Map tester

Thanks for the extra photos. Looks like a great trip--really getting to experience a different culture is one the best things about traveling.

KirkeIsWaiting

it's cycling to the 'enth degree.
beautiful.

AnnaMossity

Nice photos.

My ass hurts just thinking about riding my Apollo down those rocky roads.

Thanks for the inspiration.

positron

Hey Al, is it you that works for the Gurdon institute? If so, we used to be neighbors on tennis court road.

sam

Al Downie

Oh! Blimey! Yes - I work in the Gurdon Institute. What a small world! Where were you based, and did we ever meet?

positron

I worked over in Sanger, though we probably never met since I was locked away in the second basement on the NMR most of the time. They would let me out at night occasionally (to keep my eyes from turning red and my hair from going white). I used to use a confocal microscope over in Gurdon on occasion though.

Love your photos, Ive sent them to many people today as evidence of what I intend to do when I finish this doctorate...

Best wishes,

recklesscogniti

Wonderful photos, I am very close to altering my Eurasian route to include this area.

vik 

If you are keen on a few more photos from this route Eric and Dan cycled the same area in 2000 and have some photos here.

funrover 

SPEECHLESS.................... Thanks for this great post!

vik 

Hi Al....how did you like the Rohloff? Did you both use that hub? What frames/forks were you riding?

madsolitaire

Amazing pictures! May i ask what camera equipment did you use? And what do you do to protect yr camera(s)? :-)

Jerseysbest

Wow. Amazing pictures.

Is that a single speed bike? Double wow.

making

exactly what I was going to say. But again Wow.

Al Downie

Hi Vic,

The Rohloffs were great (both bikes) - no problems at all. For the length of time we were cycling, I'm sure derailleurs would have been just fine too, but on a longer tour I think they'd be more vulnerable to the environment:



I think my favourite thing about the Rohloff is being able to choose a new gear when stationary, without having to lift the back end and pedal - with full luggage on the bike that's a great advantage. On really steep and rough sections of road, at very high altitudes, there were times when either of us would have to suddenly stop and catch our breath - that's when I was pleased to be able to switch to a new gear to begin pedalling again.

I was interested to find that, with full luggage in the hills, I would normally shift gears two at a time - I found myself using 1,3 & 5 mostly, and maybe 11 or 12 in short flat sections between downhills.

Business 810 - I did have a problem with acclimatisation. We flew (early morning) into Leh airport which sits around 3,500m, and immediately noticed that we got a bit breathless when moving the bags around, and had to take it easy for the rest of that day. It was only at night that the headaches started. Nothing too serious though - kept me awake, but no big deal. Next day was a bit like having a hangover - again, no big deal. On the second night though, I thought I was going to have a stroke and die on the bed! I had *THUMPING* pressure all around my head and neck, and felt like my eyes were being pushed out of their sockets. In the morning I wasn't any better and I was a bit worried about the condition worsening, so I went along to the local hospital and asked a doctor if it was safe to stay, or if I should evacuate asap. He said it wasn't uncommon for the second night to be worse than the first, and suggested I should take some Diamox (acetazolamide). We were able to buy some in the town pharmacy, and I slept like a log on the third night. Phew. After that, I had no further symptoms (stopped taking Diamox after two days). We cycled up Khardung La (5,400m) just a few days later, which was real hard, breathless work, but there were no symptoms of altitude sickness.

About a week later we were on the high section of road, where we spent about 5 or 6 days and nights never dropping below 4,500m (climbing up to around 5,000m each day), and neither of us had any problems. Apart from the breathlessness of course, but that affects everyone and isn't a symptom of anything medical. It's surprising - even a trivial task like stuffing a sleeping bag into its sack required a few rests and heavy breathing! But as soon as we got on the bikes and started pedalling, even on a gradient, it seemed easy. Well, easier...

Al Downie

Hi MadSolitaire - the camera was a wee Canon compact - A650is, chosen because it uses AA batteries (same as the GPS and our headtorches), and because it's got a good telephoto end to the zoom. All photos shot at ISO 80, and set to the 'P' mode - just point and press. I kept it in a little, padded, zip-up Lowe-Pro case, about the size of a coffee mug, which proved its value because I dropped the thing a few times. Doh.

Al Downie

Vic - forgot to say - I had a look through Eric & Dan's photos. Looks like we were both inspired by the same things! In fact I think some of the dancing men (At the Ladakhi Festival?) are still dancing in my photos, taken 8yrs later! Brilliant.

On our trip we were *very* lucky with the weather. We had thunder and lightning one night in the Indus Valley, but were safely tucked up in our sleeping bags and it had cleared up in the morning. It snowed on the day we arrived in the Tibetan School and had a room for the night, and it was sunny again the following morning. And a freak 3-day monsoon started on the day we reached Manali and the end of our cycling. That rain will surely have fallen as snow in the mountains, so the few cyclists we passed who were just starting their tour in the other direction must have had a pretty adventurous time.

rodar y rodar

I know this thread has been on here for a while, but I just now checked into it. Truly incredible images, Mr Al! The only problem is that it leaves me with almost infinite questions...

Captain Swallowtail

Hey Everybody,
first post here, horray!

We had an awesome trip over there. Our route was Manali - Leh, nubra valley and all the way back with some detours on the way back. I'm sure its changed quite a bit in the last few years. The climbs and descents over there are humbling.

for the photographic question, Dan was shooting with a Nikon N90 with slide film.

Shadiyah

Incredible!

BengeBoy 

Great pics; thanks so much for sharing.

fthomas

Wonderful pictures!

whitecat

Incredible! I had read your blog style page about this tour just earlier today, and now I find out that you're a member of these forums, and here is a thread dedicated to that! I must say this is great inspiration just looking at these pictures and reading your description of the journey, although I know it's not always all so ideal when you're actually doing it, but I'm set that once I will and I must do something similar, that is now past the "thinking about it" stage, now it's more like a burning desire stage

And yes, I know, older thread, but I just had to say it, hope mods won't mind

rumrunn6

wow. and how did you find a partner who is into the same stuff?

... also ... cycling at 16,000 feet? impressive!

kaliayev

Wow! Too cool!

AdamDZ

Oh my... I'd comment more but I have to pick up my jaw from the floor...

Adam