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| The beginning of stage 2, on the other side of the hills |
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| The gurgling stream kept us occupied |
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| Riding through the valley |
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| Another stream to cross |
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| Mr Lim feeling on top of the world |
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| First official break, after the stream |
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| Angkana the cheerleader @ banana break |
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| Ravaged roads began just after our banana break... |
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| ...but became rideable after a short distance @ 11 am... |
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| ...11.30 am, we were already on third segment but yet to see the nasty climbs |
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| 12 pm...the nasties began! |
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| Take that photo, VT called. The boy was sitting on a dead lamb with head and legs intact. |
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| The bikes were hardly moving on this stretch |
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| The whole road was virtually ravaged |
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| 12.25 pm, Christoph was already on that rocky outcrop... |
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| ...8 minutes later, Claudine arrived on the same spot where Christoph had stood earlier! |
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| While VT claimed the end is near, Alex pointed out the switchbacks, turn one corner, then another and another, before his fingers went swishing further UP!!!! @ 1 pm |
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| 1 pm |
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| Is there even a road??? |
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| 1.30 pm |
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| Sheperd boy was given some sweets |
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| Roaming free. The rich meadows are used by Shepherds from Kochkor, Naryn and At-Bashi as summer pastures for their flocks |
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| Yurt in the distance. This place gets around 200 days of snow in a year |
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| Temperature at Song-Kul falls as low as - 20C in winter and the lake remain frozen from September to June! |
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| Dirt tracks after The Pass. It is almost impossible to get to Song-Kul Lake in the winter! |
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| Dabbing |
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| Song-kul beach, note the landmines! |
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| Crystal clear water |
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| Reunited with the rest of the team |
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| The Kyrgyzstan flag is inspired by the air well design of the yurt |
Pereval Chil'bel / Tjilbel
Hoping to outsmart 13 others, Claudine woke at 5 am in order to have a free hand in the toilet. Boy was she wrong when many more beat her to it! Kok Teng was already inside when Gerard and Anna joined the queue!
It was understandable to see Team Chilbel pottering about to meet the 7 am breakfast schedule and 8 am roll out time. However, it was irritating to see Anna join the toilet rush with toothbrush in hand knowing her group has a late check out! We learnt later, she had set her alarm at 7 am but since it was still synced to Malaysian time, had woken to Kyrgyz time which was 2 hours behind!
Returning to bed after her failed attempt to sit on the throne, the loud ringtone from her phone soon woke the whole household. Dad had called on the day when he was scheduled to play Grab driver to her son. However, she refused to return call forcing them to settle the issue amongst themselves! (No 1 was to return home during his study break, assigned to oversee the house and keep No 2 company)
As the toilet queue began to stretch, Claudine and VT juggled to use the toilet together to save time! By which time, some had resigned themselves to the kitchen sink and the outdoor toilet which comes with a hole to the ground.
By breakfast time, Team Chilbel had recruited a new defector. Mr Lim had decided to come on board as well!
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| One shot with our host before we rolled out at 8 am |
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| View from outside our local family house |
Rolling out from our local family house, Claudine was intrigued by the village settings. A spider webbed of water logged, dirt road made riding difficult. All along, scattered homes dotted the sparse countryside with most homes built with bricks and mud. Fences made out of tree branches marked the perimeters of each house, built to ward off animals.
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| 9 am |
The first 7 to 8 km to Chilbel Pass was relatively flat. We were travelling on dirt road, surrounded by grasslands with hills to our left and and the mountain range, a far distance to our right. Along the way, we met Black Beauty, waved to a farmer, crossed a little brook and waited for Alex as he detoxed behind a grassy knoll. It was also at this segment that Claudine managed a last attempt on equilibrium, escaping a mud fall despite a nagging headache which found relief from 900 mg of paracetamol provided by Joyce.
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| 9.30 am |
Once we rode past the series of hills to our left, we made our way to the other side. Turning the corner, we found ourselves riding through a valley with a little gushing stream to keep us company. While the water was flowing downstream, we were making our slow climb up the slope.
This second stage with a distance of 12 km, beginning from 2100 m to 2600 m and an average grade hill of 4.16 percent was manageable as long as we were taking rest stops every 2 to 3 km. Some stretches were as steep as 8.6 percent.
As the meter increased in numbers and noon has yet to set in, we were feeling very encouraged. Where was the nasty hills, said to be on the last 8 km?
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| 10.30 am, banana break just before the last 8 km was to begin |
Taking a banana break before the third stage was to begin, Claudine’s nausea returns. She nibbled slowly through her banana but politely declined the biscuits offered.
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| Gerard had almost climbed into the support car at this point |
Approaching the 20 km mark, Gerard had almost climbed into the support vehicle when it passes through. However, he was cheated when his GPS read a gradual dip ahead, a dangling carrot which he took. Unknowingly, the GPS had stalled due to lost of connectivity and the actual dip was already done and dusted.
Soon after, the nasty climbs began and together with it the road condition worsened! To get to the peak, we had to climb from 2600 m to 3200 m, over a distance of 6 km. Sometimes the GPS read a nasty grade of more than 17 percent!
At this height, the lower air pressure makes it more difficult for oxygen to enter our vascular systems. Many of us were experiencing mild hypoxia. We were breathing laboriously and physical exercise became tough.
We had no choice but to take it easy, taking as many breaks as was necessary. Claudine's ETA stretches from an optimistic 12.30 pm to 1.30 pm before leaving it all to faith!
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| York Fuan is drunk after .... |
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| ...not ONE... |
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| ...but TWO!!!! |
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| Still unable to stand up straight! |
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| 12.45 pm |
Soon York Fuan was wishing for the support car as well. However, with so few kms left, she was denied the princesses treatment and told to soldier on.
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| Close to the 25 km mark, we were disappointed to hear Alex said The Pass was actually 28 km based on his Strava! What the....???? |
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| Someone's not following orders! |
It was crazy to watch the meter on the last couple of kms. We were barely moving or rather the meter would not flip. Claudine remembered pulling out her strava to see a reading of 24.3 km. 10 minutes later it had only flipped 200 m!!!
When the 25 km mark was reached and the pass was still a vision, she had wanted to scream obscenities. Who had told them they only had to clock 25 km????
Somehow, Christoph was totally unaffected by the high altitude. His only challenge was the gradient and deep ruts which made riding difficult. Roaring to move forward, he soon left Alex to wait over us.
Reaching the peak way before us, it was crazy to have him peer over the cliff, watching over us and disappearing every now and then. VT will try to send encouragements to everyone saying, "Look at Chris, at the peak" but when we saw no one, we thought it was a sick joke!
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| Finally @ 2 pm |
Chilbel pass is a pass to get to the other side of the mountain. It wasn't exactly the peak with a separate trail going further up. Coming into contact with Christoph and the uncertainty of a further climb was rather depressing. Claudine did not dare to celebrate until Alex's arrival to confirm the end!
The weather at the pass changes very quickly. Initially sunny and warm, strong winds began to blow with the arrival of the rests. Hoping to celebrate with a picnic lunch at the pass, Alex suggested riding further down, where there were rock covers. Claudine had no choice but to agree, wary of his plan in case it was a lot further downhill!!!
Our lunch against the rock covers was more than 1 km from the pass. Expecting perpetual downhills, it was not. Immediately on flats, it turned a mild roller coaster ride.
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| Calling it quits after lunch @3.30 pm |
Riding just a short distance after lunch, Mr Lim complained of a stomachache. He was encouraged to stop and so did Claudine. Both had had poor appetite despite their hunger, a mild symptom of AMS.
With the challenging pass done and dusted, the other side of the mountain offered an easier ride on dirt tracks although there were some menacing climbs. The trio of VT, Lim and Claudine did not regret their decision to stop.
Meanwhile, as Gerard's high from the trail was increasing as the distance increases, the air spring on his rear suspension was deflating as he moves further downhill. According to him, it went from 150 psi to almost zero, a definite leak and nothing to do with altitude or temperatures. Talking about having an attitude of its own, Gerard did not "come" at Lake Songkul! He was short of 6 km!!!
Total distance travelled : 60 km
Total ride distance : 60 km
Total ride achieved : 27 km (for Lim, VT and Claudine)
Ride Route : 100 % dirt and gravel
Elevation : + 1300 m, - 450 m
Places of interest :
Chilbel Pass - 3200 m
Song-Kul Lake - 3016 m
Photo courtesy :
All the fabulous participants of Tian Shan, Realising Dreams Team - Alan,
Anna, Angkana, Christoph, Joyce, Lim, John, Kok Teng, Sue, York Fuan,
VT, Gerard, Zoe, Dima
Tap on link for stream crossing, video courtesy of York Fuan :
https://youtu.be/K_p2EGlFAWg
Tap on link for Dangerous Roads :
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Yurt Stay at Song-kul Lake
Interesting.... Interesting..
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