Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
2021 Silk Road Mountain Race Report #2: Survival
In his second field report from the 2021 Silk Road Mountain Race, photographer Chris McClean shares another trio of vignettes from Kyrgyzstan and a beautiful gallery of photos. Find it all here…
PUBLISHED Aug 21, 2021
Words and photos by Chris McClean (@chrismcclean)
The Silk Road Mountain race requires you to be able to ride a bike, of course, but it also requires some experience with being able to survive in the mountains—as many rides have been learning first hand.
Old Soviet Road
The wind howls up the narrow gully, and rain starts to falls. Thunder echoes from across the valley. Horses, sheep, goats, and yaks all graze below as a swirling mist descends. Axel Brenner finds himself setting out from CP2 alone. Lukasz Ugarenko, who he arrived just a few minutes before, has spent 36 hours on the bike (and it shows), needs to sleep. He claims a bed for two hours. Axel has now avoided all the old barbed wire that still litters the path and has reached the top of the old road at 3,400 odd meters high. He takes a picture of the view with his phone and disappears into the incoming wild weather.
Chasing Jenny
Checkpoint one was in the town of Kochkor, a dusty one main road running straight through the middle type of town. Shops, hotels, and garages line the streets. We arrive after dark and pull up outside a large imposing Soviet-era police station. The checkpoint was next door in a welcoming guesthouse. We eat steaming g bowls of Pelmeni, little dumplings in broth.
Jenny Tough had arrived just before us and was heading to bed. It was 10 p.m., and she wanted a couple of hours of sleep before setting off again at midnight. The streets are deathly quiet when she re-emerges and stuffs snacks into her bags. Her path is lit by a mix of street lights and the neon glow of the shop lights. By the time we wake, Jenny (the first-place female at this stage) has an eight-hour head start on us. By the time we get a flat tire and return to town to get it fixed, she has an even bigger lead.
We chase her for the rest of the day, stopping to chat to the other riders as we pass. We meet Sofiane Sehili on a track where the route runs both ways. He stops for a minute to say hello and then is gone. But Jenny continues to elude us. We drive alongside the many tributaries that flow into the Naryn River. River crossing after crossing, bend after bend, she remains ahead. At every update, her tracker shows us gaining, but the sun is also setting. We wonder if we’ll find her before dark for a few sunset minutes. We do, just as the sun hits that magic spot, and we cruise up beside her, jokingly telling her to slow down. Up ahead, a wooden bridge looms into view, and Jenny steams across it. But as we drive up and onto it, a plank springs up and pierces one of our tyres. Our second puncture of the day, and our chase comes to an abrupt halt, just like that.
Two days after the previous encounter, our path with Jenny crosses again on the road to CP2. She’d made it up Arabel and Tosor Passes, riding through the freezing dark at times, suffered a day of mechanicals, and was now using tubes. She mentions the old Soviet road that forms part of the route ahead of her. “I’m looking forward to the old road, the hike-a-bike. I’m probably better at that than cycling,” she laughs. We leave her riding into horrendous headwinds but looking strong and puzzlingly dreaming of pushing a bike up the ridiculously steep terrain.
Pizza Noodles
When Allan Shaw descended from Arabel Pass, he was starving, low on supplies, and within touching distance from the nearest shop. The thought of chocolate spurred him on. Upon entering the shop, he was surprised at the “lack of nothing.” No chocolate, no sweets. But in an extensive noodle section, he found pizza-flavoured noodles.
That strange fusion must have worked because Allan was the 10th rider to arrive at CP2. Allan had arrived during the night and had a decent night’s sleep, but before breakfast, he was out changing his brake pads barefoot in 5°C (41°F) temps. He tells us that on the way yesterday evening, he spotted a pair of old socks on the road. He considered how wet and cold his own feet were before stoping, picking them up, and pulling them on. With dry socks, Allan leaves the warmth or the yurt and heads out for the old Soviet road.
Race update: At the time of publishing, many riders have scratched for one reason or another, but Frenchman Sofiane Sehili looks to be well on track to finish in first place. Behind him, Swiss riders Axel Brenner and Adrien Liechti are leapfrogging each other in a close battle for second and third. In the women’s field, Canadian Jenny Tough is in the lead, with around 500 kilometres to go until she reaches the end of the course.
We’re planning several updates during this year’s Silk Road Mountain Race so stay tuned. Check out the event Tracker page to follow along on the live tracking map and watch for updates. Find it here.
About Chris McClean
Chris McClean can usually be found with a camera in his hand documenting some kind of far-flung surf or cycle adventure. His ideal project combines both. He’s an award-winning director with a unique eye for a story. His first short film, Uncommon Ideals, told the tale of North Sea surfers and established Chris as an exciting new talent. After going viral, Channel 4 commissioned Chris to create a sequel, Beyond the Scars. He’s based in the North East of England. Find more on Instagram @chrismcclean.
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