Silk Road Mountain Race - Day 3

August 14, 2023

Lipenka to Arabel Plateau - 60 Miles

Start 5:49 AM Finish 7:48 PM

Total Duration 13:59

Moving Time 8:21

Stopped Time 5:38

Ascent 7,940’

Descent 1,282’

Slept at 12,160' elevation (tent)

Race Total 301 Miles

Details at: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/131493846

https://srmr2023.maprogress.com/

I slept well last night in a warm comfy bed inside a guesthouse yurt in the hamlet of Lipenka. It had been windy and, aside from the rustling trees, was quiet. I woke before the 5:20 AM alarm, and Christian was already up packing. My forehead was sunburned from yesterday and my hands and feet were chapped. I applied Lucas Papaw Ointment to the affected areas. My bike was wheeled outside where I lubed the chain. I collected my devices which had been fully charged.

I was wearing my leg-warmers, gilet, and jacket. I wouldn't be wearing my cap today, as it exposed my sunburned forehead. Christian rolled out before I did. I enjoyed an Azovskaya Kozinak peanut bar and dropped an electrolyte tablet into my water bottle before leaving. Indonesian racers Hendra and Patricia (caps 214 A&B) had camped across the road near the guesthouse. They asked where they could find tap water.

Today I'd be tackling Jukku Pass, a daunting climb that I'd been dreading since I'd first seen the 3D course map on Komoot. There would be a brutal hike-a-bike, and I feared getting stuck atop frigid 12,000' Arabel plateau. Hopefully the weather would cooperate. The ride would begin with a twenty-four mile flat ride to Saruu. After that there'd be a twenty-five mile four-thousand foot ascent to the where the steep landslide areas began.

The sun was low on the horizon at 5:49 AM when I pulled out. I was riding on gravel and passing through small villages near Lake Issyk-Kul. The first was Kabak and then Chyrak. I crossed the Djetı-Oguz River and then rode through Munduz followed by Tilemat.

At 7:30 AM I took a right onto two-lane asphalt ЭМ-10, where I began seeing welcome signs and small billboards for guesthouses on the lake. After nine miles I stopped at a Gazprom station, where I ran into Christian and Stephen (cap 102). I purchased a package of Multi Cake milky cream cookies, a bottle of orange juice, a container of pomegranate juice, and a liter of water. Change had spilled all over my handlebar bag, and I made some other adjustments. I removed my jacket and leg-warmers, and Christian departed before I did. I felt the urge to keep moving and didn't finish my cookies.

My legs were feeling lethargic, and I was anxious about laid ahead. I crossed the Chon-Kyzyl-Suu River (big red water) and then rode into Kyzyl-Suu. It was a decent-sized town with restaurants, cafes, magazins, and a bus station. I noticed a police station as well as a monument featuring busts of local heroes.

At 8:11 AM and after twenty-three miles I reached the edge of Saruu. Christian had mentioned having breakfast here, but I didn't see anywhere to eat. I exited the highway and took a left on Akmatova Esenkana street, a small gravel road heading south towards the mountains. Milk trucks were making their morning rounds picking up large metal jugs from alongside the road. Irrigated fields were to my right and dry grassy scrub was to my left. Houses sat behind diamond patterned wooden slat fencing that lined the road. Trees ran alongside the route along with ditches flowing with water. A snowcapped range towered ahead in the distance.

Two miles down the road I met up with Christian. The endless washboard surface on this section was unbearable. Bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump, bump! My bike had no suspension and my poor hands were taking a beating. This went on for miles, and I desperately tried to navigate the smoothest path possible. I usually chose the right side where I noticed other tire tracks. Weather activity could be seen up in the mountains.

It was overcast and cool as I pedaled out of the Issyk-Kul basin. I rode through a gate and entered a regional park. Here I began following the Dzhuku (Jukku) River. After a few miles the river split. I crossed over the left (Dzukuchak) fork and began following the right (Dzhuku). I admired gorgeous scarlet rock formations and beheld the imposing snowcap mountains ahead. I stopped for some water and an Azovskaya Kozinak peanut bar.

At the fork where the Ashu-Kashka-Suu river split I crossed a sturdy wooden bridge overtop the raging Dzhuku. I stopped to admire a charming hand-painted sign. Two women on horseback and a boy on foot were driving a dozen cattle down the road. I crossed another wooden bridge and relished the white foamy torrent below. The course became double track, and a steep chunky uphill began. I entered a lush valley surrounded by pine trees. The sun appeared and I stopped to apply sunscreen.

I rode through a landslide area and crossed a small stream as my socks got wet. The double track continued alongside the river. I then passed Katja (cap 56) on a chunky climb as she was hike-a-biking. I began to encounter giant boulders laying in the grass. I passed Christian while he was eating his lunch. He told me that he was concerned about Katja, and thought she was ready to quit. He thought that she'd pushed it too hard the first two days. Christian had dot-watched her last year. Katja was German and lived in Sweden. Christian hadn’t run into anyone else on the course. The sun moved in and out of the clouds.

The scenery was incredible! I passed a backpacker named Adam who strode ahead of me at a stream crossing and an uphill. He was hiking the Nomad Valley Trail. I eventually caught up and passed him. At 1:10 PM I stopped for canned sardines with slices of cheese and bread. Both Adam and Christian overtook me while I was eating.

I came to an immense expanse of gravel with small streams running through, and it was difficult to distinguish the course. This was the confluence of several tributaries that flowed from glaciers up above. There had been a glacier collapse and avalanche here in 2022. A trekker had filmed it and the video made news headlines. The Djuuku River remained to my left and I could see a track winding up through the hills ahead. A fellow racer could be seen far in the distance. The river forked again, and I crossed a small bridge over the Dungurome. I was still following the Djuuku, and stopped to filter water. The sun was getting strong and I paused to don my arm protectors.

By 3 PM and the course had gotten chunky and steep. There was consistent hike-a-biking and I was sweltering from the effort, so I stopped to remove my gilet. Jagged rock walls towered to either side of the valley. I rode around turquoise colored Lake Džuuku to my left. Stephen was behind me on the climb up to stunning Lake Dunguromo. He finally passed me as I was making my way around the perimeter. at 3:50 PM. Oscar (cap 8) passed me. I noticed a puffball mushroom in the grass. The lake was surrounded by rock piles that had cascaded from the soaring craggly rock faces above. Waterfalls streamed from the plateau.

The track abruptly ended. A landslide had strewn giant boulders in its place. My bike needed to be carried across the hard sharp granite. It would have been impassable to a motor vehicle or ATV. I lifted my seventy-seven pound bike from one table-sized boulder to the next, while carefully balancing in my cleated sandals. My transmission, and in particular my derailleur, was vulnerable. Eventually the boulders decreased to bowling ball size and the carry-a-bike ended. I walked through a shallow stream, and then passed a set of battered wooden planks which had once been a bridge. The effort was strenuous and I frequently stopped to rest and admire the beautiful lake behind me. Dmitriy and Victoria (208 A&B) were trailing me and closing in.

At 5 PM I took a sharp left turn straight up into the boulder field. From here I could see the top of the pass. I was progressing slowly and other racers were nearing and passing me. It was easy to get discouraged. Sam (97) passed me after the lake and Dmitriy (cap 30) overtook me at the beginning of the switchback. He assured me the end was in sight. Thick low lying clouds were rolling in from the north.

I came to an extremely steep section of loose gravel and scree. I would advance a few feet and then my bike would slide back. I regretted having such a heavily loaded rig. The boulder field was daunting and I repeatedly stopped to reward myself with peanut bars. Dmitriy and Victoria passed me and Neil (cap 79) was approaching. The thick dark clouds changed direction and headed towards a valley to the west. It was starting to get cold, and I stopped to put on my long-sleeve merino wool under-layer, gilet, jacket, and leg warmers. I then had to carry my bike up through another steep section. The thing about climbs is that they always end. There's always a downhill on the other side.

At 6:08 PM I finally made it to the top of the pass and took a selfie with Neil. Dmitriy and Victoria were there as well. Dylan had warned me about a false summit and I knew it wasn't over. My GPS indicated more climbing was ahead. Arabel Plateau was grassy with a single track that traversed meadows and streams. I crossed over a dilapidated wooden bridge and then had to ride through the very same stream. Expanses of thick grass were strewn with large boulders. The route was difficult to navigate. Sometimes the track was obvious and other times it was complete guesswork. The plateau was surrounded by snow capped peaks, and the late afternoon sun was bathing the panorama in golden hues.

To the left I passed a far-off camp with tents and horses. The landscape undulated with weird bumpy grass areas and large round boulders. The course wasn't at all legible. Grass clumps and meandering streams kept my riding to a minimum. Dmitriy and Victoria could be seen ahead, and I followed their lead. I encountered a large lake which I used as a reference. At one point I came close to the water's edge as I walked my bike around the perimeter.

I hike-a-biked up another steep hill scattered with boulders. It was easier on the grass but it still took considerable effort and time to get to the top. There was no obvious track. I just followed my GPS and the app on my phone. Eventually I reached the top and could see the gravel mining highway ahead, far in the distance. It would be dark soon and I needed to find a place to sleep. I was concerned about motor vehicle traffic and figured it would be best to camp before I got to the road. I was navigating across a flat grass field near a large pond.

I came to grassy area that was relatively level, and decided to pitch my tent. The wind was strong and my tent was difficult to set up. It caught the wind like a sail, and I had to put my bags inside for it not to blow away. The squall contorted my poles and I was afraid they'd snap. After the sun went down the wind finally settled.

I crawled inside and tried to get cozy. It was cold and I quickly changed into my long underwear and unpacked my sleeping bag. I kept forgetting things that were still on my bike. When I went to get my spork I noticed Andrei and Vadim (caps 11 & 109) whom had passed and stopped briefly ahead. Their red tail lights blinked in the dark. I could see lights from a settlement on a hill in the distance.

I ate refried beans with bread while bundled in my sleeping bag. It was too cold to go out and brush my teeth or relieve myself. I slept with my devices inside my sleeping bag to maintain battery charge.