SARY-MOGOL : alone by mountain bike in the Kyrgyzstan mountains

The geopolitical linchpin of Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan is one of the world’s few remaining countries where it is still possible to adventure into the unknown, well off the beaten tracks of mass tourism. The mountainous profile and a lack of tourist itineraries should enable the country to retain its “undiscovered” image for some time to come, offering the intrepid traveler a unique human, physical and geographical experience.

I have on my smartphone’s memory amassed a heap of notes on many different countries, including several Central Asian countries, but absolutely nothing on Kyrgyzstan. Once I’d checked that the country’s COVID restrictions would not prevent me from traveling there, I booked my plane tickets in a massive rush of blood to the head. I fly in less than three weeks. I soon get the impression that I have been a little hasty as I know zilch about the country, and I even have no idea which areas of the country are suitable to ride. I got in touch with a guy, Fred Horny, he knows the area well, and with his legendary enthusiasm, he gave me the name of a French guy called Stéphane, who runs a local tourist agency www.kirghizie.fr. I contacted him immediately; this guy is passionate about the country and knows it like the back of his hand, and he opened his Kyrgyz address book for me! What a stroke of luck. As my time is limited, I cannot afford to waste precious time traveling between areas to ride. There’s absolutely no information on MTB cycling, so taking a stab, I decided to start my ride from a valley that stands out from the vibrant red aerial photos.

Three flights into my journey, I arrive in Osh. My driver, Abdoukadyr, is waiting for me, and we seem to hit it off immediately. He whisks me off to a small eatery where we have a bite. His suggestion that we pick up a spare wheel for the car before heading off gives me insight into the state of the roads to come. We drive for 4 hours into the vast Alay Mountain range, where many mountains top out at over 16,400 feet. This is where my ride begins, to the north of the Alay mountains. My objective is to ride south across the whole range and finish in the Pamir.