2012 Indian Himalayas Cycle Tours - Overview
Have a look at our 2011 tour on Bridget's Blog
Cycling the highest roads in the world
From Manali to Leh + Kardung La (highest motorable pass in the world)
17 days, 9 cycling / 584km / 6 big passes, 3 over 5000m
(Click on the pictures to enlarge)
Rising out of the dusty, hot and chaotic plains of India, the Himalayas in the northern most part of the country are a world apart from the hustle and bustle of crazy towns and markets below.
Mountains rise to over seven thousand metres through which wild rivers of glacial melt cut narrow valleys. Ladakh and its capital Leh was opened to the West in 1974 and was made accessible by a 580 kilometre ribbon of road, known as the Manali-Leh Highway. This mostly unmetalled road follows spectacular valleys linked by a series of high altitude passes which eventually lead to the remote and starkly beautiful Kingdom of Ladakh, situated in the rain shadow of the Himalayas. Apart from the breath-taking (in every sense!) scenery, the region brings together a melt of religions which adds a very interesting cultural element to the route.
This trip is definitely not for the faint-hearted: stamina, good fitness and a sense of humour are required!
GUIDES / STAFF
Carlos Gonzalez: Accredited Mountain and Nature guide as well as MTB guide with First Aid experience. Extensive bike touring experience in Spain, South America, Central America, North America, Morocco and the Indian Himalayas (40,000 km pedaled)
Bridget Ringdahl: Extensive bike touring experience in South America, SE Asia, Tibet, Nepal, Sweden, Morocco and the Indian Himalayas (27,000km pedaled)
For the cycling leg we’ll be accompanied by a team of 6 people, including an accredited guide with fluent English.
FITNESS
A good level of fitness is required. Although distances and gradient aren’t extreme, the altitude is what makes this trip tough together with potentially varying weather conditions. The first 2-3 days could be wet, thereafter dry and cold with strong wind from time to time.
Pre-tour preparation: We would advise at least one longer distance (60 -70km) weekly ride with a few shorter rides (25-30km) squeezed in between (1-2mths before departure)
Although this is not a race, by doing races your fitness will improve substantially, especially with multi-day events like Sani2c.
EQUIPMENT
We will provide a comprehensive kit list. You will need to supply your own bicycle and basic spares. We will bring the more specialized bike tools.