Written by Epic Cycles brand ambassador Will Robinson

Ultra racing is a tool. The sport can offer you an endless amount, whilst giving you the opportunity to explore and develop on a personal level. I feel that the bike remains the best way to explore a country. By stripping everything back to just you, your bike, and some limited equipment it breaks you down and allows you to experience a country in its raw state.

You’re far more accepted by the locals as they’re simply intrigued by you and what you’re doing. This is why I chose to ride the Silk Road Mountain Race.

What is The Silk Road Mountain Race? It’s a 2,000km (32,000m elevation) self-supported bikepacking race through the mountains of Kyrgyzstan. The route is a fixed route, unsupported, single stage cycling race following gravel, single and double track and old soviet roads with very little tarmac and lots of hike-a-bike sections.

With such a distance there are inevitable peaks and troughs that make ultra racing what it is. The energy levels and mental strength control your highest of highs, the best moments of your life and lowest of low, which make each mile seem unbearable. This is why ultra riding is so special as it offers you the chance to explore and enjoy the rollercoaster. The below are a few moments from my Silk Road journey.

The start. I can confirm this was my worst start to any ultra. I realised this on day one when riding up Kegeti pass which tops out at 3,800m. I was nearing the top of this climb when I realised that my game plan needed to change; I sat down and identified my issues:

  • Jet lag – I’ve never been a big believer in jet lag, but come 4pm I was falling asleep from the travel and stress of my bike not initially arriving in Bishkek. When it came to sleep at 2am I was wide awake and just sat there in my tent wishing I would drop off before the six o’clock alarm.
  • Altitude – I’m based in Bristol which is 11m above sea level. Why on earth didn’t I think it would be an issue riding my bike close to 4,000 metres? Every 10 steps I had to pause for a breather. A pause to allow myself to keep on pushing.
  • Heat – The temperature in the day reached into the 40’s, which again is vastly different to the climate in the UK!
  • Food – This was a challenge even on the first day as I wasn’t expecting such few opportunities to restock on meals and riding food. The food that was available wasn’t greatly appetising and revolved around being “dry” goods such as crisps, biscuits and ice creams. I personally didn’t risk eating meats or sandwiches, due to the risk of food poisoning which I know would cost me time and more calories. My plan changed from ‘racing’ to ‘touring with a sense of urgency’. And I was happy with that. No more chasing my tail. Instead let’s drink in the views, meet some amazing people and experience everything Kyrgyzstan had to offer. 

A beautiful moment. On one occasion whilst climbing the Arabella plateau a young girl ran out from her yurt and gestured having a drink whilst pointing at her home. I thought why not! When walking into the yurt her mother and father (I guess) frantically pulled together a hot tea and some sweet treats. No English was spoken. No money was accepted. Instead, I pointed to the route on my phone, and we communicated with our hands instead of talking. This was the most beautiful experience I could have asked for and I feel it’s a clear reminder of how disconnected we might be becoming with phones and technology.

The worry of getting sick. Days before the race an email was sent around all racers warning that ‘sickness’ is the biggest reason for riders to scratch in the past. Unknowingly this gives you an anxiety that doesn’t leave you as you worry about getting the dreaded shits. The risk is everywhere – you get kids standing in the middle of the road screaming for high fives, there’s poorly refrigerated sandwiches and contaminated water to name a few. Due to regular hand sanitising, rigorous water sanitisation and dodging meat I came away without any issues. THANK GOD.

Hike-a-bike. After riding the Highland 550 and being big into my long distance running I thought I would be comfortable with any hike-a-bike, but this was different due to the heat and altitude. During each hiking section (of which there were four or five) it was made easier by the Restrap Hike-a-Bike Harness, which allows you to troll up these sections hands free! The two notorious segments are the Shamsi and Kok-Ayryk pass. Here’s my experience:

  • Shamsi pass – The 20km horse track is slow moving on the ascent due to an off camber track with a substantial drop to your right to keep things spicy. The descent is slowed due to mostly being unrideable and filled with countless waist deep river crossings. My climb was made harder due to a savage headwind and a constant flow of horses on the single track which were being herded off the hills. Light was also fading which was bad news as we’d been warned about not crossing the passes at night or in bad weather. When I summited, I saw the welcome sight of the rear light of a fellow rider (Ivan) which I knew I needed to catch to make these river crossings easier and safer. Throughout the night we crossed the waist deep river countless times which was sped up and helped by having two sets of eyes and brains.

  • Kok-Ayryk pass – This is the last high mountain pass, which on the map looks ‘manageable’ but I can tell you it is NOT! Reaching the base of the climb at 11pm and after being freshly out of another river crossing it became clear that this pass was going to be slow going due to being littered with large rocks, recent landslides and alien looking plants. Weirdly my mind instantly switched off and I started feeling drunk and dizzy (maybe heat or altitude induced) so I started having 5 minute cat naps as I struggled to keep my eyes open, but I knew I needed to keep on making forward progress. The higher up I got the greater the wind speed reached and on one exposed switch back I allowed myself 10 minutes to escape the wind. I huddled in the foetal position behind a big rock to recharge my batteries. When I woke up, I smashed a gel and reached for my headphones. Put on some Abba. And promised myself I would reach the top before the end of the playlist. The saddle was hit at 6.30 am…….! A long night….!

Why are you here? A high point was on the third day. I stopped at a small shop in a remote town and bumped into 57 year old Brian Alder. Putting it simply the man has huge amounts of experience under his belt and even organises his own race in NZ (Tour Te Waipounamu). We had a brief discussion which ended with Brian asking me a simple question – “Why are you here Robbo?”. Little did I know, but I thought about this every day and I finally feel like I might have answered it. Maybe a topic for another blog.

Comfort is key. Right, it’s no secret that ultra riding is made a lot easier the more comfortable you are. I learnt three things about comfort on the Silk Road.

  • Put your weight on your bike, not your back. Due to the rush of the start and lack of prep I put lots of weight on my back within my Albion pack. Not noticing it on day one I woke up with a strained back on the second day. Dumb move.
  • Wear gloves. I forgot my padded riding gloves, which resulted in numb fingers from sitting on the nerves in my hands and limited sun protection.
  • Suspension is key. Riding a lightweight full suspension bike really helped as it ate up the bumps and road corrugations with ease. I would recommend a similar setup.

The finish. It took 10 days 1 hour and 17 minutes to reach the finish on the shores of lake Issyk- Kul. Recovery included eating, sleeping and going to a few night clubs to teach the locals some dance moves.

Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions about Silk Road or even anything ultra based.

Instagram: Robbo_Will27