Day 8. Monday. May 23.

 Valley Camp to Sajnsand(Mongolia)

Distance:  62 km

Cumulative Distance: 808 km

Time: 3 hrs 30 min

Speed:  17.7 km/hr

Feet Climbed:  1502 (458 m)

Cumulative Climb: 16,900 ft 

AHR (Average Heart Rate) 116 bpm

Punctures: 2.     

Altitude tonight: 3077 ft..

What a day! It had everything you don't want as a cyclist. Wake up in a tent with strong winds and having rained during the night. Try to pack up a wet tent; breakfast by the side of a van (but the porridge was lovely and warming), set out then on a 146 km spin into a headwind and rain; and then get 2 punctures for good measure and try to rectify this with numb cold hands. How better can you get.

The night in the tent was quite comfortable, I slept well and was warm. Anytime my eyes opened I was aware of the wind outside. Alarm sounded at 4.45 am (we are now just 6 hours ahead of GMT). Only then did I realise that rain had fallen during the night and was still falling. Breaking camp was difficult, wrapping up the wet tent while bags were sitting there in the wet.

All bags loaded before breakfast at 6 am and then hit the road for a scheduled 146 km to Sajnsand and a Rest Day on Tuesday. Extra layers were donned and definitely long fingered gloves. Temperatures stood just over 1C les wind chill. For the first few kilometres Dan Byrne and I cycled together (as we finished yesterday evening) and I shivered and shook till the body warmed up. So not many photos today - not easy to handle a camera with wet gloves on numb fingers.

Then at 10 km disaster struck; I felt I was cycling on the rear rim. Dan and I pulled over, whipped off the tyre and soon he had located the culprit, a short piece of radial wire. It was just long enough to get a grip on (with Dan's teeth) and in with a new tube. Cyclists still whizzing by but all asking if all was OK and others donning extra rain clothing. A quick pumping and off again only to feel the rim again after about 5 km. Are we to have the typical 3 puncture series? But this time we spotted a faulty valve in the new tube. Where did I get that? Dan had a tool to tighten the valve piece and another pumping and sound for the rest of the day. Sound man Dan; his folks came from Bagnalstown, Carlow and his uncle was involved in the well-documented Green-over-Red traffic light events in Syracuse, New York.

Dan And I (and later Charlie, 18 yr old from London) rotated positions for the day. It was tough going, tougher than yesterday with headwind and cold rain to boot. The road upped and downed gradually with nothing but sand on either side. Even if it were fine I wouldn't have been stopping for photographs. We cycled strong and overtook many who passed us during our puncture travails.

 No sign of human interference; human habitation and cultivation accounts for only 1% of the whole country; it has the lowest population density in the world at 4.58 people per square mile.

Lunch was fixed for 62 km and at this point Tour Leaders pulled everyone off the road and ferried bikes and riders to Sajnsand ahead. It was a decision made in the interest of cyclist welfare. At the lunch stop, I forfeited food for the shelter of the minibus. My extremities were numb, core was fine but I didn't wish to stand around in wet gear. 

Two minibuses brought us on the next 80 km and still it was just sand, sand, sand. Sajnsand is the aimag (province) capital consisting of two parts - the section around the Trans Mongolian Rail station and the other just 2 km to the south. The part around the rail station is visible from my window and is predominantly a ger (rhymes with hair) settlement. Quarter of the population live settled in these and are involved in stock (cattle, sheep, goats) on lands near the cities. Another quarter are nomadic herders who move their gets around 15 times a year to avail of fresh grazing. Moving a ger takes about half a day. Hope to get a closer acquaintance with one as we move along (we’ll be in Mongolia for 23 days)

Once in the hotel (Hergobi) the sun came through and it was time to set about drying the quickly packed wet tents. Between sun and wind on the hotel patio all dried in jig time. But I still have some washing to do tomorrow. Let’s hope the drying will be as good.

Once drying was done dark clouds moved in again to the north and a sand storm moved towards town. However neither came to anything.

The bikes arrived in time on the trucks, wheels replaced and now mine is safely tucked away where I can keep a good eye on it for the night!

Having skipped lunch, once I had a quick shower (cold) I indulged in a plate of Tsuivan, a local Mongolian dish of mutton, cabbage, carrot,onion, flour, pak-choi and peppers. T’was tasty and washed down with a bottle of local beer.

So, it's Rest Day tomorrow. The usual housekeeping and must get a Mongolian sim-card for the phone to send texts home. The business area is a bit of a walk away but I might see something interesting on the way. 

Uploads of Posts will be sporadic from here on as we do a lot of a bush camps (let’s hope the weather is better).

Glad to hear Tipp had a good day but disappointed for Wexford.

Thank God for the health and thank God for the energy.