Preparation.

So, here I go again.

 Mad for the road. And the more the challenging the trip, the better I like it.

This time it's off to Asia – the far east. Little did I think that as I read that missionary magazine (The Far East) in my childhood days that one day I’d attempt to cross it …on a bicycle. Is ait an mac an saol (Life takes many turns)

Another continent has just jumped up at me from my favourite book – The World Atlas - Asia. A continent that I haven’t cycled on previously. My only experience of Asia were those uplifting spells that I spent in Shillong, north-east India as part of the Abbey India Project (1999- 2012)

But this trip is a watershed. It marks a change of direction in my life. On all previous cycles I have always cycled from west to east. Just for novelty, I'm now about to move from east to west. That (apart from everything else that lies ahead of me) will add a bit of novelty to the experience. However, I've just read recently that the prevailing wind in Mongolia blows from the north-west. I’ll just have to grin and bear it.

So Far:

Since I started to cycle to any serious degree (in 2001) I have undertake a number of multi-day tours , some solo and others supported. I've done various Ireland tours – bottom to top (Mizen to Malin), a complete unbroken 32 county circuit and a clockwise tour of its coast starting at Malin Head. Then foreign lands beckoned with the trans-USA tour (San Francisco to Providence, Rhode Island) in 2008, then Australia (Perth to Melbourne to Sydney) in 2013. And then all across Europe (West of Ireland to Istanbul) in 2014 and 2015. All these have been documented (See links in my Profile)

And I don’t  have any immediate plans to hang up the bike just yet, Too many roads out there to be traversed and explored.

This Tour:

In mid-May I head for Beijing in China with my own bike – although I believe there’s no shortage of bikes there. Then a few days for recovery and finalising some details.

Off then in a north-westerly direction for 800 km (crossing the Wall) before entering into Mongolia. Then just short of a month crossing the mostly uncharted territory of Mongolia and entering into the Altai region of Siberian Russia. I’ll experience 1000 km of these Russian roads while swinging left and southwards to enter the top of Kazakhstan and cycle on for another 1800 km to enter the Central Asian Republic of Kyrgyzstan in early July. Across Kyrgyzstan much cycling (800 km) will be done on unpaved roads that are only open for a few summer months each year leading me on to journey’s end in Osh. In all a spin of 6635 km over 54 cycling days and daily average of 123 km per day. Should be interesting.

The Bike

The same bike that I've used for all the other continental trips – Specialized Tri-Cross. It has proved very reliable for both road and off-road (as experienced last year in parts of eastern-Europe). It will have a good overhaul before the off and some components replaced.

I’ll use different tyres (28 mm and 35 mm) as the terrain demands. The 35’s will be necessary during the second half of Mongolia and again in Kyrgyzstan.

Group:

I’ll not be travelling alone….wouldn’t fancy that across this terrain. TDA is the same company I utilised last year for Vienna-Istanbul. It’ll be a truly international band of cyclists (although nobody from last year’s gang) . We’ll meet up for the first time in Beijing on May 14 and proceed to blend over the next number of weeks…all part of the experience. They all differ in cycling experience and backgrounds. Judging from photos, ages cover the full spectrum. They hail from Canada, US, Sweden, England, Switzerland, New Zealand, Netherlands etc. I’m the only Irish person of the 29  starting in Beijing although another one joins us in Kazakhstan.

We’re supported by a staff of 5 including a cook and a medic and two vehicles to transport our luggage.

Accommodation will be mixed. In China it’ll be hotels. For the rest of the time (50/50) it’ll be indoors (hotel or possibly a hall, hostel, home-stay etc) or wilderness camps. So the tent etc must be packed and I expect that luxury will be a rare oddity. And by ‘luxury’ I mean running water, electricity, toilet facilities, mobile coverage ……. or a health spa!

Note: TDA in welcoming each participant to this tour, welcomes us to the “ the hardest, the highest, the hottest and the coldest bicycle expedition on the planet”. You can just imagine the type of person that this marketing is targeted at. Certainly not the faint-hearted.

My Preparation:

I have been cycling all over the winter, usually doing two spins per week totalling 100 km. Sometimes on the tri-cross (on main roads) or exploring the back-roads on the mountain bike. So, I haven't been badly out of shape since last summer. Then around Easter I set myself the target of doing ten 100 km trips over a period of 25 days. Completed that – though it took a little more than the 25 days owing to a week with a very bad head cold. I’ll keep the kms ticking over right till departure date. Thus I’ll have over 2000 km done since Jan 1 but as important as that is the almost 100 hours spent on the saddle – that area also needs to be prepared.

Off-bike preparation centred mostly on obtaining the necessary travel visas (China, Mongolia, Russia and Kazakhstan) TDA have been helpful in directing us in this aspect and in obtaining Letters of Invitation in some cases. These have been procured necessitating a trip to London (not on the bike) for the Mongolian document.

Packing gear this time will involve clothes for the heat and for the cold and , of course, a good supply of bike parts.

Most important of all in my preparation has been the support of family. They have always been so, and updating this blog each day aims at keeping them informed of progress and well-being.

This Blog:

 My intention is to upload an account (and photos) each evening right till the end. I’ll write it up each evening and upload it if possible. For a while I’ll be behind the Great Firewall of China –that might create a problem, And also while in wilderness camps I don’t expect coverage to be the best. Thus posts may go up in batches every few days when we periodically emerge out of ‘the sticks’. Be patient and all will be well.

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Next post will be from Beijing just before the start of this cycling expedition.