Silk Road Mountain Race – A bikepacking expedition

The Silk Road Mountain Race came to life in 2018. A bikepacking route and event that travels through the wild and beautiful countryside of Kyrgyzstan.

With its terrain roads, nearly 4,000-meter high peaks and ruggedness, it is one of the most difficult cycling challenges in the world. In this report, we show with the photos of Lajos Köves what adventures the event of 2021 had in store for him.

Wrapping, traveling – wrapping, traveling. Also for these extreme adventure tours, the Silk Road Mountain Race , all entrants come with their own equipment. This requires a lot of preparation, follow-up, and logistics, which can be considered part of the training plan.

The entire territory of Kyrgyzstan is mountainous. The highest point of the cycling event varies from year to year, at nearly 4,000 meters. Competitors must cover a distance of around 2,000 km with a 30,000-meter rise in level within two weeks.

The diversity of nature and landscape is due to the fact that the climate often changes with altitude. The valleys have a subtropical, dry continental climate, while the mountains have a high mountain climate. It is not uncommon for a difference of 40 degrees Celsius to be experienced within a day.

The route is far from civilization, yet according to Louis, the social experience is very strong. Mountain families living in nomadic conditions are fantastic hosts due to their culture.

Every encounter along the way is of great interest and comes with offering food or shelter. Kids posing with bikepacking bikes, locals offering fresh milk and meat will accompany the adventure.

Suitable and professional equipment is key. In addition, in these wildlands, a cyclist adventurer must practice the ability to improvise frequently. There are no service outlets or hundreds of miles down the road that can help fix a fault.

Louis ’expedition in 2021 unfortunately ended with a bearing failure that made it impossible to move forward. It would be hard to take one extra of everything, you have to draw the line somewhere when setting up reserves.

He will try again in 2022, which shows his determination and the irresistibility of the Kyrgyz mountains. It probably works as a drug, we haven’t heard of anyone who doesn’t want to go back.

Pictures: Lajos Köves

Photo editing: Domaniczky Tivadar

Text: Gangel Marcell