All stories tagged with "cycling in the himalayas"


Cycling the Sach Pass - 2.0

Cycling the Sach Pass - 2.0

At 4,420 meters Sach pass is not among the highest ‘motorable’ passes in the country, but it is certainly one of the steepest and one of toughest to bicycle across. A couple of years ago, Punit and I failed to cycle across it (read about the last attempt to cycle across the Sach pass here. What are the chances that I’ll do better on a solo attempt? It is a little after 4:00 pm and it has already been a tough day of cycling.
Continue reading...

12 minute read | 2547 words


#cycling, #adventures, #featured, #cycle touring, #cycling in the himalayas, #himachal pradesh, #saach pass, #self-supported cycling

Cycling the Spiti valley — Nako to Manali

Cycling the Spiti valley — Nako to Manali

The hardest part about Spiti is reaching there. It took us a 22-hour bus ride to get to Rekong Peo. For the sake of acclimatization we had planned the night stay at Kalpa, which is not so far from there, but much higher. And also much nicer. Having had our fill with the HPTDC’s ‘ordinary’ buses, especially given the quantum of our luggage, we choose to just hire a jeep the next day to take us up to Nako (technically still in Kinnaur) – another five odd hour drive.
Continue reading...

10 minute read | 2104 words


#cycling, #adventures, #featured, #cycle touring, #cycling in the himalayas, #bicycle adventures, #spiti valley

Which is the best cycle for touring the Indian himalayas?

Which is the best cycle for touring the Indian himalayas?

People often ask me what is the best cycle for touring the Himalayas. It is a hard question to answer, mainly because different people define ‘touring’ differently. For instance, cycle touring may mean cycling hundreds of kilometers self-supported where the rider carries a tent, sleeping bag, cooking gear on the bike, and has the option to stop and camp wherever she fancies. However, many of the well established Himalayan routes can also be toured ultralight, by eating and sleeping in teahouses (dhabas).
Continue reading...

5 minute read | 1008 words


#cycling, #featured, #cycle touring, #cycling in the himalayas, #self-supported cycling, #cycling in india, #manali to leh

Cycling across the Sach Pass, Himachal Pradesh

Cycling across the Sach Pass, Himachal Pradesh

Perhaps more appropriate to say ‘trying to’ cycle across the Sach Pass. And failing. We did our best, under the circumstances, and failed. No shame in that! 15 odd kilometers short of the Sach pass we had to turn around . The trail (can’t call it a road, even though it was wider than a typical single track) was so steep, and so full of slush that our bikes had no grip.
Continue reading...

2 minute read | 308 words


#cycling, #adventures, #cycle touring, #cycling in the himalayas, #himachal pradesh, #saach pass, #self-supported cycling


© 1995 – 2023 Ajay Jaiman