me and I still felt pretty strong.
We got to a point where a landslide had been. I knew there were a few on the south side, but not this side. New landslide? After 30 minutes of swearing, pushing, pulling and sliding, we somehow both managed to get across this precarious part. I questioned my participation in this race, and it hadn’t even began. We were then met by a boulder field, too big to push the bikes, so onto the shoulders it was. Wow, the bike was heavy, if I didn’t already know.
We eventually got through this after 20 minutes or so and were back to the part of the route where we could push our bikes. Albeit not that easily, with a gradient of over 30% in some parts, now over 3600m altitude. After slow progress and plenty of stops, we made it to the top.
7 miles in 7 hours. That’s how slow it was. And we weren’t particularly hanging around.
Jiptik Pass Summit, 4180 something meters above sea level. The views to the south were of Lenin peak and the snow peaked mountain ranges, which I first thought were clouds.
We spent 20 mins or so here, I sent a couple of messages as there was little signal. We both got an email through from Nelson, the organiser of the race that the route up Jiptik has been changed because of landslides. The same landslides we had just been across. Relief that we didn’t have to do that again came across me, buy also relief that we made it to the top relatively unscathed.
It was getting chilly, so we headed back down, on an alternative route to miss the landslide, which was tough, but much safer.
The descent was all walking for the first few miles, then on and off riding and walking for the rest. James Hayden has set up camp for the night on the side of the hill, so we exchanged a few words about the climb and then unintentionally herded some Yak down the mountain whilst riding behind them.
We got to the yurt camp we passed that morning around 6.30/7pm. So we asked if there was room and luckily there was.
We got shown into the yurt and with a mattresses on the floor and big fluffy duvets, we were happy.
Dinner was at 7pm and I was intruiged to see what it was. We were shown inside the bigger heated yurt where the owners stayed, and were sat on a rug in a square with a couple of local tour guides and a German hiker.
We were served tea, fried rice, veg, some amazing coleslaw like thing, bread and lots of other bits that have hazed into an exhausted, altitude and tea induced memory.
We sat around for an hour or so eating and chatting about bears, wolves, high altitude, blisters and all good things, then were told we should go as the family had to have their dinner. I felt so bad, I thought they had already had their dinner. I apologised in a totally English, Mr Bean way and went to bed, feeling ashamed. We weren’t to know. I would have rather they joined us for dinner.
Anyway, we went back to out yurt and at 9.30 the light went out and I was pretty much straight asleep.
Today had been possibly the toughest and slowest ever day on a bike. Or, next to a bike that is, whilst pushing it.
Wednesday 9th August
64.11mi Distance
8:09:21 Elapsed Time10.5mph average speed
2792 ft Elevation Gain
I woke up just before my alarm. For my 2nd night sleeping at altitude I felt reasonably okay and apart from a slight headache and some very badly sunburnt knees, my body felt fine too.
We went to the next yurt along at 7am for breakfast. I jokingly asked if the fried eggs and chips were a traditional Krygyzstan breakfast and I was told it actually was! Good to me. Washed down with black tea, this was a good start to the day.
We packed our bikes up, paid the 1400 som, around £12, and set off for the 65 mile or so downhill to Osh. We thought it would be a breeze.
The first 10 mile or so were great, with a steep decline, and all rideable terrain, passing yurt camps and a few small villages. As soon as we hit the quarry road, the descent eased and the washboard, sand and headwind brought our average speed down and it was feeling much harder than it should have done.
We passed a few riders from the race going up the climb, I didn’t envy them. The miles ticked over though and before we knew it we were back in the same village we were 2 days ago.
We went into a shop, stocked up on water and ice tea and sat outside.
The local kids were very curious of us, so came and sat next to us, whilst looking at us and our bikes.
I really needed the toilet, and with a complete lack of public toilets in Kyrgyzstan, I typed into Google translate if I could use the shop owners toilet, I was shown through to his back yard and to his long drop. I was very thankful.
I then went back into his shop and tried to pay for an ice cream. The shop owner refused and made me get one for David too. He wouldn’t take any money. 2 shops gone into in Kyrgyzstan and 2 times we have been given free things. Amazing, the locals (apart from the sweary kids) have been so welcoming. The shop owner came outside to sit next to us and we had a disjointed conversation through Google translate and miming. The kids also join in and it turns out all 5 kids are his. He asks for a photo, and I do too. I love this part of bike touring. Racing I would have been thinking about how long this interaction was taking, but touring, I was lapping it up and loving it all.
After 45 mins or so, we got up, said our goodbyes and carried on pedalling.
We rounded the corner in the village and came to where the group of kids stuck their middle finger up to us 2 days prior. The same kids were there. They were looking shifty. We readied ourselves. We weren’t wrong. A stone came flying in our direction. Luckily it missed us both. We shouted at them but they weren’t bothered.
Me and David chatted about this. Wondering if it their parents knew or whether this hatred of tourists stemmed from their parents. We weren’t sure. Buy it was an isolated incident and 99% of the people we met were extremely welcoming.
The midday heat was getting unbearable and we were stopping more frequently in small bits of shade.
Going up a climb, we were stopped by a driver. He indicated if we could have a photo with him and his son. We agreed. They both got out the car and I could tell by how he walked that he had already had a few to drink. Getting closer to us we could smell it on him. We quickly got the photo took and said our goodbyes.
I sweated up the last switchback climb of the day and was pleased to reach the top. All downhill to Osh fron here.
We were still following the race route in reverse, which made its way down a dried up riverbed with a bit of pushing. After this, we were on the outskirts of Osh. Following the river, kids with pop bottles tied round their waste as life buoys high fived us and our speed increased as we hit the tarmac of Osh. Through the traffic and back to the Lenin Statue. I said goodbye to David and went back to the hostel.
Covered in dust, I showered and empited my bags and cleaned the bike.
We went out for food that night with a few other racers and headed back and I was straight asleep again, feeling the efforts or the past 3 days. This was going to be a tough race.
Jordan Matthews 