Getting to Bishkek

August 28, 2023

Chris came over to send me off, and then it was a smooth Uber to JFK and check-in. My bike and luggage weren't weighed and there were no extra charges. I got to the airport three hours early, and grabbed a fish and chips and a couple of Goose Island IPA'S while I waited. I had purchased an emergency aisle seat with extra leg room for the twelve hour forty-five minute flight to Dubai. As it turned out, the adjacent seats were empty and I could spread out. I enjoyed a chicken dinner and some sort of warm breakfast. I took a sleeping pill and slept through most of the flight. Dubai airport was huge, and I had to take a train to get to the next gate. I had plenty of time and slowly figured it out.

As I was boarding the flight to Bishkek I noticed some other cyclists in the queue. They were carrying their helmets and wearing masks, which was probably smart. I introduced myself to a male/female couple and ascertained that they were also racing. I quickly figured out their names from the rider list. When I learned they were from Bozeman I texted my friend Don, whom I had ridden with last summer on the Divide. As it turns out I had met Dylan and Sarah twice last year on the Divide. They were doing a loop out of Pinedale, WY and I met them in Salida and then later across the Idaho border where I met Don.

It was the middle of the night, and the flight to Bishkek was noisy. Women in traditional Islamic garb chatted and giggled while their kids ran up and down the aisle. I sleep for part of the four hour flight and enjoyed a vegetarian pasta breakfast.

I chatted with Dylan and Sarah as we exited the plane. Visas weren't required for Americans and passport control was quick. We stopped at a SIM card stand. Mine would serve as a back-up. My bike and luggage quickly arrived at the luggage drop-off, and Dylan and Sarah's Tok longer. I also met an Australian racer. Dylan and Sarah would be riding part of the way to Karakol as a warm-up and they asked me to transport some of their food to the start. I changed money in the terminal and then met my driver. Chris had given me the WhatsApp contact for Azema, the woman who runs Tunduk Hostel. I had messengered her from the Uber and she had sent a driver and van to pick me up. I accidentally got into the van on what I thought was the front passenger door, but the steering wheel was on the right. Motor traffic in Kyrgyzstan flows on the right-hand side like the states.

It was five AM and the sun was up. Watermelon stands plied the highway from the airport to Bishkek and the enormous Tian Shan mountains loomed in the distance. The driver and I did our best to make small talk using Google Translate.

At Tunduk Hostel the garage inside the front door was filled with bikes, bike boxes and camping gear. Tents were set up in the yard. I learned that breakfast would be served from 8-10AM and I went up to my room to attempt to sleep. I heard from fellow race Peter on Facebook Messenger. He had just crossed Mongolia, and I had brought him a spare rack, saddle, and tires. He would be meeting me later in the day.

The time difference was ten hours and I slept for an hour or so. I enjoyed a breakfast with crepes, bread, salami, fruit, and coffee. After breakfast I assembled my bike. TSA had cut my zip-ties that secured the disassembled handlebars to the frame. Luckily they didn't bash into the front light or sever the hydraulic brake line. My front brake calipers had to be re-aligned. They has even opened the font wheel box. Fortunately neither of my rotors were warped.

I took a ride around Bishkek and visited the Osh Bazaar. The weather was in the nineties. I tried several ATMs and was met with blank screens after I entered my password. I finally found a machine that would allow me to withdraw 15,000 son, the equivalent of $172. Back at the hostel I enjoyed a few beers and talked with other cyclists. It had taken two French riders six days to get from Saruu to Naryn through rain and mud. Their photos looked treacherous. Peter showed up after spending the afternoon trying to find a replacement rim. He took me to Lagmankana for dinner where I enjoyed chicken with rice and vegetables, along with bread and hot sauce and a large bottle of Sprite. He had brought me two CO2 canisters from Almaty Kazakstan. Back at the hotel my body was still on New York time and I had to take a sleeping pill to fall asleep.