Trio of the Himalayas

We have been home a couple of days now from what ended up being the most surreal and unexpected cycling trip. Even now I am still trying to soak up the experience, I don't want to forget any of it especially the sensation of feeling so alive. So much happened in what ended up being just over a week long trip. Now back home to normality. Sooooo many highs, a lot of laughter mixed in with extreme low points. Emotions were running wild but this made the riders bond, look out for one another, making the trip even more special.

14 British based riders flew to Pakistan to race in the three day stage race -"The Tour of the Himalayas'' held in the north of the country, organised by the Kaghan Memorial Trust in aid of the Kagham Memorial School. We made up two British teams plus there was Hannah and Lou in two of the Pakistan teams and myself and Mark joined the World United team. There were 11 teams in total and over 50 riders for what looked to be a very competitive race. 

Myself and Mark flew out on the 14th September a week before the race began to give us 5 days of riding at altitude before hand. This worked out brilliantly; and in hindsight it is a time we feel even luckier and appreciative to have had. We fitted in a fair amount of climbing from 1,400 to 3,300 meters and had a chance to pre-ride two of the stages. I was not too concerned to save my legs for the race, of course when the race came I would want to do well in the overall women, but I was more interested in riding as much as possible in the stunning surroundings. What an amazing opportunity!

Sunday 16th, Midday at Lake Saif-ul-Muluk, pre riding the final stage of the race.

 

Sunday,16th, Start of the Descent down to Naran (2,500 meters) from the Lake Saif-ul-Muluk at 3,300 meters

My 29er felt brilliant on the long climbs especially the looser sections and the rock garden around the lake which it just seemed to skim over, I was getting excited.

 

'Arcadian' in an amazing location- Our Hotel for the first three nights.

Tuesday 18th, we rode down the valley from the Arcadian hotel to Shogran where we were to meet up with the rest of the riders who had just flown in. View in to the gorge running along side the road. 

 

Wednesday 19th, Pre -breakfast ride with Hannah and Mark. From Shogram at 2,400 meters to Pai at 3,300. 

Stunning and the best way to start a day. 

View half way up the climb looking down at the hotel.

Wednesday afternoon, we all visited Kaghan Memorial School for the children's sport day. Great to see all the good work by the Kaghan Memorial Trust. Their main purpose is to raise money for the school which was built and is still expanding after an earthquake in 2005 devastated the area. Many of the children who attend the school are orphans due to the earthquake. The school aims to give equal education to disadvantaged children from an underdeveloped region of Pakistan. The female Pakistani teachers are all paid a fair wage and the members driving the trust are all volunteers.

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Then a gentle spin back up to Shogram. You can see the road zigzagging up the mountain from the school

 

Thursday 20th, the day before the race we opted for a gentle spin along an undulating jeep track, we decided to head back after 40 mins with the intention to go further along the track after the race. It was a stunning ride.

 

 

Thursday evening, after another amazing meal under a star lit sky, we all huddled in to the hotel for what we expected to be the opening of the race. Khurram gave a brief intro before forwarding on to the Minister of Sport. Their tone seemed low and it did not take long for us to pick up on the vibe. The race had to be cancelled out of respect and not enough security as a national strike was to be held the following day to enable people to protest peacefully. With limited internet access we had not been aware how the reaction to the video disrespecting the prophet Mohammed was developing, how clashes had occurred in parts of the country and that the US embassy had been under attack.

Disappointed is an understatement but we did respect the strike and started thinking of how else we could fill our time. Nothing prepared us for what was to come next. At 1am Khurram gathered us all together again. He explained that they had been trying to find the best solution but that they had little choice. Our safety was now their main priority. We had an hour to get packed and then we were being taken to a secure compound in Islamabad, from where they would fly us home as soon as possible. Silence, stunned, heart pounding - what is going on?  So out of control we did as we were asked, in a hurry we packed our bikes back into their bike bags (try taking the disc off your wheels with shaky hands). Clothes back in to bags and in a huge convoy of mini buses and under police escort we descended the mountain, leaving the Kaghan Valley and onto Islamabad in just under 5 hours, amazing. It had taken some of the riders over double that time from Islamabad to Shogran only 3 days previously. I unbelievably managed to sleep through most of the journey and at day break we found ourselves at the Marriott with far too many options of what to eat for breakfast. 

After a brief sleep we woke up at midday and went to the pool where we could hear gunshots which we could only hope were being fired into the air by the police to control the protest less than a mile away. Very surreal, we were safe in our environment with the protest going on just over the wall. Then it all seemed to die down, the next day we were back at the pool playing more games and in the evening went out to a fantastic Indian restaurant in Islamabad. Even with the stressful circumstances Khurram and his team continued to go out of their way to look after us far and beyond. 

It was a sad goodbye. Yes it was sad for us that the race had to be cancelled, but this was nothing in comparison to the disappointment I felt for Khurram and the Kagham Memorial Trust team.  They have worked so hard pulling this race together - logistically it is a huge task. And the impact of the race not going ahead leaves them at a huge financial and publicity loss. This trip has shown even more the hurdles Khurram is trying to over come. The people of Pakistan are extremely friendly and it is a shame that one inconsiderate person can make such a huge impact. I really hope the race will go ahead again in the future and I will definitely be jumping at the opportunity to return. 

4 days back home and I still find my self smiling at snippets of the holiday, comments that people made causing you to laugh hysterically as you tried to best deal with the situation and being so out of control. Thanks to the other riders for making it such a great holiday. 

Hannah, Mark, Liza, Rob, Euan, Rachel and Rab have all written fantastic blogs on their own experiences of the trip and they are all well worth a read. 

Thanks again to my sponsors

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