masterlyinactivity.com links

Cycle touring links

index  |   general | central america | peru | southern cone | indian himalayas | eastern himalayas | kkh | pamirs

Collections of links:

New links:
New Pamirs section.
16 Sept ’08

Karl Brodowsky’s arranged by continent.
South America arranged by country, plus larger tours.
Iceland Complete links by Michiel Erens.
crazyguyonabike Worldwide links.
Travel to the horizon Worldwide links by Raph de Rooij (home).

Biking around Europe Miscellaneous info on cycling in Europe.

Pamirs Full links by Robert Middleton.

General:
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Ivan Viehoff 1999   Cycle equipment for expedition touring.
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Sentient Entity 2005 Wheels for cycle tourists, by Steve Pells.
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Tim Barnes 2007 Advice on most aspects of touring.
masterlyinactivity nd who have an unhealthy obsession with swimming pools and fine dining.

FCO travel advice, Nathnac travel advice, US travel advice, CDC health advice.

Mexico: web search | top
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Alan Bloom 2006 Oaxaca notes and photos.

Pathebikeguy 2005 Oaxaca itinerary and photos.

Anna Wexler 2004/5   Yucatan and Chiapas: travelogue and photos.

R & J Guldenbrein 2003 An unsupported group tour in Yucatan.

Byercycles 2002 A CTC group tour in the centre.
D. & J. Wooldridge 2000/1 Some info and some travelogue; part of a larger tour.
Charles Hansen 1999 Yucatan: informative.
Alan Roy 1998 Mostly anecdotal.
Kevin Rodger 1998 Cancun–Chetumal.

Guatemala: web search | top

Kurt & Darina 2007 Trip through Central America.

S. and A. Gregson 2003 Guatemala to Belize.
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masterlyinactivity 2001 Full notes, photos and an illustrated map.
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Ivan Viehoff 2000 Full notes.
L. Leroy & A. Meyer   1997 Notes and photos.

Also see notes by Dave and Joan Wooldridge (2001).

Costa Rica: web search | top

Norman D. Ford 1997 Full notes.
Eric and Joan 1997 Full notes with photos.
Steve Cisler 1993 Full notes.
singletracks Useful description of a 45km mountain bike ride.

Peru: Route notes: web search | top
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masterlyinactivity 2006 Cycling in the Cordillera Blanca.

downtheroad 2003   Ecuador–Cord. Blanca and Cusco–Puno.

Iris and Tore 2003 Cusco–Puerto Maldonado.
Micha Merz 2002 Photos of a route across Peru with some (German) text.
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masterlyinactivity 2002 Cycling in the Cusco region.
D. & J. Wooldridge   2001 Down the coast to Arequipa, then across the mountains to Juliaca.
Bob Lutsky 2001 An electronic book; see chaps 19 and 20 for Puno–Cusco.
groundeffect 2000 Cordillera Blanca and Bolivia.
Mark Malagodi 1997 La Paz–Lima, with photos.
Frédéric Ferchaux   1990 Inevitably FF has been there too.
James Wilson nd Mountain biking in the Cordillera Blanca.

Other sources:

ribbon of road 2006 Blog with wonderful photos (a journey through the Americas).
Betzgi’s pass list Passes cycled by Beat Heim, including many in Peru.
Cord. Blanca maps An old version of Felipe Diaz’s map of the Cordillera Blanca.
El Niño forecast By the (US) Climate Prediction Center.
Senamhi Peruvian met. office.
Ecomontana Cusco mountain biking agency.
Peru Discovery Another mountain bike agency which formerly offered a circuit of Ausangate (archived prospectus).
Mountain Bike Adventures   Huaraz mountain bike agency.
Nuestra Montaña   Another Huaraz mountain bike agency.
Pony’s Expeditions   Caraz tour operator with some mountain bike trips.
Omar Zarzar’s book Some info, but no online purchasing.
Casa de Ciclistas Invaluable help for cyclists available from Lucho at Trujillo.
Omnimap List of Peruvian maps.

Chile & Argentina: Abra del Acay web search | top

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masterlyinactivity 2007 notes etc.
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Stefan Roman 2003 and Paso Sico, in English.
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Ulises Luna 2002 Diario de viaje.

Mariano Loréfice 2000 Pedaleando por las nubes.

Matías Obregón 2000 Brief account in Spanish.

Organised traverse nd described in Spanish.

Other destinations:
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P. Pircas Negras 2010 factual notes by Fiona Grant.

Paso de Jama 2005 Blog by patagonia2peru.
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Piuquenes pass 2005 masterlyinactivity notes on a remote crossing (with links).

Paso Vergara 2004 by Stefan Roman (in Rumanian).

P. del Agua Negra 1999 Relato por Carlos Ducler.
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Argentina 1997/8 Touring notes by Ivan Viehoff.
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Chile 1997/8 Touring notes by Ivan Viehoff.

Sico + Agua Negra 1992/5 German accounts by Sahara Mike.

Infobiker 2001- Questions & answers to Andrés Ruggeri.

Spiti: web search | top

bikefax 2006 Lahaul and Spiti: report of a trip with Out there biking (photos).
Sach Pass 2005 Dramatic photos of a new road (not strictly in Spiti), by Cass Gilbert.

cycloid 2004 Leh–Lahaul–Spiti–Kinnaur: brief notes.
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masterlyinactivity 2003   Lahaul, Spiti, Kinnaur: full notes with photos and a map.
Pocket Sprocket 2003 General info on a large tour of the Indian himalaya.
Bill Weir 2002 Ladakh, Zanskar and Himachal Pradesh.
Bill Holter 1999 Spiti, Kinnaur, Gangotri: notes and photos.
Out there biking Supported tours run by Cass Gilbert (also Leh-Manali).
Current HP news.

Leh–Manali: web search | top
Igor Kovse 2006 Delhi–Manali–Leh–Srinagar.
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Erik Nomden 2005 Shimla–Manali–Leh with side trips.
Pocket Sprocket 2003 General info on a large tour of the Indian himalaya.
Ambrogio D’Adda 2003 Avventure sulla strada Manali–Leh.
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Sentient Entity 2001 Information, photographs and links by Steve Pells.

Per Lowdin 1999 Photos of Manali–Kaza–Leh.

Garhwal: web search | top
Bill Weir 2005 We met Bill out there.
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masterlyinactivity 2005 Notes, map, etc.

Bhutan: web search | top
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Paul van Roekel   2006 Account written with Anja de Graaf.
Jachung Travel 2003 Travelogue.
Charles River Whs   2000 Account of a commercial tour by Renée Le Verrier and Andy Meyer.
Bhutan Mtb club nd Describes a few short routes which are hard to trace on a map.

Most cyclists do the west-east traverse, which the Bhutan mtb club don’t seem to recommend. It doesn’t get close to the big mountains, and any visit to Bhutan is ridiculously expensive.

Darjeeling & Sikkim: web search | top
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Paul van Roekel   2006 Account written with Anja de Graaf.

Abhinav (?) 2005 Jeep trip to Gurudongmar in March. Excellent photos.
Everest Bike Rally A commercial ride along the southern Singalila ridge.
Yak & Yeti Travels Sikkim tour firm who have ridden to Gurudongmar Lake.
Marcopolo Travels Sikkim tour firm who have a ride to Yumthang (and a sketch map).
Siniolchu Tours Sikkim tour firm providing some info on northern destinations.
Sikkim home dept. Info on inner line permits.

The Singalila ridge looks worth doing, but is only a few days’ riding. It would be a good way to warm up for Sikkim, most of which is closed to westerners, at least for independent travel. Most trips go to the Kangchenjunga roadhead and then turn back, which sounds a little frustrating. Yak & Yeti travels have been to Gurudongmar Lake which looks exciting on the map but is closed to foreign tourists. It is said to be about 5200m. The verges are said to be mined (as in landmined, not goldmined). This looks to be an irresistable destination.
In 2005 things started to look up: a news report in Jan quoted RB Subba, the Sikkimese tourist minister, as saying that permits would be issued “to domestic tourists going beyond Singhik in the north” and that “the [state] government will appeal to the Centre to allow foreigners up to the Gurudongmar lake near the China border”.
Subsequently (Mar. 23) the national tourism minister R. Chowdhury “announced that a cumbersome permit regime for foriegn tourists visiting the country’s exotic northeast would be done away with shortly. ‘I have written to the home ministry asking them to remove the [Restricted Area Permit] Act,’ Chowdhury told a national conference on tourism...‘There has been a positive response [from the home ministry]. We will be able to knock it [permits] off soon,’ Chowdhury said.”
Then everything went quiet. A news article on 21 Jan 2008 (‘Permits an obstacle to adventure tourism’) vaguely remarked, quoting a ‘senior home ministry official’, that ‘tourists may soon get the nod to visit locations in the north-east...’, soon being a term needing to be interpreted in the light of Indian ministerial processes.
A gnomic press release on 13 Mar said that ‘a review ... had been undertaken... proposals received ... and an appropriate decision expedited’; and the Statesman on May 14 announced ‘The Centre has agreed to relax the protected area permits for foreign tourists and has created four new tourist circuits which will allow foreigners to visit Arunachal Pradesh and go up to Tuting close to China border. The Union home ministry has delegated power to the Arunachal Pradesh government to issue such permits to foreign tourists in a group of only two or more for up to 30 days, an official release said here. Earlier foreign tourists were allowed to visit certain areas in the state in a group of no less than four for only 10 days’. However there is no suggestion that independent travel is now permitted.

Nepal: web search | top
projection3 2003 Beautiful cycling photos by Paul Jeurissen and Grace Johnson.
Odisea... 2001 ... del Himalaya: ascent of the Friendship Highway by Mariano Loréfice (part 2).
Inorbitt guide – Some general info and a couple of routes.

Many people have cycled from Lhasa to Kathmandu or from Kathmandu to Pokhara, and there are several mountain biking routes in the Kathmandu valley, but none of this really gets into the mountains, though the Lhasa route is very high. KE have a singletrack route from Pokhara to Gorkha, which can’t be many days long and still can’t get all that high. On the other hand people have taken bikes on the main trekking routes, dramatically illustrating the notion of a good walk spoilt (bikes are now banned from the national parks). I can’t help feeling that there must be something in between.

KKH: web search | top
Peter Gostelow 2007 Travelogue.
unk 2004 notes by an unnamed German couple.
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David Leatham 2000 Electronic book.

Tim Barnes 1999 Brief account.

Steve Palmier 1995 Photos.

Tajikistan: web search | top
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Bill Weir 2008 Extended visit with photos and route details.
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masterlyinactivity 2008 Notes, photos etc.

Igor Kovse 2008 Ultralight and ultrafast ride along the Pamir Highway: excellent photos.

Peter Gostelow 2007 Travelogue with beautiful pictures of barren scenery.

H. Veldhuizen 2007 Sketchy notes on an enterprising journey.
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Tim Barnes 2006 Informative notes.

bikesabroad 2006 Blog.

A. Naumov 2005 Cycling photos of the Bartang valley.

E. Rodrigo 2005 Notes by Enric Rodrigo and Xavi Tarafa.

crazyguyonabike var List of articles.
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pamirs.org nd Extensive information, maps and photos.

Kyrgyzstan: web search | top
R&M Taylor 2004 Silk road, chiefly Kyrgyzstan and Yunnan, by Raymond and Muriel Taylor.
Igor Kovse 2004 53 reasons not to go there.

The green stars indicate informativeness rather than merit. I am grateful to be told of other useful links (mail me as webmaster).

Web search for Honduras and Nicaragua.
Last updated: 21.10.07


	Mexico:	web search \| top
*	Alan Bloom	2006	Oaxaca notes and photos.
	Pathebikeguy	2005	Oaxaca itinerary and photos.
	Anna Wexler	2004/5	Yucatan and Chiapas: travelogue and photos.
	R & J Guldenbrein	2003	An unsupported group tour in Yucatan.
	Byercycles	2002	A CTC group tour in the centre.
	D. & J. Wooldridge	2000/1	Some info and some travelogue; part of a larger tour.
	Charles Hansen	1999	Yucatan: informative.
	Alan Roy	1998	Mostly anecdotal.
	Kevin Rodger	1998	Cancun–Chetumal.

	Guatemala:	web search \| top
	Kurt & Darina	2007	Trip through Central America.
	S. and A. Gregson	2003	Guatemala to Belize.
*	masterlyinactivity	2001	Full notes, photos and an illustrated map.
*	Ivan Viehoff	2000	Full notes.
	L. Leroy & A. Meyer	1997	Notes and photos.
	Also see notes by Dave and Joan Wooldridge (2001).

	Costa Rica:	web search \| top
	Norman D. Ford	1997	Full notes.
	Eric and Joan	1997	Full notes with photos.
	Steve Cisler	1993	Full notes.
	singletracks		Useful description of a 45km mountain bike ride.