What is this plan?
Pankaj Trivedi and Damon I’Anson, will ride from sea level in the UK to Ladakh in the Himalaya to make an attempt on a motorcycle altitude record (see ‘the record’). On the way they will spend as much time as is possible riding and climbing in various mountain ranges – Alps, Balkans, Carpathians, Anatolia etc – without having a huge amount of fun at all. Please do not allow yourself to become mislead; this caper is not simply a thinly disguised excuse to go on an ‘enormous great big holiday’ as has been rumored by some of their fiends and family. And nor are they embarking on ‘an over-indulgent mountain-fest’, ‘an exercise in automotive irrelevance,’ or ‘venture in altitudinous futility’. In fact, what many people would consider ‘fun’ is in fact a carefully random training program, ill designed for pushing the boundaries of motorcycling endurance in the Himalaya.
Where is this plan?
Although no route can be set in stone, the Bike High trip is expected to go much like this…
Leaving the UK in early May, we plan to pop up some Alps and experience the highest passes, roads, bars etc possible. On this western European leg of the trip, we expect to be travelling through France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, and Austria .
Next comes Hungary, before we enter Romania for a serious exploration of Transylvania and the Carpathian Mountains. We’ll have a quick look at the Danube Delta and then travel down south for some more high jinx in the Bulgarian Balkans.
Now Turkey (not yet fully planned, but expect some mountains), Iran and Pakistan to India. This first part of the journey is expected to take around 6 weeks.
Once in India, we will travel north through the Punjab to the Himalayan foothills where we will embark on a period of training, reconnaissance and acclimatisation.
Month three: We will head up towards the high altitude desert near the Indo-Chinese border, reconnoitering the area around the world’s highest road passes (a pass, in Tibetan, is a ‘la’). We will explore the vicinity of Tanglang La (5328m) and Kardung La, widely (but wrongly) regarded as the world’s highest road. Many claim Kardung is at 5606m, but recent GPS evidence strongly suggests this is an over estimation of the road’s loftiness to the tune of some 300m.
What we presently believe will be our best venue for setting a creditable and challenging altitude record will be in the area around Marsimek La (5680m). This has been ridden before, so we will leave the track and climb off-road. What happens next depends on time, health and inclination... Nepal is a possibility.
Who is this plan?
Undertaking a challenge such as that outlined above would be foolhardy solo. It would also be very difficult for one person to record in a manner it deserves. Thus, there will be two riders attempting the record on a pair of bikes: Damon I’Anson and Pankaj Trivedi. For more information, check out their biographies.
