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Destination    Guatemala
  Peru
(Cusco)
Spiti   Andes   Garhwal Maritime
Alps
Peru
(Huasc.)
Salta   Pamirs Arunachal
Pradesh
  Kumaon
  Peru
(Safuna)
  Peru
(Puna)
Year200120022003 2005200520062006200720082009201020112018
MonthJanAugSeptJanOctMayJulyNov AugNovOctJuneJuly
Rating                                       
Days touring14 16.5 16.5 222113 17.5 19.5 19.5 21.5 20.5 20.5 19
Total km7449179861064 1164795949102111621323895864809
Roughstuff km280 59014538012113665940036440153600570
Km/day53556048 5561545358 61.5444243
Avge altitude1800 300028401950208067027502470336513501880 35503415
Max altitude32604320 433543353100280048904790446540803620 49604720
4000m passes0 4110062710109
Total ascent15815 17470  165802000024370 2005018940  134001282526190212221690015780
Ascent/day1130 1060100091011601540108069064012181035 824830
Ascent/km21·319·116·8 18·519·525·220·013·0 11·019·823·719·619·5
LadenNoYesYesYes YesNoYesYesYesNoYesYesNo
Nights camping654 0409084

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.
      

Tawang circuit: 

15000m ascent = 1365m/day = 22·6m/km; 

avge. alt. = 2120m.

      

Ziro circuit: 

11200m ascent = 1185m/day = 17m/km; 

avge. alt. = 630m.

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

high point

 

altitude

 

reached from

 

ascent

 

region

 

date

Pasto Ruri

 4960m 

 Carpa

 790m

Safuna  

 June 11 

Punta Olímpica

 4890m 

 San Luis

 1720m

Huascarán  

 July 06 

Abra Yanashallash

 4880m 

 9·852°S, 77·166°W

245m

 Safuna  

 Puna  

 June 11 

 July 18 

Punta Huarapasca

 4800m 

 Carpa

 Pasto Ruri turn-off

 

 656m

 44m

Safuna  

 Puna  

 June 11 

 July 18 

Abra del Acay

 4790m 

 S. Antonio de los Cobres

 1140m 

Salta  

 Nov 07 

Portachuelo de Llanganuco 

 4740m 

 Yungay

 Puente Llacma

 Yanama

2300m

2260m

1270m

Huascarán  

Safuna  

Puna  

 July 06 

 June 11 

 July 18 

Pasto Ruri carpark 

 4716m 

 Huarapasca camp

202m 

Puna  

 July 18 

Tunel de Cahuish 

 4510m 

 Catac

910m 

Huascarán  

 July 06 

L. Llaca 

 4470m 

 Huaraz

 Lazy Dog

1280m

830m

Huascarán  

Puna  

 July 06 

 July 18 

Ak Baital pass

 4465m 

 both sides

400m 

Pamirs  

 Aug 08 

Punta Yanash Allash

 4460m 

 Sacracancha

640m 

Puna  

 July 18 

Abra Cuncush

 4410m 

 La Union

1150m 

Puna  

 July 18 

Abra Hatun 

 4350m 

 Km 131 (Conococha) 

290m 

Safuna  

 June 11 

Huinchos 

 4340m 

 Pte. Choquechaca 

2270m 

Huascarán  

 July 06 

Unnamed pass (Collota) 

 4340m 

 Río Rupac 

1950m 

Safuna  

 June 11 

Portillo Argentino

 4335m 

 Los Sauces

3450m 

Andes  

 Feb 05 

Kunzum La

 4335m 

 Batal

485m 

Spiti  

 Sept 03 

Abra Huilcapuncu 

 4320m 

 Yucay

1500m 

Cusco  

 Aug 02 

Upis camp

 4300m 

 Tinqui

400m 

Cusco  

 Aug 02 

L. Rajucolta

 4280m 

 Huaraz

1160m 

Safuna  

 June 11 

Matz pass

 4270m 

 Javshangoz junction

700m 

Pamirs  

 Aug 08 

Punta Mojón

 4265m 

 Uranyacu

 nr Pacllon

 700m 

 1560m 

Safuna  

 Puna  

 June 11 

 July 18 

L. Safuna

 4240m 

 Collota

270m 

Safuna  

 June 11 

Khargush pass

 4205m 

 Khargush checkpoint

315m 

Pamirs  

 Aug 08 

L. Parón

 4200m 

 Caraz

1950m 

Huascarán  

 July 06 

Abra Malaga

 4200m 

 Chaullay

3000m 

Cusco  

 Aug 02 

Abra Cahuacona

 4200m 

 Yungay Pampa

2900m 

Safuna  

 June 11 

Abra Huachococha

 4200m 

 Huari

1260m 

Puna  

 July 18 

Koitezek pass

 4160m 

 

 

Pamirs  

 Aug 08 

Unnamed pass (Urcos)

 4100m 

 Urcos

1100m 

Cusco  

 Aug 02 

Kokbai pass

 4090m 

 Bridge camp

400m 

Pamirs  

 Aug 08 

Se La

 4080m 

 Sapper bridge

 Jang bridge

2300m 

2120m 

Arunachal  

 Nov 09 

Tagarkat pass

 4045m 

 

 

Pamirs  

 Aug 08 

Neizatash pass

 4040m 

 

 

Pamirs  

 Aug 08 

Abra Blanca

 4000m 

 Campo Quijano

2530m 

Salta  

 Nov 07 

Biggest climbs

from

to

 

ascent

 

region

 

time

 

tarmac

Los Sauces

  –  

Port. Argentino (4335m)

 3450m 

Andes 

2

 days

25% 

Chaullay

  –  

Abra Malaga (4200m)

3000m

Cusco

2

 days

0    

Los Andes

  –  

Cristo Redentor (3820m)  

3000m

Andes

1.5

 days

70% 

Yungay Pampa

  –  

Abra Cahuacona (4200m)

2900m

Safuna

2

 days 

0    

Campo Quijano

  –  

Abra Blanca (4000m)

2530m

Salta

1.5

 days 

75% 

Luhri

  –  

Jalori Jot (3050m)

2300m

Spiti

1.5

 days 

100% 

Sapper bridge

  –  

Se La (4080m) 

2300m

Arunachal

1

 day 

80% 

Yungay

  –  

Port. de Llanganuco (4740m) 

2300m

Huascarán

1.5

 days 

0    

Pte. Choquechaca

  –  

Huinchos (4340m) 

2270m

Huascarán

7

 hrs 

0    

Jang bridge

  –  

Se La (4080m) 

2120m

Arunachal

1

 day 

80% 

Manali

  –  

Rohtang Jot (3820m)

2000m

 Spiti

 6.5

 hrs

 100% 

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.

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