«By bike? Mongolia? What kind of nonsense is this?» you might say. — «There are steppes, constant sets and drops of altitude, winds and soft ground! It's definitely not for a bike!» And you're right, riding in 95% of Mongolia is hard and not interesting. But there are 5% of the territory where MTB is ideal, there are high mountains, the ground is rocky, and the landscapes change each other so often that you get tired of turning your head. This place is called Tabyn National Park in Bayan-Ulgi aimag! Yes, military passes, permits from environmental services, and even a Mongolian guide are required there.
Even before the 2020 season, we decided to radically change the route: make a start right from the Russian border, stop at the largest glacier in Altai, the Potanin Glacier, and arrange a day of rest on the lake. Hoton and finish the Bayan-Ulgye tour. But the pandemic postponed the updated route for two whole years. In 2020, instead of the planned Mongolia, we made the most difficult route through Altai — Altay MTB ride, in 2021 we also did not open the border and we launched an epic Tour de Tuva with escort horses.
And now, in August 2022, we are back in Mongolia, the land of true freedom! I would like to express my special gratitude for this amazing trip.:
- The Mongolian rain, which turned on only after the end of the cycling part, and more often at night.
- the Mongolian wind, who trained us well in the first half of the tour, and added 100 watts to our backs in the second part of the trip.
- the Mongolian Altai — for remaining so beautiful for many millions of years.
- to our entire mighty team! And sing a song, and put a peloton against the wind, find firewood in any corner of Mongolia, and pull the UAZ out of the river.
After your vacation in Mongolia, you will listen with a slight smile to colleagues' stories about vacations on the Turkish coast, diving in Egypt and relaxing in the Maldives. After visiting these places, no one will remain the same, each participant will discover himself, himself, and even the brightest urban «glamour» will be covered with an indelible tan that changes not only the body, but also the soul.
And right now, on a winter December day, I really want a little headwind, the merciless high-altitude sun, to sing a song about a kitten by the campfire, to spin in an endless climb, to paddle on the slope on a sap on Lake Haughton and pull out of the river OISE. And we will definitely do it again!