Tour of the Himalayas 2012

Share on Facebook  Share on Twitter

BY: Mark Spratt

Published: 25th September, 2012

In 2011 Mel and I took part in the 3^rd running of the "Tour of the Himalayas" mountain bike race in the Pakistan Himalayas. http://www.xcracer.com/VFTP-TOH-2011.html Along with Matt Page, Rickie Cotter and Rob Friel we won both the Women's Yellow Jersey and overall team event. It was an amazing experience and one we all said we'd like to repeat, but with so many other demands on our time when the opportunity arose again this year we were at first reserved about returning. First to commit though was Rob who put together a strong Scottish team. Euan Adams followed suit to provide a competing England team and Mel and I filled out "World United" alongside a Pakistani, Brazilian and Dane.

As the race approached we made the decision to head out earlier than last year to give ourselves a chance to acclimatise to the altitude and fit in some more riding. I had struggled in 2011 and hoped these extra days would benefit me. As it turned out they would do so in a very different way!

 

We flew with Air Blue from Manchester on Friday night, along with a mixture of Brits, Slovaks, a German and a Dane. The mix of nationalities is part of what makes this race appealing and it was good to catch up with some of the International cyclists we had met the previous year. The flight itself passed without incident, though only 7 of the 9 bikes checked in made the flight. Happily Mel's and mine were among them! Once in Islamabad we were first transported to Khurram's house. Khurram is the organiser of the event and a tireless driver for the Kaghan Memorial Trust (KMT) which is rebuilding the lives of people in the Kaghan Valley, devastated by an Earthquake in 2005. Once we'd drunk some tea and eaten we were on the road once again to the Himalayas. Having already experienced the journey in 2011 there were few surprises and around midnight we arrived at our hotel, only to be met with a full 3 course meal.

 

 

A Slovak in a jeep 

 

The following morning we loaded our bikes onto jeeps and drove an hour north to the village of Naran, from where we rode up to Lake Saiful Muluk, the scene of day 2 in 2011 and the stage where team United Kingdom secured their victory. For Mel and I this was our favourite stage and it was good to ride the course once more, especially as a minor change had added some more twisty singletrack. For 2012 this was to be the final stage and the "showpiece" event for the Press and Ministers. Good news for the Brits then, who had shown in 2011 that they excelled on the more technical terrain. Following a packed lunch we then hooned back down the mountain, dropping 800m on a rough jeep track in a matter of minutes. A quick regroup and then a further hour down the road by bike back to the hotel, this time with repeated chasing down of "attacks" off the front by some of the strong Pakistani riders. Back at the hotel we relaxed, then took part in an hour's core exercise session run by team Slovakia, then dinner and bed.

 

Above Lake Saiful Muluk 

 

That night a storm raged outside. We could hear the rain, the swollen river and some thunder, but slept so well that we missed its full extent. The next morning however it was still raining and enthusiasm amongst some for riding was a little low. Being British though of course we were going to ride and Lone from Denmark and Monika from Germany were keen to join us. Hannah and Louise, whose bikes had not yet arrived, selected 2 of the Schwinn Moabs owned by the KMT and we all headed out straight up the side of the valley. As is always the case, once on the bike rain ceases to be a problem and we all had huge grins on our faces as we rode up the rocky jeep track. At a couple of points I left the main track to explore some of the amazing singletrack jutting off everywhere. I was later advised not to do this as the tracks often lead to residences and a sudden intrusion might lead to a hostile reaction, though everyone we met on the main track was incredibly friendly, despite what must have been the unusual sight of 5 women and myself riding mountain bikes and clad in lycra. Back at the Hotel that night we celebrated the birthday of Lucas, one of the Slovakian riders, with a huge birthday cake made especially for the occasion, making up just one of many heart-warming moments of our time in Pakistan.

 

Girls getting wet 

 

On Tuesday we transferred along the Valley and up to Shogran, our base for much of the race and the scene of the first day's racing. Jeeps were loaded with our bags and we then rode en masse to our hotels, where on arrival we met the remaining competitors from England, Scotland, Holland, Czech Republic, Hungary and Denmark. Dinner that night was a lively affair as the British riders told their story of their journey up from Islamabad. Apparently the storm of Sunday night had wreaked havoc further South, causing floods and creating difficult driving conditions. There's nothing like adversity to drive a group of people together though and they all seemed in great spirits.

 

Mel and Hannah on top 

 

On Wednesday all of the competitors attended the School Sport's Day, one of the highlights of last year. Since this would be a day with little riding Mel, Hannah and I decided to ascend the mountain before breakfast, so set off at 7am shortly after sunrise. The climb was about 6km in length and rises about 1000m on a rough jeep track. In places it's only just rideable but the time at altitude already seemed to be paying off as I felt comfortable the whole way up. At the top we were met by incredible views of snow covered mountains in conditions much clearer than we'd experienced the previous year. I'm a big fan of pre-breakfast mountain bike rides, they're good for the soul and my soul at this point was feeling pretty ecstatic. Back down and straight into the queue for breakfast, a quick shower and down the hill we rode for the Sport's Day. As last year this was an emotional experience. The School provides a Western level of education for both girls and boys - the children all speak good English and are incredibly active. One of Khurram's goals for the children is to give them opportunities in sport where they can benefit from the Himalayan altitude. The eagerness with which some of them ran alongside us as we rode back up the hill later that day suggests he has a few candidates. For my own part, in the tug of war team Ibex failed to win a single contest but 20 minutes into the 1 hour climb back to Shogran I looked down and noticed I was in the big ring on what last year had been a granny ring climb. I left it there and felt strong all the way to the top - feeling good! That night we were given a booklet containing each team's Palmares. There was some strong competition, with National Champions from mountain bike, cyclocross and road, plus World Cup competitors and multiple Iron Man racers. My money was on a battle between the Scots and the Czechs for first with England, Slovakia and Holland in the running for third, but with many of the Pakistani riders showing great improvements under the tutelage of Slovakians Martin and Zuzana they would also be in contention. Our team, World United, was still slightly unknown as we awaited the arrival of our Brazilian and Danish team mates.

 

School Sport's Day 

 

Thursday was a free day and most spent it riding. The recently arrived Brits headed up the mountain for their first ride whilst Mel, Louise, Hannah, Lone, Rachel, Ant and I headed off with the newly arrived Fernanda from Brazil for a contouring trail around the mountain. Unfortunately after less than 1km Fernanda's wheel slipped out on some mud and an awkward fall left her with a dislocated elbow. She showed an amazing resilience to the pain but it meant she had to turn back and would mean more pressure for Mel during the race. The rest of us continued, taking in some amazing views and vowing to return after the race and ride further along this trail. That night we assembled for an incredible dinner under the stars before heading inside for what we believed would be a rider briefing and introduction of the teams to both Ministers and Press ahead of the first stage of the race the following morning. However, that wasn't to be the case.

 

Dreamy views 

 

With all of the competitors sat around Khurram introduced the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Tourism. We had met him the previous year and he had been full of support for the event, so this seemed entirely normal. However, as he spoke we realised something was amiss, particularly when his talk turned to the recent troubles caused by the video blaspheming the Prophet Mohammed. There had been violent clashes during the day and attempts made to occupy the US embassy. In reaction, the Government of Pakistan had declared a strike for the following day (which in any event was a holiday) to allow for peaceful protest. This would mean that the security forces could not guarantee our safety and as we later learnt, specific threats against us from the closest city left the organisers with no choice but to cancel the race and move us to a secure location. So it was that at 1am, when we thought we would be sleeping in advance of the first big stage, we were heading back to our rooms to pack bags and bikes as quickly as possible before leaving for Islamabad. Now, generally, time in Pakistan is a very fluid thing. Very little happens when scheduled and until you get used to it and go with it this can be very frustrating, but in this instance as soon as our bags were packed they and us were loaded into minibuses and set off straight down the mountain. Our convoy was about 20 vehicles strong, made up of minibuses, 4X4s and armed forces. We stopped only once for fuel and comfort break and at this point the Police closed the whole road, barricading our vehicles.We made the journey to Islamabad in about half the time it had taken to travel in the opposite direction. Arriving in Islamabad I was slightly concerned as we were entering the Blue zone, home to the very Embassies that had been attacked, but security had clearly been increased judging by the number of security forces already on the ground. "Secure  location" had to me suggested a nondescript grey building with few comforts, so I was rather surprised when we pulled up outside the Marriott, Pakistan's finest Hotel. Entry to the hotel was via a series of barriers and metal detector, increasing our confidence in the security measures being taken by Khurram and his team. Once inside we sat down to a delicious breakfast and were then allocated rooms allowing us to get some sleep.

 

Given all that was going on, leaving the Hotel was clearly not an option, so many of us headed to the outdoors pool to relax. Whilst we chilled out and entertained ourselves we had the strange experience of hearing gunfire less than a mile away as the Police fought back protestors. From their upstairs rooms other competitors were unable to hear the gunfire but could see smoke rising from the conflict zone and helicopters circling, juxtaposed against us playing in the pool. We were all certainly affected by the experience, no matter how surreal it was starting to feel. After about an hour the sound of the protest died away as suddenly as it had begun and we were all left hoping things might return to normality for the people of Pakistan.

 

The following day was spent similarly and in the evening we were taken out of the Hotel to a nearby Indian restaurant for a wonderful meal. This was a sign that the situation was calming down and we were once again treated by everyone we met with great warmth and friendliness. Each competitor was presented with a team cycling shirt and back at the hotel we changed into them for a group photo, thinking about what could have been. We had all come to race and were disappointed not to be doing so, Khurram had assembled the most competitive group of teams yet, but the experience we had shared had created many new friendships and strengthened existing ones. Every one of us realised that we had gained from the experience more than we had lost and that the KMT was the big loser in all of this. It takes Khurram and his team about a year to organise each race and at great expense. The race is not run to make a profit but to promote the area and build a Pakistan for the future. Without a race in 2012 the KMT has not only lost money but has been unable to complete its promotion of the region. Strangely, however, despite there being no race and being subject what to most might seem like a hellish situation, I would return in an instant. The people of Pakistan are as friendly as any I've met, the views are to die for, the Pakistani riders incredibly passionate about cycling and the riding is sublime. This has been one of my greatest experiences yet and I only hope the race can go ahead in the future.

 

http://www.kmt.org.pk/

 

A great description of their experiences together with great video and photo records are captured by Euan and Rab in their respective reports.

 

http://euanadams.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/tour-of-himalayas-end.html

 

http://singletrackworld.com/2012/09/rabs-world-kmt-tour-of-the-himalayas/