Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
Caucasus Crossing Videos (by Teemu Vidgren)
Teemu Vidgren just finished up his three-part video series, following a 900-kilometer solo bikepacking journey on our Caucasus Crossing route in the Republic of Georgia. Watch all three episodes here…
In Episode 1, Atsunta Pass, Teemu Vidgren takes us north from Tbilisi all the way to Chechen border zone. As is familiar from my 2016 trip on this route, Teemu tackles two big days with lots of hike-a-bike leading him to Atsunta Pass, one of the two passes heading into the isolated Tusheti Valley. His trip became interesting when a stormy night at altitude blanketed the pass with snow.
In Episode 2, Teemu takes us through the remote Tusheti Valley at Chechen border zone. After entering the valley via the long hike-a-bike over Atsunta Pass, Teemu reports that the Tusheti Valley offered the best bikepacking he’s ever experienced with total isolation, stunning views, and perfect weather. Returning to civilization along Albano pass on one of the most dangerous roads in the world was an adventure on its own.
Episode 3 follows Teemu from Akhaltsikhe back to Tbilisi through Lesser Caucasus mountains. Along the way he cycles through the picturesque Georgian countryside, gets sick, and runs out of water in a remote valley. He eventually made it out to recover in Vardzia but had to finish the two-week trip with long days on the saddle to get back to Tbilisi in time for his flight home.
We have quite a few posts on the site following this challenging route. Find a few linked in the Further Reading grid and learn more about the route below…
The Caucasus Crossing is a meandering traverse of the Georgian portion of Europe’s highest range. It offers a blend of classic mountain topography and rolling steppe, punctuated with a 12th Century monastery chiselled into a rockface, a ride around the country’s largest lake, a profusion of fortified towers, a generous handful of rugged passes, the inevitable run-ins with fierce Tushetian sheepdogs, and likely a few shots of chacha, the country’s potent homebrew, along the way. Find the full route guide here.
Further Reading
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