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Notes: All averages include rest days. All altitudes and ascents are in metres. Average altitude: this is the average altitude of sleeping. Maximum altitude: this is the maximum altitude of cycling. Ascents, distances: walking is included as roughstuff, but in a couple of cases (Andes, Garhwal) when we walked without our bikes the ascent/km is limited to cycling. The table omits Thailand (), where we toured for 17 days unladen in Nov 1998 without an altimeter. Colin covered 800km of which only 8 were rough, averaging 47 km/day; Tracey did a little more by dint of riding on rest days. The high point was Doi Inthanon (2565·3341m), reached by Tracey on her own. It also omits the Chilean lakes (), where we toured for 3 weeks unladen in Jan 1997 without collecting any statistics at all. Guatemala: the figures omit two short cycle excursions from Antigua before the tour began. The high point was the pass between Huehue and Todos Santos. Peru (Cusco): daily ascents were measured on an altimeter which probably exaggerated them (our true daily ascents may have averaged less than 1000m). The figures omit the two day-rides we took at the end from Cusco on hired bikes, each probably giving another 1000m of ascent. Spiti: we had a policy of sleeping high so as not to worry about malaria. Andes: distances quoted are for Colin; Tracey did a couple of additional training rides. Garhwal: the high point was Badrinath (but we walked to 3980m at Gaumukh). We carried a tent and sleeping bags but no other camping gear. The tour starts with the descent towards Dehra Dun and ends at Auli; we climbed another 1000m a couple of days later. Maritime Alps: the high point was the stele on the Cime de la Bonnette (but we walked to the orientation table a little higher). Peru (Huascarán): although we carried full camping gear for the tour, a fair number of kilometres were ridden unladen on day rides. Salta: we carried full camping gear for only part of the tour, though that was the harder part. Arunachal Pradesh: we had a support vehicle, so we were very unladen indeed. Average altitudes are of our cycling destinations each day: a couple of times we drove somewhere else to sleep. The tour breaks down into two circuits an 11-day Tawang circuit and a 9½-day Ziro circuit with a transfer day inbetween with different elevation characteristics.
Kumaon: the high point was the Baba Ashram just below Zero Point. Again we carried a tent and sleeping bags but no other camping gear. Some of the riding was technical mountain biking, and at times our bags were portered or muled, and once or twice our bikes were portered too. Pass list
Biggest climbs
Note: all figures are approximate. The pass list is limited to places reached by bike. Altitudes are obtained by a variety of means and of dubious reliability. Near misses: the pass list omits the Paso de los Piuquenes, the Pupush Punta, the Abra Conococha, the Abra del Condor and the Rohtang Jot. The Piuquenes is about 4037m but we reached it on foot, our bikes being carried by mules. The Pupush Punta (about 3960m) is 4200m on maps; the Abra Conococha, which we measured as 3920m, is claimed as 4050. The Abra del Condor and the Rohtang Jot are occasionally (but extravagantly) claimed as above 4000m. The Abra del Condor is about 3850m, while the Rohtang Jot at 3820m figures in the list of our biggest climbs. We omit the climb from Puente Llacma to the Portachuelo de Llanganuco because we broke it with a rest day at Yanama. index | gen | pass list | biggest climbs |