Mongolia Bike Challenge - Stage 5

88km and 1481m climbing

Shorter stage but lots of climbing, rainy start and then straight uphill.  (And then sadly for Leah, straight downhill).  Clouds cleared and then actually turned out to be a pretty nice ride, with a long flat in the middle (so didn’t want to get dropped by your group.  Luckily by this stage, Leah had been adopted by a group of Spanish guys, who waited for her because she pulled them across the flats.).

In Hamish’s part of the peloton, a really nervous race.  Two crashes early on, including one bike with broken handlebar (Guy (his actual name) managed to ride 50ks to the next aid station where one of the marvelous mechanics was waiting with a replacement).  Another racer broke a seat stay, but this was basically entirely his fault (hitting a depression too hard will do that.  Or it could have been the bunny hop.  Jury out.).

Many, many bad tummies in the peloton, including Hamish.  Leah still quite happy and feeling a bit cocky (which is always the prelude a downfall).  Perhaps funniest anecdote of the day – at least in Leah’s group – on the last climb (which was a bit of a stony grovel), there were a group of Mongolians at the top cheering on the riders.  Leah must have been a surprise for them, because after a brief moment of shock, one ran up to give her a flower at the top.  (Which was sweet, also because she was climbing past guys who were walking…but unfortunately the descent was equally steep and stony, so the same guys were riding past her as she quickly dismounted to walk the first piece.  Doh.)

Meanwhile in Hamish’s race, Hamish got dropped on the first climb out of the front group, then formed up with a second group for most of the climbs and flat sections, which was a saving grace for the sore tummy.  He only got well and truly dropped on the last major climb with 9ks to go (and gave up 5 minutes.  Even the magic gels couldn’t help.  And he looked like a sheet crossing the finish line).  Finished into another quite stunning ger camp, “ 13th Century something something” – the schtick being that everything was like the 13th century.  Which is awesome, until your ger floods in the middle of the night due to a (not entirely atypical) Mongolian monsoon cum thunderstorm, and the lack of a decent tarp on the top or a ditch around the back hillside.  Also, with 6 people in it, it smelled like some sort of a mixture between sheep and feet.  But otherwise, quite an experience (and we did to see the fire lit in the morning when they came to sop up the standing water on the “floor”.  Mongolian sauna!)

Hamish: 3:37:07

Leah: 4:50:24

Fastest: 3:22:57

Slowest: 7:01:03

6 person ger (that flooded) and a very cold shower

The finishing straight and our view for the night

Inside the master ger that could seat 100 people. Very impressive

Cleanup post flood! 

Mongolia Bike Challenge 2017 - Stage 4

128km and 1150m climbing

Longest day, only 3 climbs but some really rough roads.  Scabs – literally scabs – on multiple butts after today.  Early mud bogs claimed some victims, including Leah, who was trying to hang on to a group as the peloton fragmented.  No dice, try again next time.  Long plateau with a head wind and a rainstorm, massive clumps of mud flying everywhere.  Elbows out to be first wheel. 

Leah finished looking like a bog monster (as naturally was drafting some of the bigger guys in the peloton across that plateau).  Saw horses, cashmere goats, possibly a vulture, and our first real yaks of the trip.  Showers FREEZING, food EXCELLENT.  2-person ger (score).  Could have happily stayed another day. 

For Hamish, PUNCTURE.  Was bound to happen, tire had been a little soft in the morning (and for better or worse, he felt gooood.). After fighting to be head of the peloton through the torrential downpour over Paris Roubaix-grade stones (apparently this is how Mongolians “ improve” roads when they choose to do so – luckily big country/ small population so they haven’t gotten around to too many of these) – and really slick mud with bottomless puddles – Hamish made the key break only to have to stop and change his tire.  It was, suffice it to say, not as efficient as it could have been (mix of canister, pump, swearing, and gesticulation).  Net result, a 57K ITT to the finish, but only 7 mins lost on the front group (less than the time needed to change the tire).  Effort likely came back on stage 5…… 

Hamish: 4:57:59

Leah: 6:18:23

Fastest: 4:50:00

Slowest: 9:19:00

2 person private ger and a very cold shower (and we had frogs and birds visit us in the night)

 Leah - the bog monster!

Done for the day! 

Leah recovering! 

The ger village for the night

Stormy skies!

Leah took a small tumble into a puddle today, and had it cleaned by the nurse. 

Mongolia Bike Challenge 2017 - Stage 3

117km - 2110m climbing

Highlight stage of the trip, 57Ks through a national park.  Absolutely gorgeous riding, lots of wildlife, horsemen, even some (very surprised) French hikers.  Up a river valley, then across the river (on a bridge, the only one we would see) into a pump track type of trail.  Then around into another valley, big climb and descent, and our first and multiple rivers crossings of the trip.  And these were the real deal.  Leah fortunately had been adopted by a wonderful Spanish guy named Manuel, who was actually a pretty good rider, and also a very good human probe.  So she (to both of their delight) managed to ride most of these (even to some good natured heckling and videoing by a Basque group…no idea what they were saying, all sounded cheerful).  Hamish stuck with the front 4 over the first 3 climbs until the first KOM, and then was promptly dispatched.  From here on in, he rode tempo and enjoyed the scenery (until someone had the cheek to try to catch him.  At which point he took off again, only to get lost, like most of front 20.  By the way, Leah had had a nice chat with the aid station boys and KNEW that the trail went back over the bridge and out.   So had no misdirection, and no extra Ks.  While spending 5 minutes in the aid station to Hamish’s 2 minutes.  Hmmm.). Hamish however WAS pretty lucky, as he only went approximately 1K up the wrong trail, before deciding it didn’t feel right, and turning around.  Less fortunate on the day was the 3rd place rider on the GC, who did an extra 20 (!!) Ks before turning around (so yes, 40 in total) – still not sure what clued him in, as I can promise you Leah would have recognized this immediately.  Maybe that’s what you get for riding so fast you don’t recognize routes you have already seen.

Finished the night into a…let’s call it rustic…camp site.  Yes, in a tent.  Open, 8 man (if you were lucky.  If you were a single boy, more like 20 man, and as one of the guys said, likely to float up and away in the night…and thank goodness they didn’t serve beans at dinner although by this stage not sure that made a difference), plastic on the ground.  River for a shower.  Italians as roommates (it’s like little birds.  All night.)  Fortunately the food WAS very good (Rosewood – worth a check if you are in UB) – and it was a pretty friendly experience – especially the camp toilets.  Which were, no kidding, inside little 3x3 tents with a zip (zip down = occupied), honest to good white plastic thrones with a lid, seat, etc, over a hole in the ground.  But generally not toilet paper, because what would you do with that anyway?  From Hamish’s perspective, these were pretty plush long (short) drops. 

Hamish: 5:03:50

Leah: 7:23:00

Fastest: 4:44:02

Slowest: 9:12:00

8 person tent and river rinse or very cold shower

Leah finishing with her Spanish friend Maneu. 

The views were stunning all day today

The Russia vans that move our stuff each day

Stunning scenery from the day. 

Our tent village/camp for the night

Mongolia Bike Challenge 2017 - Stage 2

The queen stage - 120km and 2750m climbing

Hamish cannot remember a lot of the stage.  Leah can remember all of it because it was damn long with a ton of steep climbing (which to her surprise, on a mountain bike, apparently means “walking” – she was not alone in this) and she rode a dang lot of it by herself (REALLY need to work on those descending skills.  Somewhere in the Netherlands.). For Hamish, the 3 leaders got away on the first KOM climb, and then they were gone. His group started with 5 riders, then 3 in the small “chase” group and then stayed together until the last 2 climbs.

Hamish’s group took turns working, and waited on the hills for each other, and agreed that they would race from the last two climbs (yep it was really that kind of stage).  To put this in perspective, there were 3 aid stations.  By the 1st, 4 people had dropped out, there had been 2 (at least) significant crashes (although nothing serious e.g., broken), and the field was spread far and wide.  Fortunately the organizers kept a random element in the mix on a day that didn’t really need it – at the last aid station the cheerful gent said “ 2 more climbs”.  Unfortunately, there were 3 (!!) more climbs and the last one was an absolute grovel.  Loose gravel, steep as nuts.  It is lucky that Hamish was NOWHERE near Leah as she went up it, because the air was blue, and the bike was close to getting thrown over the edge. (This would have given Leah an excuse to buy the full suspension (to save her butt), the bike she thinks she wants!).

For Hamish, it was race on at this point and the truce for the last 60km was broken, on what his group thought was the 2nd to last climb, and the skinny Spaniard rode away, as he tried in vain to follow. No luck, and the gap increased again on the next climb, and the final climb, that Leah was swearing on. The only positive was Hamish managed to gap the third rider in his group, to come in 5th on the day.

It was nice to finish in the same camp for a second night, and VERY nice to recognize the last 5 Ks and know you were almost home on a day like that.

Hamish: 5:34:55

Leah: 5:14:00

Fastest: 5:19:10

Slowest: 10:40:00

Cold shower and 4 person cabin 

Our little 4 person cabin trying to dry cycling kit. 

Scenery from the day. 

Mongolia Bike Challenge 2017 - Stage 1

105km - 1930m climbing

Fast from the gun, fast climbs and fast across the flats. It was fast today, and I had a good day. Finding myself 5th wheel out of the start, down a rough dirt track, over a nasty gap, and we were away. I guess cyclocross has given me some useful skills.  Punched the first climb, and then there 8 of us. The break happened literally in the first 200m. From there it was race on. The first 2 guys disappeared on the next climb, and put 10 minutes in to us by the end of the day. The rest of us settled into a long day, working the flats, rolling the climbs hard but not too hard and making sure that the next group on the road did not catch us, or even see us in the distance.

Then it all came down to a sprint. There were 2 Spaniards in our group and they pulled the one-two on me on the last climb with 3km to go. Being one of the strongest in the group, I chased hard to bring him back, then the other Spaniard took me on the sprint into the twisting last corners. Leading into these corners, with 100m to go, the race was over, and I came in 4th.

4th overall, and I think I am 3rd in the GC, as I picked up a few bonus seconds by coming 3rd in the king of the mountain climb. (I put myself into the red for a few minutes, but saw an opportunity and thought the seconds could be helpful).

Leading the 40+ category by I think 12 minutes, so a good buffered on the first day.

Leah also had a good day, and enjoyed the climbs, and the flats, but got dropped on the descents. I guess by the end of the week, she will be a much better descender, and may even push for a podium spot one day, as she had the leading women in sight for ½ the race, and then lost her on the descents.

Now it is feet up, reading and quiet time. Cold shower done, lunch eaten, massage booked, passed bike off to the team if guys who maintain the bikes every day. Prizing giving and dinner to come, then rinse and repeat tomorrow.

Tomorrow – the QUEEN stage. 113km and 2700m climbing. A little too much climbing for my liking, but have a good buffer and will see how long I can hold the second group on the longer climbs.

Today: 104km. 4:00:39. 4th overall, 3rd on GC and 1st 40+

Leah: 5:14:00

Fastest time: 3:49:31

Slowest time: 7:36:50

Shower - cold and a 4 person cabin 

1st place in the 40+