Mountain Biking Expedition: Annapurna Circuit

In September 2016, a three-member mountain biking team from Team Obhijatree set a 17 days expedition to ride on top of Thorong La – one of the highest mountain pass in the world at 5416 meters. It is the highest point of Annapurna circuit - one of the most fascinating & challenging trekking zone surrounding the 10th highest mountain of the world - Annapurna in Nepal. The purpose of the expedition was to set highest altitude mountain biking mission from Bangladesh & to raise Ten Thousand packs of Noodles for Orphans as an outcome.

Here I am trying to put my experiences I had throughout the journey!

It is wild just from the beginning!

Biking towards Thorong La is much more challenging than we have imagined. The terrain is so difficult with some very steep gorges & steep climbs. The ride starts with the heavenly view of Manaslu – the eighth highest mountain peak of the world. And the journey is just at the foot-steps of all giant snow clad Himalayan peaks like Annapurna, Dhaulagiri, Gangapurna, Chulu and many others! Every inch of the ride was entailed with jaw dropping beauty, fear of falling down & diversity of nature.

Diversity in landscape!

Thorong La is just beside the Tibetan plateau & long forbidden Mustang region. Even the most exotic traveler gets fascinated to experience the diversity of the nature in this region. The Desert Mountains starting from Pisang to Lower Mustang is like being on planet Mars. But the lower part near Besishahar is quite warm with many waterfalls! Even the people & ethnicity staying at the lower & upper section of the route are different.

Mountain is a true test of human spirit!

Great things are done when men & mountain meet! In mountain you have the true test of your spirit at every sense! At one point of our ride, we couldn’t reach our destination by day light & we were in land slide zone under zero temperature at night. Due to a very long day battling with the mountains, my energy was all sapped. The camp we were heading towards is called Thorong Phedi which gets closed as sun sets off. So my other fellow team members were in desperate attempt to reach the camp (Otherwise we had to freeze & die outside the camp)! So they had to leave me & proceed to keep the camp open. Remembering my baby daughter, I pushed myself to the utmost limit & reached the camp 40 minutes after them – that could be my last night on the earth!

Big realisation of the trip!

As a team, all of us were quite trained & physically toned. However, the more we spent our time in the mountains, we realized not our muscle power – the thing that matters to be alive in the mountains are  our basic health – like respiratory system, digestive power and of course mental strength!

Proper gear is a must for such expeditions!

Things can drastically change in the mountain within a short notice. A warm sunny weather can change into a snowy bleak noon anytime. Hence, proper safety gear & protective clothing is a must.

Acclimatisation is the key!

Progress slow or Die! Each of the villagers we met on the route told us one thing in common ‘Slowly Slowly’. The ride starts at quite at low altitude at Besishahar at 816 meters but went up as high as 5416 meters where oxygen level is less that 10%. Without proper acclimatisation, going up that high can be a killer by Acute Mountain Sickness (which takes quite a few trekkers life each year) Hence, as precaution -don’t forget to buy Diamox from Kathmandu. Can also try Garlic soup &Sebuckthorn Juice [this juice is only available over very high altitude.

You are independent to hit this trail!

If you have permit for this trek, which is very easy to obtain, you don’t actually need a guide or porter to finish this trail. However, guide/ local friend can boost your confidence a lot in this vast plateau. There are lots of villagers home & tree Houses on the route till Manang(3500 meters) - so at night we didn’t have to battle for food & shelter much! Nonetheless, being independent has its own danger too! – For any accident or injury – you have to rely on yourselves only to come out of this zone.e over very high altitude.

Climate change is real!

We have experienced the true impact of global warming in the high altitude areas. The time we went there was supposed to be totally snow clad three years back even. Now snow fall is getting reduced drastically each year! We see the sad fact of global

Adventure for a cause is worth it!

The mission of this adventure was to raise ten thousand noodles pack for children.  At one point as we touched 5000 meters, every step mattered. We were well over our physical limit. The amount of oxygen in that thin air was not enough to fill our lungs. At that moment I hear my team mates murmuring the cause we are fighting for & marched up to Thorong La with indomitable spirit. I experienced a truly glorious human endeavor for something great that day!

In the mountains

we are all human! We met many foreign trekkers & expedition team on the route. We had to rely on each other in that remote mountain terrain. A doctor from Israel checked all the fellow trekkers’ health as we crossed 4000 meters & many had the symptom of mountain sickness. Mountain made us one human family despite our nationality, difference & outlook.

It was a majestic experience!

Last but not the least… it is not for amateur or weak heart cyclists. Cycling here is no joke. Even the locals get fascinated to see occasional daredevil cyclists here. Must carry a spare chain & better go with the lightest bike if possible. The pride is worth it!! World’s best mountain bikers come here to ride to participate in a high altitude mountain biking event called – The Yak Attack!