The psychological boost of only having 100km to cover today was great – by the time we were over the bridge just out from camp and up to the town gate we were down to double figures to go!
Stage 22 rider notes
For the first 38km the road was also in generally good condition so we were flying but then we hit what turned out to be the first of several really sandy patches.
Officially for EFI (Every F’ing Inch) status on a TDA event you have to cover every km of the route under your own power, so this can include walking, crawling etc. Personally I’d been wanting to actually ride EFI, but unfortunately that went out the window with the sand being so deep and so soft that it was simply impossible to ride through!
It turned out that other riders were amazed that I’d got this far before having to resort to walking but none-the-less I was disappointed not to have made it through. In the end this was only the beginning of the un-rideable sand – there was more, and worse, to come.
The town of Züngovi was something like a mirage – it was there in the distance but we just couldn’t reach it! The track was in such poor condition, and the sand so soft, that it seemed the closer one got, the longer it was going to take to get there! In the end I made it through the town, but then began climbing toward lunch and the town gate and ran back into deep soft sand so was forced to walk several more times.
Lunch was beside a lake, which sounds idyllic, however the density of flying creatures rather detracted from the experience – the only positive was that they didn’t bite! I’d not taken any painkillers before setting off this morning as I wasn’t feeling too sore, and thought with only 100km I’d be ok – boy was I wrong, so was very pleased to see Luke (our medic) at lunch so that I could get some more Advil for the afternoon section.
As I was coming down the hill from the town gate I noticed Bernice’s bike parked at the side of the road so checked to make sure she was ok and discovered her watching the local shearer in action
Shearing time – by hand, with a large pair of scissors!
The plan to make today rideable for all was somewhat foiled by the condition of the roads – the afternoon ride included several sections of deep, un-rideable sand and long stretches of corrugations which slow progress and make the riding really uncomfortable. It also got hot this afternoon – probably the hottest day we’ve had so far so one blessing was a river crossing which allowed for clothing to be rinsed and cooled before continuing on.
As the afternoon progressed I found I was finding any opportunity to stop to take a break from the juddering ride, but eventually made it into camp – I’d first been able to pick out the camp at 94.5km, that’s how far one can see, and how totally featureless the landscape is, that at over 5km a truck, two vans, and an army tent make such a difference that they are discernible!
Tonight’s dinner was vegetarian for all, it’s been so long since we’ve been near a supplier able to provide meat which will last in the heat for 34 people – a very good lentil stew with barley and rasin risotto (I can hear Adam groaning at that thought from here ;-)). The bonus was that with a little honey added the risotto made an excellent dessert…!
It also sounds like I’m going to have to wait a bit longer to get to ride across a border. It turns out there’s a 30km no-mans-land between leaving Mongolia and arriving in Russia and one isn’t permitted to ride across there – apparently people do, but usually by doing so early in the morning, so it sounds like we’re going to be bussed/trucked at least for that section of the day.
This probably also means being bussed from camp, so that everyone arrives at the same time, and depending on how long it takes to get across (when Andreas was scouting the route it took four hours and it was only him – not 34 people and a mountain of baggage, bikes and equipment) may even mean being bussed to our first camp in Russia.
It’s super hot so getting to sleep tonight could be something of a challenge, but I’m off to try!
Riding data
Sooo much complaining – the elevation is showing that it was downhill nearly all the way!
Don’t imagine that helps much in the sand though
Nice to see more pics with you in too – one or two are going on the TV rotation
Hey – you wanna try…?? and no, the sand definitely doesn’t help…! I’m trying to get in more pictures, but as I often cycle on my own it’s a little hard to manage!