Into the Hills

Osh to Camp near Murdas
September 15th
103km (1,707m vertical)

Leaving Osh, we climbed out of the Ferghana Valley, into the Alaj Mountains, and towards the Chinese border. Nothing steep today though. Just a gradual ascent until lunch at 60km. Still, after days of flat road, it was strange to see the average speed plummet to 15.8km/h today. That is partly due to the great scenery, which had us constantly stopping for photos.

The Kyrgs were historically a nomadic people, and this area is famous for its large, strong horses. We met dozens of horsemen, herding their flocks of sheep, goats, cows, and horses along the road. There were also horsemen up on the grassy hilltops that looked they might swoop down and ambush us at any moment.

After lunch, the road repairs began and the road surface deteriorated into a fine dirt peppered with gravel, large rocks and potholes. What should have been a long, steep, thrilling downhill was ruined by the washboard ruts in the road and my constant need to grip the brakes to maintain control. My hands ached from the braking and the vibrations. Max, Joan and Ben all LOVED this downhill on their front-suspension mountain bikes. This was the first day of the trip that I would have preferred one of their bikes instead of my own.

Unfortunately, the rough roads are expected to continue for the next 3 days! Everyone was pulling out their thick, knobby tires tonight in camp to prepare. Tomorrow's ride is supposed to have lots of climbing. Last year there was a blizzard at the top of the 3,600m mountain pass! I've put some extra layers of clothes into my trunk bag for tomorrow, just in case. I'm generally more comfortable riding in cold than in heat though, so I'm not too worried.

Total distance since Le Havre is now 7,809km, making this the longest bike trip I have ever taken. Cycling across Canada was 7,777km.

A Kyrgy horseman and his cattle:

Another horseman and his sheep:

Clive avoids some large horns:

Looking down the bumpy road...I was not a fan:

This is where we camped tonight. You can see a few tiny tents by tree on the right: